GMMAT

Greg:

I only use mine for "inventory" purposes....and only onmy mineral site in the Summer. I'm kinda surprised (based on the size of the woodlots you say you hunt) that you'd risk going in there enough to check several cameras. You have to admit.....it's a risk.

I have probably a couple THOUSAND images....and I have bucks coming back to the mineral site (after being photo'd at night with a flash) on consecutive nights, weeks and YEARS!

My opinion is the flash bothering bucks/deer is a MYTH. I have too many images of deer in consecutive minutes (after a flash) still at my mineral site. My opinion is.....they think it's "lightning"......or something that is NOT threatening to them.

GregH

A couple of posts back I stated that I have only been putting the camera out after I was done hunting the area. I usually pull them out at the end of March so that leaves a lot of time for them to calm down before the next season.

huntingson

Do you really think it is the camera or the scent from you being near it? I can't imagine that the deer really care about the camera. I have never had an issue with the flash,and I have had more deer sniff the no-flash Cudde that I have than the flash. It blinks red lights and they notice that too. I just have never seen a deer that gave a crap about flashes or lights in general. They don't know what that light is. Could be lightning for all they know.

I am no expert. I am only speaking from my experiences.

_Dan

Though you may be right, I believe that at a mineral site, bait site, etc the flash doesn't bother them because it is a destination and they areused to it going off there. I think it bothers them tremendously on trails and travel routes because they are just passing through.

Just my observations.

GMMAT

Sorry....I was just going off this.

I think Dan may have a point, too. I just never use mine on trails....so I'm not tempted to go and check them.

shed33

I have three infareds. Cudde backs and a Bushnell. 5.0

I still get bucks looking at the camera when it goes off at night. Like they are tipped off to the camera. They pick up on the camera..whether it be noise, like hunt referred too or something else...

Elk, and moose here seem to pay no mind to mine but the whitetails do. I'd agree with Dan, feeding destinatioins they may tolerate more negative stimuliversus travel routesor near their bedding areas, they wont tolerate much in these areas.

Schultzy

I have the no-flash cuddeback myself, 2 of them to be exact. The deer still get alarmed by the little red lights blinking on the no-flash. The video's I have prove that. I've seen it as well that the deer will sometimes take a different route being they have seen this camera in the same position on the trail before. I've also watched the deer come in on the trail and see the camera before it even goes off, they know these trails very well, anything that looks out of place there going to notice anytime! Its no different then when you put up a stand. They notice limbs trimmedthat were there before but are not anymore. Or limbs that you have trimmed and you carelessly threw them on the ground instead of throwing your brush a ways off the trail.I don't think these camera's spook them right out of your area though. I've seen the same P@Y buck (150" class) on my cuddeback no-flash on4 different occasions on the same trail. I would like to try and put them up higher in a tree aiming them down hoping that my take some of the edge out of them, that would also give you more of a camera window as well.

GregH

It's no myth that the cameras bother the deer (mostly mature bucks), I can see their tracks in the snow where they've circled around it.

Once again, It is illegal to bait of feed deer where I hunt in Ill or Wi. You cannot throw down any food even for camera purposes. Besides unnatural gathering places for deer in these areas will attract people as well. I don't want that around my cameras.

GMMAT

Hey....just asking....but is it the camera or the scent?....or maybe they saw you checking it? How do you know it's the camera?

I wear rubber boots and gloves to check mine....and I'm still SURE I leave scent there.

I don't think we'll ever know whether this is a myth or not.....but I can show you photo after photo of 3.5 yr old bucks sticking around after they've had their photos taken (with or without flash).....and then coming back to the same place to do it all over again either the next day or one closely thereafter.

GMMAT

I have plenty of these....