Just in the last week or two I have pulled the four cameras that I've had out for months. Mostly I just wanted to get them out of the weather and also prevent them from "walking away."
But I also set up a camera Saturday afternoon in an entirely new location. I was elk hunting and found a spot with fresh buck rubs everywhere. Some elk sign in there too, and elk rubs from September. I went home and grabbed a camera and the last of the apples I have, and got it set up near the greatest concentration of buck rubs. I really wanted to position it right at the rubs, but if a person were to walk in there the main trail would then lead them directly to my camera. This is why I like using the apples, it doesn't have to be on a trail, and the animals will still find it (from the smell).
But for scouting blacktails right now, and through the next couple of months is a great time to be out there. You most likely wont see many bucks but the trails and the buck rubs are much easier to see. Trail cameras might not be as beneficial as they are in summer/fall but if you find a buck's "bedroom" like I did you can put a camera in there to find out what size he is.
