Personally I will use any means possible that our DNRand MDC will allow us to use to better the odds when I'm hunting,trail camera's,decoys,grunt tubes,Deer scents and camo...the list goes on and on!For the most part I use mytrail camera to see what Deers we haveon our property and thenchoose which ones to harvest,and to check out the Doe to Buck ratio so we knowwhich ones needed to be thinned outand if there are any promising Bucks in the area.When it comes down to hunting the deer will be coming out in certain trail corridors and bedding areas and as the seasons change so will their travel patterns.You have to admit how cool it can be to get pictures of the deer on your hunting property as they mature then finally it all comes together and you shoot the Buck of a life time or your Son or Daughter gets their first deerand you have pictures of that deer from your trail camera as it was growing up over the years.I know guys that have trail camera pictures of deer they have been hunting and the adjoining land owner ended up shooting the deer and they gave them some of the deers pictures they had....how cool is that to share pictures of the deer you've spent so much time and effort hunting with someone else who didn't have any.


Another thing you need to consider when watching most of these so called "Hunters" on TV is that most are hunting on an Outfitters own property that has food plots in certain area's,the Owners or Guideshave been using trail camera's or they have done all the Scouting for their Client (Hunter) and then they tell the Hunter where the best spots are to harvest a deer,then they film their Deer hunt and we listen to them tell us how we should hunt Deer! [:@]

Tred also took ashot at scent elimination, he said "forget the wind and just hunt?" He also said that a hunter should have to find the wind and hunt into the wind.Then he went on to explain that he let his clothes hang out 3 to 4 days before a hunt, he didn't need scent eliminator.I still enjoy his adventures eventhough I am sure he looks down on someone who huntswith the equipmewnt that i have.

I dont like trail cams but thats only b/c they are expensive and I still need new broadheads!!!!! And camo, blah, blah, blah I'm broke.

Now more on-topic: Trail cams are perfectly acceptable b/c they are the equivalent of a predator learning the habits of game in a particualr area, the same as if you went out before deer season and staked out the animals' behavior. The thing is, most people dont have the time to do that, so trail cams are a great alternative. However, if you havea couple of days before opening day,haul out some camo, and find out exactly where the bucks are yourself.

True. I guess if you've got the money, it doesn't matter whether you pay a guide or buy a bunch of electronic surveillance gear to do the same job. But knowing where the deer are, or are going to be, which ones will be where and all that... That's more like shopping than hunting to me. Kinda like having the doctor run a scan and tell you whether you're going to have a boy or girl months in advance. Or finding out what's in that box under the Christmas tree before you get to open it. There's no anticipation, no excitement.

To each his own though.

Myself if i was paying to be guided on a hunt I would want the guide to be using all legal means to insure that I have a hunt of a lifetime. Trail cameras are a good way to tell what animals are in a certain area but in no way guarintees that you'l get a shot at anything. they are one way to tell if a stand location is worth sitting there for countless hours hoping for a shot or just sitting there in a tree passing the time.

The last time I watched Him he was Black Bear Hunting in Alaska, Glassing the coast for Bears (Real Hard Work).The boat was as big as my house! Not tomention it costs thousands of dollars to pay someone else to hunt this way.
Then to top it off he takes the time on the show to bash Bear hunters that bait, saying it was Unethical and should be baned!
So I pulled out me Book, Wrote His name down in it, and then Struck a Line Through It Darling! (And if you never watched the Quiet Man with John Wayne you dont know what the heck Im talkng about)
To top it off His Boat looks like a Space Ship from a Star Wars Move. the hard way, what a Joke!
Hes a Blabbering, Ignorant, Hypocrite, and his humor cant cover for the bashing of other sportsman on his show!
I dont watch him anymore.

I can't stand Tred Barta. U is a hack.

Shane

I LOVE TRED BARTA. He is an outstanding sportsman! And I agree, All the new aged gadjets that are offered nowadays are becoming a little excessive. I believe it takes away from the hunt. Part of the experience in my eyes is not knowing every "deer" on your property. It is nice to see the Big Ones. But really, I would rather have the internal feeling that "What IF Factor" I understand Game cameras for "Big Time" Proerty managers. But for your average Joe. I think any animal we can harvest should have as much as fair chance and a "Real" experience on our part. In my mind they are like Cell Phones. People are to lazy to get out and do "Real" Scouting. Not half assed scouting. I know that you still walk out to your tree, and hook up the camera, then walk back to your truck. But what does that take an hour? I scout and spend half the day or more. Learning my qaurry. Mending his every move. Glassing for hours. And I believe it is far more rewarding then seeing deer " or whatever else" on a camera.
This is my humble opinion. Hope to see ya out there. Scouting!