Do you camouflage/hide your camera.

[trampledbyturtles]

I've had this debate in my mind to many times going back an forth on the subject.

So, with the threat of theft not an issue.

Who all feels it is a must to hide your trail cam from the deers view?

After looking at alot of the trail cam picks on here it seems there is a bit of a mix. Some look they are placed high an at an angle. While others are on a trail at eye level.

I run into an interesting issue every year.
A lack of suitable trees, paired with tall grass (1000 false trips in a short time is not fun to find) limits my location options.

Still use t-posts in certain locations (edges of where we hay, an over food plot corners on time lapse mode). So the cameras can pretty much stick out in the open.

can't be certain on final placement, but on Midwest whitetail, it looks like at times they just stick them out in the open as well.

know some of it depends on which trail cams your run.
currently running moultrie 880i

thoughts?

 

[yoderjac]

Deer, even mature bucks, will accept any form after it becomes a permanent part of their environment. I've go fixed position cameras that have been in place of 10 years. They are not hidden and have large solar panels (wireless running 24/7/365 with no checking). Deer completely ignore them. They are black flash because there is a sex/age bias associated with visible flash avoidance.

On the other hand, if you are moving cameras from location to location, deer, especially mature bucks will notice them and some will avoid them. Human presence to service cameras and leaving scent behind can be an even larger problem.

Elevating and angling cameras helps with visible flash avoidance and removes the camera from the close proximity threat zone of deer. It is a good approach for a point source target like a scrape or rub, but reduces the detection zone of most cameras.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

I do not. I don't have issues with my cams walking off....so far. I tend to just strap my cam to a tree to get me the best pic I can. Do I get pics and videos of the deer looking right at it? Yep. Do some seem to have an issue with it? Yep. Both of these issues tend to be only at night OR when they smell the cam from me handling it. I have several pics/videos of the deer sniffing the cam. I do not use white flash cams any more, but even the IR ones some deer seem to be able to see it. I know on many the IR illuminators will glow red.

To be honest - there are times I forget where I cam is exactly as it is. If I hide it....I may never find it! One thing I need to try however is seeing if mounting it higher and angled down will help. I have just been to lazy to really try it yet.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Personally, I make no effort to hide my cameras and I don't think the deer ever notice, or if they do, care. Of course, the deer at our camp seem adept at working around human activity. They often show up on cam 10 or 15 minutes after I know I have just pulled the memory card. Thick cover seems to put them at ease, especially if they can hear me coming and going.

 

[Baker]

we make no attempt to hide the cameras and bait them with corn. hang the cameras to try to get the best pic and drive a truck to them checking them every day.

 

[bigbendmarine]

I do elevate cameras to just over my own head height and angle downward. I do so less out of security concern (use on my own private land / blessedly no theft issues to date) than I do to move scent up a bit AND make cameras less visible to wary bucks. First year I owned our place I let a friend put out a few cameras and hunt, and when he put cameras low his photos were EXTREMELY heavily biased to does, fawns, and yearling bucks. Moving the cameras up and angling really seemed to help me get a more accurate sampling of the bucks in our area. I also moved to video vs photos to capture behavior / direction of movement, etc, and find the intel gained much more useful for whatever that may or may not be worth to others on the forum.

 

[Tap]

My deer certainly notice a new cam set up. I was trouble shooting some cheap Bushnell cams and strapped them to a tree on the edge of the plot beside my home so I could monitor deer activity in the detection zone before dark. Most every doe locked eyes on it. They didn't spook, but they tended to keep their distance. I elevate mine. I realize that most of the resident herd will get used to cam set ups, but some deer won't. They are individuals and accept thing differently.
If a non resident buck shows up on my place, will he accept an obvious cam? Maybe, maybe not. May as well hide them.
On a similar note...If deer notice human objects like cameras, how do they react to newly placed ladders, treestands, climbing sticks, etc??

 

[gwm]

I also make no effort to hide my cameras.

 

[trampledbyturtles]

solid stuff fellas

I do a bit of both,

Have a few cams that rarely get checked. Most often they r deep in cover, closer to stand locations. These sites tend to have shorter grass, as well as a suitable tree to hide the camera better.

Have a couple that I use more or less as general survelance. These might be on a corner fence post leading to the nearest ag bean field. Or habitat edges that r more or less travel routes. I will typically move these around depending on time of year. These tend to have less than ideal hides.
Also they tend to be my primary in season check cams. Able to just drive in the access trail, pull right up to the cam without getting out, swap cards an on my way. Might not get every deer on cam, but have an idea of what is going on the property without busting into the main bedding areas or travel routes.

An I tend to agree with Tap.
sure the resident does probably don't care,
but when that big drifter finally moves in. Hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot with that t post an box sitting in the corner of field.

Honestly thinking about looking into the cuddylink system this off-season. Think it would fit my hunting set-up an total acres perfect. Just wanna get a sense on how they perform this year first.

