3 Trail Cam Tips for Whitetail Hunting

When it comes to whitetail hunting, trail cams have become an important tool and an integral part of the sport. Cameras can certainly aid in our understanding of deer patterns and can help us with stand placement. Also, they’re just plain fun.

When using trail cameras for hunting whitetails, what are some of the key things to consider? Here at Hadley Creek, we put a great deal of time and effort into our trail cam program. We’ve seen a lot of successes and failures over the years as we’ve honed our camera strategies. There’s certainly no “silver bullet” and many strategies can be effective. But here are some of the things that we’ve found to work year-in and year-out on these Illinois whitetails.

1. You Can't Catch Them All

For most of us, we'll never be able to cover every angle of our property, and we can’t begin to capture all of the ground we hunt. So first, we start with the understanding that our cameras will provide a sampling of what’s out there. We can’t capture it all, but we can gather good intelligence. Over the course of the summer and early fall, we will try to catch as many bucks as we can. That sampling will help us understand the quality of the deer and what they are doing on a macro level.

2. Seasonal Rotations

Next, don’t be afraid to move your cameras several times throughout the season and don’t hesitate to change things up if you’re not getting results.

In the summer, we put a great deal of focus on water and clover fields. We also focus on known travel corridors that the deer have historically used. If you’ve hunted the same property for years, you probably have a good idea of how deer move on that land during the fall. But if possible, get to know what those patterns look like during the summer. When you consider water sources and known travel routes, that will narrow down possible camera locations during the early summer months.

Then in mid-August, our food plots start becoming a factor. At that time of year, we will often move cameras to those food plots out in the open. When the rut begins, we’ll start putting those cameras on scrape lines.

If we try one spot and it doesn’t work, we are constantly adjusting how we have these cameras set. We will move them if we’re not getting results. If something isn’t working, don’t hesitate to shake things up.

3. Use The Results

Camera Selection

There are many great cameras on the market today and the options can be overwhelming. As with many things, you get what you pay for in terms of features and quality. So first, decide what features you really need. Then, buy the best camera you can afford that offers those features. Whatever you choose, do your research and take into account your specific needs.

Stacey Ward (Author) is the founder and land specialist at Hadley Creek Outfitters in Pike County, Illinois, which offers free-range, trophy whitetail hunts. guidefitter.com/hadleycreek