JoeRE

I agree, a ton of good points here. I have alway viewed shed hunting and cams two totally different aproaches to the same (hoped for) result. I do not think they are even comparable in a simplepro/con senario, in the region i hunt.

bhunter50

agreed, i love the exercise and it gives myself and my dog a chance to enjoy the outdoors!

TJF

[:'(] That clear enough for ya?? [&:]

robdre56

i use trial cams but i shed hunt just for the shed its a trophy within itself just to have a shed of any size its amazeing how you have to beat the rodents to them

Ben / PA

Why just in the summer Jeff? My favorite time to use mine is after the season, before they shed. A few weeks after the hunting pressure subsides, the deer get back on a regular, primary food routes and with the snow it is easy to find them. I set up the cam on these routes and I can monitor which deer in the herd have made it through the war of gun season. I as it seems you are, am trying to promote good management practices on the property. The cameras are one of the big tools that I use to recognize the buck to doe ratio and monitor the overall health of the herd.

In relation to the shed hunting, I use the game cams to pinpoint when I need to be out shed hunting. Certain years with mild or harsh winters the drop time can very alot. With work and other things taking up time, knowing that the antlers are starting to fall, lets me make the most out of the trips to the woods.

GMMAT

Fair question, Bow...

I really don't keep that good of tabs on the deer, here. I'm only interested in the ones I have here during the Summer. MY thinking is.....even if I see them after the season.....there's no sure way to know they made it 'til the summer.....unless I see them in the summer.

I'm putting minerals out, anyways......so I might as well see what's coming to savor them, right? It makes it more interesting, for me, to KNOW what "might" come by my stand at any moment. I take my camera down about 2-3 weeks before the opener.....mainly to keep me from going back in there too much to check it.

Ben / PA

I know right where you are at on the being tempted to check it thing. I kinda really got into the camera thing this year it is an awesome way to stay connected with you deer all year. A bunch of my buddies were really shocked/disapointed to find that I didn't/won't put cameras in the woods during the season cause I am just to tempted to get out there and check them all the time. I really like to know what's out there it is incentive to let the immature deer walk when you KNOW what else is out there. Cool thread.

James Vee

Using a game cam or shed hunting can really step up your game if done with those intentions. When you combine the two activities, it puts you a step above the rest as far as I'm concerned.

I used my game cam pictures from 2005 and 2006 to help me decide where to sit the first week of November in 2007. I hadn't had a decent buck sighting on camera on this particular piece of property all Summer and into the Fall of 2007. But I took some time to go through old photos to come up with a plan on where I should hunt the next few days.
These are a few of the photos from the first two weeks of November in 2006:













And when I was checking the photos while in the stand on my first in that stand this year this is one of the pics that I saw:


And this was/is the final result of utilizing a game cam.

James Vee

Shed hunting a whole other monser! But here is another quick example of where shed hunting can be a great scouting tool. This is an example from Spring of 2007 into the Fall of 2007. I shed hunt absolutely everywhere I possibly can, and am always gaining access to new properties. This last Spring my wife and I acquired permission to shed hunt on a new piece and these were the results of that shed hunt:





What would have been an 80"+ five point;

James Vee

And while we have not yet connected on a buck from this same area we have seen more big bucks than ever. These are a few of the cam pics we have to show for it: