I’m a very big proponent of keeping as little pressure on your hunting pressure as possible so all of my trail cameras are on the edge of our food plots or only about 5 yards into the woods off of our food plots. This gives me the ability to check my trail cameras without disturbing our deer and making them aware of my presence. I’m not ignorant in the fact that I know some deer may know when I check the cameras but I know by having our cameras in easy access spots not as many deer will realize I’m there.

I set my cameras up probably higher than most people. Most people tend to put their trail cameras about 3-4 feet high up the tree but I put my camera about 4 to 5 feet off the ground and point the cameras downward. I do this for a couple reasons. I first started doing this while using flash cameras that way when the camera took a picture it did not flash in the deer eyes. I noticed having the cameras up higher in the tree the flash did not spook as many deer. The second reason is I also noticed I did not overestimate the bucks score as much when the camera was up higher. Having cameras lower to the ground will make a bucks antlers appear bigger than they really are.

Now I’m a fanatic when it comes to pictures. I want as many pictures as I can possibly get so all of my cameras are set up on a 3 burst shot mode and to recover and take another set of pictures in 30 seconds. I always make sure my cameras are setup on the highest picture quality setting so I get the best quality picture that my camera can take.

My cameras are set up about 15 to 20 feet from a mineral lick or attractant. This helps attract deer to our camera locations and when they do get to those locations it gives them a reason to stop and give the camera time to take a few pictures.

There is nothing special about my trail camera setup it’s very simple actually. In everything that I do when it comes to hunting I try to use the “KIS” (keep it simple) motto. Please share your camera setup and how you use your cameras to capture the different game you are after.

1. Place camera facing north

• Place your cameras facing north in order to not get false triggers from shadows due to the sun rising and setting. If the trail camera is faced east and west the rising and setting of the sun can trigger false camera pictures from shadows cast from the sun.

2. Place camera 36 to 48 inches off the ground

• Placing your trail camera 36 to 48 inches off the ground and tilting it slightly towards the ground ensures that you will get the whole animal’s body in the picture and ensures you are able to size up how big of a trophy the animal is. Also, by slightly tilting the camera towards the ground you will get pictures of the animals head as they are sniffing or eating the attractant. If the camera is placed too low pictures may make animal look larger than they really are.

3. Place camera 15 to 20 ft from attractant or capture area

• Placing the camera between 15 to 20 feet from an attractant or intended capture area will ensure that you get a full view of the animal in the picture. It also ensures the cameras flash will reach the intended area. Placing the camera too close can create white out pictures and may cut a portion of the animal out of the picture. Placing the camera too far away may not enable you to see the detail of the animal that you want.

4. Use mineral lick or attractant

• Using a mineral lick or attractant such as corn or other feed supplements is a great way to bring the animal in close and gives it a reason to stop which provides the camera time to snap a few pictures.

5. Clear all debris around attractant and camera

• Clear all debris around attractant and camera so there are no false triggers from weeds blowing in the wind and also so there is no debris blocking a clear image of the animal in the pictures.

6. Camera maintenance

• Clean the camera lens and detection sensor to remove any dirt and debris that can cause blurry or corrupted images. Wipe out and place moisture absorbing product inside camera. Removing moisture from your trail camera will make your camera last longer and enable the camera to generate better pictures.

There are plenty of other tips that help get better trail camera pictures so if you have any tips please share in the comment section below.

1.  What is it like to work for a big hunting company like Moultrie?

I can honestly say it is the best job I've ever had! While Moultrie is a large company, it feels more like a family than you might imagine. We all love coming to work every day to share our love of the outdoors with everyone.

2. What exactly do you do for Moultrie?

I am part of the marketing department, and I spend most of my day with the social media, creating graphics for a variety of uses and managing our website. In addition, for just over a year I've been producing, hosting and editing the Moultrie Podcast.

3. Why would you tell someone to buy a Moultrie camera over another competitors camera?

I always say that we build cameras for the "everyman" out there, and I consider myself to be in that group. We have been in the industry for over 30 years. Moultrie invests countless hours in research and development to make sure we have the best, most innovative products at affordable prices. Plus, our customer service is top-notch!

