Suburban Trail Camera Setup

[akira7799]

Hey All,

I setup a trail camera today in a very heavily used area at my in-law's house. I've seen some very big doe tracks (no dew claw in thick mud) and want to get a look at her and her fawns. I've also seen a decent bodied buck with nice velvet antlers walking around.

I set the camera very high (8 to 10 feet above capture area) with a steep downward angle. I did this because:

1. That's how you have to set cameras up on the super-hilly terrain (I'm vertically challenged and it was easier for me to climb the hill and set up the tree than climb the tree itself)
and
2. I heard that deer spook less/pay less attention to cameras set up high.

Well, I'll hopefully have some trail camera photos in the next couple of months to post up. This entire area holds a ton of deer, so hopefully I'll get something.

Dave

 

[redsquirrel]

Hope you get some good pics Dave!

I hope to get out this weekend to check some of my cams. I started putting some cams up higher in the tree to see how deer react to them as well. I am vertically challenged as well, but I carry 2 or 3 cranford rope steps with my in order to get it up to the height, and then a mounting bracket I bought to point it down to the trails.

 

[akira7799]

I'll be checking the trail cam in a few weeks.

It's a major deer/human trail close to my in-law's house, so deer aren't necessarily "scared" of the human scent there.

In the mean time, I thought this a pretty informative video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQUSR5BdIk.

I'm hoping to confirm this guy's research with some of my own experiments.

I'll set-up two different tree heights (both with video) to see if deer spook at all one high (8 ft+ over trail), the other low (3 feet over trail). As I already said, this is a well-worn human and deer trail, so any human scent wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

I saw my first fawn today running through a cemetery with it's mother. No other does observed.

You guys seeing any deer?

 

[redsquirrel]

Definitely an interesting video. Can't wait to hear your results. I did a test by putting one camera up high during the spring. Unfortunately I had a branch setting it off often and I didn't really get many pics on it. I plan on trying again. Following the theory of cameras spooking deer I have stopped putting cameras in my hunting areas and only use them in new areas that I am planning on hunting only to try out that year, but really to see what is going on for hunts in future years.

I saw a nice buck 2 weekends ago when setting up a new tree. Besides that I haven't been out too much. I have started seeing some dead on the roads again. Last night and this morning I had a doe with a tiny fawn under the crab apple tree across the street from me. I was watching the fawn play around. It was pretty cute. Its little things like that that make me happy

 

[akira7799]

Okay,

So this little "experiment" has been put on hold by life.

The first camera setup was "high" as I think I mentioned in my previous post. I only got 4 videos of deer. The other 1800+ videos I recorded in two days (before the battery died) were of a branch full of green maples leaves waving in the breeze. Here's a little note about the 4 videos. None of the deer spooked at all. I want to obtain a more substantial data-set before I do some calculations, draw conclusions, etc.

I'm restarting this experiment in my backyard. I have a healthy clique of does that bed/walk/graze on acorns 50 feet from my kitchen window.

Since it's cold, I'm going to buy some 12% sweet feed and start all over again soon. In my experience, deer love 12% sweet feed during the cold winter months in addition to whatever they're grazing on.

I'll keep you guys updated.
Dave

 

[redsquirrel]

I've had that happen before with the branches. It sucks when you give it a long sit and then only the first few days have something! Also happens to me when the bears destroy my cams! :evil:

Let us know how it goes!

 

[akira7799]

Unrelated, but I thought it was cool. Here's a photo of some overnight doe beds I observed this AM. Easy to see in the snow.

 

[akira7799]

Okay. So, experiment has officially started. I used some spent grains from my Jalapeño APA as feed/bait. I set the camera approximately 15 feet away and 12 feet high off of the pile.

Here's a video of the setup with a couple of my friends in the way.

https://vimeo.com/113167003

Here are a couple of photos showing the setup.

Shot from up high.


Close up of camera from down the hill.


Wide shot of setup from down the hill.


I'll check in a month to see what kind of movement is observed.

 

[d_rek]

Nice I also homebrew and never thought about using it as feed. Usually it goes onto a compost pile.

