Ethan,

I like to place trail cameras where there’s lots of deer sign but in places I won’t hunt.  

The human activity of checking cameras can condition deer to avoid areas during daylight hours.

Enjoy creation,

grant

March 2, 2016

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Mike,

I use a Reconyx 900 for this purpose and it works great!!  Check out:  http://www.reconyx.com/product/PC900C-Cellular-HyperFire-Professional-Covert-IR

Enjoy creation,

grant

February 9, 2016

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Ron,

I’m glad to hear you and your grandson are working on this project together!

Deer eat corn daily throughout the midwest without any issues. Deer can become sick if they ingest a bunch of corn without having access to it previously.  It’s the rapid change in diet that can cause deer to become sick or even die from eating corn. If you’ve been feeding corn then keep doing what you are doing. If you haven’t been feeding corn, now is a tough time to start.  If you do start now, start slowly!  Put out less corn than the local herd can consume.  

I have excellent results by placing Trophy Rock’s Four65 in front of my cameras.  Both bucks and does need trace minerals to express their full antler growth or fawn production potential. Trophy Rock is 100% natural (mined in Utah) and cost much less than corn.  Deer will only consume what they need and often visit the Trophy Rock site daily.

Enjoy creation,

grant

January 25 ,2016

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Ed,

I have several older Reconyx units that are still working fine – including units that are eight years old!

I really like the Reconyx Ultrafire and 900. The Ultrafire takes incredible video.  We usually show some at the start of each http://www.GrowingDeer.com episode and on our Facebook page.

I also like the Reconyx 900. It sends pictures to my email as soon as they are taken and works flawlessly!

Reconyx units have great battery life!

Enjoy creation,

grant

December 14, 2015

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Thomas,

I use the Reconyx 900.  Check out Reconyx here.

It has worked perfectly for me!

Enjoy creation,

Grant

November 16, 2015

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Connor, 

You may be able to tell if it’s the same buck by studying his antlers.  Antlers are unique – like fingerprints. 

If you only had pictures of one buck and one to two does, you may wish to move your camera to a different location.  Deer may have been alerted to danger in that area. I suggest moving the camera and see if additional deer are photographed.

Enjoy creation,

grant

November 9, 2015

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Ben,

None of my trail cameras are over bait/feed so deer don’t tend to hang around long and I want as much video as I can get. My cameras are set to record 30 seconds of video and trigger again if they detect a critter is present.

Enjoy creation,

grant

November 4, 2015

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Aaron,

I was hesitant to try my Reconyx units in video mode. However once I did I switched all my cameras to video mode!  Video allows me to do a much better job of aging bucks because I can see them in multiple postures. I have also identified more bucks this year because there’s no delay when the camera is in video mode.  Bucks walking in late, etc., are still captured.  

Reconyx allows the units to record video as long as there’s movement detected.  So a clip may be 3 seconds or 43 seconds long!  This saves battery life and card space.  It also saves time when reviewing the cards.  Now that I’ve tried it I won’t switch back to still images.

Enjoy creation,

grant

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Cliff,

Trail camera surveys are great tools!  There’s complete instructions on how to conduct a trail camera survey at:

https://www.growingdeer.tv/view/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Conducting-a-Herd-Survey.pdf

Enjoy creation,

grant

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It appears to be the same buck based on antler configuration. Specifically the buck in each picture shares the same shape of the left brow tine. However, without genetic testing there’s no way to be certain. Either way it’s a neat mature buck that would be on my hit list!

Enjoy creation!
Grant

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It’s tough to get an accurate survey in Illinois due to the no attractants regulations. I put cameras on trails and scrapes (licking branches before season) and know the survey won’t be as accurate as if I was using an attractant. I simply look for areas where deer will frequent and do the best I can. I hope you have a great hunting season!

