Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Interesting video

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Have you seen similar negative reactions? If so, with consistency?

To answer your first question, yes. If I put a cam anywhere near the height of 2-6 ft off the ground no matter what type of setting they will find it and react one way or the other to it. I've come to the conclusion that deer have seen enough cameras over their short life span and had more than enough negative experiences near them to make them nervous. I also believe a deers personality has an effect on their reaction as also their mood or temperament at the time.

I also have been putting cameras up in the air about 10-12 feet if the situation or setting allows me to and have found that the deer don't notice them unless they come through at night and see the red glow. That's where I agree with Flutie that the black flash cams are the way to go if placed in higher or less conspicuous places.

As for negative responses on a consistent basis, I don't know. The mature bucks I capture on video are mostly at night and are rarely ever seen again! This year I found two existing scrapes that were huge in size and located along a beanfield just 30 yards apart. Starting on 10/18 I had a fantastic looking 3.5 year old hitting both of these scrapes that I doctored up with JVS scent. He came back through and hit them again 10 days later on the 28th but hasn't been back through since. He saw the cameras but it didn't seem to bother him as he ripped a sizable licking branch off one of them during his 10/18 visit. Then on 11/3 a wide 4.5-5.5 150ish 10 came thru during day light hours late in the afternoon on 11/3 while I was at work....:smiley_blackeye:.... never to be seen again. He too seemed to have spotted both cameras over both scrapes but seemed to not be too bothered by them. He actually acted like he was posing for the camera but I attributed it to his personality as he was very visible from the road several times this season in broad daylight so he's prolly dead. The very next evening I captured great night time video of an absolute SLOB in the 5.5 age or older that showed evidence that he was nervous of one camera but didn't seem to notice the camera at the second scrape. He too has not been seen again since. I also got a 3.5-4,5 year old 9 point around the same time that acted the most skidish but that could also be due to not wanting his ass kicked either but the camera did make him act very nervous though. So not having anymore visits from any of these deer is not helping my own little study either but I will be trying to find a way to monitor these scrapes from a more elevated position in the future. It's much more difficult setting up on scrapes on field edges cuz the overhead branches obstructs the view and can set off the camera on windy days if the limbs are moving around a lot. I'll prolly have to set up on one side or the other if I can find a decent tree close enough but still able to get high enough.

This study certainly has some merit IMO.
 
Last edited:

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
I did. But anything you can do to reduce your odds of spooking game will help. If you have bait out and a red flash camera, the longer they stand there, the more likely they are to see it. Also, deer are curious creatures, and will investigate cameras and the smells and sounds associated with them.

I've had my best luck in recent years with black flash cameras, but they are limited on range. If you put some thought into hanging cameras and how you plan to use them, you can get the most out of red and black flash cameras.


I totally agree Flute!
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,633
234
Licking Co. Ohio
I did a study on this awhile back. Once I got my cams up 8+ feet in the air it was a totally different story. My trespasser pic's went way up (Like 3x) And I had something like 1244 pic's before I got a pic of a doe looking at the camera. I believe being out of the normal line of sight keeps them out of mind also.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Here is another video clip of the same buck I posted above just 3-4 minutes later of him hanging around from a safer distance. He continues to act nervous testing the air not knowing what to think about the red glow of the camera.

 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Here is a nice mature buck I was hoping to get a crack at back in 2012 but never could get him to show up during daylight hours. He was eventually found dead by a guy walking the creek not far from where this property I was hunting. It's proof positive how a video shows more than the still pic does during same moment.

Still from first moment of video



Video
 

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
I ain't buying it. We run lots of cams in both video and photo mode and see very few 'negative' reactions. We put them right on the scrape tree and the buck will look at the cam and keep on scraping. There are a few deer we only get a pic or two of but they are not deer core to the property. Rut time usually. We may just get a couple pics but I'm sure there is a neighbor getting lots of them. I think they just end up getting used to them. And I sure as heck ain't carrying a ladder into the timber!
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
I ain't buying it. We run lots of cams in both video and photo mode and see very few 'negative' reactions. We put them right on the scrape tree and the buck will look at the cam and keep on scraping. There are a few deer we only get a pic or two of but they are not deer core to the property. Rut time usually. We may just get a couple pics but I'm sure there is a neighbor getting lots of them. I think they just end up getting used to them. And I sure as heck ain't carrying a ladder into the timber!

