If you use trail cameras

[jesse.james]

strongly suggest watching this video. Ive had very good success using the techniques suggested.

Edited July 4, 2013 by jesse.james

[Doc]

Excellent video! So, how much damage are we doing to our hunting by some of these cameras? Sound like we had better be thinking a lot more than just wandering around strapping cameras to trees. I have to admit that I didn't really expect that the visual thing was a big deal. A simple small box on the side of a tree, who would think that would alarm them so much. I always thought that there would be a scent problem, or a sound tip-off. Well, live and learn. Elevation seems to be the key.

[wooly]

Interesting for sure.

Ironicly, I just switched 5 cameras over to video today. Two of them about 6ft high, two about chest level, and one just below my knees. I got 3 vid clips of a buck and doe yesterday off a waist high cam and the reactions were almost identical to what this video illustrated.

Thanks for posting this.....good stuff! Here's my recent example that kinda fits in here.

 

Edited July 5, 2013 by wooly

[wooly]

[Doc]

I have countless face and nose pictures as well as those "stare-down" shots, so I always knew that I was not getting away with my spying activities without any notice by the deer. However, I never had the video to show the results after the picture and how disturbed these guys get at that little black box sitting there harmlessly stuck on the side of a tree. Who would ever guess that an inanimate object could cause such trauma. Needless to say these situations can cause one more dead spot in woods where those particular bucks will never visit again. That's not really our intent, is it?

 

I do wonder whether it really is the vision that gets their initial attention, or whether there is some airborne scent that leads to them seeing the camera. I know from interactions with deer, that if you remain motionless and the wind is in your favor, deer can be fooled and walk right by without ever knowing you are there. But when the wind is not in your favor, you will never fool them.

[WNYBuckHunter]

So far, after switching to true black flash cameras, the only reaction I have gotten, has been scent related. The deer do not react to these cams like they did my old red IR flash cams. I have a couple series of videos of deer just hanging out in front of the cam, at night, with zero reaction to it. They dont even seem to notice it.

[phade]

I've had a few deer notice the black flash cams in daylight based on the videos, but I figured out it's the black flash lense itself at eye level on sunny days only. They can seem themselves in it, I think. In fact, the one set on video has them licking it now. I had that happen to an SG550...once one licked it, all the deer seemed to do that following. I probably had 500+ vids of deer licking the SG. This one seems on the same path.

 

But, they've never bolted out with the black flash. In fact, they seem to come up and sniff it.

[Doc]

Amazingly enough, I even had fewer pictures of deer staring at the camera with my white-flash camera (yeah, the one that got stolen). I can't explain that, but it is one thing that struck me as being a bit weird. Also, it is strange that the deer are always "already" staring at the camera before it actually triggers. So I would conclude that it is not the functioning of the camera that has drawn their attention, but rather a drift of scent or just the view of something strange that wasn't there before.

[landtracdeerhunter]

This is one reason why I usually, install my cameras 10 feet up. Deer look up, on occasion, but don't seem to bother much. One thing, this clip doesn't show.

 

 

Edited July 5, 2013 by landtracdeerhunter

[phade]

Amazingly enough, I even had fewer pictures of deer staring at the camera with my white-flash camera (yeah, the one that got stolen). I can't explain that, but it is one thing that struck me as being a bit weird. Also, it is strange that the deer are always "already" staring at the camera before it actually triggers. So I would conclude that it is not the functioning of the camera that has drawn their attention, but rather a drift of scent or just the view of something strange that wasn't there before.

 

White Xenon flash cams snap a shot as the flash illuminates. The deer still hate it equally as much, it's just that people don't "see" the deer hating it in the pic.

 

Red IR, the IR illiminates prior to the pic/video to saturate the area. Same goes for White LED. That's why they aren't that popular amongst white flash fans.

 

Noise is also made by the IR filter. Thus, the market is trying to experiment with a two-lense setup such as Reconyx. But, it's proving to be a challenge based on their release delay.

 

The functioning of the cam is part of the problem.

Edited July 5, 2013 by phade

[WNYBuckHunter]

Amazingly enough, I even had fewer pictures of deer staring at the camera with my white-flash camera (yeah, the one that got stolen). I can't explain that, but it is one thing that struck me as being a bit weird. Also, it is strange that the deer are always "already" staring at the camera before it actually triggers. So I would conclude that it is not the functioning of the camera that has drawn their attention, but rather a drift of scent or just the view of something strange that wasn't there before.

