Fun Camera Question

[WTNUT]

If cost was not an issue and you could have all the free cameras you wanted, how many cameras would you run per 100 acres? I ask because my views on cameras has "evolved". I use to put them on trails and the like to try to figure out what deer are doing. Having had my farm for nearly 20 years, I seem to have a good idea what they are doing and do from year to year. However, I try to run enough cameras in spots where I can drive the ATV or UTV up, stand on the seat and pull the card from above and drive away. All I am trying to do is take an inventory of my better bucks and find a 40 acre area where the one I want to hunt "primarily" is spending the majority of his time. I run a LOT of cameras and I still miss getting pics of a LOT of bucks!


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[swat1018]

Good question, I run about 20 cameras on about 400 acres, I'm guessing. I could run more, but I keep making more and more sanctuary that I don't enter for cameras or anything else.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I run 6 on my 25. Plus a couple just for security.


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[WTNUT]

Good question, I run about 20 cameras on about 400 acres, I'm guessing. I could run more, but I keep making more and more sanctuary that I don't enter for cameras or anything else.

That is probably the most I have run as well. That is one per 20 acres. If my failing recollection is accurate I think the most I have ever run is about 200 on 3,500 acres. That is about one per 17 acres. I am probably running one per 40 acres these days.


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[Buckly]

It was suggested to me to put a camera on each food plot. On 120 acres I have 8. By staying off the trails and using them on the plots, I can check the cameras mid day and very low impact. I like the drive up and check method because it leaves no scent trail to the cameras. I will get every deer there sooner or later and I don't care if the pictures are day or night as I will know what's there. Once the cameras start showing me the bucks I want to kill are moving in daylight, that's when I start hunting them.

 

[Bill]

If cost was not an issue and you could have all the free cameras you wanted, how many cameras would you run per 100 acres?

A lot! Like 25 plus every 40 acres. Unfortunately cost is an issue. I need more but BEC is proud of their system.

Most of my cams are close to or at stands. Can't even come close to counting the number of times bucks are seen while on stand that never pass a camera. For buck inventory 1 every 50 to 100 acres is probably ok. But if you want to try and pattern one or at least understand the most typical direction of travel for a particular deer multiple cams in close proximity does wonders. I've had up to 6 in a 35 acre area and it really helps when the same buck passes several a day in a sequence.

The problem is the more cams the more scent or at least disturbance caused checking them. But in your scenario cost isn't an issue so I'd use all remote transmitting cameras.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I currently have 15 on 733 acres and purposefully placed them where cards can quickly/quietly be retrieved without entering sanctuary areas. That works out to 1 about per 49 acres and has allowed us to keep tabs reasonably well so not sure I'd need to add more. On plots, field edges, and crossings on access roads they're easy to get to with little/no disturbance.

 

[WTNUT]

With regard to Bill's comments I like them. I have a very close friend who has the best 110 acres of "Whitetail World" I have ever seen. It is a giant buck factory!!! And, if you got a tour you would know why. He is retired and probably runs 40 cameras on that acreage. He almost knows everything about his best bucks. BUT, he hunts very smart and is even smarter with his cameras. He is on that property like a farmer farming that 110 acres and the deer literally get use to him in my opinion. But, he has not killed a deer on it in the last 3 years. NOT because he couldn't, but because none he wanted to walked in front him on the right day. It is amazing.


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[Catscratch]

Dang guys, I feel like an underachiever! I run one cam on 1000acres... and I'm super careful about where I place it and how I check it.

Now if money was no object I would have a shit ton of cell cams out. They would be everywhere!

 

[WTNUT]

LMAO ON LAST SENTENCE CAT.


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[Catscratch]

LMAO ON LAST SENTENCE CAT.


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;)

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[g squared 23]

If money wasn't an issue, I would run 10 or more cell cams on our 60. I'd also have to install a cell tower on the farm as our service there suuuuuuucks. But since money isn't an object...

If I could spare the cams, realistically I would place a couple DEEP in cover, or in a funnel where checking the camera would ruin the farm and create too much pressure. Assuming we didn't have cell coverage, these would be checked only after the season and the purpose would be to glean information to be used for future seasons (daylight buck movement, bedding areas, etc).

 

[yoderjac]

If cost was not an issue and you could have all the free cameras you wanted, how many cameras would you run per 100 acres? I ask because my views on cameras has "evolved". I use to put them on trails and the like to try to figure out what deer are doing. Having had my farm for nearly 20 years, I seem to have a good idea what they are doing and do from year to year. However, I try to run enough cameras in spots where I can drive the ATV or UTV up, stand on the seat and pull the card from above and drive away. All I am trying to do is take an inventory of my better bucks and find a 40 acre area where the one I want to hunt "primarily" is spending the majority of his time. I run a LOT of cameras and I still miss getting pics of a LOT of bucks!


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If cost is no concern, I'd have a lot. However, they would run 24/7/365 with full size pictures transmitted with no human visits. I'm currently running a dozen cameras on 378. They are not evenly distributed. One more consideration is the reliability of the cameras. Many of the low end cameras will both miss triggers and have a high false alarm rate. Unless you match it with a high end camera, you'll never know what you are missing. I recall on Chasingame years ago, someone put one of the couple hundred dollar cameras next to a reconyx and the number of triggers missed by the couple hundred dollar camera was amazing.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[j-bird]

I'm on board with cat. I'd have a network of cams where you would almost be able to follow that deer from cam to cam to cam.....it would literally look like they grow on trees!

 

[chickenlittle]

If cost were not an issue...I'd go with 5 or 6 tethered and interconnected areostats to cover our 77 acres and relevant sections of the neighbors. High mag optical and IR sensor payload capable of tracking multiple targets and handoff between aerostats. Ideally be able to ID individual deer and know where every deer is within the searchable area.

I would, of course, only use this for patterning. Not fair chase to use it realtime...

 

[yoderjac]

If cost were not an issue...I'd go with 5 or 6 tethered and interconnected areostats to cover our 77 acres and relevant sections of the neighbors. High mag optical and IR sensor payload capable of tracking multiple targets and handoff between aerostats. Ideally be able to ID individual deer and know where every deer is within the searchable area.

I would, of course, only use this for patterning. Not fair chase to use it realtime...

Just dart 'em and collar 'erm! :)