I was shocked at how many big buck pictures I was getting, and through the years I hunted public land, I never had a camera stolen. When we did capture a shooter, it was often staring straight into the lens or smelling the camera as if something wasn't right. With all the new scouting camera technology today, you'd think all the angles would've been explored by now. Sidenote: I put new batteries in this camera so the date and time are wrong BUT I walked in front of it so it would take my picture and I could figure out what the actual time and date were: 7am Saturday... How can you not be excited when you are checking trail cameras? There's nothing worse than arriving to check a camera weeks after setting it up and finding that it took no photos. I still have a few trail cameras out to see what the deer are up to. I talked to a friend of mine who traps and he has offered me a couple of his traps to see if... And if you plan on leaving your camera for an extended period of time, be sure to set your capture and interval modes with that plan in mind. He was on the camera more than any other bucks were and I am sure the does are not happy about this. This is also a good idea in areas of high hunting pressure, where mature bucks are more easily spooked by obviously placed cameras. In my early years of hunting, I was blessed with places to hunt on private land, like family farms and properties that were seldom hunted. I would rather see a coyote; they are skiddish of people and don't tend to come out in daylight hours. This might be something like corn, apples, or a manufactured attractant like Big & J's BB2. What about the coyote?
Years ago, I had my first negative run in with another hunter. Over the summer, there had been a trail camera photo here or there but it had been quiet until that morning. We have seen hawks like the one above, deer, coyotes, turkey, fisher, racoons and a mystery cat on the... I have gotten pictures of the big buck that is around and most recently, I got these pictures. Fence Gap: An open gate or hole/gap in a fence in or near a corn or soybean field is my favorite place to get bucks images when you can't use minerals. Not nearly as many as we once did, but some. I began to take a climbing stand with me on public land scouting trips, along with my cameras. This was the second time... And A Strong Cup of Coffee. Still no bucks on the trail camera but the does and fawns are still around and looking very healthy! Their thinking was that this would possibly help stop the threat and spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Then, you get a glimpse into the woodland word. On the other hand, if you're not worried about theft or spooking deer, place your camera as level as possible and at about deer-eye level. To ensure maximum trail cam photos, I recommend a two-punch approach to attracting deer in front of your camera. I hope that this one is just passing through.
This year, we had them again and it's getting a little old. The local deer have been conditioned over the years to come to the licks in the summer, and we still get some pictures there. Ideally you'll want your camera facing north or south to avoid capturing washed out photos during sunrise or set. But a couple of years ago the Virginia Wildlife Department banned the use of all bait and minerals to attract deer. These settings determine how many photos at a time your camera will take and how long an interval there will be between photo sequences. So wear scent-free clothes and boots, and spray down with a scent eliminator before entering the field. Nothing before and nothing after, just this one glimpse in time. Who knows but now we may need to carry more protection than we usually do when we are checking the cameras and making tweaks to the food plots. And I assume that he is the coyote that I saw while I was sitting in my stand last fall. Then cross-reference the photos with aerial maps, consider fresh sign on the ground and hang tree stands for ambushes in the fall. As if gloating, here are a few highlights: He actually lays down! A properly located and set-up camera can get you on the right track for quality trail camera pictures, but if you check your camera too often, it's all for naught. You'll also want to consider the height at which you set the camera.
Every year we'd get pictures of 3 or 4 top-end stud bucks on the farm. We have not had a lot of bucks on the trail cameras yet but I keep telling myself that it's late August when they start showing themselves. Plus, you can shoot them on sight and resolve the problem. On properties where you're dealing with other hunters, you might want to place your camera high in a tree and angled down, to avoid being seen by any passersby. All in all, he spent about one hour in front of this camera. I have been saving all of the 'good' trail camera pictures over the years partially because it is fun to see the animals that were around but also because it is a reference check for what the norm is for our area. And if you make sure to follow these seven steps, you can be the guy or gal that actually gets those photos—and maybe an opportunity to tag a great buck when the season opens. I suspect in a couple more years, the licks will dry up for good. It is like Christmas every time you check the cameras... will the same buck be around? Once I started hunting public land, losing a camera became too big a fear to risk it. So take time to understand how to properly adjust the settings on your camera, then use fresh batteries and format your SD card in the camera before leaving. Coyotes are a part of the woods and I get that but what I don't want to find are dead deer. And will stay that way. In that case, I send the photos to a local police officer who finds out who the license plates are registered to.