Do you actually hunt the suburbs? I have a friend who lives in a suburban area and has shown me some video of some really nice bucks, but he doesn't hunt and neither do his neighbors. I asked to hunt there since you can do archery in the city limits but he didn't want to upset his neighbors lol.

Not ironically, although rather sad, there was poaching in his neighborhood and he hasn't seen the one buck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[redsquirrel]

I get beds like that in my yard all the time. My dad also has a wireless security cam setup on some corn in his backyard. Its funny to watch the deer feed and then just lay right now to digest!

 

[akira7799]

d_rek,

This is the 2nd time I've put spent grains out. The deer hammered em' pretty hard. I don't know if the jalapeños are gonna keep em' away this time.

Too bad about the big buck in your neighbors' hood'.

The does who graze in my backyard typically roll through between 6am to 9am and 5pm on. I have them patterned very well...just can't hunt em'.

I also have neighbors that are very wary of hunting deer in their backyard. There's plenty of good sign around and I've actually seen two 8-points. One a small 8, maybe 2.5 years. The other is gigantic! Big bodied deer with a huge rack!

 

[akira7799]

Scott,

When we first moved in that whole section of lawn was unmowed and there were deer beds (most likely doe) all over the place.

They were already attracted to my backyard because of a massive oak tree in the neighboring yard. The grains and minerals I've been setting out are just a plus.

I've only seen a couple of younger fork horns and a small 6 point lay down in the yard, no mature bucks. These Western PA deer are smart (and pressured).

 

[redsquirrel]

Dave,

I bet you will be surprised what shows up on camera in your yard at night! My father has some GIANTS (by our standards anyway) that show up in his backyard. Anyway regardless of being able to hunt them, its fun! Hope you get some good pictures!

 

[redsquirrel]

Here is a video from my front yard last winter. There were tracks everywhere in because they were digging up the red oak acorns under the snow that they never touched in the fall. I decided to throw a little corn out and see what was coming in. Tons of does and these guys too!

[youtube]qXRoth2PtVc[/youtube]

 

[akira7799]

Okay guys. So far so good. I thought the camera might have "spooked" one of the does, but she was just running away from a buck. Over 100 videos and not one spook yet. I'll lower the camera in the next week or two.

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[akira7799]

Just lowered the camera. I'll update when I obtain some data. Short aside, I'm very happy with the Moultrie camera and Amazon rechargeable batteries.

 

[redsquirrel]

Just lowered the camera. I'll update when I obtain some data. Short aside, I'm very happy with the Moultrie camera and Amazon rechargeable batteries.

What size batteries does that take? I had some rechargeable D's I invested in for my primos cams and it ran right through them. In my bushnell trophycam's right now it takes AA's and I buy them in bulk on Woot when they go on sale. The trophycams batteries are lasting a long time! I've had cams out for 6 months with 2/3 battery life left!

 

[akira7799]

What size batteries does that take? I had some rechargeable D's I invested in for my primos cams and it ran right through them. In my bushnell trophycam's right now it takes AA's and I buy them in bulk on Woot when they go on sale. The trophycams batteries are lasting a long time! I've had cams out for 6 months with 2/3 battery life left!

I have a Moultrie M-990i No Glow Game Camera. It takes 8-AA batteries. I use the AmazonBasics AA Rechargeable Batteries. They're produced in the same factory as the Sanyo Eneloops. The Panasonic/Sanyo Eneloops are consistently ranked the best among rechargeables on the market. This rechargeable technology has really come a long way and I use em' on everything. Between kids' toys, remotes, and other assorted electronics I have 4 or 5 dozen. I have a LaCrosse BC-700 AA Charger and I consistently get a 2100 to 2200 maH charge for the 1900maH batteries.

I haven't tried to use the D-cell spacers, but I've heard that they work well too. Not sure how they'd hold up in your Primo's cam.

I'm getting over 1000 videos per charge with the Moultrie and AmazonBasic AA's. Good combo.

Dave

 

[akira7799]

We have a curious doe, scraping forkhorn buck, and a boxer that chases a doe away. Still no "spooked" deer. Look around the 2:02 mark, 4:25 mark, 6:00 minute mark, and 6:45 mark.

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