trail camras, Iam up in the air

[Plumber]

I just put a camra out for the frist time this year,I got it for my b-day.I feel like I am a kid opening all my presents 3 days before christmas knowing whats there before the season opens.I dont dis like the camra it is very exciting to retrive the pictures.however Iam old school I prefer to read an study the land as nature sees fit to give me the pices of the puzzle.scrapes rubs etc.I am no big buck hunter I am just as happy with a big old doe.If I see a nice buck in the area I will try to hunt him that is the ultimate challange.but on the other hand if I knew what is there.It would change my approch all together.I think I would be more sent concious,not rush to my stand,hunt the wind more often,be more aware of my over all rutine.I think Iam going to use this tool all year long to see what it changes for me over all.my bag limits are very much the same year to year I take 6-8 does an one avarage  buck.thanks for reading tell the plumber what your thinking.

[Don Stokes]

It's just a tool- enjoy!

[KentuckyTJ]

"read an study the land as nature sees fit to give me the pices of the puzzle.scrapes rubs etc."

You can still do all that to know where to put your camera. The argument that trail cameras take away from old school scouting is totally untrue. When I am walking through my woods and I find an acorn tree that is raining acorns and has recent deer activity I then return and hang a camera. It's old school and new school bonding in harmonious courtship.                

The only thing a camera does is show you what is standing in front of it.

[sam barrett]

I feel the same way.  I get so excited to check my trailcams.  I have to stop myself from checking them too often.  They really don't change the way I hunt, they just let me know whats in the area.  Good luck this year.

[Plumber]

kentuckyTY you are so right about that it just shows you what is standing there at the time.when that big old boy comes up when your on stand an in position at full draw he still has the advanage.my heart beats like a drum an my knees quiver like they did 3sec.before my frist kiss.just because he is there dont mean hes dead.I have been able to control alot of this over the years but I hope it never goes away.buy the way your trail camra pics have been a true pleasure to look at my son an I have really enjoyed them thanks ED

[KentuckyTJ]

Wow thank you Edward, I really appreciate your words Sir and you are exactly right. It won't go away, I think the jitters are even worse when you know what is lurking around and you finally meet face to face.

What I have come to enjoy about the cameras is I have learned and appreciate more about the animals we all care so much about. From injuries, to watching antlers grow, to how they interact (video mode on cameras)  and seeing which deer is dominant, to seeing how your herd is balanced, to checking which bucks made it through gun season, to watching a deer work a scrape (video mode very cool) to knowing how long they tend to use different areas and food sources. The education value alone has made the move to trail cameras very worth it to me.

A WARNING though this can become very addicting as Sam says. The anticipation of checking your camera can cause you to spend to much time in an area and ruining it for hunting. It is a fine line.

[joekeith]

The camera is just another tool.  You use all the tools you can get to do you're plumbing don't you?  Have fun with it.  

[4 point]

Where I live trail cameras are more of a toy than a tool. It's wide open country and I do most of my scouting through binos and a spotting scope. I try to keep the cameras away from the area I'm going to hunt so I don't disturb my hunting spot. It's almost more fun for me to try get pic's of a deer as it is to try and kill it. I have one buck that I see almost every night about fifty yards from my camera but i can't get a pic of him. I know he's not camera shy cause I've had pic's of him the last three years. I hope you enjoy yours Ed, they are great fun.

Travis

[NoCams]

Plumber, Mason and I also look forward to everyone's trail cam pics but especially KY TJ's !!! He always has some, " Toads " on his cams each year. Some of them even get to take a ride home with him in his pick 'em up truck too, haha !!!

Just got out one of my older Moultries and it is dead. I will send it in and think I can get it fixed for $30 according to customer service. I also need to add a few to my fleet and was looking at the new mini cams from Bushnell and Moultrie. I think the Bushnell is the old Covert cam, just updated ? What about the Moultrie M-80 or M-100 ?

[Northwoods]

I think trail cameras can be used to strengthen your woodsmanship and tracking abilities.  I often will try to anticipate what will be on the camera by looking at the signs before hanging the camera and again looking for tracks, etc before I collect my SD card.  With some creativity, there are many of these type of applications.

Ted

[SEMO_HUNTER]

One more thing, getting a nice buck on camera really pumps me up and takes the excitement level up a notch or two. If anything, it makes me hunt harder, more diligent, scent consious, stay on stand longer.......you know all the right things and that opens the door for more oppurtunities rather than take away from them.

