Trail cams..for good or bad?

[giles]

Well…I put out a good bit of corn scatters right outside my yard today and put up a cam. I'm telling myself this is just for fun, no plans of anything besides adventures with my family. Lets see what happens!

 

[MK111]

I got 4 cams out plus one time lapse cam. This is my 3rd year of putting out a food plot and I found I have completely changed the travel patterns of the deer on my farm. I woods was a great pinch point hunting area but the food plot next to it just dried up the deer movement through the woods. Now the bucks cruise through the food plot looking for does and just move on.
So I'll keep moving the cams around to figure this out better. Then I'll finish the food plot on the West side of the farm on a good N-S trail and see what the deer movement is there. I'm hoping it'll be good as the trail is only 100 yds from my house through thick cedar trees and brush and will be a great quick and easy hunt.
So cams do show alot about your deer when you are not there.

 

[Quantum673]

This is the first year I have really run cams. I haves used them in the past but did not really keep up with the different deer that I was capturing on cam. This year I have really been analyzing them. One thing I can say is it is addicting. I am glad I do it though. My number one target buck was killed on the neighboring property two weeks ago. It was bittersweet but at least I knew. I think the data you can obtain is priceless as long as it does affect the hunt. I still enjoy being in the woods even though I know that buck is gone. I am looking forward to February to see what made it through.

 

[xbowguy]

4 of my last 5 bucks were killed in front of a camera. It has become a part of deer season for us.

 

[5Cent]

Just a tool to help drive motivation and fun for seeing all the things you don't get to see. Outside of deer you never see hunting, they catch some cool stuff!

 

[cotty16]

I must say, if it weren't for cams I would've never known this guy existed. Not sure whatever became of him because I never saw him and if someone in my area would've shot him we would've known about it. So, to echo what Adam said, cool to catch neat things on the cam. Never know what you'll get.
This was the Outback Buck because his rack looked like a blooming onion.

 

[Strother23]

That's a good name for that buck..

As for cams. I run 3. But they are a double edge sword. But I enjoy knowing what's out there and patterns. Looking a pics with my 3 yr old son is great. He gets all excited.

 

[Big_Holla]

Heck yeah that was a great name for that buck Cotty!

 

[Joel]

I don't have any set up right now. They're fun, and I could see them being useful but I get too wrapped up in it and it takes the fun out of it for me. I'm going to put one up in the back yard again soon just to flip through the pictures with my daughter.

 

[Hortontoter]

I run 2 to 4 cameras nearly year round. I've ran cameras for 5 years at my hunting area. I feel they are a huge help to me. Everywhere I've placed a stand was from info gained through photos. If one really studies camera photos over time deer movement can become very clear. In time you can learn where deer will most likely travel in the morning or evening. I can't imagine not using cameras to study deer movements. I do think it is easy to become attached to a particular buck, but that can make for exciting, yet frustrating hunting sometimes. But, it is hunting and it is supposed to be challenging, frustrating, rewarding and most of all fun.