I' ve spotted a heavily used deer trail which appears to be used year around and is probably a " to and from " between bedding and feeding areas. I don' t need pictures, just a device that tells me when the traffic took place and how many travelled by. I' ve hunted this spot early morning and evening and never saw a deer. I hunt from a tree and have a good viewing range. Is there such a cheap device out there?(Walmart sent me from their huntung dept to their consumer electronic dept!!)

I' ve neveer used one, but there is a trail timer. It' s like a stop watch, you place a small string across the trail and when the string is released,by something walking through it the clock stops. The problem is you don' t know what tripped it just when. Obviously if all you see is deer tracks it was probably a deer but how big , buck or doe ect. that' s the big question. This is probably the single most treason trail cams came about because now you know the time as well as what.

Raise the string up about 2 feet and the only thing that can trip it is a Deer, Bear or Person just a hint .

Guys, thanks for putting me on to the idea that there is something out there cheaper that does the job . I brought a Trail Timer 500 plus off Ebay for $75.

Hang some thread over the trail at about 3-4 feet , and brush away the existing tracks . It won' t tell you what time the tracks you' ll see later were made , but you can narrow it down to a day . If the thread is broken , examine the tracks , erase them and try again . If the thread gets broken regularly the trail is hot right now . Trail timers are nice to have , but if not carefully hidden they will walk away . Nobody steals thread . You can mark several trails before the season starts , and check them before opening day to determine the hottest trails .