How Fast Does Your Camera Need To Be?
Here is a series of pictures our game camera took the first week of June. A big part of scouting for deer is figuring out (1) where they come from, and (2) where they go. Look at the picture below and tell me what is happening?
First, a buck is on the move during daylight hours. That is what we want to find, places where deer will move through during daytime.
Where did he come from? Judging from previous pictures, if a deer comes from the east, as was the case in most of these game-cam pictures, it would get its picture taken walking toward the camera. If it was coming from the north he would be coming from the more open area and be facing the opposite direction. If he approached from the west he would come up behind the camera and pass close to it, usually on the left side of the picture. If he had came from the south he would be doing exactly what he is doing in these pictures.
So, the buck in the pictures came from the thick woods to the south.
Plus, we get Two Bonus Bits Of Information here. Chances are good that the buck was bedded down in the thick woods. That woods is over a mile long so he could be bedding a good ways from here. But probably not, because he’s here a good hour before sunset.
So we know, generally, where he came from and what he does there.
Let’s pause a moment and return to to our conversation about game cameras, and in particular, how fast the camera needs to take a picture after its sensor is triggered. I think that the faster it can wake up and take a picture, the better. There was a time, not long ago, when a game camera took several seconds to take a picture. But these days most cameras are able to take a picture pretty fast after the camera’s motion sensor is triggered. Even the cheap cameras.
But once a picture is taken the rub is how long a wait before it takes a second picture. Or third, etc.
You may have noticed that the camera we are using took 4 pictures of the buck as he went through the opening between the fence wires, that is fast picture taking, and I like fast. However, the cheaper cameras usually require a minute or two between pictures.
For example, if this camera was one that took a minute between pictures, we would not have even gotten a picture of the buck actually going through the fence opening. So we wouldn’t know that the buck went into the open area.
My opinion is that being able to get more pictures is well worth the extra money.
Now let’s throw some time into this scenario and we gain a collection of pictures that show movement along the fence in both directions. Also deer cross here quite a bit. The first week of July we got a buck with a promising rack.
Three days later we see this buck moving along the fence, east to west. Don’t forget these bucks have at least 40 days more of antler growing time.
I recognize the 9-point buck above. Two years ago I named him “Claw Head” because of what’s going on with his antlers. He’s been a past visitor of my food plot as well as the H2O Spring, both of which are 3/4’s of a mile away.
And, actually, both of the above bucks are headed in the direction of my food plot, which I haven’t plowed and planted yet.
CONTINUED…
