Game Camera Question - Removal During Deer Season

[kgrutzmacher]

Guys,

Had an interesting conversation at the lease this weekend. It seems that some of guys want to require us to pull down all game cameras 30 days before the season. Their thoughts are that the older / wiser bucks are smart enough and tend to shy aware from the feeders with game cameras due to the flash / noise.

Looking for thoughts / comments knowing that we hunt in East Texas where the deer are a bit more cautious...

[Texas8point]

2 things

Most mature bucks in east Texas don't come to feeders and

There are no deer in east Texas !

[sharkhunter]

Wow !! Maybe with the old flash type but with the modern cameras there is not a problem.

[adam_p]

If you are using IR cameras they aren't spooking anything. Some deer don't get spooked by normal flash cameras. Others do. I run my cameras all year long and doing so allowed me to shoot my biggest deer ever. Checking the cards will however spook game. September to January I only check the cards during mid day.

[Smart]

If there is nothing there to record it, how do they know the more mature deer come to feeders without the cameras there?....

[iamntxhunter]

Guys,

Had an interesting conversation at the lease this weekend. It seems that some of guys want to require us to pull down all game cameras 30 days before the season. Their thoughts are that the older / wiser bucks are smart enough and tend to shy aware from the feeders with game cameras due to the flash / noise.

Looking for thoughts / comments knowing that we hunt in East Texas where the deer are a bit more cautious...

Sounds like your lease buddy's might mean well but I don't like the mindset as a whole. If they feel that way then by all means go ahead and take theirs down but don't tell me what to do at my spot.
I personally would be trail hunting based upon trail camera info and adjust my set ups accordingly.

[elkbowhunter]

If there is nothing there to record it, how do they know the more mature deer come to feeders without the cameras there?....

A very smart man.A very good point.

Its funny how people quote things as facts. Dont all deer want to eat corn? I was at a game farm(high fence) west Texas. 3 years ago a buddy took me to (1st time experience) and being not used to feeding deer or hunting high fence, as soon as the feeders went off early morning, 5 bucks and 6 does come running like a mountain lion was on their tail, screaming out the woods to get the dinner bell/corn being flung everywhere. I said to myself, well this is interesting way to hunt. Kinda fun....just different.

[Encinal]

Deer are more scared by IR cameras than white flash cameras IMO... and neither one scare them very much.

[tgil]

I hunted a couple of seasons with folks that felt that way. They wondered why the buck they had been seeing up until they pulled their cams seemed to vanish. My response was maybe he changed his pattern (time to visit the feeder) once y'all hit the woods to hunt him? They'd never know if he was coming a little after they left the stand, or maybe a little earlier than they would typically go back out in the evening? I leave mine up year round.

[jerp]

I agree that if cameras have any negative effect, it is not the cameras themselves but the extra human activity around the feeders going to pull cards all the time. I think a better idea is during the season is to only pull/swap cards when you come out of a blind after a sit - instead of making a bunch of extra trips during the day to get them.

[perfectstorm]

Your lease mates sound retarded. If I were you I would run.

We manage 3500+ low fence acres in 'east' Texas. Every (no exceptions in the past 4 years) mature trophy buck we have taken, we have multiple game camera photos of prior to the kill. If you allow this, you guys will be cutting your nose off to spite your face.

[perfectstorm]

I agree that if cameras have any negative effect, it is not the cameras themselves but the extra human activity around the feeders going to pull cards all the time. I think a better idea is during the season is to only pull/swap cards when you come out of a blind after a sit - instead of making a bunch of extra trips during the day to get them.

X2. Sounds like its more of a user problem than camera problem. Cameras are your ultimate tool if used correctly.

[popup_menace]

I think that either your lease mates don't know when to check the cameras or they don't understand why game cameras are made in the first place. They are a tool to photograph deer to scout without you having to be there, if they want to take their cameras down fine, but they sure as heck aren't gonna tell me how to hunt the land I pay for

[Encinal]

People give deer WAAAAAAY too much credit.

[dpatterson1976]

Sounds like your lease buddies are hunting your spot when you are not there and dont want the cameras out to catch them in the act!

: )


dp