The cameras do spook deer. In S.E. Wisc. I only get one good pic, then the buck never returns, at least the adult bucks. However in Buffalo county and parts of Iowa it did not seem to spook them. Part of it is human scent, The other part is the flash. I don't know why i get different results regionally, but I always keep the camera away from the exact spot I am going to hunt. I try to catch the bucks at there night time food source. I mainly use the camera to determin if there are shooter bucks on the farm and how big they are.