4. What are some trail camera tips you suggest that you might not hear from someone else?

Placing your camera 32-36" off the ground will get your best pics. Also, setting up your camera either due north or south, as opposed to east/west, will negate the negative effects of the rising and setting sun. Putting your camera in a heavily-canopied area will sometimes give the ambient light sensor fits in both early morning and late evening. If the camera's sensor is in a heavily shaded area and your subject is in a very light area, the camera can be fooled into switching into IR mode and giving you black & white images during daylight hours. To avoid this, try to make sure both your camera and the area you want photographed have a similar amount of light.

5. Where do you see trail camera technology in the next few years?

I don't think it's any surprise that cameras will continue to get smaller and be more energy-efficient, while also adding more and more features that make them easy to use and harder to detect.

6. Does Moultrie have any plans to expand into any other products besides the current line?

Game cameras, feeders, ATV spreaders and sprayers keep us pretty busy, but we’re always working on new products to assist wildlife and land managers.

7. Moultrie has a new technology called Motion Freeze, exactly how does that work?

Basically, the way Motion Freeze works is to switch the camera to a faster shutter speed at night, from 1/8 of a second to 1/20 of a second. The basic rules of photography apply to game cameras -  the more light you have, the sharper the image can be. In low light situations (just like your own point-and-shoot), you need to have more light to be able to capture that image. In the case of the point-and-shoot and some cams, it's a white flash; with the majority of game cameras, it's the IR flash. In the absence of more light, you need a faster shutter speed to keep a moving object in sharp focus. That's where Motion Freeze comes in.

8. Is there anything a person can do to increase the distance of a camera's flash?

This is one of the things that may seem simple, but a lot of people don't think about it. The best way to get more light to your subject is to cut down on the extra objects in the way; take the time to trim limbs, bushes and other natural obstacles that work to stop the light. The less resistance the light meets on its way to that deer 50 feet in front of your camera, the more light that will be able to reach that deer.

9. What does Moultrie do to get the next generation into the outdoors?

We're big supporters of getting our young people into the outdoors. We love to take our children into the outdoors, and we like to see others do the same. Game cameras don't have to only be about hunting; they can be awesome, low-cost tools for monitoring and discovering wildlife. I talk to a lot of people who never intend to hunt the animals they see on their cameras – they just love to watch these animals in their natural habitat without human interaction (which is one of the most amazing things that game cameras let you do, in my opinion). If you can get those young people interested in nature at a young age – whether it's with hunting or not – you have a better chance of making them life-long supports of the environment and conservation.

10. Where is the best place to set up a trail camera for big buck pictures?

Wherever they are! Seriously, there are a few place that always work well.

1. In front of a Moultrie feeder. Those big bucks need a lot of nutrition to get big, and they've got to eat!

2. Water sources. This is especially good in places with an arid climate (i.e., the desert Southwest). Deer need to eat, but they HAVE to drink.

3. Food plots. This is a similar setup to #1, but in this scenario you can put your camera on Plot Stalker Time Lapse Mode. With Plot Stalker, you don't have to wait for that big buck to come up to your feeder as you can watch him graze your food plot. Plus, you have a good chance of seeing him in his daily routine which allows you to be able to pattern him more successfully.

11. What are common mistakes that you feel people make using trail cameras?

It's incredible how many of our customer service calls are the result of two things: cheap batteries and bad SD cards! A game camera is a significant investment, but the first thing a lot of people do is put in the cheapest batteries and SD cards they can find. Always go with quality batteries, such as Energize or Duracell, and SD cards from a trusted manufacturer like Sandisk. I would like to note that our Moultrie-branded SD cards are guaranteed to work in our game cameras.

Other Safety Tips:

1. 1. Keep your hands free while climbing - use a haul line for your gear.
2. 2. Select the proper tree - live, straight, and fits your treestand's size recommendations
3. 3. Communicate your location and time of return - bring a hunting buddy if possible
4. 4. Always have a signaling device available - cell phone, whistle, signal flare, walkie-talkie, flashlight
5. 5. Try to stay below 10 feet up in a tree
6. 6. Be aware of your personal height restraints - afraid of heights?
7. 7. Make sure you have proper treestand contact with the tree and use slow 10-12" movements as you climb

Wish wish you all the best of luck and safety this hunting season!

courtesy of fcps .edu

It has become popular to use different scents to lure big bucks into shooting range. These scent control methods are being used by hunters out in the field to test their authenticity and reliability. There are different types of scents you can choose from urine based scents, pheromone based scents, food scents, curiosity scents and blocking scents. Hunters are proving that having a good scent as part of your hunting equipment can really make a difference.

