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Deer Chasing Lows

Mschmeiske

Mschmeiske

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
1,949
Location
New York
I’ve scouted 75+ miles this season and I’ve hung 14 cameras so far, I’m now cycling back through and checking them after about a 6 week soak to see what’s around. With the exception of one piece of private, 10 of those cams are public and I’ve got 4 left to check, but so far, nothing to write home about. The private always yields something, but I doubt I’ll have it forever, so I’m trying to sharpen my skills and learn more about public land. If I said moral wasn’t low at the moment, that would be a lie. I do believe some of these spots could light up during rut, so I’m going to leave them the entire season to see what goes on. If good things are happening, I’ll repeat next year to see if I notice a trend. In the mean time, I’m thinking about taking what cams I have left and getting into thick stuff/old cuts. I’ve never done too much of that. I’ve generally always set cams on well used trails, funnels, between suspected bedding on ridges, or points. So maybe I’m missing out on something really good. Anyway, before I ramble too much, I just wanted to vent a little and see if anyone has any input. Hope everyone is doing well!
 
Man, I hate to hear you are having a rough time of it. This is sort of the same thing I have been going through running cameras on public and why I have just about decided to stop. The only advice I have is to do what I do and scout land features and woods features (hardwood ridges, draws, funnels, points, saddles, etc) and not worry about the cameras. I'm down to 2 cameras out now and one I forgot where I put it, lol so it may be gone for good. I plan to pull them next trip out and not put them back out unless I just slap them up somewhere on a whim.

I have been thinking about it recently and to me it seems my desire to run cameras is the last holdover from that hunting club mentality that I have been trying hard to shake for several years. It boils down to transitioning from fixed spots, fixed stands, and cameras to just hunting on the fly reading the sign as it exists during the season.
 
Gonna be honest with you, cameras on public is tough man. So misleading. Just think the people that run cameras on private are putting it over bait normally or some sort of attractant. People act like bait doesn’t pull deer, the why would they put it out? Anyways unless you’re putting them on the exact trail they might be walking 10 yards out of reach of your cameras. Don’t let this get you down! Mix up

Also bucks in your area still might be in bachelor group. So those bucks will break up and take up Different areas here soon.
 
I'm no super public expert guy. But a lot of the guys on the pod casts say let them soak thru the season and then see what you got to tell you about patterns for next year. Seems in the warm months they are just taking an inventory of what's out there. Lots can change in the next month. Plus guys going into the woods will change it as well. They all say know where they sleep, and what they want to eat. Get in-between with out being seen.
 
I swear deer hunting is just mentally hard on a dude. So much work we do and sometimes it pays off very little. Gotta keep that positive mental attitude or else season can get tough. That aside, if you’re specifically scouting for big bucks then yes I’d go to the thicker stuff. All my cameras are on public and I split them up. Some are on areas that give me mostly doe pics. Usually 10+ pics per day. I’m just looking to see how all those does are using an area and how often. Other cams are more off the main deer trails in the thick. Maybe only getting 2-3 pics per week but they are always bucks. And last don’t be bummed if you’re getting no pics at all. You’ve just found out where not to hunt. Super valuable too.
 
Plebe said:
Maybe don't overthink it to much. Do you know if they take good deer on the public?
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TBH, right around here I’m not sure, but last year I did have a couple or few on public cameras occasionally 2 early season and one during rut. One guy I spoke to from another state says sometimes early season he has luck, but once pressure starts he thinks they move to private until rut when he catches them passing through. Maybe a similar situation?
 
Bowtie747 said:
Gonna be honest with you, cameras on public is tough man. So misleading. Just think the people that run cameras on private are putting it over bait normally or some sort of attractant. People act like bait doesn’t pull deer, the why would they put it out? Anyways unless you’re putting them on the exact trail they might be walking 10 yards out of reach of your cameras. Don’t let this get you down! Mix up

Also bucks in your area still might be in bachelor group. So those bucks will break up and take up Different areas here soon.
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A friend of mine said the same thing about bucks shedding and breaking up soon. It crossed my mind as well. Last year was the first time I took a decent stab at public and this year even more so. Maybe I’m just expecting results too soon. Even the private I hunt took a few years to grasp. Although, with experience I think the process can be sped up. Hopefully haha.
 
I appreciate the feedback! I think maybe that’s what I need to do, let them soak and try not to focus on the now so much as the end result and what intel it will give me for the future. Maybe stick to scouting my way in, hunting hot sign and/or stick to what has worked this far until I know more.
 
It’s August 9th man…. don’t sweat it yet, my bag is loaded and guess what I’m doing tomorrow, yup cameras, and a lot of them, I never get to nervous over cameras, in fact if mine don’t produce much until October it won’t surprise me much, NY also as you know, I started using cameras in 2006, my cameras took film back then, talk about having to be patient, during all those years I can count on one hand how many shooter bucks I had pictures of before fall weather was finally here, a good straight week of cold nights middle of October and that’s when I start to expect some pictures, anything before that is just a bonus, ignore all the stuff on the internet, I’m sure the midwest guys are already getting killer pictures, ignore all of that, just be patient, those big bucks will start making the big circles once we get some colder weather, not that it ever teaches us much, other than they do exist lol.
 
