Whitetails 365: Strategizing with Trail Cameras

Whitetails 365: Strategizing with Trail Cameras

By Noel Gandy

The phrase “here he comes again” was a common displeasured utterance at my local Walmart photography department during my youth. Trail cameras that housed 35mm cameras were becoming all the rage and my brother and I had collectively received a unit for Christmas. We’d load the camera up with film, set it up, and hustle down to the one-hour developer to see our prize a couple of weeks later. Usually, the prize consisted of a handful of pictures of raccoons, a couple of deer, and a whole pile of wind pictures. Walmart, in their kindness, had a policy for developing film that allowed the purchaser to “discard” any photos they weren’t interested in keeping without penalty of payment. Therefore, we usually threw away most of the photos. I don’t think their policy took into account a couple of redneck boys with a passion for this newfangled idea of trail cameras.

Fast forward 20 years or so and, my goodness, how things have changed. Gone are the days of getting 24 pictures at a time a couple of weeks apart. Nowadays, if one is so inclined, they can have 4K quality videos sent right to their phone within seconds of the trigger being flipped. Add to that the cost of many trail cameras has decreased significantly. A fellow can have a tote full of modern digital trail cameras for what he could have owned a singular film version 20 years ago. Technology is grand, isn’t it? With this added assistance in the field, one might wonder what is the best strategy for deploying this arsenal of scouting components. Part of that strategy has to go hand-in-hand with what goal you are attempting to accomplish. Are you trying to get a general inventory of deer on a particular piece of property? Are you trying to locate a preferred food source during a specific time of year? Maybe, you’d like to narrow down the home range of a particularly wiley old buck that you’ve been after. Possibly, you just enjoy checking the herd. Strategy can be employed for each and every situation. For the sake of this article, let’s assume we want to do it all. By leveraging the technology of trail cameras, you can maximize your hunting opportunities.

Things heat up in July
This is the month that I begin deploying a few trail cameras in select locations around different properties. Why? Mostly because I can’t stand the thought of not doing something deer related and this gives me an excuse to begin my work for deer season. This month, bucks will begin developing their antlers in earnest and will become “identifiable” from years past for those who have a history. Bachelor groups will be formed and you can get a great idea of what many of the male deer look like on your property. The trick here is to infiltrate your property very lightly. This will be a tip you’ll want to follow for the entire season. If you can ever keep from alerting deer to your presence, then I’d encourage you to try. Trail cameras set over food sources or water sources often work very well during this time of year. Be careful, though, if you deploy sacked feed or mineral stations. You’ll likely get a lot of photos in a short amount of time. If you’re utilizing a cell camera then I’d recommend an unlimited plan during this time of year. If you’re leaving a standard camera out, I’d encourage you to use lithium batteries and a good solar panel to leave things charging. The less you can go to change batteries the better. A hefty memory card will play a key role here. However, don’t put too much stock in the deer that you have photos of during July, August, and midway through September. Sure, get excited that a monster buck is potentially using your area. Unfortunately, deer will often dramatically change their home ranges around mid-September. It’s hard to hunt a deer in October that isn’t there.

Pre-season Scouting – August and September
Those antlers sure are starting to look good during this time of year. Plentiful night time photos as well as velvety racks enhance the antlers and can make them a sight to behold. The bucks we will be dreaming about for the next few months will begin to take their shape. The pecking order will likely begin to be established. Most of the strategy that I use during these months are greatly similar to my July strategy. The only difference is I will begin pulling feed sources out of the timber in Mid-August. I don’t want any remnant of feed that I placed to be around come time for the youth deer season. Use a camera that has video capabilities during this time. You will often be able to see the “personality” of some of the bucks that you are hoping to target later on during the hunting season. With a still photo you just see deer. However, with a video, you can tell who is the boss, and which deer are subordinate. These findings will come in handy during the latter part of October and on throughout November when it comes time to call to deer. You’ll know which deer you might call to more aggressively and those that won’t tolerate the noise.

