Anyone else given up game cameras?

Game cameras have been around for quite some time now and at one point in the past i was probably running close to a dozen of them between various locations for deer and bear. They are a great tool to be sure but about 5 years ago i decided to wean myself off them over the course of a couple seasons and just rely on old fashioned scouting and to let myself be surprised. For me its been a good thing as one less hassle to worry about and i find myself spending more time in the bush scouting trying to figure things out without the tech. No judgment on either side as do what works best for you but interested to know if anyone else is trying to lose the gadget reliance.

One other thing i gave up about 10 years ago was the GPS. Just use paper maps (sometimes i laminate them) or stereo photographic pairs and a compass now. That being said for way off the grid i do still have a Spot X that has GPS capability for emergency contact purposes.

I've gone the other way, refused to use technology for the last 10 years, then started hunting with a partner who uses cameras. I still don't use cameras on public land as I enjoy the exploration and learning aspect. As far as private land hunting, it's helped us to figure out how the land is used at different times of the year and adds to the excitement when the season comes around knowing that there are monsters lurking. I still have a printed aerial photo of the area I use for navigation supplemented by GPS.

Not a chance. I'm still way too giddy with excitement every time I come home with a pocket full of SD cards. I'd miss that way too much. And for deer, I enjoy trying to recognize bucks from year to year
Now you're making me wanna go check my mineral sites to see how 2023 velvetfest is coming along :D

Game cameras provide too much valuable information to ignore.

Where we are doing drives, it doesn't matter - but for standing hunting - why hunt a stand where there are no deer around. Sure you could go in and check for tracks/sign the old fashioned way, but if there are deer in the area, you've just alerted them to your presence.

GPS - sure paper maps could work as well- but you spend a bit of time keeping track of where you are on the map.

GPS tracker for dogs - invaluable....

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

GPS - sure paper maps could work as well- but you spend a bit of time keeping track of where you are on the map.

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yup when bird hunting easy to get turned around like the ability to whip out the gps at the end of the hunt and instantly get point in the right direction.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

GPS tracker for dogs - invaluable....

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Starting to lean towards one if Nova doesn't start to slow down. He's got legs and ranges a bit far for my likeing/comfort and a gps tracker would sure give me peace of mind.

I use 3 cell cameras, don't really need them as i know the bushes I hunt well enough to know where and when the deer or turkey will be there, but it is exciting to see the pictures when I'm not there and disappointing when I choose one spot and get a picture of a nice deer from one of the others when I'm in there, It all just fun

Always carry a compass, GPS/ phones are great but never rely on anything that takes batteries.

I bow hunt, I dont use game cameras, too much human intrusion, I find the best hunting is done in the first 1-2 sits and after that it tapers down quickly. The rut is an exception. Much better to scout in spring and leave the area alone until actualy hunting.

I still use game cameras but for me, it's almost more for a combination of security and entertainment.

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Originally Posted by Marker

Always carry a compass, GPS/ phones are great but never rely on anything that takes batteries.

I bow hunt, I dont use game cameras, too much human intrusion, I find the best hunting is done in the first 1-2 sits and after that it tapers down quickly. The rut is an exception. Much better to scout in spring and leave the area alone until actualy hunting.

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Too much intrusion? Use cell cams. Put the cams in in August and you don't show up again until opening day.

My neighbor put 3 up in the Ganaraska Forest to monitor game trails. All 3 grew feet and disappeared.

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

Too much intrusion? Use cell cams. Put the cams in in August and you don't show up again until opening day.

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Only works if you have signal. No signal at my deer camp and bear sites are 50/50. Although bear site I am on right now has signal and lots of sign.

I hunt public and the risk of theft to me is too high when considering putting out a ~$150-$200 cellular camera - though it would be very convenient and can see the fun in getting pictures uploaded to my phone.

I put out one cheap SD trail camera which I got from Amazon for around $30. I do it for my four year old son. He enjoys putting out a mineral block and then returning to grab the SD card to see what animals came by to check out "his" block. We've only done it one season, but it has been exciting for him, so I will continue to do it until he gets tired of it.

