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I'll be putting mine back out first part of June. Have had plotwatchers running on the plots since planting. Thought it would be cool to see growth of plot and see deer usage at the same time.
 
I was thinking about putting mine up this weekend. My hunting land is close to a highway with some good standing timber. I figure its probably irresistable for a mushroom hunter to hop out and walk it but i think maybe mushrooms might be about done down here in sw iowa
 
Running cameras now is a waste of time IMO. It's just extra intrusion on your hunting area because most are not disciplined enough when it comes to checking them. They run and check cameras weekly or every few weeks. I wait until mid July before I run them.
 
Personally I will put out cameras here in a week or so. The caveat is I won't even think about checking them until late July. Hoosier is right about not being to invasive to the areas you'll be hunting. It is nice to have photos on how the herd matures and the population trends. But just like anything else, patience is key, don't be going in there every week.
 
I have checked cames every week for years now & still seem to see & or shoot nice deer.To each is there own.This year i will check them less due to gas & my wife lossing her job.I'll see if makes any difference on my hunting sucess.
 
I havent taken mine down for two years actually - come FEB I take the batteries out= cover them up and leave em there. I will go out mid July and put in new batteries and cards and get the process going again-
 
hoosierhunter said:
Running cameras now is a waste of time IMO. It's just extra intrusion on your hunting area because most are not disciplined enough when it comes to checking them. They run and check cameras weekly or every few weeks. I wait until mid July before I run them.
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I check them at least bi weekly during the summer and I've never had issues with it effecting my hunting in the fall....no come Sept, I slack off until I start hitting the woods and I'll check the ones closest to my stands only when hunting that specific stand.
 
bkcrrtnps said:
I check them at least bi weekly during the summer and I've never had issues with it effecting my hunting in the fall....no come Sept, I slack off until I start hitting the woods and I'll check the ones closest to my stands only when hunting that specific stand.
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The problem usually occurs because people do not change their habits once velvet drops. The deer are typically tolerant during the summer, but come September serious damage can be done. It's also dependent on where you hang cameras on the impact.

Your checking while hunting a stand is what I do. No need to be in there unless I'm in the stand IMO.
 
We run our cams from May through Jan or February most years. The exact start and stop date depends on our schedules and when we make it up to the property but that is the general time frame.


bkcrrtnps said:
I check them at least bi weekly during the summer and I've never had issues with it effecting my hunting in the fall....no come Sept, I slack off until I start hitting the woods and I'll check the ones closest to my stands only when hunting that specific stand.
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hoosierhunter said:
The problem usually occurs because people do not change their habits once velvet drops. The deer are typically tolerant during the summer, but come September serious damage can be done. It's also dependent on where you hang cameras on the impact.

Your checking while hunting a stand is what I do. No need to be in there unless I'm in the stand IMO.
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Agree wholeheartedly with both these statements with a bit of a caveat to bkcrrtnps comment.

We check ours every two or three weeks from May through late August/September and see no ill effects in terms of the number of pictures we get all summer (meaning our intrusion doesn't change their patterns during the summer). However we don't put cams in bedding areas or anything where we risk bumping deer repeatedly. We use camera locations that we can check quickly and quietly with as little impact as possible.

Once we get to hunting season we cut back on the checks and only pull cards if we are passing a cam on the way to a stand. No more intrusion than necessary.

The ballgame changes in late August when bucks begin to shed, they become weary quickly after that and that is when we try to limit intrusion and not educate/bump them. I like to do a pull late August and then one in late September to see who's still hanging around and who's dispersed or changed habits after shedding. I've been able to use that late September card check information more than once to figure out a pattern on a mature buck (3.5 or older for us) and hunt him the first few days of October.
 
MM-

I missed my top buck on Oct 4th last year by patterning him off the cameras leading up to season on a field edge. My buddy killed him on Nov 24th. He was 5.5. It's amazing the information you can develop on a specific deer over multiple years.
 
Hoosierhunter, that buck in my sig pic is my 2013 buck. He's a 3.5yr old that we had around all summer and got several pictures of. I took the pictures we got of him, mainly focusing on his behavior and patterns after he shed his velvet and after other bucks started dispersing a bit and was able to figure out a huntable pattern. He was hitting our plot in the evenings pretty regularly with plenty of light left and I had a good idea where he was coming from as well.

Took that plan into the field on the 1st day of bow (October 1st) and had him enter the plot at the end of shooting hours, drew on him 3 times but couldn't get a shot. Set a different stand on October 2nd due to a change in the wind and was able to take him down an hour before the end of shooting light as he headed to the plot.

Was able to do a similar thing in 2011 on a 4.5yr old but shot over his back on opening day when my chance presented itself.

I've found that once the velvet sheds if you can still find a shooter buck in a huntable daylight pattern he will usually stay in that pattern for the first few days of October assuming you don't pressure him or, as I did in 2011, blow your oppourtunity.

Here in Michigan, a buck that's 3.5 or older has likely seen plenty of pressure in the last few years so if I can slip in and catch him with his guard down early I'm all for it, may be the only chance I really get at him all year!
 
I check em bi-weekly through summer... have shot a 140" plus deer for 5-6yrs in a row. It is all about location... I keep mine on easy to access food - beans if you have them. Appletrees are also great locations for inventory
 
I put mine up around July 10 when I can see what the deer might start finishing like. I only check them as I go past the locations naturally for farm related things OR if they are in super accessible locations. If it means I wait a month to check em, that's what I do.
 
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