Hunting Washington Forum

Community => Trail Cameras => Topic started by: hunter399 on May 29, 2023, 04:14:00 PM

Title: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on May 29, 2023, 04:14:00 PM: I recently put a cam out ,pulled it 5 days later.
Not one pic of anything.
Bait is just salt block.
New spot ,never put cam there before.

So........
How long is too long,how short is too short?
Should I have left it longer.
Or I am I just looking for results too quick?
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnfmly on May 29, 2023, 04:43:13 PM: 5 days is not enough time I leave mine up for months at a time and will be putting out a cellular one in a couple weeks
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on May 29, 2023, 04:59:56 PM: I leave most of mine out till fall.
I guess what I'm asking is.
How long from setup to first picture of big game animal?

Like if you go a month without a pic is that a bad spot?

I'm trying to setup productive spots,so I pulled it at 5 days without a big game animal pic.

Too soon to pull?
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: Mfowl on May 29, 2023, 05:20:11 PM: When scouting new spots I will usually do a 2 week soak and determine by how many pics I have in that time whether I want to leave the cam or not. If I am not seeing sign while going to check or getting many pics in that 2 weeks I move the cam. Some spots just don't get much traffic, even if they look good. No point in hunting there if the animals don't use it. Likewise, if I get a lot of traffic I may deploy other cams nearby to try to figure the travel routes or gain as much intel as possible.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: Naches Sportsman on May 29, 2023, 05:32:41 PM: Unless mine are right near roads, I put them out and check them during/after hunting season and put new batteries in them if the cameras are in wintering grounds/areas of interest for trapping.

It seems to always be a few days before any salt licks get hit unless they’re on heavily used game trails.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: emac on May 29, 2023, 06:18:37 PM: 3 weeks to a month. Depends on how many cameras I currently have sitting at home compared to any spots I wanna try. If I have extra cameras laying around and no new spots I wanna try I will leave it up longer. I have one camera that had no big game on it for over 2 months but I left it up cause I had no new spots to try. Now it's one of my most productive cameras.

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Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: pickardjw on May 29, 2023, 06:36:39 PM: Yeah I leave mine at least 2-4 weeks before checking.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on June 02, 2023, 01:00:16 PM: Thanks for the replays.
You guys are most likely correct.

Well I'm done,every SD card and camara I own is soaking.
I've had some stuff pop up ,won't be posting alot of pics this year.
So I will check or pull cams in September while bear hunting.
I can't afford the gas and time this year,to check them.
3 month soak ,one and done.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: TripleB on June 02, 2023, 02:14:21 PM: I didn’t put any out this year, but last year, I’d set them Saturday check them following Saturday. (Back when gas prices were affordable to spend every weekend in the woods) I’d use the screen to check the number of videos, if it only had a couple, I’d watch them and leave it for one more week, if same results, I’d pull it and move it. For cameras that had piles of activity, I’d just swap out cards. Two SD cards per camera so I could easily swap and move on to the next.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: jstone on June 02, 2023, 02:50:25 PM: Cameras have been up high sense last august.
Going to check June 24th. Fingers crossed it is still where I put it
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnfmly on June 02, 2023, 03:31:53 PM: Quote from: hunter399 on May 29, 2023, 04:59:56 PM
I leave most of mine out till fall.
I guess what I'm asking is.
How long from setup to first picture of big game animal?

Like if you go a month without a pic is that a bad spot?

I'm trying to setup productive spots,so I pulled it at 5 days without a big game animal pic.

Too soon to pull?

Aww gotcha I misunderstood the question
I have one that gets the most action right before and during early archery for elk 👍
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: cjjcb on June 02, 2023, 05:25:59 PM: Great question.
Been working a new spot and thinking the same thing.
It looks good so I don’t wanna go in and disturb it. However, I do want to know if the critters are using it… I was planning to leave it until mid to late August before checking… but now I’m thinking I should probably get in there sooner than later and possibly move depending on usage…
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: emac on June 03, 2023, 07:00:31 AM: Quote from: cjjcb on June 02, 2023, 05:25:59 PM
Great question.
Been working a new spot and thinking the same thing.
It looks good so I don’t wanna go in and disturb it. However, I do want to know if the critters are using it… I was planning to leave it until mid to late August before checking… but now I’m thinking I should probably get in there sooner than later and possibly move depending on usage…
Go check it. Going in one time isn't going to disturb the animals very much. Just get in and get out. I check most of my cams every 3 weeks to a month and it doesn't change the critters patterns.

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Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: Skyvalhunter on June 03, 2023, 09:46:39 AM: has to be over 30 days so when the cougars come by on their monthly route you can catch them on cam. Wont be any deer but you will get some nice cougar pictures.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnnw on June 03, 2023, 02:34:05 PM: Lotta factors on how long I’ll leave a cam, but a bare minimum would be a month or 2 with salt. Right now lotta deer are still transitioning into summer patterns , some places it takes a while for animals to find salt .
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnnw on June 11, 2023, 10:49:30 PM: Perfect example is where I have a cam now on salt. I can watch almost a square mile of CRP. There is 10-12 bucks that feed right up the ridge where the cam is anywhere from feet to 200 yards from it and only 2 in a month have hit it. Now if you didnt have the luxury of glassing a spot and knowing what's there you would think your spot was crappy. In late July if I dump feed all those bucks will show. Another example I was targeting a big buck and I had him on 1 cam, so I started fanning cams out from that 1 cam to try and figure out his core area and that big buck never hit any of the other cams and they were 200 yards away. What was eye opening is after 2 months and a mere couple hundred yards I had completely different bucks on some cams and some would never hit the others. Then you can toss some of it all out the window with some bucks as they will move in September or October.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: highcountry_hunter on June 12, 2023, 09:20:00 AM: As stated above, 30 day minimum. But usually longer than that. I also use loose salt opposed to blocks. I swear big bucks know those blocks aren’t natural.

