Discussion on bucks detecting and avoiding trail cameras

[Hoytvectrix]

This has come up a few times in a few other threads. I know that @Native Hunter commented on this last fall with a buck he observed was avoiding trail cams. A youtube channel recently posted this video:

that has some other interesting anecdotal observations.

I've always wanted to have a good discussion here because I feel like there is a good balance of trail camera brands/models, filming modes, and pressure situations that we could get a better idea if there is anything to bucks avoiding trail cameras. Also, I think there is likely a certain personality type and/or level of interest for the type of people that frequent this forum that we will get slightly better information than probably most other places.

There are a number of different factors at play here: trail camera brand, model, filming mode, flash type, camera position, camera location, deer personality, and hunting pressure. I have my own opinions for what is going on, but I wanted to hear some other opinions/observations.

 

[Native Hunter]

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm really interested in hearing what others have to say on this subject, and I will share a few of my observations over the years. When I first got into trail cameras, I bought Reconyx. I had two of the visible flash HC-500 models, and the rest were HC-600s with black flash. I noticed an immediate difference in how deer reacted to the 500s. I got pictures of them spooking and running off. Deer would sometimes detect the black flash cameras and maybe stare at them for a few seconds, but they wouldn't spook. The same thing would happen with coyotes. I started putting the 500s up in trees about 10 feet high, and that solved the spooking problem. I will have an occasional deer and/or coyote to detect one up high like that, but it is very rare.

Since that time I have bought other brands of black flash cameras, and my observations with those have been the same as with the black flash Reconyx. Deer will be able to detect them, but they will not be afraid of them. They are more likely to detect one at a mineral location than they are on a trail. When they come to a mineral site and are just standing still is when they will stare the most. Usually on a trail, the deer seem to never know that the black flash camera is there. I have thought that it may be an audible sound that they are hearing when standing quietly at a mineral site, but I really don't know for sure.

I've noticed that some deer seem to be camera hogs, while others seem to be more elusive and camera shy. I also believe that hunting pressure will cause some deer to avoid spots they associate with cameras, because they also associate those spots with humans - such as a mineral site or feeding location. I believe there came a point last year that the deer I killed started avoiding all of the locations he associated with trail cameras. If you recall, I hadn't had his picture for many days, but I put up a camera at a new location just before I harvested him and had his picture at that location the night before I harvested him. That location was less than 50 yards from two other cameras that he was familiar with.

Edit for clarification - when I used the word "spooked" above, I was talking about getting the H*!! out of Dodge.......not just an uneasy feeling....

 

[roymunson]

I'll be watching this video. I'm convinced some is personality, but there's something different about these cell cams that they either smell or associate with danger.

 

[Dogshooter]

I think it comes down to the individual deer. I have some bucks that couldn’t care less about white flash, red flash, or black flash cameras. I’ve watched them from the stand on several occasions walk in front of a camera that has flashed and had zero reaction.
But I do believe there are out there that will absolutely avoid them.
I have wolves on my property that come through from time to time and they avoid cameras like the plague. I have seen their tracks in the snow go around a camera location that only made sense they were avoiding it for the camera.
Placing them up higher in the tree does seem to help.

 

[SwampCat]

I think a lot of it also depends on amount of human activity in the area. I know a lot of people to to great lengths to stay out of their deer woods except when hunting. I go to great lengths to get in my deer woods - year round. I coon hunt, squirrel hunt, hog hunt, duck hunt, deer hunt, dove hunt, mushroom hunt, habitat management, and just walking and ride around looking. If I had to stay off my land most of the year - I would sell it. The neighboring property owners are cattle ranchers. Very few days they arent out riding fence, checking and feeding cows, etc. I think if there is less human activity in the woods, deer tend to alarm more at humans and things they leave in the woods.

I think my deer are accustomed to human activity and things us humans leave in the woods. But, I have had deer alarm and bolt from infrared when in video mode. It doesnt seem to bother them when just in picture mode. That said, there are those individual deer - bucks and does - that seem to alarm more readily at anything. I will have a deer every now and then that will not feed at a feeder, but will feed at hand spread feed. The biggest bucks in my woods have always been on camera and multiple times. We have killed one buck in 17 years that we didnt previously have multiple pictures of.

 

[Troubles Trees]

I agree with alot of the above comments about human activity and such. I could only choose 2 in the poll but I do think camera type matters because each brand has different sounds when they activate and that is certainly detriment to a deer noticing it to begin with, maybe even as much as they type of flash. Every deer has it's own personality but for the most part old mature bucks and does are more picky what they deem acceptable.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Like Native, I started using cams along time ago, back with 35mm, and white flash. Then digital white flash, I would normally get 2 pictures of the bigger bucks, one staring at the camera, and one running away. Then I would never get that deer on camera again. I think todays cameras are quieter, but I think putting them up high, and not putting them on a bait pile, most deer wont even know they are there.

