I don't think they help that much for patterning a big buck. Too many variables to be able to kill that buck anyway. IMO having a pic or 2 of him over x amount of days is .02% of a piece of the puzzle needed to setup on him and kill him. Inventory? Potential your land has? Yeah I agree with that. An aid in killing a specific deer caught on cam? I dunno. Not to mention he could be gone and bucks you've never seen before could be roaming around when the rut hits.

Yep I put no stock in them. Been putting them up for about 5/6 years or so and decided last year to not use them. Keep my stinky butt out of the woods as much as possible and be forced to not let my hunting brain be influenced by a few pictures. Go figure, I killed one of my bigger bucks ever.

This may be where I am different than some. I put cams in places that are easily accessible. Easy in, easy out, and leave minimal scent in the process. Also places where deer are going to be after dark more than likely. I also leave them in for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, to minimize traffic/scent.

Main reason I do it, is it's Fun and I think it is nice to get an idea what is roaming around where I hunt. The 140 8 point I killed this past season was never caught on Trail Cam, but the 130 I killed I got a pic of him like 10 days before I arrowed him.

It's interesting every year to see what's showing up on the pics and then compare it to what you are seeing out of your stand.

Dan

That's exactly how I started out using them. Then the little voices in my head starting taking over and I found myself creeping closer and closer to honey holes. It was like a drug lol. So I just abandon them all together on my main land. I do put them up on a couple different pieces that I don't hunt that much. Just because it's cool getting pictures of critters.

Nope

I have gotten pictures of the same buck numerous times. He just won't give me a shot or doesnt come in range

I like to use them at the end of the year to see whats left out there.

That is part of what I am thinking about on trail cameras. Are we educating these deer by putting these strange objects on trees that they look at when they come in the area? I know that the deer see us coming an going into the area an checking the cameras when we do not know they are there, it just seems like common sense. Do you think that they avoid an area or are shy too an area? Because of us putting something in their living room at certain times of the day.

I know they do not understand what we are doing. But do you think that they learn anything from it from a deer common sense point of view or survival point of view?

Never know what might show up....
 

I like them because you never know what might show up.

The different properties that we hunt we use multiple cameras per piece of property we will go as far as having 2 cameras no more than 50yds apart from each other but on different trails to see if we can narrow down which trails the deer are using and at what time they are using these trails. So as far as a patterning tool it has helped us a lot.

Nope, trail cameras dont work : )