I hunt about 99% public properties and love it. I also use a ton of trail cameras but, most of them i use for next years info.
First is if the food is there the deer will be.
You just need to shift around the cameras a bit.
If the food is there and its an open type area then the deer are most likley using the area after dark. Therefore lots of pics after dark, which also usually means a little ways from bedding.
Open areas to me is areas where i can bend down onto one knee almost to a standing deers eyesight level and see more than 50 yards.
More than that they are probably gonna be nervous and feel vulnerable during daylight hours.
Deer love thick nasty areas during daylight hours they are more comfortable and less stressed in pressured areas.
Trail cameras are difficult because at times it takes a few years of camera placement to figure out how the deer use and travel through certain areas.
alt of months with no pics or very little pics.
One thing that i do not do and i think is a big nono is putting them right on top of bedding unless its a cell camera.
even then i just dont like it.
the deer I hunt are super pressured and once they sense something dangerous it usually sends them packing.
Second thing is.
I put some cameras in areas that are gonna soak all year then others in very easy access spots.
Even the ones that are easy accessible soak for probably a few months.
Just keep at it and switching a few around.
try not to watch just the deer either put a few on well known access trails to monitor both hunters and deer. ( hide them well)
Put them close to parking areas.
Alot of times thick spots near parking areas are good spots that bucks like to hang out in so they can watch us.
it’s usually bedding so I try to find camera spots going to and from these little spots.
I always try to keep this in the back of my mind.
An area that holds good deer hold good deer for a reason. They have good hiding spots and escape routes. If it was easy fot hunters to access or hunt then it would probably not hold good deer.
 
I gave up on cams altogether. I hunted mostly private but have been getting onto public since getting my saddle. There definetely are good bucks on public,especially for bow season. I am just a little north of you and we have hardly any pressure on public until gun season. Big bucks are always hard to find and if they are in groups even more so.
I try to rely on hot sign and some terrain features for my public land adventures. I have one spot that was ridiculous as far as scrapes and rubs go a few years back but the oaks need to be loaded for that one one to pop. I gotta go and check that soon.
I found a shed last spring in this thick little beech patch that really drove home the fact how much bucks like cover. Most of the woods around it were fairly open and I always walked past that patch before. But after getting in there it was obvious how bulletproof a buck was in there. The patch was smaller than half a football field.
 
philsanchez76 said:
I swear deer hunting is just mentally hard on a dude. So much work we do and sometimes it pays off very little. Gotta keep that positive mental attitude or else season can get tough. That aside, if you’re specifically scouting for big bucks then yes I’d go to the thicker stuff. All my cameras are on public and I split them up. Some are on areas that give me mostly doe pics. Usually 10+ pics per day. I’m just looking to see how all those does are using an area and how often. Other cams are more off the main deer trails in the thick. Maybe only getting 2-3 pics per week but they are always bucks. And last don’t be bummed if you’re getting no pics at all. You’ve just found out where not to hunt. Super valuable too.
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Positivity brings confidence which usually brings success. Its the definites and ego’s that bring failures.
 
I did a 6 mile loop saturday and a 3 mile loop sunday on public and packed 2 cams with the intent to hang them if I found the right kind of spots where I felt good about hanging them. They are still in the pack. Found a half dozen spots that should be good early season with persimmons. That means most likely I have another 25-30 spots that at some point during persimmon drop should be killing spots. None of the 2 dozen or so nutall oaks I checked had any evidence of bearing this year and only one small cluster of honey locust had beans and they are in a horrible place to hang. Did find a couple of promising travel areas that may pay dividends closer to the rut though. Probably should have dropped the cams on those spots but didnt because I just didnt feel there was enough of a pinch to really set the camera to catch the majority of travel.
 
I'm in northern PA and we hunting primarily public. We use a few trail cams near summer bedding and food sources and while doing so keep an eye out for fall sign knowing that the deer probably wont be there until September. The cameras are more for learning and interest than hunting locations. Come late September we will move all cameras to fall feeding and bedding and on scrapes to learn patterns. The deer and number of deer we see in summer vs fall in most of the properties is night and day different. Few and far between pictures of buck but good patterned doe vs fall we get many more buck.
 
Tknapp said:
I'm in northern PA and we hunting primarily public. We use a few trail cams near summer bedding and food sources and while doing so keep an eye out for fall sign knowing that the deer probably wont be there until September. The cameras are more for learning and interest than hunting locations. Come late September we will move all cameras to fall feeding and bedding and on scrapes to learn patterns. The deer and number of deer we see in summer vs fall in most of the properties is night and day different. Few and far between pictures of buck but good patterned doe vs fall we get many more buck.
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Thanks for the boost in moral, what part of PA? I’m not far from the border, near Owego NY.
 
I think it’s about managing expectations and as others have said, patience.

I’ve got some cell cameras in spots on public that I placed in June that I don’t expect deer to even show up until early October. I’ve got confidence in those spots so I don’t sweat it while it’s still August!
 
Does the public land have any recent cuttings? I've had good luck on public land where they completely leveled 100+ acres. Just go set up on the edge of it and glass the last 2-3 hours of the day. You will see where the deer are coming out to feed on the new growth. For me they always come out of the thickest woods that is impossible to hunt. So I glassed found out where they are coming from and set up in a blind along the Woodline and wait for them to come by. This setup I explained is mostly good for doe in my experience tho come rut a buck could follow them out.
 
In past years, I have put cameras on the only piece of private I hunt. Some years it helps, most others it doesn't. I had one camera stolen last year that left a bad taste in my mouth. I think I'm done with cameras overall moving forward. Our public here in Missouri it's illegal to put them out; they did that years back and honestly I think they were ahead of the curve by doing so. Forces a guy to get back to the basics and not rely on that picture of a big buck you may or may not see. Just stay motivated whatever shows up on the cameras; if they help and give you some intel great. If not, keep after it.
 
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