Similar to many hunters today, cameras play an important role in the hunting strategy of a Basic Hunter. I emphasize that they play a role, because it is easy for cameras to become a hunter’s entire strategy. They give us a huge advantage and can quite honestly become addicting. If you understand how cameras fit into your plan, they can be a great tool instead of a hindrance.
When it comes to my strategy, cameras play two specific roles. One is part of my funnel process, which is a long-term process that I’ll talk about later. My in-season camera strategy is one way that I answer the question of ‘has a target deer been in this area within the last 24 hours?’ There are multiple ways to obtain this answer: direct observation in the woods, driving near a location, spotting at night (where and when it’s legal), hot sign after a storm, and yes, photographic evidence. Ultimately, cameras help me hunt where the deer are, not where I think they might be.
Before I go deeper into the strategy, I’ve noticed a growing divide amongst popular hunters regarding the use of trail cameras. Essentially, those who are opposed to using cameras either cite ethical reasons or what I would call ‘hunting prowess’ reasons. I’ll address these one at a time from the perspective of a Basic Hunter.
First, the question of whether trail cameras are ethical. From what I can tell, the argument is that a trail camera removes the idea of ‘fair chase’. Some Western states have already banned the use of cellular trail cameras for different reasons. A small but seemingly growing hunting contingent argues that with a 24 hour watchdog that can instantly send pictures of a deer to your phone removes the need to actually scout and be in the field and when taken to the extreme, could lead to increased poaching. While I agree that using cameras to poach is wrong, I would argue that if you outlaw cameras for that reason, you’re going to have to outlaw weapons and vehicles and hunting in general, because those things are used in poaching too.
Second, the question of hunting prowess. What I mean by this is that some professional hunters will argue that cameras can become a crutch and make hunters lazy. They claim that hunters rely on hanging cameras and not actually learning how to read terrain, deer sign, movement patterns and changes, or general woodsmanship. Again, taken to the extreme, I agree that cameras can make someone lazy, but you still have to be able to find the right spots to hang the cameras.
I would contend that any technological change brings about ‘laziness’ if you define innovation as providing the same outcome and requiring less work. Rifles could make people ‘lazy’ when compared to bows because you need to get within 300 yards of a deer with a rifle instead of 30 yards with a bow. You could make the same argument with a compound bow and a traditional bow, and to take the absurdity up a few notches, you could make the same argument about rocks and spears vs. a bow.
Technology usually make things easier to accomplish; cameras just happen to be the next piece of technology. I don’t know how it’s different than using a crossbow, compound bow, rifle, or even a truck to drive to my spot instead of a horse. All of these other things have made our hunting job easier, and no one ever questions if driving to a hunting spot is no longer ‘fair chase’ because it’s easier than riding a horse like hunters did for thousands of year before us.
Cameras save me time in my process to gain intel about deer. Time is one of the main ingredients of the Hunting Equation. Since it saves me time, they are part of my process.
As I laid out when talking about Maximizing Hunting Time, I break down the hunting season into smaller chunks to identify which target animal(s) I’m going after. We are approaching the Early Season (Beginning of October through Pre-Rut), and this is when I focus on arrowing a doe or two. This means I’m going to focus on a few properties with standing agriculture and mast crops. All of my camera focus will be on identifying the Absolute Best Spot on each of these properties to kill a doe and fill my freezer. Once we move into the Pre-Rut, I will become laser-focused on killing a buck. I will only have a handful of opportunities to get out in the field in this early season, so I cannot waste a sit wondering if my spot is a good one.