The early season is a powerful time for hunters, with lots of bucks roaming the woods and a trophy buck apt to show up anytime.
Trail cameras have revolutionized deer hunting, providing hunters with an edge over their quarry. Preseason and early season use of trail cameras can provide hunters with critical details about their bucks and the movement of the entire herd.
Patterning buck movements can be difficult, especially during the traditional firearms season. Bucks are beginning to look for their harem, and true patterns are difficult to establish with certainty. Yet the class of bucks available can be quickly inventoried from a series of trail cameras placed along heavy travel routes and around rich food sources. Hunters can find out what their property will have to offer and what deer to look for while on stand.
Often, the same buck will be captured in one area one day and then a mile away a few days later, but these bucks are moving around in their home range and will not venture too far during the pre-rut. At the end of the day, bucks will show up near every concentrated food source to keep track of groups of does.
In addition to buck classification and inventory, trail cameras can help hunters determine travel patterns between food sources and bedding areas. Stands can be set up along these routes revealed by the trail cameras, hopefully to intercept mature bucks checking on their does. If used correctly, trail cameras will benefit hunters significantly in many ways, increasing the chances of a rare encounter with a buck of a lifetime.
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