Also, just because you got a nice buck on your camera doesn't mean you'll ever lay eyes on him during the season or even get a shot at him. I don't know how many bucks I've had on camera that were ghosts during the regular season, but the fact that I knew the potential of the area kept me in the stand all day long during the rut.

That's how using a trail camera works for me.

[Hoyt]

I finally broke down and bought a cheap one to put on public land I hunt. Kinda wish I didn't since I haven't got a decent buck on it yet and now am having doubts about my favorite area.

Went and looked at another section this morning.

[Orion]

I don't know.  I like looking at the pix that folks get on their cameras, but I can't bring myself to using one, particularly for hunting.  Yeah, it's just another tool.  But we already have so many tools tipping the scales in our favor -- tree stands, blinds, ATVs, camo clothing, scents, cover scents, scent free clothes?, GPSs, food plots, bait, etc. The trail cam may be the most effective/efficient of all.  It not only tells you what's in the woods you hunt, but also where and when its there. Those are extremely important bits of information, which the hunter would have great difficulty determining any other way.    

[KentuckyTJ]

Good point Orion it is definitely just another personal decision, just as is Long Bow or Recurve or any other choice an individual makes as to how they enjoy our sport. But sitting over a worn out deer trail all day long that the deer only use at 4 am isn't something that appeals to me and something I want to try to avoid.

I do enjoy being in the woods and taking in all nature has to offer but (to me) killing a deer when I go hunting is my personal goal.

[bolong]

I just like looking at the pictures, never know what you will have. Even with all the cameras on our property we still see bucks we never got a pic of.

[Rufus]

I have mine set where it's watching a natural funnel area to and from the hills and canyons to the river bottoms. We tend to think of deer and funnels but lo, coons, possums, pigs, coyotes, deer, cows, quail, turkeys, etc, and even some of my huntin' buddies pass thru this area. It's a really good nature study and lesson on what really happens at what times of day. Interesting little stand-offs occur at times betwixt different species too that I never would have thought of.
 So, I have fun and with my equipment and I enjoy the challenge of keeping everything working properly for a whole year. Not everything that's supposed to keep on working does despite what the pink bunny says. Between the camera, rechargeable battery and the solar panel something always gets funky. Dang coons cause a bunch of trouble sometimes.
 With it being so very hot and dry here in the Texas Panhandle this year it's really evident on some pictures I've gotten just how much that takes a toll on the well being of the animals. Poor deer are so thin.
 So enjoy the camera as I do. Mine is not just a hunting tool it's my nature study tool.

[frankwright]

I have used one for the last three years and this year I bought a second one.
Both of mine do video and I really enjoy putting out corn in the off season and seeing what comes.

I have enjoyed watching deer and raccoons interact.
I can't wait to get home and plug in the card to see what I have captured.

I have never seen any of the bucks that were captured by the cameras and a big majority were after dark.
The newer cameras like my bushnell trophy will do daytime and infared night time pictures and video and will run all season on 8 AA batteries.
I do it more to see what is around rather than trying to pinpoint a deer and then hunting him.

[USN_Sam1385]

I think a lot of people think that cameras make the rest of the hunt easy.

However, just because a deer came down to the watering hole at around 1 p,m. on Tuesday, does not mean that he will do it again the next day, or maybe ever during that week. And maybe won't even come into the area.

Furthermore, whether or not that deer comes into the area while you are in the stand is a completely different affair altogether. Maybe he will bust you walking in without you knowing. Maybe he will smell you or your boots and never enter the area of you and your camera.

In a nutshell my point is that while a trail camera is neat, it isn't really a deal breaker or a deal sealer. I haven't killed any more or less deer since beginning to use my trail camera 3 years ago. And the last 2 bucks I killed, were bucks that I had NEVER ever seen before on my camera.

If any of you feel uncomfortable using your cams I would be more than happy to help you with ur moral issue by taking them off of ur hands.    

[Steel]

A trail camera records the past. A trail camera does not predict the future.  Myself I have been a victim of trail cams. How does that happen well you get a big buck picture and hunt that spot for days/weeks wasteing your time when he is somewhere else already. Two you get no buck pictures for weeks so don't hunt a spot only to return and find a huge buck was there on camera after you gave up on the spot.

[Tree Killer]

it's just a fun hobby for me. Have never killed any of the animals that I've captured on a trailcam, not that I haven't tried!

Always looking for news places to hang a camera. I try to keep my trailcams deployed year round.