What brand and type of cams you running mostly over your scrapes? A LW stick or two is all you need to get them up high enough. It is a pain when cams are in need of fresh batteries though but I just remove the cam and change them on the ground then climb itbright back up there. Lol
 

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
We run all types and brands. One of our favorites are the old Cudde Back Capture flash. They take the best damn color night pics. Problem is they don't make them anymore. I truly think the deer just get used to them.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
We run all types and brands. One of our favorites are the old Cudde Back Capture flash. They take the best damn color night pics. Problem is they don't make them anymore. I truly think the deer just get used to them.
Well you do have some deer out there that ain't too bright, ones that come back out into the same field they were shot in. Less than 24 hours later lol. JK YKW!!
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
How's your human pressure out there? 12 million (Ohio) vs 3 million (Iowa) may have some impact on that....


 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
How's your human pressure out there? 12 million (Ohio) vs 3 million (Iowa) may have some impact on that....

That's exactly what I was going to bring up. The human intrusion and urban sprawl is a huge negative that the majority of the hunters within our state have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm not saying every encounter deer have with my cams leads to negative responses but I'd definitely say it's well over half. Negative responses I mean,head bobbing,walking away shortly afterwards,ears becoming alert,etc....
The only place I see where deer in our state might not associate danger with cameras left out in the field are places where deer don't get shot at or hunted because of the lack of hunter access.

Coincidentally, the scrape cameras I shared above have 7 homes within 80-400 yards of them.
 
Last edited:

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
How's your human pressure out there? 12 million (Ohio) vs 3 million (Iowa) may have some impact on that....

I would assume more people would result in more tolerance for human scent. We too have urban zones to hunt and I feel it is easier to hunt these deer than the deer that seldom see, smell, or hear people in their direct environment. With more hunters I would assume that would mean more cams out, etc. I mean where are the deer gonna go to avoid cams if they are in every little section?
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
Lots of em out there, lots of people traipsing thru the woods checking them as well, some being cautious and some not so much...


 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
I would assume more people would result in more tolerance for human scent. We too have urban zones to hunt and I feel it is easier to hunt these deer than the deer that seldom see, smell, or hear people in their direct environment. With more hunters I would assume that would mean more cams out, etc. I mean where are the deer gonna go to avoid cams if they are in every little section?

You'd think, but I'm not talking about urban zones. The areas I'm hunting and hanging cameras have a strong hunters presence on nearly every block of timber in between or the middle of farms of all sizes and or subdivisions. Every landowner has a friend or family member that wants to hunt and that usually leads to a pile and a camera then a stand. Lol

If your a deer and you get shot at or have a negative experience during daylight hours every time you encounter a small rectangular or square thing attached to a tree along with large amounts of tasty food nearby I imagine some red flags might start to be raised.
 
Last edited:

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
I wasn't going to share this but this deer mimics a typical reaction of most mature bucks in my area when caught on camera.




I am scent cautious and check my cameras as sparingly as I can as well. BTW, this was the first and last time I've seen this buck this year. He could have been killed too but I'm hoping my number one target buck is still alive.:pickle:
 
Last edited:

Iowa_Buckeye

Smartest person here
1,776
85
Linn County Iowa
Nice deer! By the date stamp he was probably out looking for does and is not core to your area if that is the first/last pic of him. Like I said earlier, I am sure some neighbor is getting regular pics of him. He also doesn't look startled to me.
 

reo

Junior Member
484
68
N.E. Ohio
Wow, he sure noticed the cam. I would put that reaction in the negative category, HIGH ALERT!
I'm no expert but if I saw a deer with that body language while hunting I would think
he is ready to get out of dodge. BTW, very nice buck, I hope you get a crack at him
and thanks for sharing