If you asked me what was the number one advancement in the hunting world that I’ve witnessed in my lifetime it would be when trail cameras hit the market. I’m old enough to remember the time before trail cameras when you had to search the woods for buck rubs and scrapes. The bigger the tree rubbed, the bigger the buck was and still is the general rule of thumb.
By following the rub and scrape lines travel routes were revealed and stand sites chosen. If the acorns dropped you hung your stand in the woods and if there weren’t any acorns you concentrated on the fields and field edges. Well used deer trails and natural funnels in the landscape helped narrow down exactly where to position a tree stand.
I remember how excited I would get as a young pup when a nice rub or new scrape would show up near my favorite tree stand. I still get excited today but back then I’d have to dream of how big the buck might be that left the sign behind. Hours upon hours were spent sitting in that particular tree stand that my Dad and I built in a big forked white oak tree patiently waiting for that big buck to walk by.
There were no cell phones or gadgets to keep you entertained and as a teenager, boredom and even frustration would set in when the deer weren’t moving. I still rely on reading deer sign and hunting where the food sources are to this date. The thing that has changed is I spend less time wondering how big that buck is and more time on hunting where I know exactly how big he is if that makes any sense.
Before trail cameras, you only knew what bucks were around if you saw them with your own two eyes. Nowadays I simply hang a trail camera on a tree and have a picture of everything that walks by. I know exactly how big that buck is now and even how mature he is based on past pictures and looking at the body size when analyzing the photos.
Trail cameras have been a tremendous tool when it comes to trying to manage deer for bigger bucks. By knowing that big mature 10 point is coming past your stand makes it that much easier to pass on the young 2 ½ year old bucks that are also in the area. It’s helped me over the past few years determine which bucks to shoot and which ones to let go and hopefully grow bigger.
I also hunt smarter in that I pick and choose what stands to hunt based on what the trail camera pictures reveal. Big mature bucks are smart animals and it doesn’t take them long to catch on. I’ll actually avoid certain areas if I know a big buck is around so I don’t leave scent and alert him of my presence.
I’m sure all the deer knew I was walking in and out and spending too much time in that ole white oak tree back in the day. Trail cameras can help determine when and what time to be in the tree stand or ground blind as well. Case in point just happened to my neighbor a couple of weeks ago when he called me to help him track and load a huge 10 point that I had no clue was living in the patch of woods across from my house.
I’ve been busy and didn’t take the time to put out any trail cameras here. In the meantime my neighbor was getting pictures of this really nice 10 point every evening for 3 days in a row. He was coming into the field right before dark and on the first week of archery season he slipped into his blind and shot the buck of a lifetime after it crawled under the fence.
It came in like clockwork and ran up the hill and died not 200 yards from where I have a ladder stand and not far from my old tree stand in the white oak. I was happy for him because he knew he was there and when to be in the blind thanks to the trail camera.
The beautiful buck is a main frame 10 point with two matching kicker points on both g2’s making him actually a 12 point. It will score in the 140’s easily and my guess is he’s 4 ½ years old. Here’s the perfect example of how big they can get if you pass on them when they’re young.
That’s what I get for slacking and not having any trail cameras out. Had I known a buck like that was living close by, I would have made the time to be in the woods. Oh well, that’s hunting and we’re still early into the season.
I’m waiting for that big buck to show up on one of the trail camera’s I’ve put out since then as there’s always the rouge buck or two that will cruise through as the pre rut will be starting soon. When you snooze, you lose.