Pheromones

Deer secrete pheromones from their glands as a way to communicate to other deer. Experts think this can be a way for deer to distinguish sex, age, and dominance. The glands they use include tarsal glands, forehead glands, pre-orbital glands, and many others. The pheromones are unique to each individual deer. When using a pheromone based scent to attract bucks, make sure you know exactly want you want to communicate. Some pheromones may be great to keep deer off certain trails while other pheromones might be perfect as a scent line to bring them to a specific location. Although there is still a lot of mystery and controversy among researchers about how this all works, the facts seem to point to using pheromones as a way to ‘bait’ those big bucks.

Urine

Using urine as a scent while hunting is a great way to communicate to deer that the area is safe. Urine scents are typically the cheapest and easiest of the scents to get a hold of. Non-hormone containing urine scent is a way to attract any sex and age of deer. It also is great because it can be used all year round.

Testosterone

During the rut, bucks have an elevated testosterone level. Researchers have found these testosterone levels to indicate dominance as well as health within a buck. Bucks that were a part of the same bachelor group will become familiar with each other's ‘smells’ and can use this to mark off territories. Using testosterone filled urine can be used to 1) incite curiosity from other dominate bucks in the area, as well as, 2) have does looking for a healthy mate. Testosterone urine scents can be used during the rut but be aware that its use could scare off less dominate bucks.

Estrogen

When does are in heat they secrete the hormone estrogen. Some research suggests that when bucks smell estrogen from does, they get themselves ready for mating. This helps ensure the best breeding time of the rut. Estrogen can be passed through the urine of does which in turn is used as a scent lure for hunters. There are many different opinions on which rut phase is affected most by estrogen in urine scents. It appears the earlier you can use a scent the better.  Also you may find that the scent willy work for a short amount of time because the deer in the area will become used to it.

Although there are many scent options to choose from, you need to do your research to understand which one will work best for you. Depending upon your area, size and sex of the deer you want to attract, and rut phase can affect which scent to use. Make sure you add scent to your hunting equipment this hunting season!

Amy Trying to Get Her First Turkey

Nothing can break up the wait for deer season like chasing the spring thunder chicken. It gives you another excuse to grab a gun or bow and walk through the woods using your basic predator instincts as a hunter.This year I got the bright idea to take my wife, Amy Furrow, with me. I wanted her to experience the joy and excitement of calling and chasing turkeys. Our family has around 100 acres in Southern Indiana. We have always had great success taking turkeys each year off of it. I decided Amy would be the first up to bat to get her first turkey down on the ground. I figured Amy would shoot her turkey the first weekend out and then I would have the rest of the season to chase the turkeys myself. Well it turns out I was in for a big surprise. The few times I took Amy out to turkey hunt we heard no gobbles and saw no birds. You can imagine my disappointment, especially since for the past few months I had been trying to pump Amy up for such an exciting turkey hunt together. Amy was such a trooper.

This is Amy's Style of Hunting

She followed me up and down the hills with a smile on her face while telling me how much fun she was having. Even though we did not see or even hear a bird, it was a great couple weekends spending time with Amy doing something that I love. This turkey season, so far, has reminded me it’s not always about the hunt; it’s about spending time with family. The turkey season is coming to a close and even though I was unable to get Amy her first turkey, I was able to spend quality time with her sharing the sport that I love.

God, Family, Hunting

David Furrow

courtesy of trailcam .com

Furrow Outdoors has had the opportunity to see tons of pictures of monster bucks sent to us from customers using their Moultrie Game Cameras! Trail cameras are the perfect way to see the big bucks and other wildlife that are on your property. Those "invisible" bucks are now caught on camera! Watch their antlers grow from day to day, week to week. Why do we like these trail cameras? First, Moultrie game cameras have the name to back up their performance. Second, you can rely on this camera to give you quality game pictures every time! And we can't forget, Moultrie also offers long battery life for its game cameras.

After using your trail camera to scout out your property, you now have proof there are big bucks out there to put on your hit list for the upcoming season. So now what do you do? Pattern their movements! Making a plan for the hunting season gives you an edge. Plus, you will have plenty of trail camera pictures to show off to all your hunting buddies! Just imagine if you had these bad boys to show off...

from hunt-shoot-fish .com

from growthehunt.typepad .com