Jump to content

2013 Trail Camera Placement.... (My Opinion)


Recommended Posts

Ok guys here is my idea for 2013.... After looking (Drooling Over) skyhunters trail camera pictures,

(Like this one)post-2634-0-23596500-1365868700_thumb.jp

I have come to a point of desision... Im Going to place my cams near water!!!!! 

Good idea?!?! NOW i just need to work on placement...

post-2634-0-02909400-1365869240_thumb.jp

the blue lines are water streams/drainage ditches ect.... ive seen some VERY worn down crossing areas but STUPID ME i NEVER thought of putting my cam there....

any opinions on placement or if this is a good idea?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive had it in the same spot for a yr... (Stupid me) and aint getting buck pics (exept for the one i shot) but i KNOW there are other bucks on our land cause of that incident w the neighbors cam... SO i want to move it but have no idea where.... THEN i see skyhunters pics AND.......  LIGHTBULB put it near water!!!

Good Idea?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Ed, Place near paths. Just because you are getting a buck now on your camera doesn't mean that come hunting time he will still be in that area. You have plenty of time move your camera around, I am a believer that deer get use to a scent so you going out to move camera or to just switch card every week or every other is not a big deal.

Weather and food sources will make a deer change it patterns don't forget.

Edited by paula
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have read 2 articles that would support putting a trail camera on a water run , the 1st is that a smart buck will use a creek as means of transportation if it is one of those low lying creeks , basically a ditch on steroids , and the second article was from a guy that said every prerut large buck he has taken had wet/muddy legs almost a foot high on their legs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe- not to take anything away from sky's trail cam pics(he does an awesome job with them), but I believe he crops a lot of his shots. Get yourself a cam capable of taking some quality resolution pics and learn how to use a simple photo editing process. Tweak the sharpness, contrast, brightness, and colors.., then crop your shots into a nice composition and voila, you got yourself some better than average straight outta the camera pics! Of course you'll need a good quality pic to begin with, so you'll want to keep the direction of the light in mind when setting up your cams so the sun is behind it, shining on your target critter. Some production cams don't handle the highlights of water well when exposed to the sun. I think that's where the homebrews shine!

Edited by wooly
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for the compliments. It's means a lot to me when my work is reconized by my peers and fellow hunters.

yes, water is a hot spot to get pictures of all animals since they all need it. some water trail cam spots are obvious and easy to locate by footprints while others will be more challenging. water locations that are "in the path" of an animals daily feeding and bedding patterns are logically the best bet, but that doesn't necessarily mean that other water locations won't be visited fairly consistently as well. placing a cam for a few weeks will be a good test of where they frequent. a time lapse camera that is placed to "see" a large area can be valuable as well to see where they are drinking or crossing.

good luck with your water cams. I think you will get some great pics and definitely be surprised by what unexpected critters also show up there.

Edited by skyhunter
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Joe- not to take anything away from sky's trail cam pics(he does an awesome job with them), but I believe he crops a lot of his shots. Get yourself a cam capable of taking some quality resolution pics and learn how to use a simple photo editing process. Tweak the sharpness, contrast, brightness, and colors.., then crop your shots into a nice composition and voila, you got yourself some better than average straight outta the camera pics! Of course you'll need a good quality pic to begin with, so you'll want to keep the direction of the light in mind when setting up your cams so the sun is behind it, shining on your target critter. Some production cams don't handle the highlights of water well when exposed to the sun. I think that's where the homebrews shine!

 

I aint looking for super good pics... im looking for deer!!!!

thanks for the compliments. It's means a lot to me when my work is reconized by my peers and fellow hunters.

yes, water is a hot spot to get pictures of all animals since they all need it. some water trail cam spots are obvious and easy to locate by footprints while others will be more challenging. water locations that are "in the path" of an animals daily feeding and bedding patterns are logically the best bet, but that doesn't necessarily mean that other water locations won't be visited fairly consistently as well. placing a cam for a few weeks will be a good test of where they frequent. a time lapse camera that is placed to "see" a large area can be valuable as well to see where they are drinking or crossing.

good luck with your water cams. I think you will get some great pics and definitely be surprised by what unexpected critters also show up there.

I have some spots like that.... i will try and go out this week and move my cam and get an area pic of where i put it...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The spot I have the most luck with catching the big boys is at a creek crossing with inside corners of ag fields on either side of the creek. The bank is worn down over a foot on either side at that crossing. Its fantastic during the summer and gets less productive closer to the rut. I also know the bucks will go up and down the creek through the water, as Ive seen them do it, I just havent caught one on cam that way yet.

 

This pic shows how I usually have it setup. Works best when the fields are in corn. Red are the heavy trails at this crossing, yellow is cam location and direction.

 

Cams_zps5c33fc07.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...