John's Journal...

Depend on Trail Cameras to Make You a Better Deer Hunter

Day 2: How to Position Your Trail Cameras to Make Them the Most-Effective They Can Be for Seeing Deer

Editor’s Note: Dave Parrott of Louisville, Kentucky, one of Mossy Oak’s pros ( HYPERLINK "www.mossyoak.com" www.mossyoak.com), decided he could build a better trail camera. Parrott got involved in building trail cameras when the switch was made from 35 millimeter cameras to digital cameras. Because digital cameras ran $500 or more when they first were produced, Parrott decided he could build a better and less-expensive trail camera, if he built it himself. He became fascinated with what trail cameras could do, and what he could learn about game movement with the trail cameras. This began his lifelong obsession with developing game cameras and learning more-efficient ways to use them.

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewI no longer build my own trail cameras. One of the reasons I like the DLC HYPERLINK "https://www.covertscoutingcameras.com/" Covert cameras is they come with a built-in viewing screen. So, once I hang my camera, I take a picture to try and see what the camera sees. Many people will just hang their trail cameras, step back from the tree and say, “That looks good.” They do this without even seeing what type of coverage the camera angle has. This reason is why many people get pictures of only half a deer. Or, the camera is aimed too high, and they have sun glare on their pictures. If the camera is too low, you’ll get a lot of raccoon and turkey pictures. But, I want my trail cameras to photograph deer. So, the rule of thumb that I use is that I want to get in front of the camera about where I think the deer will show up and make sure that the camera photographs from my waist to my knees. Then, I tilt it up just a little by putting a stick underneath the camera. What I’m trying to do is keep the raccoons and the turkeys out of the sensor range of the camera. Using this technique of mounting my camera, I get more pictures of deer and big game animals and fewer pictures of turkeys, raccoons, skunks and possums.

Click for Larger ViewClick for Larger ViewFor more deer-hunting tips, get John E. Phillips’ Kindle eBooks “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,” "How to Hunt Deer Up Close: With Bows, Rifles, Muzzleloaders and Crossbows,” and “PhD Whitetails: How to Hunt and Take the Smartest Deer on Any Property,” Go to www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks, type in the name of the book, and download it to your Kindle, and/or download a Kindle app for your iPad, SmartPhone or computer.

About the Author

John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.

Tomorrow: Don’t Buy Cheap Batteries for Your Trail Cameras to Watch Deer


Check back each day this week for more about "Depend on Trail Cameras to Make You a Better Deer Hunter"

Day 1: How to Fight the Biggest Enemy of Your Trail Camera with Dave Parrott
Day 2: How to Position Your Trail Cameras to Make Them the Most-Effective They Can Be for Seeing Deer
Day 3: Don’t Buy Cheap Batteries for Your Trail Cameras to Watch Deer
Day 4: Dave Parrott Explains How to Bring Deer into Your Trail Cameras
Day 5: Using Trail Cameras to Learn What Animals Live in Your Suburban Backyard with John E. Phillips

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Entry 738, Day 2