As I've stated, earlier......we're getting some awesome trail cam photos, early. Kudos.

What's been everyone's experience with actually taking a buck (or bucks)you've gotten photos of, pre-season?

Ive been using cameras since July 2003, and ive taken 0 bucks that i have gotten pictures of.

same here. The biggest bucks we've shot since using trail cams never made the memory card

I have pics of a little 4 on my land and my buddy shot him on the other side of the rode... he says he thought it was a messed up 3pnt he had been seeing.

The bucks I get on camera we rarely see, and the good shooter bucks we see in person while hunting are rarely on camera. [8D]

I'm fairly certain this is because I'm not willing to tromp into my better buck areas to put up a camera, and the bucks don't seem to mingle with or spend time around the easily accessible type spots that does frequent. I'll setup a feeder and get thousands of pics of does/dinks/fawns, and no good buck pics. I think thegood bucks may even avoid it because of the quantity of does that are frequenting it (because of the feeder). My history with the trail cameras really makes me believe the theory that bucks seperate themselves from the doe groups 99% of the year.

My buck last year was shot 200 yards away from where a camera/feederhad been setup all summer long and I never got a single pic of him there. With that said, I've shot quite a few does that I have thousands of pictures of. I have pics of Rob's doe from last year, and of both the does that Dan took the year before.

I think I could get more pics of the bucks, but to do so I'd have to really push into their core areas and I'm simply not willing to do that for a picture. I know they are in there without the pics.

I have had more success outside of buck core areas by simply setting the camera up on scrapes or major funnels, but then again........I'm only getting pics during the season. Over food sources or bait during the summer it's really tough in my area.

Never had the chance to take a buck that i had on cam, but my brother in law did. not that it was a monster or anything but he took one that he got on cam

I have shot two der that I got on camera. One was killed about 75 yards away, the other was on a completely different property. I have seen over 75% of my deer that I get on camera, I just seem to get them to come out during the day.

Matt:

I'm not discounting what you say, at all. I think we agree on that ideology.

Just interested.....because we are seeing a LOT of really good bucks on trail cams (posted in the forum) and I was wondering if we might come to a "quasi" percentage on how much that translates into actual harvests of these animals.

Just curious.

I have only taken one that a buddy got on cam. It was my biggest ever.

I have shot quite a few deer that i have gotten pictures of. I ususally use my camera first to do my scouting. If i get pictures of a good buck, i will then start to watch for him, glassing fields watching where he enters/exits and with what winds. I usually spend a TON of time in the field pre-season learning patterns. Once i feel i know what the buck is doing, i wait for the right wind and move in. I have been successful doing this on three different bucks. Two early (September 16th and September 17th) and one late season (Jan. 1)


September 17th 2006







September 16th 2007







January 1st 2007