Do you think deer can sense trail cameras ?

[Ikeman]

My hypothesis is that most of the reaction to trail cameras comes from sound. A single camera lens system, which 99% of cameras use, requires a UV/ND filter for daytime use, and the removal of that filter for nighttime pictures. There are also high frequency noises in cheap capacitors and cheap voltage converters (buck converters).

The largest sound for most cameras is the filter actuator. Once the camera assesses the lighting conditions, it may have to remove or replace that filter to meet the exposure needs. That physical movement causes noise.

For nighttime pictures, most cameras will also charge a capacitor to power the flash. That can’t typically be done directly off of a low voltage board (3.8-4.2v) as the amperage is more than the high efficiency components can handle. It will load a capacitor (or top off a partially loaded) to dump the whole thing to power the flash. Cheap capacitors can hum/whine a little.

I have hunted 90% public land for the last 15 years, and I learned to hang my cameras about 9-11 feet up just so other hunters didn’t find them. Just that little bit of height got rid of 99% of the reactions I get from deer.

As to scent being what causes the buck’s reaction…
I have several solar powered cell cameras 5-6 miles (by boat) from access that are going on 2 years since I put them out. I haven’t been back to 2 of them in over a year due to their remoteness and me needing to clear the creek of deadfall. Of those 2 cameras that have had no human impact in over a year… the one at head height still gets reactions out of deer probably 20% of the time. They 100% can hear some cameras.


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[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I have a seen a beat down deer trail in the snow of deer going 1’ directly behind a camera, i assume to avoid the activation of it which spooked them; either via sound or light. I should have took a picture, but I didn’t.

There was no obvious reason for all these deer to avoid this camera, they had to walk off trail, and make a decently hard pivot back onto the trail to do it. The tracks in the snow don’t lie.

This was medium to high pressure public land in farm country. Cell camera about 3’ off the ground.

I myself will often get spooked walking around on public in the dark and hear the chunk of lens movement or see a flash of red light. And I am (hopefully) the scariest thing out there and holding a rifle!

The deer on my farm don’t really seem to care about the cameras. I assume because I have placed them along field edges and not deep in the woods. My cameras also stay out all year.

 

[Mtyhunter]

I think if there is one thing the drone studies make abundantly clear, it's that hunters who run cameras generally underestimate their herd size from the camera info alone.

I don't know about the secret bucks by any means but we have a lot of bucks who seem to get their picture taken a lot and others who rarely get their pics taken (even though they are spotted on stand frequently). Might be home range to an extent, might be travel patterns, might be wary of cameras. Lots of different realistic reasons.

i've tried many many things to camo or de-scent my trail cams, to an avail. They find them everytime. When I mount a cam high, like 6'+, they don't seem to notice these.
I've watched some videos on youtube where this guy tracks deer, and big bucks, with a thermal drone, during hunting season on known property.
Last video I watched from him was him putting 5 camera out in a pentagonal shape, all cams 150-200yds away from each other. with his drone at the proper height, he could see all the cams and track all the movement around the cams, day and night. His results indicated that the cams only picked up like 20% of the movement around the cams. Some deer went consistently behind the cams, some were in front the cams with no pics taken, etc. It was kinda surprising to me, but it was irrefutable evidence.
Same guy has another video segment on the same property, where he thermal drone tracks a big buck on this 300 acres for the hunting season. Monitored the buck when the hunters enter and leaves stands, and he know where the cameras are at on the property. That big buck was never seen by any of the 5 hunters, and didn't get a single pic of the buck from the cams, and the buck stayed on that 300 acre property almost the whole time.

 

[matinc]

I do not believe they know what it is nor ever have or will. Unfortunately deer are not that smart. I believe it is the absolute worst non fair chase item so called deer hunters use during the season. Why more hunters lack the courage to call out this scourge is telling. Ethics falling to new lows. To me anyone using a cam during the season should remove his man card. Get off your lazy ass and scout. It's an absolute joke and only getting worse. Total embarrassment.

 

[Ikeman]

I do not believe they know what it is nor ever have or will. Unfortunately deer are not that smart. I believe it is the absolute worst non fair chase item so called deer hunters use during the season. Why more hunters lack the courage to call out this scourge is telling. Ethics falling to new lows. To me anyone using a cam during the season should remove his man card. Get off your lazy ass and scout. It's an absolute joke and only getting worse. Total embarrassment.

Unless you are hunting in moccasins with a self made bow or atlatl, and processing the carcass with flint blades… I will give you opinion as much value as I paid for it.


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[Natty Bumppo]

I do not believe they know what it is nor ever have or will. Unfortunately deer are not that smart. I believe it is the absolute worst non fair chase item so called deer hunters use during the season. Why more hunters lack the courage to call out this scourge is telling. Ethics falling to new lows. To me anyone using a cam during the season should remove his man card. Get off your lazy ass and scout. It's an absolute joke and only getting worse. Total embarrassment.

Why do you care so much about how other people choose to hunt? I think it probably says more about you and your character than those lazy, gutless, ethically bereft, embarrassing, girly boy hunters you are decrying.

