how long before you move your trail camera


jesse8953

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Depends on how many cams you have, how many areas you have to hunt & time of year for me. I generally leave them 2-4 weeks this time of year to find out whats around the licks. In hunting season I might leave them 1-2 weeks max & sometimes less.

I agree with Joe, Longer right now but as November nears a week max at any location. However, I try to be as careful as I can moving cameras around. I use rubber boots and keep my scent and movement to a minimum. I also never set them in or near a bedding area.

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It's really a personal preference thing. Also if you have a number of areas to check out and a limited amount of cameras that goes into the equation too.

Right now I'm trying to cover a lot of areas in and around our 2,850 acres with 5 cameras so I'm moving mine about every week. I have 20 salt licks to check out along with quite a few fields if they show indications the deer are browsing in them. Throw in a few trail crossing areas too and I have plenty to check out before Oct. 1st. The areas that show better prospects for mature bucks will get more attention later along with more run time on a camera but I'll still probably switch out cards every week or so. Probably move to different sets too within a good prospective area. I'll also use my Reconyx camera in the area(s) that show the most promise since it's an IR camera. JMO but IR cameras are less likely to spook deer than a flash camera but flash cameras provide better quality pics for detail.

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BTW...when running sets over mineral licks the TC's stay there until there's been at least few days to catch deer hitting them after a rain. Deer usage of mineral licks is much higher after it's rained. No sense moving them if they are on the dry side.

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If there is a slowdown in activity I might move cams around some, but my cams stay in the same general area.

I don't want to risk getting my scent all over the place. That will be bad... I rather set it up in a transition place, from bedding to food. Then leave it up for a very long time. Moving it over and over is asking for trouble.

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dpends on time of year

I start using mine in Aug. I leave it in an area that I have reason to believe is frequented by a big buck (another thread). If I don't get him in 2 weeks, I move it until I find something I want to hunt. If I get really nice deer on it, I laver it there and visit it very infrequently. Leaving it there 2-3 weeks at the time strings as little scent around as possible. If I get a pic of a buck and don't see him on the camera again, usually, I will put it back in that spot a couple of weeks before the rut and leave it there. Just before the rut gets into full swing, I'll check it to see what time of day he's there, which way he's entering the picture fro, etc. Is he muddy because he just came from the swamp? Does he have briars caught in his horns because he just came out of the cutover? Does he have cockelburrs stuck to him from the burr patch down the creek? All of these are clues and if he's not at my camera during legal shooting time, they will help tell me where he might have been during those times.

Keep the camera moving every 2 weeks or so. Let it sit longer if you start scouting earlier than I do. Don't check it more than once per week. Lessening your intrusion is more important than getting the pics every week. Besides, if you are taking pics of a big buck, you need several days worth of pics to really pattern him. Just because he's there at 4:45 today, doesn't mean he'll be there at that time tomorrow. You want to get an average time he's going to be there and find out how he adjusts his movements and feeding patterns to the temperature, weather, etc. There's no harm in leaving the camera in a spot for 2-3weeks. However, if you're not seeing any sign, or getting any pics, move on.

Again, don't worry too much about loosing a buck you got on camera. Do your scouting. If you think he's coming back, reinstall the camera in that spot during the pre-rut. Deer don't live by any set rules. Therefore there are no set rules for how long you should leave the camera there. If you see sign, but don't get a pic, move it to the sign, but be patient, you still have pletny of time to get up with ol' mossytines before deer season. Most inportantly, don't interrupt his pattern before the season comes in. Stay out of there as much as possible.

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