When do you pick up your game cameras? We have ten guys in our club, each with two small "personal" food plots and each with his own opinion regarding cameras.

Some put out cameras about two months before opening day to see what's out there, but pick them up a week or so before opening day. Their opinion is that cameras tend to spook bucks and they don't want them out there during the season.

A few others leave them out during the season and pick them up when it closes. Their opinion is that the deer get used to the cameras and they have little to no effect on deer movement during the season.

I and few others leave them out all year. We especially want to see what bucks are still out there at the end of the season. And we want an idea of how many fawns are born each year.

What say you?

Huh? Scare deer? Why would a camera scare deer they have out during killing season? I use no flash $50 cam... what are they using to scare deer? Most of us kill them in the rut and they want doe, not cams. They eat browse March to Sept at our place, not corn.

Cameras all year. Collects proof of hogs, exotic, varmints, foot traffic and livestock (Ag exemption). Why wouldn't they stay out. Plenty to see in the offseason.

Papalote

I leave some cameras out year round. This way I can get a better idea of animal movement, what is in the area, etc. They can also identify new questions to ask.

For example, why do some type of animals disappear for months? No bucks on camera from early October to late December this past year. Why did the black bear literally disappear overnight (too early to hibernate)? Plenty of food in the area but I am guessing not what they wanted to eat.

Nice to see fawns making it through the winter which is good for future hunting. Always a thrill when a mountain lion or three show up on camera.

Leave them out since you never know what'll show up.

I leave all of my cameras out all the time. I move them around all summer to see what trails are being used.

My cameras stay up until the antlers drop. Most of my normal bucks I've watched year in and year out return by early February.

Ours run 24/7 365. They dont spook anything

All year. Keep tabs on pig movement and time so we can get them patterned. Also like seeing all the other interesting pics we get of other animals and happenings. Last summer we got to our place and a lid was off a protein feeder. Was sure we put it on. Looking at camera pics , a dust devil went over feeder and pulled it off. Got pics of bobcats and foxes catching squirrels. Got a great pic of a hawk catching a crow. Never know what we will see.

Ours run 24/7/365. I believe they do spook deer a little. So do feeders for deer that see regular hunting pressure.

Mine also runs 24/7/365. I've personally never noticed a camera spook a deer except if you are using one of the old ones that have a white flash at night. And, they will even get use to that.
It's silly not to have a camera running year round if you have them. I do adjust the time between photos during the summer months when I will not be able to get out there once a week. I
only do that to extend the battery life for a little over 60 days.

Run them 24/7.

How else would you catch a giant 4 yr old in such a funny sequence? One minute, he's disturbed by that coon. The next, Rocky's his best friend under foot. Plus a pic of an old warrior on his way rapidly downhill. That deer was a true Monarch.

We're pulling our cellular camera system until September, but we'll continue using some "old fashioned" cameras 365. That STX heat does a number on cameras in the offseason.

Out all year. I like seeing the critters!

I have 4 feeders and a camera at each. 2 I feed through spring and leave the cameras. The other 2 I take in when corn runs out. I put all back in operation in August with corn replaced.

Have put cameras out on food plots and trails and corn on random senderos. You should see deer about jump through there skin or freeze in their tracks and stare for minutes on end when they happen upon a new camera they hadn’t seen before.

If you hide them good chance they don’t see them. Ours are mostly on free standing t posts. Trees aren’t the kind you put cameras on. I also think they hear them cycle on or wake up. I know they hear the feeders before they go off too, our Texas hunter timers make a very low beeping noise before feeding.

24/7/365

We leave them out all year. We go out once a month in the off season and we like to see if hogs are frequenting a certain area. I also like looking at all of the pictures. You sometimes catch some really cool stuff on camera.

That's a good reminder. I need to go up and pull the card from mine.

I have some out. Check them every 4 or 5 days for predators.

24/7/365 for me too

I keep mine going all year round too. One of the highlights of each trip is downloading the game cam pics and looking at all the images of the wild game.

I do move some away from feeders that I don't keep full of corn year round. I move those cameras to trails to see what kind of activity is happening "behind the scenes" - always neat to see passing by on my property.

"always neat to see passing by on my property"

I keep them up to monitor critters and folks who do not belong, amazing what you find.

Batteries are cheap.



.

Mine stay out yr around

we put ours out when we go out for work weekend in the middle of august and pull them when season ends first weekend in Jan. It allows them to avoid a big chunk of summer heat and the brunt of winter cold. We are on year 5 of our Bushnell trophy cams (3 of 4 have survived) and year 6 of Reconyx (all 6 have survived). Only reason we pull is for camera life but its worked very well for us.

Mine are out and probably dead. Haven't had time to run back down there. Hope to get down there during turkey season and check things out, kill some hogs with my new 6.8 build and maybe even take a turkey.

I leave mine out all year. Gives you an idea of any new critters that start roaming the area and allows you to see development of the "locals". Plus, it gives me an excuse to make a trip to the lease and maybe sling some lead at pigs or coyotes during the summer time. A couple of the guys pick their's up during the off season just so they're not using batteries throughout the whole year. If the deer aren't spooked off by big boxes and ground blinds guys put out, a little ole camera is going to spook them unless it reaches out and pats them on the back. Just my thoughts on the topic.