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Spotlighting #6418193 08/21/16 05:21 PM
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Txhunter65 Offline OP
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For those of you in the MLDP or just do surveys for yourself what brand spotlight do you use and would you recommend it?

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6418210 08/21/16 05:31 PM
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There are a lot of animals you will never see with a spotlight. I'd get a NV monocular and then you can scout at night with the animals never knowing you are there. I did it last week and spotted two nice bucks me and a friend had never seen in person or on camera.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6418483 08/21/16 09:36 PM
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We use trail cameras for our surveys. Our biologist prefers them over spotlighting.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Big_Ag] #6418505 08/21/16 09:55 PM
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Originally Posted By: Big_Ag
We use trail cameras for our surveys. Our biologist prefers them over spotlighting.
good idea but I would think you would have to put a bunch on trails away from feeders.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6418895 08/22/16 01:29 AM
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Actually, the trail camera method requires it over baited sites. One for every 200 acres is what we use.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6418898 08/22/16 01:31 AM
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Lots of deer don't hit bait sites at least that what I've noticed in some of the places I've hunted. Many mature bucks would skirt the feeders and stay 50-100 yds away so if that's the case how are you going to get a good count. Lots of people kill bucks they never seen on cams as well.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6418939 08/22/16 01:51 AM
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Txhunter65 Offline OP
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From what I've read to do the trail camera method developed by Dr. Jacobson correctly you're supposed to put the camera over a newly baited sites for about two weeks or so. I don't think they're supposed to be around established feeders. Unless there's another method out there.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419022 08/22/16 02:44 AM
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There is a factor for those deer that don't hit the bait site that you use in the formula. Our biologist said to use our pre-exiting free choice feeders. I've done both methods and I feel the camera is much more accurate. You also get to know your deer herd much better combing through all the photos. For instance, you get a much more buck by buck age and antler evaluation due to the multiple photos you get of the various bucks.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419153 08/22/16 06:12 AM
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I would need 65 trail cameras out to complete my survey! I think i will just use a spotlight, as for NV, the idea is not to see every animal, it's to cover around 10% of the ranch and hopefully 10% of the animals, then plug in the numbers.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419155 08/22/16 06:21 AM
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I am curious how the spot light method works. If we drive our 8 miles of roads on 1,000 acres you can only see 10 to 50 yards normally. We hardly ever see more than a few deer when driving around. Most deer bolt by sound of vehicle so you just see a butt. No way to tell what % we possibly saw to plug numbers on our place if we went that route. We have one guy that says we have one deer per 10 acres and I say it is one per 20 or 25 and we both been there a long time. That's a 100% margin of error.

We have 8 established feeders for 10+ years now with cameras and find the mature deer might hit a feeder once and only once a season only at night. They will hit another one making an appearance but never twice. They might walk by within 50 yards but never hit the corn. We have does that will walk by and never stop or get close to a feeder to get on camera. Doesn't matter if feeder is penned or not. Not sure how cameras are effective in all areas but it is better than spotlighting IMO. Considering our deer leave if they hear a vehicle 100 yards away we would have to use some other method.

My buddy flies a heli to get his counts but they have 10K and it still only gets a % of deer. He won't even do his survery until November typically. Just do your best with what you are given as no method is perfect.

I personally would do the cameras over brand new bait sites to see what is out there. If you have hogs, good luck.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419298 08/22/16 12:56 PM
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Txduckman- many of the reasons you cite is why I believe in camera surveys over spotlighting. Because of the brush and terrain, vehicle noise and difficulty identifying what you see, spotlight surveys are much less accurate in my opinion.

Regarding the chance sightings of bucks, the rut and the tendency of bucks to roam during the rut has a lot to do with those chance encounters that you only have once with some of the bucks you have never seen. Most of those deer are not living year round on your place unless you have thousands and thousands of acres. They are roaming outside their core area looking for love. Even if they are living on your property, the formal has a factor built in the formula to account for those outliers that don't appear on camera.

Do some deer avoid feeders? No doubt, but the thing I have experienced is most bucks we think avoid feeders really are only avoiding them during the daylight. They are strictly nocturnal. They only hit feeders after dark, no matter the time of year, Cold or hot. Hunting pressure or not. If you are feeding year round and the deer have known feed stations all their life, they will likely use them, but maybe only at night.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419323 08/22/16 01:20 PM
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Do y'all notify the game wardens that you will be doing a spotlight survey before you actually do it?


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Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419441 08/22/16 02:46 PM
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No one answered you question, so I will.. The light I use is the Lightforce. Made by the same company as Nightforce Optics. It is light weight and holds up well. I put a green filter on mine. I use the 170mm one. They make bigger ones.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: SapperTitan] #6419501 08/22/16 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: SapperTitan
Lots of deer don't hit bait sites at least that what I've noticed in some of the places I've hunted. Many mature bucks would skirt the feeders and stay 50-100 yds away so if that's the case how are you going to get a good count. Lots of people kill bucks they never seen on cams as well.

Very true.


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Re: Spotlighting [Re: Big_Ag] #6419520 08/22/16 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted By: Big_Ag
We use trail cameras for our surveys. Our biologist prefers them over spotlighting.


Same here. Too thick for spotlighting.. We just compare the same days from all our cameras..

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419523 08/22/16 03:39 PM
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The last time we did a count, we used an inexpensive million candlepower spotlight that plugged into the cigarette lighter. Depending on your length of road covered, I'd prefer a plug in over a battery operated, due to weight. Spot is much better than flood IMO too.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419779 08/22/16 06:02 PM
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we tried doing spotlight counts on our place and had very little luck with them. the place is very thick so sight distance is tough. found that we spooked more stuff than we saw.

we do a combination of a Hahn walking line, and pair that with trail camera density surveys. there's data for both on the TPWD websites. The Hahn line gives you a good estimate of density and the game camera studies tell you a lot more about your buck composition.

we saw way more deer doing the walking survey in the early daylight hours than we ever saw trying to spotlight at night. we try to do three Hahn lines and three camera surveys annually and then average the results.


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Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6419789 08/22/16 06:05 PM
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we corn the sights for our game camera surveys as the instructions indicate. we frequently see bucks at the game camera corn sights (well away from the feeders) that we never or seldom see from the blinds. we've gotten many pictures of mature bucks in this way that we've never seen in person.

its cool to know they are there, but its tough too because some are some really nice deer. just have to hunt and watch and wait for them to make that one fatal mistake.


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Re: Spotlighting [Re: BenBob] #6420921 08/23/16 02:47 PM
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Originally Posted By: BenBob
Do y'all notify the game wardens that you will be doing a spotlight survey before you actually do it?


not that necessary but not a bad idea.


-Those who say money can't buy happiness never bought a dog.

Re: Spotlighting [Re: Txhunter65] #6421020 08/23/16 04:22 PM
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as a kid growing up varmint hunting, I always called the GW letting them know the general area I would be spotlighting on any given evening/night. I have done the same when spotlighting various areas doing game counts ... if they know you are there for a reason, they aren't near as apt to be aggressive should you do come across them while out.


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