Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

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Tim H
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Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Tim H » Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:33 am

So you find an area that you are guessing is a buck bedding area and has a potential slob/giant/toad/monster hanging out. Are you tempted to put a trail cam on the edge of it? Would it be fine to go in once, find the area, leave a camera for a few months? What are your thoughts?


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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby rfickes87 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:06 am

Heck yeah I'm always tempted!!!

I've done this a lot over the last 2 years since I discovered the beast. I'll keep doing it too. Only problems I've had (that I know of) is when I put the camera 2 feet from the bed. They see it and spook. I have pictures of the buck running off and never coming back. But if I put the camera 10 feet or more from the bed I have no troubles with spooking them.

One important note - I leave my cameras set for months at a time. Any intel I get is most likely going to be for the next hunting year. If you check your camera once a month or every 2 weeks, you are playing with fire.
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Tim H » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:11 am

rfickes87 wrote:Heck yeah I'm always tempted!!!

I've done this a lot over the last 2 years since I discovered the beast. I'll keep doing it too. Only problems I've had (that I know of) is when I put the camera 2 feet from the bed. They see it and spook. I have pictures of the buck running off and never coming back. But if I put the camera 10 feet or more from the bed I have no troubles with spooking them.

One important note - I leave my cameras set for months at a time. Any intel I get is most likely going to be for the next hunting year. If you check your camera once a month or every 2 weeks, you are playing with fire.


This is good feedback. I'm not thinking of actually putting a camera point on an actual bed but maybe off one of the trails that I think that's coming from the area. So I can give them some space. Perhaps check the camera after season for data purposes or just check it the day you hunt that area. And pull it once you are done hunting. I wanna utilize my cams but don't want to push it too much.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby rfickes87 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:18 am

NorthwoodsWiscoHnter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:Heck yeah I'm always tempted!!!

I've done this a lot over the last 2 years since I discovered the beast. I'll keep doing it too. Only problems I've had (that I know of) is when I put the camera 2 feet from the bed. They see it and spook. I have pictures of the buck running off and never coming back. But if I put the camera 10 feet or more from the bed I have no troubles with spooking them.

One important note - I leave my cameras set for months at a time. Any intel I get is most likely going to be for the next hunting year. If you check your camera once a month or every 2 weeks, you are playing with fire.


This is good feedback. I'm not thinking of actually putting a camera point on an actual bedbut maybe off one of the trails that I think that's coming from the area. So I can give them some space. Perhaps check the camera after season for data purposes or just check it the day you hunt that area. And pull it once you are done hunting. I wanna utilize my cams but don't want to push it too much.



Yes correct, after having done this I totally agree. This is a better option than putting it directly over a bed. If you just put the camera over one specific bed the buck could still be in that bedding area just not in that exact bed and you're going to confuse yourself when looking thru pictures and wonder why he's not showing up as often as he should...
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Tim H » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:20 am

NorthwoodsWiscoHnter wrote:
rfickes87 wrote:Heck yeah I'm always tempted!!!

I've done this a lot over the last 2 years since I discovered the beast. I'll keep doing it too. Only problems I've had (that I know of) is when I put the camera 2 feet from the bed. They see it and spook. I have pictures of the buck running off and never coming back. But if I put the camera 10 feet or more from the bed I have no troubles with spooking them.

One important note - I leave my cameras set for months at a time. Any intel I get is most likely going to be for the next hunting year. If you check your camera once a month or every 2 weeks, you are playing with fire.


This is good feedback. I'm not thinking of actually putting a camera pointing on an actual bed but maybe off one of the trails that I think that's coming from the area. So I can give them some space. Perhaps check the camera after season for data purposes or just check it the day you hunt that area. And pull it once you are done hunting. I wanna utilize my cams but don't want to push it too much.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby rfickes87 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:21 am

just for some reference... this old boy never spooked. At least not till a tractor came thru and mowed down all his back cover!!!! :angry-banghead:

I had the camera about 10 feet from the bed...

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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Tim H » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:28 am

rfickes87 wrote:just for some reference... this old boy never spooked. At least not till a tractor came thru and mowed down all his back cover!!!! :angry-banghead:

I had the camera about 10 feet from the bed...

Image

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That's awesome! Not that a tractor made him move, but that you got some nice pics of him in his bed.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby rfickes87 » Tue Feb 13, 2018 5:31 am

Here's another one. Funny pic of this guy getting really close to the camera...

Here's the bed right by that log...
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Mathewshooter » Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:07 am

I like to make a mock scrape right on the edge of the bedding area and set my cam on it on video mode. I put it about 8 feet up in a tree pointed down towards the scrape. This will give you a pretty good idea of the bucks using the bedding area. I usually run 2 cams on opposite ends of the bedding.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Stanley » Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:21 am

NorthwoodsWiscoHnter wrote:So you find an area that you are guessing is a buck bedding area and has a potential slob/giant/toad/monster hanging out. Are you tempted to put a trail cam on the edge of it? Would it be fine to go in once, find the area, leave a camera for a few months? What are your thoughts?

Absolutely; the biggest reason trail cameras don't work; people check them too often.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Tim H » Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:22 am

Stanley wrote:
NorthwoodsWiscoHnter wrote:So you find an area that you are guessing is a buck bedding area and has a potential slob/giant/toad/monster hanging out. Are you tempted to put a trail cam on the edge of it? Would it be fine to go in once, find the area, leave a camera for a few months? What are your thoughts?

Absolutely; the biggest reason trail cameras don't work; people check them too often.


Yeah, my goal is usually to leave them alone for as long as I can. One good thing is I end up getting too busy to check them so they end up sitting longer than expected.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Rob loper » Tue Feb 13, 2018 2:35 pm

I wont put a camera anywhere where i hunt they spook the deer your scent is on it for unknown amount of time and the unresistable urge to check it is just to many risks do you really wanna take a chance on educating a slob that its being watched or hunted. Not me
Since my born again weekend im scouting an area. Marking trees im gonna hunt for different winds and scenerios. And im outta there til next season. Next time i step in there its with stand and bow ready for kill
But thats just me. Im gonna do a video on this in a few days. So keep your eye out for it
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby southernyankee » Tue Feb 13, 2018 3:59 pm

hey rfickes87, those are some awesome captures. What's the most consistency youve found with bucks in specific beds? Is it just a few times a season or are there bucks youve had in the same bed consistently?
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby Jhand » Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:25 pm

If I put a camera near bedding I will check it a month or so before the season starts and won't check it again untill the seasons over with. Most of my cameras I put out are near some kind of access. My goal with cameras isn't to find the bed is just to tell me what is in the area and give me a direction of travel to narrow down where the buck could be bedding.
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Re: Trail Cams in Bedding Areas?

Unread postby brancher147 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:20 am

Cameras don't spook deer if setup correctly, people spook deer. I have been putting them on beds and near where I hunt for years and have never seen any indication of any deer spooking.

The main things with a bed camera is having a good entry and exit, knowing when to check the camera depending on weather and wind and when the bed is likely empty, and not checking it too much. If I put one up on buck or doe bedding I want to leave it for at least a month or more or may not check it for an entire season, it just depends on access and weather conditions.
Some do. Some don't. I just might...


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