Originally Posted by
J Pike
I have been using the aid of trailcams for scouting for 20 + years now.
You need to scout/put other cams in new area's just in case. But dont abandon the area's you currently have confidence in. What I do if I dont have pics of shooters during shooting hours in a paticular area from the 2 weeks prior to the season to the start of it, I wont hunt that particular area during the early season. But I will still check my cam in that area every week or so just in case. ( because area's in the deer woods can get hot or go completely dead in a matter of a couple days) It doesnt matter if I have pics of 10 different shooters in July, August, early Sept etc. because unless I have rubs etc., I wont invest any of my precious hunting time in that spot unless I have proof that a shooter is frequenting the area during shooting hours.
I pretty much use this philosophy during the entire season ( with the exception of the rut) also never base a hunting area etc. based on what you experienced there last year or even last month for that matter!! All 6 of those bucks could be dead or living 5 miles away by now. ( That is called HOPING not HUNTING!!) But also dont give up on the area entirely because if those bucks started showing up in Oct. last year they might show up again this Oct. but there is also just of good of chance that they never show at all.
Trailcams dont lie and hunt 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and do not give off the scent of a meat eater. So if they cant see shooters neither will you (outside the rut) Pike
Seems like a good strategy. It would be easier to employ if I had more than one camera.
Also, for the record, I wasn't suggesting that the same bucks that were on the property last year would be there this year. It just seems to me that if a property is attracting and holding bucks one year based on various factors including cover, food, and hunting pressure, chances are it will be holding a similar number of bucks the next year unless something has changed.