First, in place of minerals, I'll pour large rings of the scent around each old lick, and then hook a trail camera on a nearby tree to monitor it. And when you do check those cameras, practice all the same scent control that you do during hunting season. Sometimes we see vehicles driving into our food plot. They just freak me out especially when you can hear them but not see them.
Hang a camera within 10 feet of the ford. The first step to trail camera success in the summer is setting your trail cam in the right location. He has a decent body too, which would provide us with some excellent meat this winter. I have had pictures of this coyote for a while now and he (I assume it's a he) is always solo. That aside, the mineral ban threw a huge hitch in our summer trail-cam strategy and scouting, so we've had to adapt. Old mineral sites: Even though we can't refresh them, we still hang a few cameras on old licks where we got the best pictures years ago. For a decade on a Virginia farm I hunt, we'd start refreshing our mineral sites in June, set cameras near each lick and get thousands of images of deer over the next 8 weeks. Then using the camera's sensor test, I found the shot angle that worked best and cinched the camera tight. Then I moved from my home area and was forced to hunt public management areas.
When I heard this tip, I knew I had a possible solution. Make a scent post: This summer I'm trying scent, especially the new Active Cam. Trespasser 2022 I sat in my stand at the end of deer season this year with my phone vibrating constantly in my pocket. No brow tines on this guy. It looks healthy enough but the last thing we want is a dog up there. As whitetail bucks across the country start packing on antler inches, millions of whitetail addicts will be sneaking into the woods with trail cameras in tow, hoping to catch a photo or two of the local giant. Mineral products like Trophy Rocks, Whitetail Institute's 30-06, and many others will fit the bill.
I'm experimenting with Active-Cam two ways. When I looked, I saw a number of photos of a random person on our property. This is probably the biggest mistake hunters make when it comes to trail cams: We often give in to the temptation to check our cameras too frequently, and end up educating deer to our presence. We have quite a few pictures of this fawn with its mom. Look how wide those spikes are! I could put out my expensive trail cameras without fear of them being stolen.
At this time of year, food is the top priority for deer, so place your cameras close to prime summer food sources like soybean, alfalfa, clover, and other green fields. That's because we weren't getting many monster buck photos from ground level, even though sign was all around. I posted it on my Facebook page and got some great comments about what it could be. To angle the camera downward, I simply propped a stick behind the top to cant it forward. Read Recent Tip of the Week: • How'd My Powder Get Wet? He's healthy and makes his rounds in the same area that we do during the season. Practice self-restraint and give your cameras about two weeks between return trips—and even longer if you can handle it. When I found a promising, remote location, I attached my stand to a tree and climbed until I could strap my camera at least 10 feet above the ground. The small buck that we have seen is no where near the size of this guy: he is one of the two large bucks that we have seen over the past couple of years. I like to set my camera to take two photos per trigger and then wait one minute before triggering again. Talking quality pictures of whitetails will boost your hunting strategy this fall. Water crossing: Walk a creek or shallow river until you come to a spot where a deer trail crosses, and there are lots of tracks. When we pulled the memory card a week or so ago, we saw this picture. Add that this camera is about 50 feet from our lawn and less than 100 feet from our front door...
Once a location is set, you have to properly position the camera. I am surprised that this little ones still has its spots but it is healthy! While we might not have captured every buck that summered on the farm each year, I bet we got pictures of 80-90 percent of the bucks. Place your cameras in easy-to-access locations, where you can walk in along a field edge or drive directly to the camera, as this will limit the pressure you put on the deer. Here are 5 spots to set your cameras and get images of bucks if you hunt in a state or county that does not permit the use of food or minerals to attract deer.