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Trail Cam Question

Posted By: Arthur on August 25, 2008 in Deer Cam Pictures, Hunting, Ramblings, Scouting and Setup - Comments: 8 Comments »

mfh-dgs-d40-l.jpgLast weekend was a big disappoint for me.  After our great streak of shooter bucks on cam, and all of the success we have had with the trailcams, I headed into the woods full of anticipation.  Unfortunately, when I got to the newly placed cams, I only had, after an entire week of them being out, 20 pictures total between the two cams.  That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.  To say I was a little disappointed would be an understatement.

The cams were located in the vicinity of two new treestand locations that we had set up, and I was really having a good feeling about what was going to be on them-too bad that didn’t turn out.

What am I trying to get to with all of this?  Well, here it goes.  I wonder how much weight all of you put in to what you get on camera.  Would you abandon this spot because of the lack of pictures on the camera?  I watched deer use one of these locations over and over last year, so I know they are there.  I just wonder what my next step is now.

I tend to lean towards leaving the camera’s there for one more week and seeing what I get on them this weekend.  I honestly don’t think I’m moving the camera regardless though, because there are just so many factors that could effect the pictures-slow trigger speed, dense cover, angle of the camera, etc.

The bottom line is that I was very disappointed, and I just wanted to know what all of you would do in this same situation.  I, for now, am leaving the camera and treestands where they are.  I have a gut feeling about these spots and I don’t want to abandon the spot because of a trailcam.

What do you think?

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  1. Chip says:

    I wouldn’t be to disappointed just yet, it could be absolutely anything that’s got them skirting the cams. Not knowing when the new stands went up, maybe they’re getting used to them (someone take a whiz nearby during setup?), did a weather event pass through, could someone else have been scouting this week, are there other food sources they’re checking out? Not much info to go on from the post but hey, if any of these are behind it and you still got 20, that’s not bad. Stick with for another week or so and see what shows up.

  2. Rick says:

    I agree with you Arthur, I would leave it there another week maybe even two if you really like the area. There is a lot of reasons why you did not get that many pictures.
    It could range from they just were not around this past week to they were spooked for some reason.
    All in all I would say leave it another week or two and then if you have two just move it 40 to 50 yards in a different direction. They just might of started using another trail.

  3. Tom Sorenson says:

    I would trust my gut long before I’d trust technology. If gut instincts tell me something, that’s what I do – amazing how often they pan out. Like you say, there are a lot of factors that come into play as to why there were such limited pictures – don’t worry about it.

  4. Jen says:

    We have 2 cams on the farm and haven’t moved them. Some times we have a lot of pictures, other times we might have 5. You never know what might have spooked them off from that spot. I think your right and should wait. Once season gets here the deer change how they do things anyway.
    Hunting is about gut feelings as much as it is about knowladge. Use both! ~Good Luck!

  5. I would trust your gut.

  6. Jason says:

    Good points on the trail cams. I agree 100 %. You already know my experience with them.:D

  7. CDGardens says:

    Hmmmm! When you get pictures do you get night time shots?

    My cameras, which are exactly like yours have not functioned properly for quite some time. I got fresh batteries and still the flash isn’t working.
    Had mine out for a week in a heavy traffic area, verified by cut paths through the tall growth, no pictures of any kind of animals.

    Hope you aren’t beginning to see the same problems I have had with mine. I have read some reviews about the camera and others have experienced the same difficulties I have seen.

    I will have to say that I have enjoyed the pictures I have gotten in the past. ;)

  8. Are there any deer signs anywhere? We have a new cam and despite lots of tracks we got no pics of any deer but lots of pics of wind and nothing! Coincidentally I just posted the pics and a small blurb on my blog.

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