Are Your Deer Camera Shy?

Every season, a lucky hunter bags a deer and utters the phrase, “I’ve never seen this buck before.” Technology has made it easier than ever to track and pattern your deer herd’s movements. With temperature, moon phase and even barometric pressure readings, the latest scouting cameras give you the information you need to pattern your deer. The tricky part is getting your deer in front of that camera. You can’t just strap a trail camera to a tree and think it will do the work for you. You need to attract your bucks to the area in front of your camera, and that takes some upfront planning.

Creek Crossings and Bottlenecks
Think about your hunting area. Are there spots that force deer into small areas? If your hunting area features a decent-size creek running though it, utilizing a creek crossing can up your odds that you’ll capture bucks on film. Popular creek crossings are easy to locate by walking the banks and looking for tracks. Logging road crossings are similar. Walk the road and it should be obvious when you locate a trail crossing. Even better is some type of bottleneck. Possibly it’s a strip of woods that connect two larger pieces of timber, or it can be as simple as the head of a draw. But all of these areas can be made better, or other picture-perfect areas created, with a little human intervention.

Smile for the Camera
An area for the bucks to stand in front of the camera should be created where they will be naturally. Using the creek crossings, bottlenecks or funnels in association with an attractant will work best. Once you’ve located an area that bucks travel through, add a feeder, food plot or create a mock scrape to get bucks to, first, walk into camera range and, second, stand around long enough for your camera to snap good photos. Selecting the correct game feeder for your area is relatively simple. Consider how often you will be able to (or want to) access the area. The more human scent spread in the area, the greater the chance the buck will be deterred from the sight, or at least stay away during daylight hours. Fortunately, Moultrie deer feeders can be found in all different varieties, from 6-gallons to 55-gallons, hanging to tripod, gravity feeders to programmable.

If feeding is not your style, creating mock scrapes in front of your camera is another option. Deer are naturally curious about other deer, so mock scrapes get a lot of attention. The problem comes in keeping the scrape fresh. Moultrie’s Scent Boss is a great solution. This battery-operated scent dispenser holds enough scent for two months of usage so the area will not be disturbed as often. Clear a tire-sized area under your Scent Boss with a stick. You’ll be amazed at the bucks that will investigate the mock scrape.

Whether you choose to a feeder, mock scrape or food plot, it is important to set up you scouting camera in conjunction with an attractant to track and pattern deer.