I didn't realize hunting was about proving manhood either. Is that what it's about for you? I'll be sure I turn my man card in for you since I use trail cameras.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

I believe it is the absolute worst non fair chase item so called deer hunters use during the season.

Wow. So sitting in a heated portable house, over a bait (be it dumped or planted), is more ethical than me knowing a deer walked by a spot at 2AM, three days ago?

Yeah, if someone's getting a picture of deer and grabbing their gun and running out in the woods to shoot it, I'd agree. But I don't think most are.

 

[bigboreblr]

Unless you are hunting in moccasins with a self made bow or atlatl, and processing the carcass with flint blades… I will give you opinion as much value as I paid for it.


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Sometimes go out on foot with my Woolrich machinaw's. I do wind it back some with the rock locks n round balls.

One thing they do notice is new cameras. Mold release, fresh paint, new car plastic smell. Get them outside n the porch if you can't put them in the woods until the next trip. Might be some valuein washing a new trail camera with soap n water. Never done it though.

 

[MN Slick]

I'm back to thinking cell cams spook deer. I had 5 different deployments this past season where I had 1 to 2 days of great action right after setting them up followed by almost nothing. All were set up to send pictures immediately and were set up in pinches during late October through the rut.
Deer on some farms are more sensititve than others. At the very least I'm going to set them to send batches 1 to 2 times per day next season.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

It’s interesting to hear those who thing cameras spoon deer. I’ve seen zero evidence of that. Bucks routinely get their pics taken all season long on multiple cameras at my place. Sure doesn’t seem like they care one bit

 

[Brian662]

It’s interesting to hear those who thing cameras spoon deer. I’ve seen zero evidence of that. Bucks routinely get their pics taken all season long on multiple cameras at my place. Sure doesn’t seem like they care one bit

You've never had a deer get it's picture taken and be startled by the camera/flash?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

You've never had a deer get its picture taken and be startled by the camera/flash?

Yeah for sure but never to the point they don’t calm down and either get multiple pics at the same time or come back later. I can’t say I’ve had any bucks that weren’t just on an excursion and happen to not walk in front of a camera, not get their pics taken multiple times

 

[Feelslikefar.]

As well... a cam is not a cam is not a cam. I have one (whether it's supposed to be low glow or no glow I don't know lol), but I can certainly see it light up and have no doubt it scares animals, even high up in a tree.

When I turn on my Tactacam's there's a little light that comes on when it actuates. I HOPE it's only doing that because I just turned it on and after a while it stops. I've never gone in at night days later to see if it comes on. (I always forget to try)

I have at least one camera that makes a click sound when it activates. But you're only likely to hear it on dead quiet windless nights. The crunching of the leafs under foot would be more than enough to drown it out. (near by stream and surrounding area keeps it from ever being truly dead quite) That reminded me of aircraft. It's amazing how loud and annoying a jet at 30k feet is. And non stop where I hunt. At home with the ambient noise you don't even notice them unless you see them.

 

[Brian662]

As well... a cam is not a cam is not a cam. I have one (whether it's supposed to be low glow or no glow I don't know lol), but I can certainly see it light up and have no doubt it scares animals, even high up in a tree.

When I turn on my Tactacam's there's a little light that comes on when it actuates. I HOPE it's only doing that because I just turned it on and after a while it stops. I've never gone in at night days later to see if it comes on. (I always forget to try)

I have at least one camera that makes a click sound when it activates. But you're only likely to hear it on dead quiet windless nights. The crunching of the leafs under foot would be more than enough to drown it out. (near by stream and surrounding area keeps it from ever being truly dead quite) That reminded me of aircraft. It's amazing how loud and annoying a jet at 30k feet is. And non stop where I hunt. At home with the ambient noise you don't even notice them unless you see them.

That light in the background isn't a tractor beam, that's the flash from a Tactacam Pro 3.0 about 250 yards away.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

It’s interesting to hear those who thing cameras spoon deer. I’ve seen zero evidence of that. Bucks routinely get their pics taken all season long on multiple cameras at my place. Sure doesn’t seem like they care one bit

That's my experience too. I understand that every parcel of land is different...public vs. private....different pressure...and different cams...scent management while checking cams, etc. I use cheap little Meidase 70 cams and observe absolutely no avoidance or spookiness.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

That light in the background isn't a tractor beam, that's the flash from a Tactacam Pro 3.0 about 250 yards away.

The IR light (not the little "setup" light)

I know when you put cameras facing the same way, get all sorts of IR light shows.

 

[BenA]

I do not believe they know what it is nor ever have or will. Unfortunately deer are not that smart. I believe it is the absolute worst non fair chase item so called deer hunters use during the season. Why more hunters lack the courage to call out this scourge is telling. Ethics falling to new lows. To me anyone using a cam during the season should remove his man card. Get off your lazy ass and scout. It's an absolute joke and only getting worse. Total embarrassment.

You manipulate an area to try and artificially attract deer to a particular place on your property, right?