Early Season – September through October
By now, bucks are beginning to make their way to their preferred fall home range. The deer you pick up on trail cameras are likely the deer you’ll be hunting. There are always exceptions, though, so keep an open mind. Begin using the information that you obtain during these months to establish your early season hunting plans. If you’re hunting with a youth then these photos will greatly encourage your hunter. They also are useful in helping a young hunter identify where on an animal we’d like to aim for a quick and ethical harvest.
I like to utilize scrapes and very well used trails during this time of year. Scrapes are my favorite and they are often scrapes that I have made myself. Deer are wildly social creatures and will utilize a scrape just about all year long to communicate various things. If you know of a scrape that opens up yearly then I’d suggest heading straight there. If not, create a scrape yourself and utilize some of the wonderful products that are on the market targeted at mock scrapes. I’ve even had success using my own personal formula, if you know what I mean! Rubbing posts can be effective as well. Establishing a place for deer to leave their scent is a sure way to draw them by a particular area. Grape vines or even a piece of rope hanging down from a limb will draw the curiosity of deer very often and they’ll gladly “work” an area. These traps are great locations for one to install a trail camera in hopes to get the drop on a big antlered brute.

November & Scouting the Rut
Find the path most traveled and you’ll find great trail camera success. Bucks want to find does during November and this can be a feast or famine time for trail camera activity. If you have a small food plot or a funnel in the timber that will pinch deer down into a particular area while traveling then you likely have found a good spot to hunt. Field edges along scrape lines work wonders as well. Gone are the days of getting multiple photos of the same deer during a short amount of time as you would expect in the summer months. Expect to get a photo of a deer on the move. Refrain from getting trail camera discouragement during this time of year. I don’t know how many guys lose hope in an area because their cameras aren’t showing them what they want to see. Deer are wild animals and they act on wild instinct. During this time of year, the rutting period, the bucks get extra crazy and are often unpredictable. Don’t think that just because a buck doesn’t walk within 30 feet of your trail camera that the whole timber is empty. I’ve witnessed and videoed countless encounters with great bucks that walked just out of the range of a trail camera.

One thing that I’ve learned about running trail cameras during the month of November is they can be deadly for deer if the information is acted upon with haste. If a mature buck penetrates your hunting area and trips your camera, then you need to react. Don’t assume that a buck that has his photo taken on a Monday will still be in the neighborhood when you get off of work for the weekend. His chances of hanging around for an extended period are slim. Cellular cameras, though highly debated, are a great benefit during this time of year. They give the most accurate information on if a buck is using a particular area and can get you in the woods in a timely manner. They are beneficial because they allow you to stay out of the area and let you know when you need to grab your bow and go. Place your trail camera along paths facing the direction the deer will be coming from or going to. Don’t place them perpendicular to the trails. This gives you more opportunities to catch deer within the camera frame and will possibly help you avoid catching a lot of deer rear ends in photos.

Late Season – December and January
A lot happens for the Iowa deer hunter during the months of December and January. Two gun seasons are followed by a late muzzleloader and the last split of archery season. Patterning a deer is tricky at best and nearly impossible at times. My personal strategy during this time is to figure out which bucks are still alive. I hunt the late muzzleloader season; my hopes during the first portion of the month are to provide enough cover and natural forage for deer to escape the great pressure that is put on them from gun seasons and drives. I’ll establish cameras on dominant trails that lead to doe bedding and other thick cover. Cameras also come in handy at field entrances to help me know who is on my property.
As late muzzleloader progresses so do frigid temps. The cameras are immediately transitioned to food sources. In my experience, my properties either hold all of the deer or none of the deer in an area. These cameras help me save a lot of gas and a lot of scouting time by letting me know which feed sources are being utilized. Remember, the colder the better for deer on feed. The cold temps, however, are terror on camera batteries. Keep them fresh for the greatest success.

Post Season – Shed Hunting
Once the hunting season is over, I go into recovery mode for my deer herd. This looks like supplemental feeding in order to help the deer get back what was lost during the rut and a brutal winter. Take inventory of your herd and their overall health by placing cameras over these feeding sites.
I normally will remove my cameras when I suspect most of the bucks have shed their antlers. I use this intelligence that I’ve received to let me know when it’s safe to enter the woods to look for sheds. If I run in too early, then all of the deer may bust over to my neighbors’ properties and drop their antlers there. I want it on my farm so I stay out until the cameras reveal mostly antlerless bucks. Trail cameras are an invaluable tool for this.

Strategize with Cameras
All in all, trail cameras have likely been the most influential hunting tool utilized over the past 20 years. The game has been changed for the better in my opinion. Does your odds of success increase with the use of trail camera information? If you are using them correctly, and being careful of your intrusion, they should. Can you have great enjoyment and a deeper connection with the wildlife as a result of trail camera usage? Absolutely!