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I do use the Reconyx software to manage all our trail camera data. I use ScoutLook to manage my hunting observation data – it’s by far the best system/program I or my clients have used to manage hunting observation and harvest data.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Shelby,

Deer seem to be attracted to whole shelled corn almost everywhere I work.  In fact, corn combined with a Trophy Rock is what I use to attract deer to camera sites when I do a camera survey for deer.  Even in areas where baiting is legal and mature bucks tend to avoid corn during the daytime because of hunting pressure, they visit the bait piles at night (a very good reason not to bait — as most deer rapidly learn to avoid bait during daytime).  If shelled corn doesn’t work, I suspect the buck you’re attempting to pattern has been conditioned to avoid bait.

I suggest you try a Trophy Rock, if legal in your area, or simply put the camera over scrapes.  During the few days just before the peak of breeding, bucks visit scrapes frequently.  Hence, scrapes can be a great location to capture images of a mature buck!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Jeff,

I like to use as many Reconyx trail cameras as practical given time and budget constraints.  The Proving Grounds (my place) is 1,500 acres and I try to use one camera per 100 acres when doing an official camera survey and I continue using them to scout with throughout the season.  Using rechargeable batteries has greatly reduced my operating costs!  I have other projects where we “leap frog” cameras as we don’t have a camera per 100 acres.  We get usable data, but not as good as using a camera per 100 acres simultaneously.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Jonathan,

The frequency at which to check a trail camera without spooking the local deer depends on where the trail camera is located.  If it’s in a bedding area one trip is too much!  That’s why I never locate trail cameras in areas where I want to hunt or bedding areas.  Doing so would simply condition deer to avoid the area during daylight.  I prefer to set trail cameras in areas that are relatively open and easy to access (a few steps from a road, trail, etc.).  I get the images/data and then figure out where to hunt.  I rarely place a stand close to a trail camera location as deer are conditioned to avoid that area during daylight hours.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Corey,

I currently use both the Reconyx HyperFire Semi-Convert and HyperFire Output Convert units.  I haven’t had any known problems with deer being spooked by the low glow units.  In fact, I have gads of images of deer bedded for hours at a time with the low glow units.  One deer will get up and browse while the others remain bedded.

If I was using them on public land, I might go for the no glow units.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Clifton,

Sounds like you need to test your camera.  Simply walk through the area where the camera should detect a deer and determine if your presence triggered an event.  If the camera didn’t trigger when you walked through, I’d start by checking the batteries, camera settings, etc.

I hope this helps!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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I evaluate trail cameras based on:

1. Whether they spook deer with noise or flash
2. Quality of images
3. Battery life
4. Value of product (price versus length of service)

I’ve had two Reconyx cameras for more than six years!  Those two older models are still working and in the woods today.  I’ve never had another brand work that long!  In fact, I was using Reconyx cameras years before they became a sponsor.  Many times I’ve been filming a buck while his picture was being taken by a Reconyx camera and I’ve never seen a buck react or act like he knew his picture was being taken.  For me, Reconyx is the best value when considering the criteria listed above.  I suggest you use the criteria I’ve listed above and check out several reviews online before making a selection.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Wyatt,

At The Proving Grounds we have Reconyx trail cameras out year round.  We have cameras placed on food plots, mineral licks, saddles, pinch points, etc.  From these cameras we archive all mature buck pictures in Reconyx image software.  Their software is phenomenal at allowing me to literally see every picture of each buck on an aerial photo of the property and each successive movement from camera-to-camera site.

When placing cameras I like to keep them as close to vehicle access as possible to limit disturbance as I check them.  Several of my cameras are checked right out my truck window.  Since truck traffic is a normal part of daytime activities on The Proving Grounds I can practice minimal disturbance entry (M.D.E.).  Once I determine the general movements of the herd I then start scouting until I find high quality sign.  After the hunting season closes is a great time to find hot trails, rubs, scrape lines, and even shed antlers that further help me to formulate a plan for the next season.  Trail cameras allow me to scout without disturbing the entire property – a key to patterning and harvesting mature bucks!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Bobby,

Thanks for the kind words!  Yes, we plan to continue using trail camera images, maps, and other tools to aid in our goal of sharing useful information.  In fact, I just harvested one of the hit list bucks from The Proving Grounds and that episode (GDTV 50) used maps and trail camera images to illustrate my strategy.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Christopher,

