Summer-Fall Camera Transition
As summer begins to draw to a close and we begin to welcome the cooler fall temps, one thing on the mind of many of us is where can we get pictures of last years bucks?!?!? I begin each year with putting most of my trail cameras out in late May/early June, focusing on mineral sites and homemade feeders if I have them on the farm. Although this may seem early for some, I like to gather as much data as I can on the core area(s) I will be hunting. This all begins with knowing where your deer from last year likely are during the summer and where they will be transitioning to come September.
Summer camera strategy for me has always been crossing points such as fence intersections to native or green legume browse or mineral sites. During this time of the year from my observations, deer are more focused on eating the native plant communities like brambles and greens such as alfalfa and clover. Mineral sites are getting hit very hard April-July/August as the Does are trying to replenish their bodies with as much nutrients as they can to continue to produce milk for the years fawn crop and the bucks are focusing on adding inches to their antlers.
When moving my cameras off mineral sites to their new, sometimes temporary homes, I look back in my journal of “data” from previous years findings. I am looking for the hottest scrapes and licking branches pre-rut of last year, especially within non-busting distance of what you believe to be your target bucks core bedding area. As the bucks start transitioning out of their bachelor groups, scrapes will begin to heat up as they begin to lay claim on who runs the area. Using these areas as trail camera points can be very effective to further your inventory of your farm during the early fall stages of the hunting season.
3.5 year old buck on edge of scrape
But what if I have a very hot scrape line that I know my target buck beds in and I don’t want to risk going in and bumping him? This is a very common scenario that happens more than some realize. A mature 5.5-year-old 150+ inch deer will create scrapes, rubs and use licking branches commonly around his core area to let other bucks know that this is his home. In the past I have used the strategy of getting just close enough to his bedding area, sometimes within 60-80 yards, creating a mock scrape/licking branch setup and placing a camera. Scents are an option that I have used in the past and had very good results with, also urinating in the scrape can have a similar effect, since deer cannot tell the difference between human and animal urine. These mock setups can help to bring the deer out of his core and get him checking and leaving his scent on your setup.
How do the deer leave their scent and why? If you have never switched your cameras from photo to video mode when positioned over a hot scrape or rub, I highly encourage you to do so. The information you can gather from a 30 second video clip on how a deer reacts when he comes to the site can provide you hundreds of pictures worth of intel about the area and the buck you’re watching.
6.5 year old buck with deeply stained forehead gland
A buck uses three main glands too leave his scent, the tarsal, forehead and interdigital. The tarsal glands located on the hind legs produce an odorless oily substance that gets incorporated into the hair, deer will then urinate on their glands which mixes in the natural pheromones in the urine and the bacteria growing on the hair and when rubbed together will create the scent. The forehead gland is located right above the eyes and in between the antler pedicles. Often, when you see a rub you are not only seeing the deer rub off the bark on the tree with his antlers, but he is also rubbing his forehead against the tree to put his scent on it. This scent can tell a lot about the deer hierarchy and age structure to other deer. The interdigital gland is located between the hoofs of the deer and is often why the buck is pawing at the scrape. In most cases this is the second act of producing a new scrape, after the forehead but before the tarsal glands.
Focusing on these areas during your transition time from summer-based pictures to fall can help you greatly in getting within range of your target buck in the fall. Finding these locations on your farm is very crucial as the rut draws closer. My favorite time to hunt over scrape and rubs is the last week of October or commonly (in Iowa) the “Pre-Rut.” Testosterone levels begin to rise, antlers start to hit together, and scrapes are getting used hard. Having your cameras positioned over the scrapes can give you the insight on when that seemingly nocturnal buck all September and early October has shown his face at the scrape during the day and you know its time to move in on him.
Funnel on property leading to main food source with clover plots at mouth & end and cameras in triangle formation
Outside of camera position of scrapes, my next favorite is triangulating cameras on funnels. Like shown above, we have a timber that shrinks down into a food source then grows back again into another patch of timber. Deer commonly use these as transition areas to get from timber to food and bedding. What I prefer to do is locate a camera on each inside corner (orange) on the mouth of the funnel to know what way deer are entering from and then one at the end of the funnel to see whether they followed it all the way down or exited elsewhere. On this example we have positioned an interior clover plot at the mouth of the funnel as well as one at the end of it (blue). Commonly deer prefer to eat whatever green or native browse is available before going to the main food sources and before heading back to bedding. The end of the funnel can commonly be referred to as a “pinch point,” which can be a great spot for cameras and tree stands. Doing all this has only increased our productivity of the funnel as a whole and will increase picture opportunities to know which deer are traveling through it and when.
Last, but not least, don’t overlook the obvious. Those old breaks in the fence that have never been fixed, the gates on the farm that never get shut, WATER, all these are places where I have gotten some great data of deer on my farm that we commonly overlook. I think a lot of us are so focused on food food food that we forget that deer need water to survive too. If you have a creek running through your farm that has a good water supply running through it most of the year, find a trail leading to it and put a camera there. You may come to find that deer often travel the path of least resistance when not pressured, properties with old rail road right of ways or logging roads are some of my favorite places to put a camera. They are normally flourishing with native browse and deer sign.
Finally, I recommend switching out your alkaline batteries to lithium before you make these changes in your setups. Lithium batteries last much longer and have shown to withstand the cold weather much longer. Also swapping in some 32GB SD cards is a must, you can learn quickly that a small SD card can fill up quickly when your camera is set on 3-5 shot burst and high resolution.
Thanks,
Ryan