what on earth happened
 

ok so i have to trail cams out on an 80 acres of crp land one is out in the middle of the field one is in a clump of trees. so anyway last week i checked them and i have about 7 different deer on them then today i checked them and not a single picture on either of them. what do you think happened. o i forgot to mention one camera is over a apple and corn pile the other is over a food plot

You probably stunk it up running in and out of there...???
Cameras are a great tool and fun, just be wary of ruining your spots by leaving your scent. It's a real fast education for deer, especially the mature deer!!! I have noticed on numerous occasions of getting a decent buck on my cameras and never getting another pic, he went bye-bye!!!

your deer may have moved to a new food source. Also what the previous poster said. To much food for the deer to have to go somewhere that YOU have been.:busted:

I don't know where you live or anything but i've was getting a alot of pictures of some big bucks. Then all of a sudden no big ones. However in my area the food is changing and their habits are too. For example tonight i went spotting and seen a lot of deer. However they were in a different section of woods than i normally see them. I go and check my cameras twice a week but when i check the cameras you see me than an hour later deer so...

I don't like to visit the cameras but every two weeks, and then I'll usually move them. With the digitals they will hold two thousand plus pictures and that is usually plenty for two weeks and the batteries will last plenty long enough.

When I have a camera out, I usually check it about every other day. I haven't had much trouble with deer not visiting them because most of the pictures are at night. I do usually wear rubber boots, though. More than likely the deer have just changed their pattern or moved to another food source.

very true!! amazing how some of the most scent concious hunters take no scent precautions when checkin there cameras!!
I would bet if acorns are falling, iowabuckslayer is on the money with his post.

Same thing happend to me. I was getting 70-100 pics a day and this week it dropped right off...Im thinking the deer are changing patterns and the bucks are getting into their bachelor groups. They seem to be sheding velvet a little more now. The foilage is already turning here but the acorns havent really started to fall yet. Their feeding patterns are starting to change. My cornfields are being hammered. The deer are pulling ears off, eating a bit and leaving the rest of the ears on the ground for the coons and turkeys to pick at. I cant wait till next weekend!! Hunting in my favorite stand overlooking one of my big cornfields bordering the woods. Hopefully Ill get a chance at a velvet buck. I dont care how big it is or small it is antler wise, Ive always wanted a velvet buck to put on the wall.

you mean getting out of their bachelor groups-dont you? GL next wknd!

i make it a point to wander the woods in the off season. This way my scent just becomes a non-threatening thing. (i still use scent control while hunting) but I can honestly say I've never been busted by scent on my property

I checked my camera 2 days ago..I've been checking it every 4 or 5 days....was getting lots of bucks and then when I checked it...had one buck and tons of doe/fawn pictures and a gobbler. I moved my camera across this over grown hay field to a piece of woods surrounded by fields on 3 sides...lots of deer trails in there...Bucks starting to lose velevt so I'm guessing the deer are starting to move around...set up their territories, etc....

I know several guys that practice the same thing and are successul. Deer don't recognize human scent as dangerous instinctivly. It is just a smell. It is the activity associated with the new smell that puts them on alert. Get the deer used to your smell in a non threatening way and they will settle down in my opinion.

this is only practicle on small acre tracts (a few hundred) IMHO.

You just never know. Theres a bunch of things that could have happened. Your scent in the area but it would only deter for a day or so. A hunter your not aware of. Predetors in the area. I don't think it was the camera though.

I would bet on the facts that these guys are right. I think it is a combination of the two, You came in excited to see what you had on the camera and did not think about your scent, or they had moved for a while to check out a new food source. Like they said have patience they will be back. Also this is all part of finding the pattern of the deer on your property as well check out your surroundings and look for sign and move your cameras, and see what you come up with. Good luck.

i noticed when i put my cam up it was 2 days when the deer started coming in, a few days later the cows came by then 2 days later the deer came back, then the grazing leaser came and shredded and the deer came back 2 days later. although this last time i was in and out, only replacing batteries and swapping sd cards. when i went to check it the deer came in the next morning. they are unpredictable even when you think you know, but im sure scent is a factor and maybe not a bad thing just an abnormal thing for them to risk geting too close to. good luck.

maybe :alien: happened !

Did you turn them on? Just kidding! Scent control is a must. The doe's don't seem to care as much but the bucks do. Also, I noticed that if your still using a flash at night. This is usally only good for one snap shot of Mr. Big. Thats if it doesn't go off before the doe's get to it off first. The Big boys don't tolerate flashes in night very well. GOOD LUCK

Trail Cams
 

are designed to drive hunters nuts before they go hunting.
Those trail cams try to get you to figure everything out, before you get out there hunting and figure everything out.