 

Yep, I noticed the same thing with my old white flash cam. They seem to react to them differently than a red IR flash cam. The only hiccup is that I have never used a white flash cam in video mode. Might be interesting to put a black flash cam up in a tree pointed at a white flash cam and see what happens.

[Doc]

White Xenon flash cams snap a shot as the flash illuminates. The deer still hate it equally as much, it's just that people don't "see" the deer hating it in the pic.

 

Red IR, the IR illiminates prior to the pic/video to saturate the area. Same goes for White LED. That's why they aren't that popular amongst white flash fans.

 

Noise is also made by the IR filter. Thus, the market is trying to experiment with a two-lense setup such as Reconyx. But, it's proving to be a challenge based on their release delay.

 

The functioning of the cam is part of the problem.

And yet all last summer, I watched the same sets of deer come and go daily getting flashed at everytime they passed and apparently totally un-concerned by the flash and never altering their patterns. Not so with the IR cameras. I did frequently have to relocate the IR cameras after each of the areas eventually went dead. Not so with the white-flash camera. These are all random observations and I really haven't put a lot of time into trying to make any sense of it all. But I do find these things interesting and do think there may be more at work here than we understand.

[phade]

I've never had an area go dead from any cam white flash, red IR, or black flash. Seems highly unlikely given the sheer number of cams I've owned and operated in my lifetime. Interesting.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Ive never had areas go dead with the red IR cams, but I did run into issues where bucks, especially those 3 1/2 and older, never came back to that spot. I actually saw one (through binos) walk around the trigger area of a cam that was in the same spot as it was the previous year. I guess I will see if the same thing happens with the black flash cams.

 

phade, I also noticed that all reactions to my black flash cam, so far, has been daytime. Heres an example.

 

[phade]

They see themselves in the array lense with the BF.

 

Some companies are starting to breakup the array. There's some aftermarket sticky stuff you can put on...I haven't mess with it yet. Most of my cams are set up higher and is a non-issue in that sense.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I think Im going to try putting them up about 2 feet higher than they are now and angle them down a bit. I also need to pile some brush in front of the cam to keep them out a ways, I keep having the camera tripped and just getting ear tips moving across the bottom lol.

[Doc]

I've never had an area go dead from any cam white flash, red IR, or black flash. Seems highly unlikely given the sheer number of cams I've owned and operated in my lifetime. Interesting.

Yes, I should have said "trails" instead of "areas". And I can't say that I have any idea why it was the IR cameras that this happened to and not the white-flash ones. It could have been coincidence, or any number of other potential disturbances. Like I said, these are just observations not conclusions.

[GreeneHunter]

Great informative video , I'm thinking of putting my cams up a little further on my trees .... couldnt hurt !

[NFA-ADK]

Saw this video a while ago.  Great info and was one of the main reasons I decided not to use them.  Most area's I hunt in the ADK are deep woods with little human disturbance.  To scare off one potential buck in any of the area's I hunt was too great a risk... 

 

Does not mean I will never use them, I just do not like ANY flash or light despite the seeming fact that they do not look up as much and do not seem to be as offended when filmed or flashed from above. 

 

Waiting for the cam's that work with out a flash or any noise...

 

Most important thing seems to be getting them above 6ft.  Note these deer have been accustom to the cams in this video and still have bad reactions.  Just too much risk IMO with a deer in the deep woods not accustom to human smells and funny looking glass that looks like a big eye to them.  I think I would be freaked out too if I saw a tree with a big eye, lol.

 

PS: I note certain people do not have the deer looking at the cam's and seem to keep getting the deer to come back, skyhunter has some great pic in his area, I am not sure all his cams are high(some seem to be for small game vs big...) but I figure they might be hidden(or camouflaged) in some area's making them harder to detect...

 

As much fun of a toy and tool they are, again the risk in deep woods just seems to great.  Does not mean I can not put them in area's I want to push the deer out of!!!  Just wish I could direct them to an area...  So tempting to use them, not sure how much longer I can wait for better working models...  Feel like I am missing out, thankfully many post their pics to keep me from scratching that itch...  So far!

[Renegade Hunter]

Just put mine up today. Im 6' 1 and stretched it as far as I could manage up that tree. Should have some vids soon!