First Year Hunter - Cam Pics - Advice Wanted

[btownhunter]

This is my first year deer hunting and I put out some sugar beets and corn in the woods I grew up next to in town. Growing up I never had interest in hunting but I know there was always hunting activity there and a deer population but I now I want to get into hunting. We always played paintball and rode dirtbikes all throughout the woods. The woods has since changed and all of us grew up. There's no more signs of any quads or dirtbikes whatsoever. I didn't even see boot tracks when I went out there to scout but saw a bunch of deer tracks. 

 

Here's some cam pics I have gotten. There are plenty more but the issue is they are all in dark hours. None of them are in daylight. I have since moved the camera and bait pile and will post more pics once I go back and check it (another day or two). 

 

I've been out there hunting a few times and haven't seen anything during huntable hours. Any tips or suggestions?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited December 6, 2017 by btownhunter

[NorthNJHunter]

You shouldn't rely on trail cams to tell you when to hunt. Just get out there and hunt.

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

Alot of nocturnal areas this time of year, if it doesn't work out this winter give it s shot next fall as the food source may be there in the fall.

 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[MZ7Extreme]

Do you use a climber? If so go out and scout with it. When you see signs that deer are using the area climb up a tree and sit and watch the surrounding area. I have only been hunting 4 years. I have killed some does but never a buck, but that is because I am not shooting anything under 2 1/2 (Personal preference).

 

A lot of people will tell you to just go out and hunt and that really isn't productive in my opinion ( I took that advice and learned that deer usually move well from 630-930am and again from 330-530pm. It's kind of like fishing, sure you can maybe catch fish on the off tides but usually the last 3 hours of the out going tide is best, same with deer in my honest opinion.

 

Unless you are hunting the rut and all day sits are the way to go.

 

I would focus on travel routes to food sources.

 

Good luck!

[Rusty]

Welcome to the site btownhunter.  If you are putting out lots of bait the deer quickly learn that they don't need to rush in until after dark.  The location is also important, if it's far from where the deer are bedding or if it's in an area with a lot of human disturbance then the deer will avoid it during daylight.  

 

On a positive note, over the next few weeks, as things quiet down, deer will start moving earlier.  There's been a lot of activity in the woods these past few weeks and guys have dumped corn piles everywhere.  That will all change very soon and the deer will be on their feet earlier.

 

Best of luck.  

[Rusty]

A few more things that might help:

 

1. Spread small amounts of bait over a wide area so that the deer have to work for it.  Piles are not good for a variety of reasons.

 

2. Later in the winter, when there's light snow on the ground, walk the property as often as you can and you will learn how deer use the property and you can identify good stand sites.  Look for pinch points that consistently concentrate deer through specific areas.

 

3. Shoot whatever deer makes you happy.  If it's a legally taken deer then it is a trophy.  DO NOT listen to the internet knuckleheads that tell you to only shoot older bucks.  

[Haskell_Hunter]

Gotta' be in it to win it.  Just get out there and see what comes walking by.

 

Learn what deer signs look like in addition to knowing what their tracks look like.  Deer can leave a good amount of sign in the woods, and that'll tell you a story about the deer.  Once you learn what to look for, the woods will light up with lots of deer stories.  Then you'll know where to hunt and how to hunt them.

[Shootemandmountem]

Welcome to NJWW....put your time in....you learn a lot from sitting. Get in early, make sure the wind is right. Right now we are post rut, temps when I got up at 0200 today was 64 degrees in Z 15. Wind all over the place and it was raining. I went back to bed.

[JHbowhunter]

If was given this one absolute of deer hunting when I was much younger, I would have been much more successful in my younger days.... Never ignore the wind - because the deer surely don't.  Deer generally move with the wind on their nose, either straight on or a quartering angle.   They rarely move any direction with the wind on their back.  When I say "wind" I really mean airflow.   It may appear to be windless to you, but generally the air is flowing a certain direction (but not always).  

Why is this important?  Because it's IMPOSSIBLE to mask your human odor and any other odors you or your clothing may have attached to you.   A deer's nose it's it's #1 defense, and although their eyes and ears are amazing as well in terms of defense, they don't compare to their nose.

