Don’t Let Your Trail Cameras Get the Best of You
Trail cameras have grown into an industry standard in the outdoor community. You and everyone you know has countless trail cams positioned over some sort of mineral pile, or feed source. You are getting pictures of great bucks and many does. This does great for a self-esteem boost and you have finally found the giant that you have been searching for. You have spent countless sleepless nights thinking about the chance that may present itself and the hopes that you don’t mess it up. These dreams of taking the big boy fill you with hope and excitement, but for many of us, this is all it will ever be. A Hope and a Dream. That buck has already become nocturnal, and your chances of seeing this deer are decreasing as summer turns into fall. And it is no fault of yours, this happens to the vast majority of hunters/huntresses.
The mineral and bait piles that you have set out in front of your trail cam have called many deer from hiding in search for effortless nutrition. The site has brought multiple bucks from near and far and has given you a great “hit list”. However, as the weather shifts, these deer are not traveling to find your makeshift buffet. They are switching from their Summer travel habits into their Fall traveling habits. This means, the bachelor groups of bucks are diminishing, and they are becoming independent. They are starting to seek other forms of food, such as acorns and berries. Your trail cam pictures will start to decrease, and you will only have pictures of local bucks, and maybe some travelers.
What to do now? Well there are 2 very simple options to pursue. Option 1, you can forsake your number 1 target buck and settle for one of the smaller ones on camera. There is no shame in this option. Many people have taken this route especially as the season progresses and your nerves of becoming skunked begin to weigh heavy on your mind. If you decide to take this option, hold your head high and be proud and respectful of the animal that you have harvested. Any deer is a great trophy, and you should take pride in taking its life.
Option 2, play the long con. A mature buck has survived in the harshest conditions for the last 4.5+ years. They are warriors of the forest and have a will to survive. They have developed a profound sense of smell, and an almost uncanny technique in awareness. To kill this buck, it is going to take perseverance and a hell of a lot of luck. But as hunters/huntresses we have one huge advantage that comes once a year, the rut. During this time, mature bucks forsake survival for the primal instinct to breed. This is your number 1 chance to kill this deer. Waiting to hunt your best spots during the rut is an extremely hard concept to master.
You often stop and question yourself if you are making the right decision. The desire to hunt this spot early will present itself over and over. The thought of “what if I hunt it only today and then back out until the rut” will definitely come to mind. Be strong and ignore this temptation. Waiting to hunt the spot in the rut will eliminate all chances of the big boy from sensing your presence and give you a terrific opportunity once their guard is down. This is a hard option to take but can pay dividends. Of course, there are no guarantees in hunting, but this is a course of action to increase your odds of harvesting an absolute giant.
Trail Cameras are a great tool in determining what bucks are in your area. They can make it easier to pick your target buck and see what time of day animals are coming to your stand. However, they can provide a huge cloud of judgement in your hunting habits. Use them with great caution and as they were intended. Only hunt your best spots during the rut, and stay persistent.
Having the desire to become successful in hunting, takes a mindset change and that is the hardest part in this endeavor. We can help you with changing this mindset, and once you have changed you will appreciate the hunt more, and start understanding what being a sportsman/woman is all about. Remember our mission is to redefine tradition. Challenge traditional thinking and push others to do the same. We must dedicate ourselves to hone in on our primal instincts and combine them with new methodologies and technologies to truly master evolution.
Tradition, Re-engineered