 

[yoderjac]

My deer certainly notice a new cam set up. I was trouble shooting some cheap Bushnell cams and strapped them to a tree on the edge of the plot beside my home so I could monitor deer activity in the detection zone before dark. Most every doe locked eyes on it. They didn't spook, but they tended to keep their distance. I elevate mine. I realize that most of the resident herd will get used to cam set ups, but some deer won't. They are individuals and accept thing differently.
If a non resident buck shows up on my place, will he accept an obvious cam? Maybe, maybe not. May as well hide them.
On a similar note...If deer notice human objects like cameras, how do they react to newly placed ladders, treestands, climbing sticks, etc??

Non-resident bucks are not really a problem. Unless the camera has a visible flash, noise when it triggers, or human scent from checking, a camera is just like any other inanimate object. It is ignored. Everything is new to a non-resident buck so nothing is different. It is when something is different in a buck's back yard that notice and possible avoidance occurs.

Also, keep in mind when most non-resident bucks use your property will be during the rut. At that point most things become secondary to sex.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Tap]

Non-resident bucks are not really a problem. Unless the camera has a visible flash, noise when it triggers, or human scent from checking, a camera is just like any other inanimate object. It is ignored. Everything is new to a non-resident buck so nothing is different. It is when something is different in a buck's back yard that notice and possible avoidance occurs.

Also, keep in mind when most non-resident bucks use your property will be during the rut. At that point most things become secondary to sex.

Thanks,

Jack

I think you missed my point.
Deer DO notice inanimate objects that are unnatural. And they don't always ignore these things.
Re-read post #7. Deer immediately noticed my cameras when I set-up a location for a camera-test. I watched them from my kitchen window. I witnessed it with my own eyes. They were not in the detection zone so there was no flash of any kind and no trigger sounds to alarm them. The deer were not down wind, either. They saw the new object and they were suspicious of it. They didn't spook, but they did keep their distance while keeping a wary eye on the camera.
I'm 100% convinced that some deer, not all deer, are shy of unnatural objects and some deer are camera shy. Why they are, I don't know. Do they have a history of flash, trigger noise or human scent from encounters with cams in other areas or properties? I feel the same way about tree stand visibility. I don't want ANY deer to see ANYTHING that they may not be comfortable with. I do believe they do eventually get used to objects, but why show your cards if you don't have to?

And it's a fallacy that, all (mature) bucks nearing the peak rut phase, throw all caution aside. They may take some risks but they still avoid things and people that they perceive as a possible threat. Like so many other aspects of whitetail hunting and study...if there are 2 ways of doing something, I'm gonna lean toward the cautious approach. Other that a little bit of extra effort, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But assuming every deer in the resident or visiting herd has no fear of certain stimuli, is just not worth it to me.

 

[yoderjac]

I think you missed my point.
Deer DO notice inanimate objects that are unnatural. And they don't always ignore these things.
Re-read post #7. Deer immediately noticed my cameras when I set-up a location for a camera-test. I watched them from my kitchen window. I witnessed it with my own eyes. They were not in the detection zone so there was no flash of any kind and no trigger sounds to alarm them. The deer were not down wind, either. They saw the new object and they were suspicious of it. They didn't spook, but they did keep their distance while keeping a wary eye on the camera.
I'm 100% convinced that some deer, not all deer, are shy of unnatural objects and some deer are camera shy. Why they are, I don't know. Do they have a history of flash, trigger noise or human scent from encounters with cams in other areas or properties? I feel the same way about tree stand visibility. I don't want ANY deer to see ANYTHING that they may not be comfortable with. I do believe they do eventually get used to objects, but why show your cards if you don't have to?

And it's a fallacy that, all (mature) bucks nearing the peak rut phase, throw all caution aside. They may take some risks but they still avoid things and people that they perceive as a possible threat. Like so many other aspects of whitetail hunting and study...if there are 2 ways of doing something, I'm gonna lean toward the cautious approach. Other that a little bit of extra effort, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. But assuming every deer in the resident or visiting herd has no fear of certain stimuli, is just not worth it to me.

I don't believe deer regard inanimate objects that are man made as any kind of threat simply because they are man made. Deer absolutely notice anything new that changes in their living room whether manmade or not and can be suspicious. This could be a camera or dead fall. Deer know their home range very well and anything that changes suddenly is regarded with caution at first. They eventually acclimate to the change. I completely agree that deer notice anything new in their home range.

When bucks move out of their home range looking for does, everything is new so nothing is new. They have already assumed the risk of moving outside the area they know intimately in search of sex.

What you are experiencing is a deer's reaction to someone rearranging the furniture in their livingroom. My fixed position black flash cameras with large solar panels operate 24/7/365. Every year, during the rut they get nice close up pictures of bucks that are not in the inventory. I see no evidence of these deer non-resident avoiding my cameras. I'm not suggesting that bucks during the rut don't avoid things they perceive as a risk, and unless on a doe when they do throw caution into the wind, they can be even more cautious since they are in unfamiliar territory. However, I see absolutely no evidence in my experience that they react differently to inanimate manmade objects any differently than they do to unfamiliar natural objects.