 

Once a deer has survived a NJ hunting season, they are officially "educated".   First year fawns do not yet fully recognize the danger of the human smell, but they learn quick.   Most deer herds rely on the super-senses of alpha does.  The younger deer generally follow their lead as they travel from bedding/safety toward daily food sources.

 

While it is great and paramount to seek stand locations that "funnel" or concentrate the most deer movement near you, you need to factor stand location as to what the prevailing wind would be for the time of year you hunt it (if a fixed, lock on stand).   This is where a climber could offer you some distinct advantage provided you can find the right tree suitable for a climber with enough cover to break up your background when deer look up at you - you don't want to be "skylined".     Do not setup directly upwind of direction deer will be coming from, you want to be in position to be just off the edge of your scentline to where the deer move through... (Much easier said than done - but fooling a deer's nose is the key to success, and the ONLY way to effectively do that is to make sure you never in position where your scent is blowing toward them).  

 

Again you can't make yourself odorless to a deer, but you can do all you can with washing your clothes in baking soda or various scent free detergents, airing them outside as much as you can , and I do believe the various scent-elimination sprays have their purpose in terms of removing odors from your clothing and boots (I always spray boots well before walking in - eliminating your trail goes a long way as well, especially if you expect deer to cross your trail).   If you can set up in such a way where deer won't have to cross your trail you walked in on - even better but all depends on your setup.

 

If you can just master this aspect of deer hunting within 5 years time, you will rapidly accelerate your success, as again - avoiding a deer's nose is the absolute toughest part of deer hunting, regardless of weapon or season.  I know for a fact deer can smell you from at least 1/2 a mile, possibly even more.

[dlist777]

Climber advice is good (or a hang on with a good set of lightweight sticks).  When I don't have any good leads, I just go into the woods and look for sign and set up.  This is best done in the afternoon since it's hard to scout in the dark.  Go in early, move quietly, set up somewhere and watch the woods till dark.  You'll learn a lot if nothing else....

 

Especially this time of year when leaves are down, bring some binos.  You can see a lot from most set ups...

[Bucksnbows]

Welcome, bthunter.  Some good advice here.  Just remember that deer hunting is so much more than dumping bait in the forest.  Sure, the deer will find your bait eventually and eat it, but often late at night when you're sound asleep in bed.  Learn where they bed, where they enter the property (and leave) and when.  Snow is your friend, so get out as often as you can this off season when there is snow on the ground.  Pay attention to trails and which direction the prints are in the snow.  Trail cams are also great, but be careful to conceal them as best you can which is not putting one over a bait pile that everyone can see.  Find a good trail or two and put a camera there.  That will tell you what is around as well as when.  Learning deer behavior is key to success along with hunting the wind.  Baiting can have its place, but IMO too many newer hunters rely on bait completely and that is where they go wrong.  I would say that 19 out of 20 deer I have shot in my years had zero to do with bait.  And remember that bucks often use different trails than the does will, especially when pressured.  Those trails will never be as obvious as the well used trails of does and fawns.     

[Lphunsjr]

Wow, great info here. I'm fairly new as well, and I believe the most important factor is wind. I learned a lot again this year, actually ever sit. One big thing I noticed on a new property I am hunting is that after watching a few deer from my stand on bait take the same travel route, I hung a camera on that trail to see what kind of pics I get. What I found was I get WAY more pics in that camera and even without bait, and it is merely 40 yards max away. Pay attention to natural movement and like someone said, walk the property when there is some snow on ground. You will see tracks and telltale sign

[tuny]

Wish you all the luck, you first deer is always your most memorable, so don't be overly selective. Just get out there and enjoy mother nature and she has to share with you.

[Rusty]

Wish you all the luck, you first deer is always your most memorable, so don't be overly selective. Just get out there and enjoy mother nature and she has to share with you.

 

   

[njdeerhunter54]

Try to setup downwind of the thickest area in those woods. With all the pressure this week the deer will try to stay concealed as much as possible. Like others have said spread the bait out do not pile it up ! Not only aare you making the deer work for it ,but piles get moldy and can actually poison some animals !