kevin1

Only if you buy that GPS and somehow attach it to that buck , good luck getting the deer to hold still long enough .


I have a low end Moultrie digital , which I bought after confirming that 35mm Stealth Cams deserve their reputation for being junk , and so far it's been fun . The rate at which they suck batteries has been impressive , so a solar recharger is on my list . To date I have managed to glean 2 useable shots from it , one of a doe's rump , and one of my own as I was checking a scrape dripper , both were clear .

Overall assessment: I like it . My job prohibits me from getting much time afield for scouting , so the convenience of having eyes in the woods has been worth more than the $100 I spent for the unit , I probably would've spent that much in gas anyway at current prices . Would I leave one on public land or someone else's property ? No way , it probably wouldn't last a week .
Cost so far:
Digital cam - $99
Batteries to produce 2 photos - $4
Getting a shot of my own butt without realizing it - Priceless !

NY Bowhunter

I have mixed emotions on it I guess....

At first I was gung ho over using them for scouting. Now I use it more for getting wildlife photos because I think it's cool and less in my hunting area and for scouting purposes. Like others have said...... for me it takes something away from the hunt. I've since resorted back to the good old fashion scouting techniques.
As far as a tool to pattern deer? I dont' think there's any quetion they are valueable. Almost to the point of too easy (if there is such a thing)? JMO

HuntinGUS

I never really thought of it a s "cheating", but you all make good points about manual scouting and doing it yourself. I never came full circle with mine.

I have a cheapie from Wally world that I bought a few years back. I have to say that it was addicting. I could not wait until I got the film develped to see what was on there. My Wife enjoyed looking at the pic too.

I live about 4 hours from whaere I hunt so it's tough for me to keep up with it. I will be moving tonew house with some acerage this summer. I will probably blow the dust off of it and set it up again!

CamoCop

i think it's money well spent. i don't personally own one but i used a friends this year and loved it. i will have one or two by next season. i am lazy in no means when it comes to scouting. i still spend lots of days in the woods scouting BUT the trail camera lets you see what's in the area that you might not see when scouting. you may pass on a spot that has minimal sign to hunt a spot with lots of sign. however, if you utilize your trail camera and find out that the spot with little sign is holding a monster buck...you might not have had a chance at him if you would not have hunted it. instead you might have hunted a spot with several smaller bucks that were making more sign. to each his own, but this is my opinion.

treehunter

Me and my cousin have 2 or 3 that we put up in different locations and have taken hundreds of pics in the past 2 years. It is very interesting to me to get live pics of the deer you are killing. And it is in no way cheating. Thats like saying if you see rubs and hunt around them that is cheating. Either way it is just saying their is deer in your area and you are not wasting your time hunting in a place with no deer.

.44 Cooter

speaking of cheating. these cameras would work good to keep and eye on the wife.

DeerHuntMO

I am 100% for Trail-Cam's...GO and get a Moultrie GameSpy 200
There is a seller on Ebay where you can get the Camera, 6v Battery, Charger, and solar panel for $200

-Joe

bighorns35

i have 2 of the 35mm stealth models. [not the best] but i think for 50.00 they are darn good. if you are worried about theft try one of these. get them at walmart for 49.95. they take good quality photo's. as far as it being border line cheating.i dont buy it. all these camera's are telling you is the caliber of deer and possibly the density of your herd. just because you get pics of a buck coming down a trail,sure doesn't mean the day you sit there he will be coming to you. to many variables. but if your looking to up your scouting efforts with out alot of leg work. this is a way. since i got my first one,i have found that i am in the woods alot more in the off season too. just my .02

StrutnBPS

StrutnBPS

I think they are great. I have the el cheap'o Stealth cam 35mm. For three years it hasn't failed yet. The camera paid for itself the first year. I know several people who have them and swear by them. Of course they are cheap, so they aren't going to have the best features. I know people who have taken back one $400 camera, just to buy more of the cheap stealth cams.

But for the money. Hell ya.

I do want a digital though. Dunno which one yet. Thought about the Leaf River.

As for using a cam. I don't think its cheating at all. Most deer that you get on cam, you would never know were there. I like having the cam to see what is on my land that I have no idea is there. The deer here in SC are hard to pattern. I've only got one pic of a deer that was eventually killed by a buddy of mine. Well, maybe two, but not sure b/c the other was killed three seasons after I got the pic.

Here are a few pics from the cheap cam.