Big Bucks and Flashy Cameras

Part I of II

If you think this is just another article by a professional hunter telling you that you should buy a specific trail camera because of a sponsorship commitment…think again!  I’m writing this article today to help you make an intelligent and well thought out decision before you take the plunge into often highly addictive world of whitetail espionage.  You see, in the world of mature whitetails, it seems that the universal law that states, “for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction”, rings true even with regards to game cameras. 
Don’t get me wrong, when I was first introduced to them I became an addict as well, it seemed like a great idea!  The ads seem to ring out from major camera companies in every hunting magazine, Don’t miss that buck of a lifetime!, Scout from home!, Get your trail cameras pictures sent to your inbox!”  And, who can blame a guy or gal for not wanting to take advantage of such modern technology?  Heck, I jumped on the wagon with both feet as well!  As a former outfitter in Northern Minnesota, they worked awesome at my old bear camp.  Telling me when bears were coming and going and even whether the bear that was hitting the bait was big enough to put one of my clients on was an incredible advantage.  So naturally, why wouldn’t I take this new technology back to my Iowa home and utilize this as a new tool to give me an extra edge? 
That fall, I remember thinking as I hung one of my first cameras in a well-traveled corridor how cool it was going to be to plug that card into my laptop and get all the amazing details on the whereabouts of the areas biggest bucks.  But, when I pulled the card…nothing.  Nothing…not a darned thing!  It seemed like a hundred or more pictures of nothing!  Weeds blowing in the wind had triggered the ultra-sensitive, multi-burst, fastest trigger speed, high dollar camera on the planet into creating a disc full of nothingness!
Undeterred, I relocated the camera to a fence line I knew deer traveled consistently and still nothing.  So I moved it to a killer creek crossing, this time I was sure I would get pictures there!  And I did, hind ends and white flags.  Apparently the trigger speeds weren’t as “hair triggered” as I had heard.  So, what’s a guy to do next?  Well, my camera adventures took me into the hunting season and after the first few days of the season, the camera was long since forgotten.  Hanging on a tree throughout the elements of winter, I pulled the camera when working my food plots later that spring.  It was still in good shape, but I decided to opt for another brand that summer.  I bought the most advanced camera on the market…again!  This time I pulled no punches and did what all frustrated whitetail hunters with trail cameras seem to do, I dumped a load of corn in front of the camera (obviously removed to comply with game laws well in advance of the season).  Now, we’re talking!  With my new camera in place, and a relentless supply of feed, I was snapping and cataloging pictures like a mad man.  Soon my inventory of cameras grew from 2 to 20.  I had pictures of every buck on every farm I hunted, or so I thought.  It seemed as though these cameras were a gift from God himself.  Everything from bobcats to trespassers revealed themselves giving me moments of joy to feelings of anger.  Like any addictive drug, these cameras had their ups and downs.