As I was gearing up for a recent hunting season, I was visiting with the landowner about some certain bucks that we had seen for the past five or six years.  One buck in particular should have been fully mature and probably 7-8 years old.  Every year we would see him in the same area of the ranch, many times throughout the season.  He was easy to spot because his left antler side was much larger that is right side.  When he turned five though he disappeared, which is not uncommon for bucks as they mature to become more exclusive.On our surveys, we couldn’t find him, and during the season none of the hunters ever caught a glimpse of him. 

Did he die or the rut really run him down?  We decided then to start using some infrared-triggered trail cameras. These would not only help us locate some certain deer and their patterns, but more importantly would become another management tool.When I started researching these cameras, it’s amazing how many various one’s there are today.  And many are very reasonably priced.  Research showed me that infrared-triggered cameras have been in use since the late 70’s, but since then these cameras having taken a quantum leap in range, easy of use, price, and more importantly photo quality. 

Today’s trail cameras can print the date and time the photo was taken, show you how many times it was triggered, and the retrieval of these photos is simple.  Some you have to take film to be developed, whereas some of the more expensive digital cameras come with a memory card for use on your computer or home television.  Hunters and wildlife managers have made management a year-round activity.  And these camera help us better manage our ranches and leases.By using these cameras, you can locate certain bucks, both inferior and high quality bucks.  You can pattern certain deer to see what is coming into your feeder, visiting your food plot, or even looking for the buck on a certain scrape line during the rut. 

We can see certain does and also use cameras to help us census ranches by determining the number of bucks, does and fawns we might have.  And we can also see the progression of certain bucks during antler development.  They also show us how deer interact with each other and give us a sense of deer behavior.By setting these cameras up in certain areas you can keep better records of specific bucks and their home range.  These photos can also be use to show other hunters or lessees many different age classes of bucks and does.  You can educate everyone on age structure, maturity, and even gross score. 

You can find out which bucks are management-type deer that may need to be culled from the herd.A lease or ranch can make a great catalogue of the quality of deer they have.  You can put together an album of young, middle-aged, and mature deer, which becomes a perfect management tool.  These cameras can add hours of enjoyment all year long.  Some may even provide video capabilities. 

There is a camera that is right for you.  Do your research and determine which is best for your goals.  Some come with their own attaching devices and some are made for affixing to trees or posts.  They are easily to set up, carry, and retrieve photos from.  Hope this hunting season is going great for you and don’t forget to set some cameras up this spring and summer to catch all kinds of wildlife.

Article copyrighted by Texas Wildlife Association.  For more information visit www.texas-wildlife.org

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