We Stopped Trail Cam Usage

[landtracdeerhunter]

It something that has been on my mind for several seasons now. Well, this year, we entirely stopped using trail cams. We started using them when 35 mm. cameras were in them. Progressed right up to the modern day cell cams. Now you may ask, why would they do such a thing?

Many reasons, really. I just liked the way it was before trail cameras exsisted.   I like to show the grand children how it use to be. Change is good, makes for new excitement. Making new memories, the old fashion way.  And it's not a senior moment either,lol.

I may cave sometime in the future IDK; but for now, the trail cams are in the box and all of us are really enjoying, this deer hunting season.

How do you feel about trail cameras?

Edited November 20 by landtracdeerhunter
Spell check A I failure

[airedale]

I do not use trail cameras, I like being surprised, I grew up in a different era, old timers, books and magazines is where I learned about hunting techniques. There were no food plots, tree or ladder stands or enclosed purpose built blinds with heat and all the comforts of home. Most folks did not even have scopes on their guns. A sprinkling of stand hunting, drives, still hunting and tracking were the methods most used back then. It was all about learning woodscraft, reading sign and animal behavior. It is those skills that define hunting for me and I still use those methods today.

Al

[fasteddie]

I enjoy the Cuddeback trail cameras As they send me pictures from 50 miles away . I have never shot Any deer that I had on camera . I do get some pictures of horse riders and tresspassers on the cameras . 

[First-light]

So this was the first two years we had out 3 Reveal cameras. They did a great job showing us what was around but you could never time a buck with them. The lease property had them my property had the old kind. I don't mind them but real time picts can screw with your mind where to hunt. Not a big fan about them but you have to say you get some really nice pictures at times. If tomorrow they were outlawed no big deal I would hunt the same way as I always would looking for sign. 

[Four Seasons]

I have like 14 Spypoint’s out all the way from Watertown Ny to Letchworth State Park. I use them mostly to find a couple of the biggest bucks on my properties and then I go all in for those 2. It’s either them or bust. They come in handy when my mature target bucks come back to my property after out doing their breeding for a couple weeks. Knowing they are alive keeps the drive going. Along with keeping track of any trespassers sneaking around.  

[Daveboone]

For a lot of folks, hunting is all about the toys they can buy. I enjoy one game camera in a popular area, just to know what is in the area, as well as the other wild life that is around. I know some guys who use them so ...scientifically, they will not hunt at all unless critters are showing at those times.  Thus, some years they almost dont hunt at all...instead of just putting on the boots and ....Hunting!

[Hock3y24]

i havnt paid a lick of attention to my cams this year like previous years, im starting to like it without them also

[catskillkid]

I have not used them in a few years. I  like the idea of being surprised also. The deer will be there, just a matter of when and what  steps out.

I was in Saskatchewan a week ago. The outfitter had cams on all of his baits and showed the hunters which big bucks were coming to the individual baits. Guess what, hunters waited for the monsters and never pulled the trigger on the good bucks they were seeing. Most went home with an unpunched tag.

I'm at an age now that the adventure is more enjoyable than pulling the trigger.

Edited November 21 by catskillkid
another thought

[landtracdeerhunter]

I guess it all depends how you view deer hunting from a personal aspect. I don't want it to get modernized to a point where the fun and excitement are diminished.

Being in the midst of nature has been most of the fun for me. It has an awful lot to teach, willing to learn.

Maybe as I age, the thrill of participation is more thrilling than to harvest of a deer. I'm sure we're throw one in, now and again thou.

[airedale]

I have been hunting the same property for almost 40 years 90% of the time, hunting Squirrels early helps me formulate a Deer hunting plan as I can read their sign and figure out a plan where to be for a Deer hunt when I decide to go. I am not picky and just take them as they come. This year I have seen very little Deer sign and thought there would be a good chance getting skunked but I got lucky the first morning and had a buck walk right into my lap. And then there was a year I think I hunted just about every day and saw zero bucks, on the last day in the last half hour of daylight I had a buck show himself and I scored, you just never know.

Al

[Shoots100]

A trail camera is a tool.

Some see a need for them, some don't.

If we didn't have cell service to use the cell cameras I wouldn't use them.

I never liked having to visit the cam's to pull cards and change batteries.

We have a couple of solar cell cameras set up on trails leading to stands and a couple at property access points to keep tabs on trespassers who swear they don't trespass.

More than 90% of the bucks we see on the cams are never seen or taken and that's info that I would never know without using them.

I set up cell cams on bait piles for coyote hunting and that helps me tremendously in eliminating them.

SJC

 

[Doc]

My biggest problem is keeping the cameras working.

[landtracdeerhunter]

22 hours ago, Doc said:

My biggest problem is keeping the cameras working.