In my smaller food plots, I get pictures of bucks towards the back of the range of the sensors. If another deer trips it, I will see pictures of the bucks towards the back of the plot, but rarely will I get a bigger buck tripping my cameras in the smaller plots.

 

[MN Slick]

We've run Reconyx HC600 black flash and 2 of the XR6 for a long time and I can't remember a buck spooking from them and that includes old dudes walking directly at the XR6 in video mode and passing withing feet of them. We added 2 Spartans 3 years ago and I'm 99.9% convinced something about them spooks deer. We had them on plots strapped to the exact same trees we've run Reconyx for years and the bucks flat out quit using the scrape trees. Sometimes they would glide by 30 yds from the cams though. IIt took 2 years for them to start using the scrape trees again. We set the cam to 3 shot bursts and If I coyote goes by the 2nd pic of him will be staring dead at the cam and POOF, by the third pic he gone!! One farm is worse than the other. They are yard cams now.

We added 3 Recyonyx cell cams this year and so far they don't seem to detect them but not many bucks around yet. We are running them to send pics at a specified time per day rather than sending immediately just in case the modem spooling up is what is spooking deer. Note: the default flash setting on the Hyperfire 2 cells and standard Hyperfire 2 cams is high output which is not totally invisbile. The medium ouput flash setting is equal the the HC600.

 

[Tamarack]

Am I the only one that puts masks on my cams?

But seriously... I personally won't buy another visible/red glow cam even though at mineral licks they tolerate them for the most part. Can't use minerals here anyway. I think cams like Stealth's DS4K(invisible) take as good if not better pics/vids as most visible flash cams. But my favorite will always be white flash.

 

[bwoods11]

This has come up a few times in a few other threads. I know that @Native Hunter commented on this last fall with a buck he observed was avoiding trail cams. A youtube channel recently posted this video:

that has some other interesting anecdotal observations.

I've always wanted to have a good discussion here because I feel like there is a good balance of trail camera brands/models, filming modes, and pressure situations that we could get a better idea if there is anything to bucks avoiding trail cameras. Also, I think there is likely a certain personality type and/or level of interest for the type of people that frequent this forum that we will get slightly better information than probably most other places.

There are a number of different factors at play here: trail camera brand, model, filming mode, flash type, camera position, camera location, deer personality, and hunting pressure. I have my own opinions for what is going on, but I wanted to hear some other opinions/observations.

I like his idea of putting cameras up 8 feet. I do that at times, seems to help. Some of the mature bucks he talks about in his video are 3 year olds.
Either way, good points. But just a counter to the argument. I usually see the same mature buck on average 3-10 times or more during the fall on camera. He might avoid a camera, but I’ve never seen them flat out leave the area. I suppose it can happen?

 

[Bassattackr]

Note: the default flash setting on the Hyperfire 2 cells and standard Hyperfire 2 cams is high output which is not totally invisbile. The medium ouput flash setting is equal the the HC600.

This was a big difference maker for me - Hands down Flash is #1. Sound possibly #2...

I have 2 Hyperfire 2 cams out now, I have deer feeding literally a foot or two from these in their face and they don't even flinch.. Mature bucks multiple times in front or passing in front of the camera, groups of bucks also.. don't care. All walk right by like this 3 year old 8 point.. (Flash on MED output per MN Slick tip).





Or this group sparring with the same buck.. Couldn't care less.





As a perfect contrast - I have an old Bushnell (Red glow) and deer come unglued (bucks and does alike!) when they get pictures taken at night. I'll get a mature buck once on this camera, then never again.. I leave it on a far end field corner (away from any stand I have) but I'm about ready to pitch it because I still think it does more harm than good.

One of many examples..

 

[TWIG]

After 20 years running cams I've found that there's no relation between a deer avoiding an area because of a camera. Now that I utilize cell cams it's became rather apparent that I'm either in a bucks window of movement or I'm not. A specific deer pays no mind to an object in the woods that poses no threat. The scent I dispersed in an area in the past checking cameras may have raised suspicion from deer but even then I never had deer actively avoid a camera. They're simply avoiding me or sign of me.

What's always fascinated me is the intelligence level hunters seem to place on a deer because of the horns on its head. Sure a 4 year old buck might be more cautious than a 2 year old but what about a doe at 8 years old or older? Looking back at some of the does that lived for 10+ years on my farm, they really shock me at how in tune with their surroundings they really are. If I throw a cam up within view of a treestand I'm hunting the only deer that even notice them are does. Then after a day or two it's a permanent fixture in their world and they never pay it any mind until I grab the card out of it.

