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A trail camera can help you scout your hunting area – all year long.
 
You take hunting seriously. Your weapons are first rate and maintained in near perfect condition. You research game counts and have access to top properties. You can shoot with the best of them. But if you’re hunting without the benefits of trail cameras, you’re at a disadvantage.
 
You’re also missing out on off-season fun. Most hunters are wildlife enthusiasts and enjoy studying the animals and their behavior. A trail camera extends the hunt to summer and spring, because capturing an image of a noble beast in its environment and observing its routine can be as rewarding as the hunt itself. And if you know where the game is and how it behaves, you’ll have better in-season success.
 
Choose Your Weapons
No, we’re not talking guns here. We’re talking trail cameras: inconspicuous digital cameras that reliably produce good results without spooking the game.
 
Many of today’s trail cameras use an infrared or “black” flash that is invisible to game and humans. Most are earth toned and blend well with a tree trunk. Some can produce both still photos and video, although video will fill a memory card more rapidly than will still photos.
 
Dunham’s carries a wide range of trail cameras, so there’s one – or more – to fit every budget. For example, the Wildgame Innovations Lights Out camera with infrared flash is palm sized and can produce four megapixel images. It can also generate 30-second video clips. Big Game’s Eyecon QuickShot Trail camera produces five megapixel color photos has a 50-foot range and a 1.2 second trigger speed.
 
The compact and camouflaged Moultrie Game Spy D-55IRXT is a five megapixel trail camera that can shoot color photos in the daytime and infrared at night. The flash has a range of 50 feet. Continuous shooting, time-lapse and video modes make it a versatile performer. It’s an affordable choice for hunters who scout with several cameras.
 
Getting a Jump on Game
Preseason scouting with a trail camera is an excellent way to prepare for your hunt, and it can begin in the spring. That’s when deer are relaxed and recovering from winter hardships and the rut, so you can get a good idea of how large the population is in your area. In summer, you can study the bucks as they grow antlers and learn about the herd’s feeding habits and physical health. You won’t be firing a weapon, but you’ll be hunting.
 
Time to Get Serious
Late summer and autumn is the time when trail cameras provide lots of information about the habits of the herd. Camera placement becomes critical, as well-located cameras can help you predict when and where deer will make an appearance when the season begins. Place cameras near food sources, near streams and along trails that appear to be frequently traveled.
 
What qualifies as a food source for deer? Generally, our whitetail friends like to snack on acorn, corn, alfalfa, and apples. So placing a camera near an orchard, farm field, or stand of oak is a good choice. And in regard to the travel plans of those deer, look for trails that lead from food sources to protected bedding areas.
 
Scrapes, where bucks have cleared the ground with their hooves to claim an area, indicate that a big guy may return. Scrapes are usually located on a trail and frequently a tree branch will be hanging low above the scrape. Place a camera nearby and aimed at the trail on which the scrape is located.
 
Marks on trees in early fall, where bucks have rubbed their antlers to remove the velvet, are another sign of activity, but there’s no guarantee that a buck will return for another massage. However a tree rub does indicate deer in the area.
 
Whether you’re scouting with a single camera or multiples, it’s best to stay away. Switch out memory cards as quickly as possible, at a time when you don’t expect deer to be nearby.
 
If you’ve been scouting the herd, you should now know where and when deer are most likely to be seen. So as summer turns to fall, you can build your stands and blinds based on data you’ve accumulated.
 
The Rut Begins
The rut kicks off a number of weeks prior to the regular firearm hunting season, so deer behavior toward the beginning of October will be similar to what it will be when you take to the field. Bucks will be on the move, looking for a mate, so cameras placed on trails and scrapes may provide the most important information.
 
-Deer Abby
 
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