How does everyone utilize their trail cams?
My cams serve two purposes: scouting and inventory. I have certain cams that are only for scouting trails and other areas of interests. Those cameras rarely spend more than two weeks in a certain spot. This time of year, my scouting cams will work travel areas that I rarely see from a stand in hopes of locating a trail or corridor I have previously overlooked. Once we get closer to season, I’ll use them to try and pattern a particular buck. During the season, they will go on known travel routes, rub lines, and scrapes.
Do you focus on feed sources, transitions, bed skirts, bait?
All of my inventory cams sit on corn or minerals. My scouting cams will focus on travel routes, bed skirts, and other areas of interest…
How do you use your trail cam info to better your chances at killing target deer?
I’ll take known data points and plot them on a map, then work on connecting the dots. It seems like a good practice, but has yet to prove itself. However despite my lack of success using cams to kill a specific buck, I have amassed a ton of data points over the years that have made my hunting better. It is only a matter of time before it all comes together…
Do you use scent control while hanging and checking them?
I do from September through the season. This time of year, I do not worry about it all that much and the data as shown it really doesn’t matter. However once I get a target buck using an inventory site, I will try and time all my visits to this site from July to September before, during, or just after a rain storm…
Do trail cams dictate when you hunt and when you dont hunt?
No. I hunt when I can hunt and don’t when something other than a trial cam dictates…