This all comes down to judgment based on our experiences. I know of no hard studies. So, different folks can hold different opinions.

Thanks,

jack

 

[Tap]

I don't believe deer regard inanimate objects that are man made as any kind of threat simply because they are man made. Deer absolutely notice anything new that changes in their living room whether manmade or not and can be suspicious. This could be a camera or dead fall. Deer know their home range very well and anything that changes suddenly is regarded with caution at first. They eventually acclimate to the change. I completely agree that deer notice anything new in their home range.

When bucks move out of their home range looking for does, everything is new so nothing is new. They have already assumed the risk of moving outside the area they know intimately in search of sex.

What you are experiencing is a deer's reaction to someone rearranging the furniture in their livingroom. My fixed position black flash cameras with large solar panels operate 24/7/365. Every year, during the rut they get nice close up pictures of bucks that are not in the inventory. I see no evidence of these deer non-resident avoiding my cameras. I'm not suggesting that bucks during the rut don't avoid things they perceive as a risk, and unless on a doe when they do throw caution into the wind, they can be even more cautious since they are in unfamiliar territory. However, I see absolutely no evidence in my experience that they react differently to inanimate manmade objects any differently than they do to unfamiliar natural objects.

This all comes down to judgment based on our experiences. I know of no hard studies. So, different folks can hold different opinions.

Thanks,

jack

I kinda struggled with how to word parts of my post. I guess I should have not implied that some deer perceive a man-made object as a "threat", but I do firmly believe that some deer are nervous of objects. Not all deer, some deer.
I can drop a tree onto a plot, and yes, deer instantly notice it like rearranged furniture, but they don't avoid it.
I've watched deer from my house windows since we built in 1986. It's almost become an obsession of mine. Resident deer and "new" deer DO notice new stuff. Most of them get nervous at 1st but eventually accept objects. But some seem to never get used to some things. It's those deer that I feel should be treated with a low impact approach.
But we are talking about trail cam avoidance (or no avoidance). I don't want any deer to have to get used to seeing and accepting my cameras. How many possible pics are missed during that period of time deer are learning to accept the rearranged furniture? Heck, with some deer that are constant residents, we are lucky to get a couple pics per year. Why is that? Is there something about the sight of a camera that some individual deer just don't like? I can't get inside the mind of a thinking animal that makes decisions like a deer. So I just assume that there is nothing to be gained having camera set-ups that are obvious, or sloppy odor control, or any aspect of whitetail hunting. Being careful never hurts.

 

[H20fwler]

Don't try and hide mine either.

 

[SWIFFY]

I dont like them obvious... but the more I try to hide them in trees and brush, the more something always blows in front of the lens!

I mostly try and make them easy and quiet to get at now.

 

[yoderjac]

Tap,

No worries. Caution is never a bad quality when it comes to hunting whitetail. I've got a lot of experience with suburban deer as well. I was one of the founders of a suburban group in VA. I was amazed at what I've seen deer acclimate to in the suburbs. Deer are amazing creatures and you are absolutely right that they are individuals with individual personalities.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

I think I need to try to hide mine or at least find a way to move it further up the tree..... I place mine close to the bait and at a level that I think will give me the best results.......BUT.....it obviously isn't going undetected. I wonder how much this impacts other older deer? Is 7 to 8 feet off the ground better, or even enough? I don't want to need a ladder to change cards or the like.

 

[Tap]

I think I need to try to hide mine or at least find a way to move it further up the tree..... I place mine close to the bait and at a level that I think will give me the best results.......BUT.....it obviously isn't going undetected. I wonder how much this impacts other older deer? Is 7 to 8 feet off the ground better, or even enough? I don't want to need a ladder to change cards or the like.
View attachment 20482

Man, that's one homely lookin' deer

 

[j-bird]

Man, that's one homely lookin' deer

Hey, you might hurt his feelings, he could turn into a beautiful trophy buck one day! Just a yearling - lower end of typical around here for a yearling buck. He was just a real good example of how NOT HIDDEN my cams tend to be. My daughter wants a buck this year and wants a big 8 that I may be after, but Mr. Nosy here may be more her speed for her first buck.

 

[Tap]

Hey, you might hurt his feelings, he could turn into a beautiful trophy buck one day! Just a yearling - lower end of typical around here for a yearling buck. He was just a real good example of how NOT HIDDEN my cams tend to be. My daughter wants a buck this year and wants a big 8 that I may be after, but Mr. Nosy here may be more her speed for her first buck.

Oh believe me...There are hundreds of pics that make me look even uglier than I really am, so one pic of that guy means nothing.
With women, faces and racks are attractive, but with bucks, racks and bodies are are what I look for....Don't tell my wife I posted this...