 

[bwoods11]

We had several mature bucks on camera last year Iowa that were on every camera very often…many different days. My neighbor had the same ones. A couple of them would stare at the camera at times, then come back hours later., or the next days or week.

Every buck is different, but I’ve found MOST don’t seem to worry much about cameras.

 

[yoderjac]

It is really a combination of factors. You missed noise on your list. Many cams use a mechanical filter that can make a distinct noise. Some cams are worst then others. Mature bucks clearly avoid triggering cams with a red blob flash. That does not me they avoid the area. They simply keep other deer between them and the cams most of the time. I did an experiment years ago where everything was the same except the flash. Some were red blob and others true black flash. Cameras were rotated over time. They were all silent and wireless very obvious with solar panels. Black flash regularly took multiple pictures of mature bucks close to the cam. Red blob cams took a pic or two of a mature buck. After that, the only pics of the buck were taken when other female and/or immature deer triggered the camera and the mature buck was on the fringe of the flash. Often you could only see eyes without photoshop cleanup of the pic.

For most applications, camera avoidance is not an issue. Certainly not for hunters. However, when using the data for herd monitoring, you can get significant sex and age bias in the data. Using bait seems to overcome this bias in many situations, but point source attractants have their own set of issues and can be illegal in some cases.

One final note, regardless of the cause of avoidance, when we describe deer or mature buck behavior, we are talking about the middle of a bell shaped curve. There will always be deer that defy the norms.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[weekender21]

I’m in the habit of hanging my cameras 8-12 feet off the ground. Mainly to avoid two legged pests but I’m sure it keeps the deer from detecting them most of the time too. I get pictures of the usual cautious deer a day or two after I disturb an area, especially if I alter the area with a new licking branch, mineral lick etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tamarack]

I just remembered the one cam I got last year- Stealthcam's XV4X, has 4 "High Power IR Emitters" that I thought for sure would be a problem. So many deer noticed it but I don't recall any of them avoiding it or running off at the sight of it. Always had it set on video. Here's an example:

 

[SWIFFY]

Im going to say I believe its about 95% deer personality. Some are photogenic and some arent, just like people. Ive had some 1 1/2 yr old bucks that never liked cameras and stayed that way their whole lives. Over time it was easier to fool those deer with blackflash cameras over white flash, but they had no interest in standing in front of either! 20 years ago when the "Camtrackers" came out, I got just as many pictures of big mature bucks as I do now, and im sure a few others avoided them just as they do now. So i think all deer will be more tolerant of a blackflash because they just dont notice it as easily, but any deer that doesnt like cameras is going to be gone either way IMO.

I am fascinated that a few of you have said that you think deer dont like cell cams???? I had thought the cell cams were better because of keeping scent away and human intrusion etc. HOWEVER.... the last few weeks I have not been seeing any of my better bucks on my cell cams. So the other day I went and checked 6 NON-Cell cameras settup withing the same property as 3 cell cams. 3 of the 6 of these cameras were white flash cams. I had ALL of my missing big bucks on 2 of the 3 white flash cams.... and I mean hundreds of pictures. Nothing on the blackout cell cams 200 yards away, but 200 pics on the old White Flash cams, what the heck does that say?? Im starting to think theres no rhyme or reason for any of it?!?!?! Deer go in front of cams when they feel like standing in that spot, thats maybe all there is to it?

 

[Catscratch]

I've watched deer walking through the woods, look at a camera, then circle it... never to get their pic taken (camera didn't get tripped).

I have a camera in my yard. There are deer that I see in real life that never get their pic taken. They avoid the camera site even though that area gets no more scent than any other spot in my yard.

I have two camera's set up about 150yds apart. Seldom do I ever get pics of the same bucks on both cameras. Same area; different deer, different patterns.

I offer no explanation, just observations.

 

[PatinPA]

I think the biggest part is you don't want the camera itself to stick out. I try to put them up as high as I can reach if they're out in the open. If I can conceal them in some way I'll leave them lower. I try to put them so deer won't be walking right at them. I put all mine on screw in brackets so they tend to stick out some depending on the camera. A lot of times I'll hang some branches on the bracket behind the camera to hide it too. The one I have that gets picked out the most is on the side of my camp and I think they see the reflection of the flash on the side of the building.

But as I looked through old pictures and videos, it took me a while to learn that lesson. As shown below. This buck clearly saw the camera. I never saw him again. This was on 12/31 though and it's not that uncommon for me to see a nice buck that I never see again so take that for what it's worth.

 

[bwoods11]

My neighbors in Minnesota use trail cameras, so my new strategy is no trail cameras on my 80 acre property in 2021!

I should have all their bucks move onto my farm because they are scared of the cameras ! Simple but effective.

(obviously sarcasm)