Thanks for the kind words!  I desire to cover the maximum distance at nighttime in each image without spooking deer.  The Reconyx semi-covert units seem to offer the best solution to my objective.  I’ve used both Reconyx covert (no glow) and semi-covert (low glow) units.  I prefer the low glow as I don’t notice any deer spooking from the “flash” of the semi-covert units and they allow nighttime images to be taken at a greater distance.  This may or may not be true with other brands of trail cameras.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Eric,

I do change my trail camera use strategies significantly during the season.  I only us bait during the pre and post season camera surveys.  Out of these few weeks, I place my Reconyx units primarily on feeding food plots (larger food plots) where I can check/maintain the cameras with minimal disturbance.  I really like the time lapse option!  This allows me to monitor 200+ yards without spooking deer.  I simply program the unit to take an image every 15 minutes during the first three hours of daylight and the last three hours before dark.  This strategy may miss a deer running through the field.  However, that is not a patternable event.  I’m looking for deer that are repeat visitors to the same areas.  Images of deer at 100+ yards will be blurry.  However, the images taken by Reconyx units are so good that I can zoom in and tell if shooter bucks are using the field.  With this information, I can plan where to hunt.  I rarely hunt the fields, except during the rut when bucks are prowling looking for does.  However, by knowing when and where a mature buck is entering a field, I can predict where he is coming from and set up a stand/blind at a point favorable for me to approach.

Time lapse is one of my favorite features of a Reconyx trail camera!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Mike,

I have posted step-by-step instructions for conducting a herd survey.

The steps K through M provide detailed instructions of how to estimate the number of deer, the adult sex ratio, etc., based on the data you’ve collected.

Camera surveys are great tools!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Phil,

I do use 5 – 15 minutes delays when using the time lapse feature on my Reconyx trail cameras.  This length of delay will certainly miss a deer that runs or even rapidly walks across a food plot or the area being monitored.  However, my mission when using the time lapse feature is to pattern deer that are using the same area repeatedly.  Deer that are entering a plot to forage usually remain in the area for several minutes.  The length of the delay used is based on a trade-off of how many images I have time to review, expected battery life, memory space, etc.  From experience, I’ve found that 5-15 minute delays usually capture the data I’m seeking.  The more days I expect will pass before I check the camera again the longer I make the delay so I won’t have as many images to review.  Remember that with a Reconyx unit, the motion sensor is still active when in time lapse mode.  Therefore any deer/people/turkeys/etc. that passes within the distance monitored by the motion/heat sensor will also trigger the camera in addition to the images taken due to the time lapse feature.   I consider this a very important use of trail cameras!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Wade,

The accuracy of surveys almost always increases when the number of acres monitored per camera decreases.  The key to increasing the accuracy (capturing every deer using the property) is to limit the amount of disturbance when checking cameras.  The two drawbacks of using more cameras per the same unit of area are (1) that this creates more disturbances and (2) there are more images to analyze.

I’ll take those trade-offs for the benefit of having more accurate results!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Shep,

I’m much more concerned with deer responding negatively to my presence than deer responding negatively to the flash or any sounds created by a Reconyx trail camera.  I’m currently using units that range from six years old to the current models and I rarely get an image of a deer reacting negatively to the trail camera.  (I just completed a camera survey at The Proving Grounds that included 30,000+ images and I’m not aware of one that showed a deer in the spooked position).

However, this doesn’t account for deer that never made it to the camera because of my scent, etc.  Hence, during hunting season I rarely place a camera close to a stand.  I don’t wish to condition deer to avoid the area because I’m frequently checking the trail camera.  I tend to place my trail cameras in areas where I can use the time lapse feature to monitor large areas that deer frequent at night.  I then connect the dots and figure out where the mature bucks are traveling during hunting hours.  The combination of using the time lapse feature and M.D.E. (Minimal Disturbance Entry) to pattern and approach where mature bucks are active during daylight hours is a great combination!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Nathan,

You are correct that when bucks are still in full velvet most fawns are apparently too young to follow the doe and/or the doe doesn’t want to bring them around mature bucks.  However, the fact that bucks are bunched up and tolerant of each other makes it a great time of year to survey bucks.