Some were manufactured for trouble. Lifes easier not using them; and a whole lot cheaper too.

Edited November 24 by landtracdeerhunter

[nyantler]

Not really interested in trail cameras for hunting. But, it is fun sometimes having someone show you a pic of your live buck after you've killed it. I've always been one to find a more challenging way to hunt rather than an eaiser way. In my opinion cameras are stretching the definition of "fair chase". But, to each his own as long as it's legal.

 

[GreeneHunter]

I use them but more to just keep an eye on the property ! Trespasser Problem and Un invited Hunters !

[First-light]

This is cool. The doe I shot in my corn field. Hawk, Eagle and crows at it for now. Yotes have yet to find it. Nice way to use a Trailcam. 

[luberhill]

56 minutes ago, First-light said:

This is cool. The doe I shot in my corn field. Hawk, Eagle and crows at it for now. Yotes have yet to find it. Nice way to use a Trailcam. 

Why did you leave it there ???

[DirtTime]

3 hours ago, First-light said:

This is cool. The doe I shot in my corn field. Hawk, Eagle and crows at it for now. Yotes have yet to find it. Nice way to use a Trailcam. 

Why did you kill a deer and just leave it to rot? This is the sort of thing hunters as a whole shouldn't be OK with and certainly not post it like a badge of honor for the world to see. When the world sees this sort of shit they think we all do this crap making it easier to keep chipping away at our privilag to hunt and even as fuel to take our guns. 

[airedale]

46 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

Why did you kill a deer and just leave it to rot?

The story behind that Deer was it could not be found after it was shot until a couple of days later, by then the Coyotes had got to it.

Al

[Doc]

I have used trail cams for wildlife photography. At one time I used to use them for assessing the deer population and quality on my property. But I don't really do any of that anymore. It was fun back then, but now I do my deer herd assessments the old way (Actual boots on the ground scouting). That is more fun and it gives me a reason to get out in the woods to snoop around. Studying trails and tracks, rubs, scrapes and all the other things involved with scouting are all part of the hunt. I don't want any shortcuts anymore. I'm actually adding more challenge back into the hunt by selectively limiting the technology involved. I don't get involved in the agriculture of food plots. I have stopped looking for more hi-tech archery equipment. I haven't bought any new archery equipment since 1999, and I'm still killing deer. The cameras are just one more piece of technology that I have thrown aside.

[First-light]

21 hours ago, DirtTime said:

Why did you kill a deer and just leave it to rot? This is the sort of thing hunters as a whole shouldn't be OK with and certainly not post it like a badge of honor for the world to see. When the world sees this sort of shit they think we all do this crap making it easier to keep chipping away at our privilag to hunt and even as fuel to take our guns. 

Sorry guys should of phrased it better. This the Doe I found after it was gut shot 2 days later. I found it on my neighbors property in his sanctuary area. The yotes ate the ass end and he wanted it out of there. I dragged it to my corn field within distance of a shooting box hoping to shoot a yote. I would never shoot and leave a deer to rot. Those of you that didn't read live from the woods wouldn't of known about this deer. My bad. 

[First-light]

18 hours ago, Doc said:

I have used trail cams for wildlife photography. At one time I used to use them for assessing the deer population and quality on my property. But I don't really do any of that anymore. It was fun back then, but now I do my deer herd assessments the old way (Actual boots on the ground scouting). That is more fun and it gives me a reason to get out in the woods to snoop around. Studying trails and tracks, rubs, scrapes and all the other things involved with scouting are all part of the hunt. I don't want any shortcuts anymore. I'm actually adding more challenge back into the hunt by selectively limiting the technology involved. I don't get involved in the agriculture of food plots. I have stopped looking for more hi-tech archery equipment. I haven't bought any new archery equipment since 1999, and I'm still killing deer. The cameras are just one more piece of technology that I have thrown aside.

We can match up most of the bucks we shot this year with trail cam picts. Funny though the shooter bucks were never seen during gun season not even on camera. I'm leaving mine out for another month to see if any show. 

[luberhill]

4 hours ago, First-light said:

We can match up most of the bucks we shot this year with trail cam picts. Funny though the shooter bucks were never seen during gun season not even on camera. I'm leaving mine out for another month to see if any show. 

I leave mine out all year .. I like seeing different wildlife on them

[fasteddie]

I have 4 cuddeback cameras in the woods in Geneseo . Once it gets wet back there < we don't hunt it . We would have to float the deer out . I still enjoy getting wildlife pictures on those cameras .

 

 

[Steve D]

I have pulled them for now but while I have them out it is primarily to get an idea of what is roaming around. Without them I wouldn't know there were so many coyotes and where they seem to travel.