Using a game camera to scout for turkeys can be more difficult that using a game camera for deer.  Deer are a lot more predictable when it comes to following defined trails or returning to a scrape.  Turkeys tend to wander more across a wide area, so game camera placement can be difficult when seeking out turkeys.

I like to use a game camera to scout for turkeys when I'm hunting a new piece of property or an area that I am unfamiliar with.  I will do this in the months prior to the season coming in.  I don't like disturbing any areas that I actually plan to turkey hunt as the opening day draws near.  Here are a couple of tips that you can use to help use your game camera to check for the existence of turkeys.

1. Mount your game camera a little closer to the ground than you would if you were scouting for deer.  Turkey are obviously not as tall as deer, and this can help to keep your scouting camera's passive infrared sensor from overshooting a turkey that passes near your camera location.
2. Try placing your camera in the woods in areas that contain a good amount of red and white oaks.  Turkeys love acorns, in addition to various insects, grasses, other nuts, seeds and clover.  You will often see leaves in the area turned up as a result of turkeys 'scratching'  in search of food.  You can often capture good pictures and videos in these areas as turkeys come to forage.  Good mature trees with lots of horizontal limbs are also prime areas for turkeys to roost at night.
3. Try placing your game camera on trees or fence posts on the edges of fields that contain clover.  This is another prime foraging area, but fields are also a big draw for strutting gobblers.  More often than not, these gobblers will head to the highest point in a field to do their strutting.  This may even be just a slight rise or mound.  A game camera post mount is ideal for covering these type of areas in an open field.

I like to try to find areas that the turkeys are going to roost in on the evenings prior to the hunt.  A gobble tube is ideal for making a male 'shock gobble' and give up his location.  Unfortunately, these gobble tubes often fool other hunters, so I will either not use them (or use the sparingly) during morning hunts when other hunters may be in the area.  I'll never enter the woods when trying to locate birds heading to roost.  I'll stick to the outer edges of the fields.  The sound from a gobble tube will carry a long distance, and even a mature bird often can't resist gobbling back at them.  Once you locate turkeys in an area heading to roost, it's just a matter of quietly slipping into the woods before sun-up the following morning.  By doing this, you can cut the distance between you and a roosting bird, and the sound of your hen calls can be the first thing they hear when they hit the ground.  For this, I prefer a mouth call, as they require no movement and will lessen the chances of you being busted by their keen vision.  The only part of your body that should move is your finger as you pull the trigger and put that bird down.

I hope these tips help.  Best of luck this season, and let me know how you do!

PS.  Check out this link of some scratching turkeys that I caught on my Bushnell Trophy Cam.  I had to reduce the quality in order to upload it, but hopefully you enjoy.

It's hard to believe that the opening day of bow season is just over two and a half months away.  Time flies and it will be here before you know it.  It is usually this time of year when I fine tune my bow, and start practicing a few nights each week.  It's also the time of year when I start picking up new gear that I 'need'.  A couple of things on the list are some more game cameras.

I have a serious addiction to game cameras, but  I never seem buy the same camera twice.  Even if I love a game camera, I tend to fight the urge to buy another one of those in favor of trying something different.  I love testing new digital game cameras, because I like seeing the different features and methods of operation for the different models.

This wouldn't be such a problem, if there weren't great new digital cameras hitting the market from each manufacturer every year.  I'm definitely interested in the new Moultrie I45 and I65.  I am very interested in the Moultrie Game Spy Game Management System.  The innovation in cellular game camera technology is just a taste of what the future will bring.

This fall, we will see the StealthCam Prowler HD htting the market. With the integration of high definition, H.264 video compression, and the ability to record full audio, we should see some stunning video being shared.

I'm looking forward to the full return of the foliage.  Spring is definitely in full swing right now.  The trees were all budding weeks ago, and the undergrowth is really starting to take shape.  It is at this time of the year that you can almost notice a daily transformation of the woods.

I love this time of year, because the deer seem to reach a new comfort zone.  They feel more protected in wooded areas with lots of foliage to conceal their presence.  Much more comfortable than when the woods was wide open and you could see long distances.  These more relaxed deer tend to linger longer, and I always end up with a lot more pictures of deer and other game animals.

On the downside, most bucks have dropped their racks.  You may still see an occasional buck that is slow to drop, but the excitement factor of hoping to see the big rack is gone.  I start awaiting the first signs of antler growth, and look forward to watching the development of those racks into what hopefully becomes that shooter buck.

So this is a great time of the year to get your mineral blocks out to help that antler growth.

Another new game camera from Stealth Cam will be hitting the market on May 9, 2009. The Sniper Pro, model STC-1850, will come with an affordable $169.00 suggested retail price. This stylish, camouflaged game camera comes with the Jim Shockey endorsement. So what can we expect?

This scouting camera has graduated to 8.0 megapixels with a flash range that reaches out to 50 feet. You will get VGA qulity video clips, as well as the option to shoot images in 8 MP, 3 MP, or 1.3 MP resolutions.

This is a standard flash camera, no infared. It will still have the trademarked BurstMode, which will shoot anywhere from 1 to 9 images upon each activation of the PIR. You have the option of setting a delay timeout of anywhere from 1 to 59 minutes inbetween each activation.

The internal memory will only be 32 MB, but a memory expansion slot is available which will accept up to 2 GB SDRAM cards. On the pictures, you will get the Date, Time, Moon Phase, and Temperature stamping on the images. This camera will also accept the 12 volt external power supply, for long life in the field. It runs off of six C cell batteries. The USB cable and mounting strap are included.

Stealth Cam has 5 new camera models coming out in 2009. This is one of the two 8 MP cameras that they will send to market. I look forward to testing this model.

I was recently asked "When is the best time of the year to buy a game camera to get the best price?"

The answer my friend, is Post Season!

We have been trending the sales of game cameras, and have seen prices tailing off this time of year, which means better deals are there for the taking. The price reductions are due to less demand this time of year, and the desire for retail outlets to move out seasonal merchandise to free shelf space for new products.

The trend downward in prices will slow though, only to be replaced by rising prices in secondary auction markets. This occurs once the inventory levels meet the existing demands, only to see increased demand over the summer months as hunters plan for the approaching season.

We look forward to the new game camera models to be hitting the market, with new features and new high end pricing. The new products will typically be priced at retail with little savings to be had, until the newness wears off. The introduction of new game camera models will also help present model pricing to trend lower. Like a car dealer dropping prices on the 2009 model trucks to make way for the 2010s.

It is best to be a smart shopper this time of year, and deals will be found. If you have been considering purchasing a specific model of camera, take a look at the next models up. You might just find better quality cameras now priced in your price range!

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