I don't see an obvious agreement on what a big mature buck is here. How many of you watch free ranging wild mature bucks on a regular basis year around? The majority of bucks hunters are viewing are 1.5 year olds or 2.5 year olds. A mature bucks behavior in his settled state when he has no idea anyone is watching him..... will teach you more about them than any book or article written. A bucks skull plate doesn't mature till he's 4.5.
I personally feel that the majority of mature bucks (4.5 years or older), no matter his rack size, will shy from a flash in the dark. Why wouldn't he? Your talking about a suspicious light going off in the dark that he is not accustomed too seeing. He lives out there 24/7, he knows every inch of his territory once he reaches a mature age. And, even if "some" mature bucks don't or may not shy........ is it worth taking the chance on getting a picture of a big buck versus educating him even fruther. That's a decision every hunter has to make. We need tape recorders out there to see how many deer BLOW when those flashes go off. Even in the dark a big buck will allow subordinate bucks or does to lead the way out to a destination as a buffer. He will set back and listen and use his nose. Once a deer out in front of him blows off their alarm he sifts off into the night secretively like the smoke from a rustlers campfire.
Another concern I would have would be..... coupling the human scent left in near your game camera that is throwing off flashes in the night. A mature buck could then associate that flash with human scent and then with danger. I wouldn't be confident in using a flash type camera. I have read about some cameras that take infared pictures, these are void of a flash, I would be interested in using something like this. The definition of surveilance does not include FLASHBULBS !
Show me game cam pictures of a mature buck visiting the same camera time after time, and make sure its an educated hunted critter, like on public land, like I hunt or private that gets some pressure. Then I would agree that "some" mature bucks "may" tolerate it. But I would never take the chance.
Shed