There are trade-offs to doing a camera survey during any time of year.  I prefer doing them during August as great data on bucks can be obtained, as well as enough data on does and fawns for management purposes.  Some folks do attempt to estimate the number of fawns by making assumptions, etc.  I believe such estimates are very prone to providing erroneous information.  I’m not aware of any “magic formula” that is accurate enough to justify using.  I think the best results can be achieved by replicating the survey annually.  This procedure will most likely provide accurate trends.

Accurate trends, such as, are there more does and fawns than during the previous year are typically more important for management purposes than knowing the exact number of does and fawns.  By the way, the number of yearling bucks (which are relatively easy to identify) is an excellent indicator of fawn recruitment during the previous year.

If you desire or need a more accurate count of fawns, they typically readily respond to bait during January and/or February.  In fact surveys this time of year are usually biased toward showing a better representation of does and fawns and under representing bucks.  Remember, surveys are best at providing trend data.  It’s almost impossible to census (count every individual) a free-ranging deer herd.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Kevin,

Deer readily become conditioned to respond to positive experiences by repeating them or negative experiences by avoiding them.  If they have a negative experience at a bait station during the day, they typically will limit their visits to occur during the night.  If they have a negative experience at a bait station during the night, they may well avoid bait stations for some time.  Some deer respond negatively to the flash of trail cameras, especially the units with white flash.  I use Reconyx units with the covert flash and get gads of images of the mature bucks at my place week after week and literally year after year.

It is certainly possible that some of the mature bucks at your place had a negative experience with predators (two and/or four legged) near bait stations and are now avoiding them.  There are many disturbances that will cause deer to avoid an area.

I recommend being as scent free as possible and moving a camera to a new bait station, pond, food plot, etc., where the camera can be placed with minimal disturbance and scent deposit.  Leave it alone for at least two weeks.  If you get images of mature bucks, you will know they were conditioned to avoid the existing camera stations for some reason.

One rule of deer management (and life in general) is not do the same thing and expect different results.  Change up your approach and see what happens.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Kevin,

I really, really enjoy using Reconyx trail cameras!!  Since I began using the Reconyx semi-covert models I’ve collected literally 100’s of images of deer bedded in food plots.  I’ve used different brands of cameras at these same plots in the past and almost never captured an image of a bedded deer, let alone deer bedded for more than two hours continuously.  It’s enjoyable to watch one deer get up and feed while the others remain bedded and learn exactly when and where they enter and exit food plots.  Reconyx semi-covert units have helped me to pattern and manage deer better.  I’m sure you will be as satisfied as I am.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Steve,

Yes, if I had 3 cameras I would put all three out in different parts of the property.  The goal is to capture as many different deer as possible at each camera site, so place the cameras where the deer want to go.  Since deer love mineral licks this time of year they are great places to add a bag of whole kernel corn to make the deer come in on a consistent basis.  Identifying individual bucks can be difficult without adequate pictures of each buck to study, so put the cameras on 3-shot mode if possible.  Other great camera site locations are near food plots or water sources.  Just remember to pre-bait, have plenty of memory card space, corn, batteries, etc., and allow the survey to run 14 days and you should be set.  Check out more detailed camera survey instructions I recently posted.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Bret,

I’m glad to hear you are considering a camera survey.  Camera surveys provide much information on learning, watching, and managing your deer herd.  I usually start pre-baiting for a camera survey in late July and plan to start the actual survey in early August.  Typically, it takes 7-10 days of pre-baiting with one camera per 100 acres to get at least 90% of the herd to visit the camera sites.  The survey itself requires about 14 days.  During this time I get enough buck pictures to uniquely identify each individual.

August is one of the best times to conduct a survey because food resources are in limited supply, many fawns are at heal, and bucks are still in their summer movements between food and cover.  Waiting until after the bucks have lost their velvet can negatively affect the survey.  Velvet shedding is a sign that the hormones in a buck are changing rapidly.  This causes them to start behaving more aggressively toward other bucks, especially at a bait site, and alter from their summer movements.  Every year I have bucks that bed and forage on my property all spring and summer and disappear shortly after losing their velvet.  This can be troublesome when looking at inaccurate population data to develop a doe harvest or warm-season food plot strategy.