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Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: nwwanderer on June 12, 2023, 03:25:08 PM: The blocks take time, something a mature critter is very aware. Loose is hit and run, should use it for all supplementation and it is easy to add the other little things they need
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnnw on June 12, 2023, 03:47:35 PM: Never used blocks as they are easier to see by thieves stealing cams and they are a pain in the ass to pack . Bag is far easier , less visibility and gets into the ground easier
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: highcountry_hunter on June 12, 2023, 03:48:34 PM: Quote from: huntnnw on June 12, 2023, 03:47:35 PM
Never used blocks as they are easier to see by thieves stealing cams and they are a pain in the ass to pack . Bag is far easier , less visibility and gets into the ground easier
And it’s way easier to divvy up a bag between 3 different sets than it is a block

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Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on June 12, 2023, 03:56:58 PM: Just checked a cam today ,month and half ,7500 photos,every photo has a deer or elk in it.
Seems like the blocks work ok to me.
I cut blocks into quarter,some of my spots I have used loose salt before.
Elk or moose will eat it in a week.,unless your dumping a 50lb sack.
I have one spot that only gets alot of deer traffic,they eat one 50lb block a year.

I do agree with you all on a month or two for first setups.
This spot just had alot of human activity,not one animal in 5 days.
I ended up moving it. Hopefully a better location. Will know in a month or two.
But will say the spot I moved it too ,there was two deer watching me setup.
So I feel alot better about the new spot vs the first spot.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: mcrawfordaf on June 12, 2023, 04:11:44 PM: My first time running cams on the east side I picked up deer straight away. I checked it 2x weeks after setting with corn/salt stone. Other cams I put out I left for longer and eventually got game on them within the month.

From the limited experience I have with running cams, I've found the "natural" rock stones found at feed stores are more productive than your "salt lick" composite type bricks. I was running a salt stone and corn last year that did much better than the "deer feed" labeled items and salt products I also had out.

The cams I had out last season that had good animals on them I left out over winter and will go check here shortly for the upcoming season. I've been reading "Blood in the Tracks" and one of the biggest take aways I got from that book is to start your scouting for next season the day after you shoot your deer of the current season. So as soon as I got done hanging my deer last year I went right back to where I shot him and reset all my cams cards and batteries for a long fall/winter soak.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on June 12, 2023, 04:19:12 PM: Quote from: huntnnw on June 11, 2023, 10:49:30 PM
Perfect example is where I have a cam now on salt. I can watch almost a square mile of CRP. There is 10-12 bucks that feed right up the ridge where the cam is anywhere from feet to 200 yards from it and only 2 in a month have hit it. Now if you didnt have the luxury of glassing a spot and knowing what's there you would think your spot was crappy. In late July if I dump feed all those bucks will show. Another example I was targeting a big buck and I had him on 1 cam, so I started fanning cams out from that 1 cam to try and figure out his core area and that big buck never hit any of the other cams and they were 200 yards away. What was eye opening is after 2 months and a mere couple hundred yards I had completely different bucks on some cams and some would never hit the others. Then you can toss some of it all out the window with some bucks as they will move in September or October.
Yup ,the cam I went to today is exactly what you said.
Nice animals all year ,except September,October,November, they will not come back till December.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: blackymaster20 on June 12, 2023, 04:21:04 PM: Sometimes it has taken a month or two before i got a big buck or bull on my cameras. This time of the year can be spotty for activity. Usually around the beginning of july i get alot more activity.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnnw on June 12, 2023, 06:46:31 PM: I don’t divy up salt, it’s 50lbs at a time at every cam. One cam I’m almost 150lbs in this year … moose and elk eat a lot
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: jstone on June 12, 2023, 08:51:43 PM: Is salt only a temp thing? While they are growing antlers?
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: huntnnw on June 12, 2023, 09:02:58 PM: I switch to feed mid July if I want pics. Antler growth and milk production plus all the browse they eat until it drys out is full of water washing out the sodium in their system. why you get lotta pics early and it tapers as summer progresses as heat drys out vegetation.

we notice our goats consume more minerals in the spring as their field lush green and full of water.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: hunter399 on June 12, 2023, 11:01:14 PM: Quote from: huntnnw on June 12, 2023, 06:46:31 PM
I don’t divy up salt, it’s 50lbs at a time at every cam. One cam I’m almost 150lbs in this year … moose and elk eat a lot
Yup ,that's what I mean.
It's alot.
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: Scruffy on June 13, 2023, 12:26:41 AM: I have noticed if you put blocks out and there are cattle in the area they will find your salt blocks and camp out. :bash: :bash:
Title: Re: How long before you pull trail cam.
Post by: Angus on June 27, 2023, 04:27:22 PM: I set 6 cams on 6/18, a couple days later I was OnX scouting and found a spot I wanted to put a cam. Yesterday I decided to go pull 1 of my 6 that I didn't really like its positioning to begin with and relocate it to a new spot. Before taking the cam down I checked the SD card and found a buck, a bear and a few does have passed by in just the first week. That cameras isn't going anywhere. I'll check it again a few days before the 8/1 bear opener.