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Originally Posted by Marker

I bow hunt, I dont use game cameras, too much human intrusion, I find the best hunting is done in the first 1-2 sits and after that it tapers down quickly. The rut is an exception. Much better to scout in spring and leave the area alone until actually hunting.

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The level of human intrusion is entirely up to you. I guess it depends how you're using them. During the fall, I'll typically only check cameras if i'm heading by them anyway. Some don't get checked for months, and often not until after the season. That said, i'm not using them in a way that improves my hunting success immediately. It's really just for inventory, get some cool pictures, and to understand how game use the area year to year.

Here's a recent example tho. December 2019 I hung a camera is a spot I considered low percentage and never bothered hunting. Too close to houses. Small bush. If I were a deer, I wouldn't walk thru there. But I was tagged out for the season and decided to hang a cam there out of curiosity. I pulled the card a few months later while looking for sheds and was blown away at the daylight deer traffic it captured. It's now proven itself to be one of my most productive spots.

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Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

Here's a recent example tho. December 2019 I hung a camera is a spot I considered low percentage and never bothered hunting. Too close to houses. Small bush. If I were a deer, I wouldn't walk thru there. But I was tagged out for the season and decided to hang a cam there out of curiosity. I pulled the card a few months later while looking for sheds and was blown away at the daylight deer traffic it captured. It's now proven itself to be one of my most productive spots.

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Thats a good idea, I may try that also.

I have 8 cell cams that I put out in May and take down in November. They are set up over mineral sites and see daily deer activity. The cameras send pictures once a day to an app on my phone and it’s become a daily routine to check the images. It’s interesting to see the growth of fawns as well as the development of antlers. The cameras also give a good indication of the local deer population which, at the moment, isn’t great. The only reason why I would stop using them is the high cost of Lithium batteries. Due to the travel distance to my hunting area, I just can’t drive out to swap out dead batteries so I have to use lithium ones… they last for 6 months.

I hunt big woods and rely on a GPS for navigation and to determine my precise location… no way that I’m giving that up. My GPS is a Garmin Oregon and I can download satellite imagery on to it, which is neat. I also carry paper copies of aerial imagery as well.

I carry a high quality compass with me also, but last year the needle lost its magnetism which made it useless. First time that this has happened to me after 40 years of exploring the woods. It goes to show you that even a compass can fail.

No way for me. I don't think I am ever giving up on trail cams..

Firstly, it's an excitement of seeing what happens in the woods while I am not there. Secondly, it's a great tool for beginners to confirm that the " theories " of patterning of a game. There are numerous examples where my "theory" didn't have anything to do reality [emoji53][emoji53]

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Originally Posted by newbiehunter

No way for me. I don't think I am ever giving up on trail cams..

Firstly, it's an excitement of seeing what happens in the woods while I am not there. Secondly, it's a great tool for beginners to confirm that the " theories " of patterning of a game. There are numerous examples where my "theory" didn't have anything to do reality [emoji53][emoji53]

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Same here, all I need now is a source of reasonably priced lithium batteries, which have almost disappeared from many store shelves.

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

Same here, all I need now is a source of reasonably priced lithium batteries, which have almost disappeared from many store shelves.

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I'm using spypoint solars. Their solar recharging is one bright spot in a technologically challenged product. Mine have been out since last September without a recharge. Only drawback is that they have to be positioned facing south - which sometimes doesn't suit the best with where the deer are travelling. My old bushnells used 8 D cells...

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Originally Posted by newbiehunter

No way for me. I don't think I am ever giving up on trail cams..

Firstly, it's an excitement of seeing what happens in the woods while I am not there. Secondly, it's a great tool for beginners to confirm that the " theories " of patterning of a game. There are numerous examples where my "theory" didn't have anything to do reality [emoji53][emoji53]

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One thing that game cams will show you is how little of an intrusion it takes to make deer change there pattern. One thing I've learned is that if you walk up on a deer and spook it - that's a minor scare for the deer. If you are sitting quietly and the deer walks up on you, gets close and then gets spooked - that's on a whole different level - and that deer won't be back for a few days.