It is true that fawn counts can be a bit low in August because not all of the fawns are old enough to continuously follow their mothers around.  However, some of the most important information gathered from a survey lies in the trends over time.  Create and add these data to a simple graph year after year to see how the number of bucks, does, and/or fawns changes.  These data contain the answers to proper herd management.  To learn more about how I implement a camera survey, check out my camera survey techniques guide.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Brandon,

I’m sorry for your loss!  I have no tolerance for folks that trespass or steal!  It seems you’ve done all you can do except attempt to hide the cameras better.  I really like using the time lapse feature if watching fields or open areas.  Trespassers rarely look 10’ in trees for trail cameras and being able to watch the entire field is a huge benefit!  It’s like having your best buddy watch the field, except the cameras have very little smell, don’t move, don’t make any noise, and don’t lie.  If the model of trail camera you use has a time lapse feature, consider giving that a try.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Kevin,

Deer become conditioned to avoid disturbance.  The more sensitive the area, like a bedding area, the less disturbance deer will tolerate.  I typically place my trail cameras in open areas that deer use nocturnally, such as large food plots.  By monitoring several large food plots I can predict where deer are traveling from based on the data and position my stand appropriately.  I call this connecting the dots.  I avoid placing the cameras where I hunt to minimize disturbance.  This strategy has worked for me.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Mark,

Thanks for the kind words! There are potentially tradeoffs of the intensive data collection associated with a camera survey that you discussed. Probably the most prominent is the tradeoff of collecting more data versus more disturbance to the local herd and habitat. One method to monitor the effectiveness of your techniques is to plot out the number of new bucks photographed each day of the survey. Typically, the percentage of new bucks photographed starts relatively high, then drops off to almost no new bucks by day 12 or so. In addition, are you obtaining images of the same mature bucks throughout the survey, or is it obvious that some of the mature bucks are not present due to disturbance as the survey progresses? I really enjoy checking cameras and inventorying the images, but there is a point of diminishing returns where disturbance exceeds the value of limited new data being added to the dataset.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Robert,

I always place my Reconyx trail cameras facing in a generally north position. I think I turned the one in that episode east so the shadows wouldn’t mess up filming. You are correct and very observant!

The biggest difference between how I use trail cameras for deer and turkey is that I rarely place the units for deer where I expect to hunt as I don’t wish to disturb that area with scent, noise, etc. Rather, I place the cameras in larger feeding food plots, etc. The data collected at areas that are primarily used at night allow me to figure out where deer are moving during daylight hours. However, I commonly place my cameras where I expect to hunt for turkeys because they have a very limited sense of smell. I also almost always use the time lapse feature to scout an entire field or opening for turkeys.

I believe you are referring to a plot planted with a mix of winter wheat and clover. Turkeys like low growing crops to consume the forage and insects. Turkeys don’t like thick, tall forage, except for nesting.

I hope our paths cross again this year.

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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Brett,

A camera survey is a great tool for estimating the number of bucks in a herd, the age structure of the population, and the antler size of individual bucks. I typically use one camera per 100 acres — more on properties with dense cover, less on those with more open habitat (area with lots of agriculture, etc.). Practically speaking, the higher the camera density, the more accurate the survey results. The goal of a survey is to get an image of as many individuals from the herd as possible. This is accomplished by placing cameras aimed toward something deer want that has limited distribution throughout the property to be surveyed. For instance, during the time when the bucks’ antlers are uniquely identifiable the food resources tend to be the lowest (August and January).  Corn and/or minerals work great during August and corn during January. I prefer the pre-hunting season data (enjoy knowing how many mature bucks are on The Proving Grounds before the season opens each year) so I conduct surveys at my place and for clients during August.

I really like the Reconyx trail cameras. They have a very fast trigger speed, great image quality, and fabulous battery life. I really like how long they last. I have two Reconyx cameras that I’ve used constantly for 5+ years! I think that’s a great value!

Growing Deer together,

Grant

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