Put my cameras away for the year

[Doc]

I pulled my cameras for the winter. It won't be too long before they are all covered up with snow anyway.

Do you guys leave them out year around?

Doc

[burmjohn]

I think I'm going to leave my cheaper one out all year to see whats going on.  Could be fun!

[Geno C]

mine are pulled...

[wooly]

I move mine around all winter long to keep tabs on potential shed donors and time the drop. I like to see what's made it through season and not have to wait for the following springs new growth.

[33Canuck]

Post season is the best time to have them out to see what made it through the war. I run cams 8-9 months out of he year it's great post season fun!

[newbreed]

I keep mine out till they drop the antlers then i bring them in. and then put them back out soon as i see the 1st deer of the year growing antlers again.

[Tio1]

Putting mine out Sunday after the last Sat in PA. Gotta make sure the two big ones made it through until nxt yr so the bow MADNESS can start all over again.

[Doc]

The other day when we only got a couple inches of snow, the whole face of the cameras were glopped up with snow. That was the main reason I pulled them. How do you keep them functioning once we start getting regular snow storms?

Doc

[Tio1]

Although not far from the NY/PA line, don't get the snowfall that we get here in Erie Co. NY. Only problem I have is the cold temps eating the batteries. Good luck

[wmig2]

I think I'm going to leave mine out till after the end of muzzleloader to see who made it through the season.

[NYBowhunter]

My camera is still out there. I like to take inventory in the late season and after hunting is all done.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im thinking of putting mine out after season is over, but Ill be using them to look for yotes. I didnt have them out much this year, pulled them before bow season. Ive started noticing some things happening with the deer patterns since I started with the trail cams, and I must say, Im not happy with it. I might end up getting rid of them or using them alot differently.

[Doc]

Im thinking of putting mine out after season is over, but Ill be using them to look for yotes. I didnt have them out much this year, pulled them before bow season. Ive started noticing some things happening with the deer patterns since I started with the trail cams, and I must say, Im not happy with it. I might end up getting rid of them or using them alot differently.

Yup! the jury is still out as far as I am concerned as to whether the trail cams are disturbing deer patterns. I know they are not fooled about something being there. I have gotten too many deer "face shots". I purposely went with the IR cameras to keep from exposing the deer to constant flashes. However, I think there is a concern over leaving scent whenever checking the cameras. Not only is scent deposited everytime you visit the camera-site, but the cameras themselves gather and hold scent.

What I have noticed is that the older bucks seem to be caught on camera just once and then it appears they travel somewhere else. The does and younger bucks don't seem to be bothered much by the camera even though they occasionally come right up to it and show that they absolutely know it's there.

My problem is that trail-cams have now become a bit of a hobby all by themselves. I just like seeing what's running around when I'm not there. So I'm not likely to stop ..... lol. What I most likely will do is to not leave the cameras in the same place for as long a time. Also, I will start setting cameras up somewhere other than directly where I am hunting. I think checking them les frequently than I have wouldn't hurt either. I will also start setting them a little higher where possible, angling them downward. Setting up farther from the trail (as far as possible while still getting acceptable pictures) wouldn't be a bad idea either. Also will probably start using some of that scent-away (just in case the stuff actually works .... lol).

Doc

[WNYBuckHunter]

I dont think the cameras themselves bother the deer, Ive gotten plenty of shots of them looking at and sniffing the cams, then the same deer right back there the next day or a few days later. What I believe to be bothering them is the added pressure of me going in and out to change cards and batteries. I dont check my cams once a week either, its more like once every two or three weeks.

[Doc]

I was checking mine every day ..... lol. It got kind of addicting.

[burmjohn]

I was checking mine every three weeks to a month.  But almost every time, with in 3 hours there was deer walking buy right after I swapped the memory card.

[WNYBuckHunter]

What I have started to notice is that the deer in my area seem to be changing their patterns over the last few years. Is it due to me checking the cameras or is it a coincidence and are there other factors that I dont know about in play? Im not sure. What I do know is that for years and years the deer used to come though the area at almost a predictable time using the same trails. Now, they have moved their trails and the times they come through are different, but still predictable. I am going to change my tactics and back off of the area more and see what happens.

[JGaruti3]

My camera stays out all year long...usually check it once every 2-3 months though after hunting season is over.  i like having it out in winter since there is no foliage, you get much better pics

[Doc]

What I have started to notice is that the deer in my area seem to be changing their patterns over the last few years. Is it due to me checking the cameras or is it a coincidence and are there other factors that I dont know about in play? Im not sure. What I do know is that for years and years the deer used to come though the area at almost a predictable time using the same trails. Now, they have moved their trails and the times they come through are different, but still predictable. I am going to change my tactics and back off of the area more and see what happens.

I have a massive database that spans almost 30 years that has been obsoleted many times in terms of useful data. There are patterns that seem to last a few years but in every case dissappear or get modified severely due to forces that I cannot always identify. Some of the reasons for shifting patterns are obvious, such as maturing of brushlots into more mature growth, severe ice storms that physically blocked some areas and trails, changing food sources, massive changes in land use (hikers, bikers, small game hunters, etc.) and other more subtle pattern interrupters. also there are pattern changes that have no obvious reasons whatever other than perhaps just a different generation of deer with different needs. I no longer use my database in any analytical way because most of the info has been obsoleted over the years. Yes, I suppose the cameras are just one more thing that can change patterns (probably temporarily if all else stays the same). But one thing I have come to accept is that cameras or not, there will always be changes, and scouting in an annual fashion is always required to stay in touch with those changes and the latest generation of deer that use the area.

Doc

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yeah, no way to tell for sure, just seems very coincidental. Id rather take a chance and pull the cameras from the area to see what happens.

[Doc]

Yeah, no way to tell for sure, just seems very coincidental. Id rather take a chance and pull the cameras from the area to see what happens.

Ha-ha ... how are you going to see what happens if you pull the cameras? 

[outdoorstom]

The cameras are definitely addicting. I run three of them, and constantly have to fight the urge to go swap cards. I was going to do that today, but let common sense prevail. I've been waiting for late muzzleloader and haven't been out there in a week and a half....why go out there with only a couple days to go until I can hunt again? I usually pull them in the winter and put them back out in the Spring.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yeah, no way to tell for sure, just seems very coincidental. Id rather take a chance and pull the cameras from the area to see what happens.

Ha-ha ... how are you going to see what happens if you pull the cameras? 

LOL, I figure Ill see what happens if I start seeing deer use their normal patterns when I am hunting there.