I finally bought some cheap trail cams for public land and on the farm.

All the bucks show up in in the dark. Naturally I expected this on the Camaras watching scrapes . But it's the same on trails. Will they start moving in daylight. Now there is nothing of any size biggest is out side it's ears but not a lot of mass or tine length but it would make my 13 year old happy. My 11 year old is tagged out on his buck in Indiana except for the refuge hunt on Saturday. Or if I get a place to hunt in KY for gun.

Trail cams are new to me and it's nice to see what is coming through and in an area. But sure makes it hard to sit in a place when you know the deer have been comming through between 230 and 330 am. Or 630 am when it is not shooting light till 730.

The boys are in the antler phase but just bigger than their last one. And that won't be to hard to top. They also like shooting and eating them so does are not safe. I would shoot a nice buck when they walked in front of me but never really 100% targeted them. Now I'm likely to let them walk on past unless it's something big enough someone would buy it for crazy money. Anyway since I have never been focused on head hunting I honestly don't know a ton about it. Will those small buck on Camara start comming through in daylight or should I take them to huntnin a different location?

Once the rut fires up the bucks will be moving more during the day. I enjoy "trapping" bucks on camera. It gives me an idea of what I have to choose from but in all honesty, the bucks I shoot are usually ones I have never seen before.

…. That’s the problem with cameras and why I’ve never used them … takes all the mystery and excitement out of hunting

Sell the cameras … find sign and sit on it … the closer to the likely bedding thicket the better

.. and stay in the woods as much as you can during rut

I run cameras to see what I have around on my ground. I know deer sign and how to read it but I like visual confirmation when I can get it.

A young fellow was night hunting coyotes over by me and shot a video clip through his thermal scope of a deer with significantly more mass than this guy. He hunts two or three miles away from me but he's just as apt to see these deer over there as I am here. They line out during the rut. I had the mounted deer on camera two years ago. It was struck and killed by a car six or seven miles away from where I had it on camera.

Bigger bucks are nocturnal now on cams I’m hoping that changes with the upcoming cold snap to get the rut drive going.

I try and make a hit list of bucks to look for during season but their habits change drastically in the couple weeks prior to season. Lots of corn coming out, weather changes, rut activities peaking. All contribute to me never seeing any of these deer during season.

I was consistently getting a bachelor group of five on camera all summer. They disperse as soon as their antlers harden off. I'll occasionally get a larger buck tolerating a smaller but trailing him, but not often.

I am with Savell for no cameras. Those little bucks will be running all over the place during day time in 1-2 weeks (around here).

… the deer paparazzis are out in full force tonight lol

… here’s how I take their pictures lol

One 8 that was 14 to 16 wide now broke off his right side just above his brow tine. I told Mt 13 year old today I should shot his other side off so maybe the neibors won't shoot him from his good side this year. But thatvwould require me to take a gun hunting and I don't see me doing so this year..

Got to get closer to their bedding areas. Deer are in the woods 24 hrs they just spend more of their daylight time closer to their bedding areas. The rut will increase their daytime travels buts it's still good to get closer to the bedding areas. My experience is cheap cameras will also surprise you how many deer they miss.

Bucks move all day and night. They will get up from their beds and browse close by before bedding down again. If you are only getting night pics its because you are far from the core bedding spots.

We’re in the dreaded October lull right now and a warm front for the next few days.
This weekend quite a bit of rain followed by a dramatic temperature drop next week so from about the 1st on out you should have them boys out as much as possible PF.

I have them out about every day I'm off and get caught up on thing just a little. I had not checked the weather tell your post. Darn if your not right about rain Saturday. That stinks because it's the draw yout hunt at big oaks. It's an all day pack lunch and have cooler full of ice in the truck to get them on ice and get back to hunting trip for us. I will miss 2 days of work for that 1 day hunt. Now I'm thinking I may just go to work. They won't hunt all day once they get soaked to the skin. Hard to miss 2 days pay for 3 to 5 hrs of hunting. And blood trails in the rain suck.

For every deer you see on camera, there’s probably 4-5 others you don’t see.
I’ve watched a big buck through optics avoid 2 cameras. How did he know they were there? I have no idea.
I’ve sat on a stand watching a camera and saw two does walk in front and 20+ other within 50yds either side of it that we never got a pic of.
So much depends on what area you’re hunting in whether you get daylight or nighttime pics. I hate a year where every oak is producing. A buck can bed in the nearest cover and get up and move 50yds to eat and back to bed. If you have a lot of does, the rut means nothing for a hunter. No need to chase if they’re all there near the abundant food and cover.
Young bucks will move no matter what, it’s the mature deer that hang tight.
The wind and your approach will determine what you see as well. I don’t put any stock in when they’re on camera. I just want to know they’re there.
We’ve actually used the wind to move a big buck. My son got on stand and I went upwind of where we thought he was bedding. Didn’t have to go all the way in, just the outskirts at a slow pace and let my scent blow through. He didn’t get a shot, but we learned his escape trail.
Just go hunt and if you see what you had on camera, great. If not, you’ll see others that you never had on camera. Too many studies on tagged deer that once they were taken was the data released and hunters had no clue that particular deer lived and stayed on their property.
I hunted a deer for three years and thought I knew where he was bedded. Put 4 cameras around that area and NEVER got his pic. Another camera 350yds away right before daylight one morning let me know what I thought all along. He was heading to the area I “knew” all along was his bedding area. He was killed that evening exiting that area. And it was a wide open area he crossed in broad daylight. Had I not got that pic, I would’ve never hung a stand where I did that evening.

9:40 10/31








9:56 11/10

Lol!

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That stinks that you guys are probably getting rained out for Big Oaks, that’s a good hunt over there!