I received a call from a friend this morning stating that his car had been broken into, and his GPS was stolen. This is the second time in recent weeks that this has occurred. Last time, it was his wife's vehicle.
As he went through the different ideas he had on how to catch these crooks, I had a great idea ... Read more about using Game Cameras for Surveillance
As the Kentucky bow hunting season nears its end for the year, it will be time to head to the woods soon to collect my tree stands. That doesn't mean my time in the woods will be over though. While my opportunities for harvesting more deer for the season may be coming to an end, my hunt for more trail cam pictures will continue until the start of next year's bow hunting season.
This hunt never ends.
I keep my game cameras operating throughout the year. This allows me to see if those bucks I've been seeing have made it through the season. It also gives me the opportunity to learn more about their movement, keep track of the numbers of deer in the area, and watch their development throughout the year.
I like to keep a camera over a salt lick, or area of mineral deposits. As I catch pictures of bucks coming in throughout the spring and summer months, it gives me an opportunity to watch their antler development.
So just because your hunting season may be coming to an end, don't let that end your hunt for game cam pics. This is a great way to extend your time in the woods and gives you more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
To give you digital trail camera an opportunity to take optimum photos, try placing a bit of bait in front of it. Please note that you should check your local hunting guide for the rules and regulations on baiting deer. Some states don't allow you to hunt over a bait pile, some don't have any regulations against it. Either way check to be safe.
Placing a good corn pile in front of your digital game camera will give the deer a reason to stop and linger while your trail camera does its work. Ensure that you set your bait pile at a distance that will be within your trail cam's sensor distance, but still far enough back to allow full frame images.
Here are some good choices of bait:
Where is the best place to set up a digital game camera?
Game cameras are designed to help make your scouting job easier. They work 24 x 7 to help you pick the right hunting spot to ensure success when you head into the woods with your gun or bow. I'm definitely partial to bow hunting, and proper placement of your deer stand can make the difference between making a good kill shot, or watching that deer walk by just out of range.
I like to place my game cameras on well travelled trails, near food sources, or on trails that lead to bedding areas. Look for evidence of deer tracks to help guide the placement of your camera. I love to find a spot where two or more trails intersect. These crossroads can be a gold mine. Hot does leaving scent on well travelled trails are a recipe for success when the rut kicks in.
I will often leave corn, and apple block, or some other feed or treat in range of the camera to encourage the deer to stop and pose for a picture. If there isn't a good tree close by to mount the camera on, I'll use a game camera post mount. These are ideal for ensuring that you have good camera placement and get the proper angle.
If you are placing your camera in an area that is not heavily wooded, you need to take into account the rising and setting sun. Place your camera in a position that will not be pointed in the direction of the sun. This can cause your pictures to be washed out by excess sunlight.
Ensure that you camera lense and sensor are clean from dust and dirt. Make sure that the area in front of and around your camera is free from debris and branches. Branches blowing in the wind have been known to trigger some motion sensors on cameras, resulting in deerless photos.
Scouting with a game camera is a sport in itself. It is a great way to extend your time in the woods. Please post a reply if you have some game cam photos or videos that you would like to share and we will post them on our website along with your story.
Selecting a new deer tracking camera can be a tough decision. As you page through your most recent hunting catalog or magazine, you will see new cameras each year from manufacturers like Bushnell, Cuddyback, StealthCam, Leaf River, and others. Each year these cameras boast a wide array of new bells and whistles, but what's really important?
Picture Clarity - The number of megapixels keeps increasing year after year. But how much is enough? You should look for a game camera with at least 2 megapixels. Anything over that is a bonus. A two mega
pixel camera will provide you the clarity you need to discern what is in your pictures. The more megapixels your camera has will give you better detail. But this comes with a tradeoff. The amount of space that each picture occupies on your memory card increases as the megapixels increase. This means less photographs will fit on your memory card before it is full.
Flash Range - A good flash is important for night time pictures. A weak flash will result in dark pictures and you may not be able to see the necessary details in your photos. Remember that most of those bucks are nocturnal until the rut comes in. Some hunters are concerned that a flash might spook those older bucks. Infared capability is a great option, but it comes with a cost.
A Good Sensor - The first digital game camera I purchased years ago had a very poor sensor. It was slow to trigger and didn't have a very good range. I'll spare mentioning the manufacturer since the camera is no longer on the market, and I really don't want to bash them. They are making some good cameras in recent years. With that camera, I often ended up with pictures of the hind end of deer. It was always a disappointment. A quick trigger is a necessity.
These three basic components are critical for you to be happy with any digital game camera.
Extra memory for your digital trail camera is a must for pre-season scouting. There are many digital devices on the market now that use the same SD cards and CF cards that digital game cameras used. Over the years, the capacity of these memory cards has increased, while the prices have decreased. Cheap memory is everywhere.
I started picking up extra memory cards a while back. When I go in the woods to check my digital game cameras, I always take extra batteries, and extra memory cards. When you get to your camera, just swap out the used memory card with an empty one. Make sure to check your battery indicator, and install new batteries if necessary. There is nothing worse than returning to your game camera to find dead batteries, no pictures, and deer tracks all over your trail.
Swapping out the game camera memory card allows you to get in and out of the hunting area quickly, so you don't disturb it any more than necessary. When you get home, you can view the pictures at your leisure.
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