Where to place more cameras?

[VAHunt]

I’ve been getting plenty of pics of several decent bucks on camera all at night. I need to figure out where these guys are during daylight. Looking for help on trail cam employment strategy, not necessarily for this season (ends Jan 7). Screenshot is of the area I’m looking at. I hunt Public which is everything east of yellow line. Red arrow is where the current camera is, just inside corner of a small field. Crops are mostly cotton with some corn and beans (already cut).








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[neonomad]

Not sure if you’ll be getting any snow, or at some point could just do your best to backtrack without, but just follow trails deeper into the timber.

 

[hokiehunter373]

How are the deer traveling in these pics related to the map?

 

[VAHunt]

How are the deer traveling in these pics related to the map?

Pretty much nw to se and se to nw


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[hokiehunter373]

Pretty much nw to se and se to nw


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Well if public is to the East of the yellow line I don't like your odds then. That'd mean they're coming from private. I'd want to get in to the West to catch their earlier movement in the evenings and later movement in the mornings. This is based off only the pics you provided. If you can't do that because of boundaries I'd rely on this spot during the rut only and look for another location.

 

[SnakeEater]

Just keep moving that camera 50-100 yards in the direction that buck is coming from. Stop as soon as you get daylight or within a few minutes of daylight photos. That’ll tell you where you need to hunt.

 

[VAHunt]

I’ve got another cell cam I’m going to put out there as well as a couple non cell cams. We shall see. Love the chess game with these animals.


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[BackSpasm]

Just keep moving that camera 50-100 yards in the direction that buck is coming from. Stop as soon as you get daylight or within a few minutes of daylight photos. That’ll tell you where you need to hunt.

I’ve found this easier said than done, any tips on how long to let it bake on a suspected trail before moving it to another one in the same general direction?

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I would investigate the transition lines south of the camera and see if you can find scrape activity. I would also check out the little peninsula of woods coming out into that field north of the camera. Finally, I would check out any transition line areas where lanes cut through the property. Look for isolated corners with cover. Hope it helps.

 

[SnakeEater]

I’ve found this easier said than done, any tips on how long to let it bake on a suspected trail before moving it to another one in the same general direction?

It depends on the frequency that the buck is using that travel route. If you have multiple cameras you can blanket the trails to save some trial and error time. If he seems to be making a big circuit then wait longer, maybe 2 weeks but if he’s frequent in there a week then move them. You could also try and jump way back the directing he was coming from and throw some cameras up on sign and see if you can save yourself some time, maybe near the property line in this case to see if that buck is even on that property in daylight hours.

**just re-read OP and saw that it is public

 

[VAHunt]

Here’s a closer in pic with some more markups. White lines are roads. One north to south is a main paved road. One running east/west on the north side is a gravel road (less traveled). Light green color outlines pines. Everything to the east is nothing but swamp…mixed hardwoood, cypress, maple. Flat obviously.

Food sources seem abundant with plenty of green briar and other types of browse but I still think they would be hitting the fields this time of the year.

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[Jammintree]

Can you share those same images with the addition of contour lines?

 

[elk yinzer]

Trails on the edge of thick stuff. Just keep checking different trails.

I hardly ever get bucks on a really, really consistent basis in one small area.

The deer tend to rotate through about once every two weeks. They might make one appearance or stick around for 2 or 3 days at a time max, then I don't see them again for another couple weeks.

Even does and little bucks in the fall/winter/spring.

Does in the summer are the exception. They'll stick to a pretty tight core.

 

[Iron_llama]

Track them out and try to find the beds, and how they get from bed to water. Assuming they're bedding on public that might be most productive.