I would say that it helps from a discipline or motivation standpoint. I am more apt to spend the time (all day) in an are if I know there is a mature buck in it.

I agree with pastorjim08 on patterning large buck. I have had the same experience the last two years with trail cameras. This year I arrowed a 140 class buck 1.2 miles away from where I last seen him on a trail camera. My experience in Northeast Pa has been the bigger they are, the harder they are to pattern. I believe thats why they get big. The trail cameras today are great tools. I have had several cameras out since beginning of Jan. This helps me determine whats left over for this upcoming season and what areas i should focus on. They are a heck of a lot of fun. Kevin has a great point, I have also spent many more hours in my tree because I knew there was a large mature buck in the area. It is also a great tool in that it allows you to identify the shooter bucks in the areas you hunt. It has allowed me to passed on decent bucks because I know there are larger ones in the area. I had 4 buck this year on my shooter list. I passed on a 9 pointer the morning I shot my buck. I do believe trail cameras can also hurt. What I mean by this is I believe you can leave to much scent in an area by checking trail cameras to often. Large bucks are alerted to this and tend to leave an area if you enter that area to much. Im a firm believer in not contaminating your good stands.

Easy answer for me, make It more complicated. Too many times the last few years I've hunted spot's where I've gotten pictures and only once have I saw the buck I was after from my pics. For Instance this last year (2009) I had pics of a 150 to 155 Inch 10 point. I set up on him where I got the 1st pics of him, never once saw him there. I set up In a few other places too and did see him once In a spot I had my camera on but that was It. I ended up seeing this buck 5 times last hunting season and 4 of them 5 times were In spots I did not have camera's. I sat In these spots where I didn't have camera's going off of gut feelings for bedding area's and I hit the nail on the head quite often.

This upcoming year (2010) I will not put any stock In the least anymore on where I see bucks with my camera's. This has hurt me In years past I think.

I like the inventory factor...
I never seem to get more than one pic of any good buck, seems I educated him/them!

I will usually spend my camera months from Dec-Feb then get out of the area. Winter is great with snow on the ground to locate the buck beds along with Doe beds and when you connect the dots you will usually have a great rut spot somewhere in-between.

A buck will only tolerate intrusion once or twice then he will pattern YOU!!!

Mostly for inventory.Big boys(4 yr old plus)are hard to keep track of.Just love to see what's out there,especially after season.

Deer and Cameras
 

I myself don't really think a trail camera scares the deer. Most of the deer (bucks) that I have recorded on my trail cam I never saw during hunting season. I just like to see what I can capture, you never know what you're gonna get a picture of and that makes it more interesting.

I think they are an excellent inventory method. I do not really depend on them to pattern a buck. I think that the extra traffic that starts to filter in the woods in September changes the patterns. So, I then start moving my cameras to feeding areas where acorns are falling to watch stand locations that I can not be at while I am somewhere else. I also try to watch those community scrape locations for inventory also.

As for as spooking from cameras this is what I am talking about, this deer turned inside out. But, this deer has never been seen in the daylight either.

I would say they do help. Not so much to pattern a certain deer but to see what potential your particular area has.

They can help and hinder. I bought one and used it for the first time this year. One of the places I hunt is a river bottom and the stand sites are very limited. I have a stand in one of the few trees available that is big enough to support one and on the correct side of the wind. Got pictures of 5 different mature bucks and several smaller ones on the camera and 0 were during daylight hours.

Try setting in a stand for hours with any kind of confidence when you have 3 weeks worth of evidence that you won't see a buck during legal light.