
For years, I’d put my trail-cameras out a couple months prior to deer season, watch them intently through the rut, and as soon as the season wrapped up, I’d venture back out to pull them down. That’s not to say I wouldn’t move some around during deer season, but by the last month of season, batteries would often be depleted, or the cameras were hanging in areas the deer had long since abandoned. In other words, they weren’t doing me much good at that point. So, I would collect them to store away until next summer.
But this year, I did things a little differently. I didn’t put out many cameras at all prior to and during deer season. It wasn’t necessarily a planned approach, it was just a factor of other things taking priority of my time. But as the season started to wind down a few weeks ago, I decided to change things up and put out several cameras on two different tracts of public land not far from my home.
I did it for a couple of reasons, which I’ll discuss below, and the more thought I gave to it, the more benefits I began to see to running trail cameras post-deer season. In fact, I think it will likely become an annual process of mine based on some early results I’m seeing.
So, if you’re the type who pulls your cameras shortly after (or maybe even before) the last day of deer season, I would like to encourage you to keep them out a while longer for these six reasons.
1. Inventory Which Bucks Survived
This was the primary reason for putting my cameras out so late in the year. My goal going into next season is to kill my best buck yet from public land (dang, did I just announce that publicly?). And to get a head start on that goal, I thought it would be cool to see if I could identify some potential candidates now.
Fortunately, we don’t lose many deer to severe winter weather here in central Georgia, and neither WMA is in close proximity to a major highway, so any bucks I locate this time of year stand a good chance of surviving to see another opening day.
Keep in mind, I’m not trying to figure out where I’ll hang a stand at this point. I’m just confirming that a good buck is in the area. I’ll worry about pinning down a more specific location when I put my cameras back out in June/July.
A few of the cameras I have out are cell cameras, and I’ve gotten a couple of potential target bucks on those over the last month. But when I pulled cards on my non-cell cameras this past weekend, I got even more excited about next season. Not that I had any true giants on camera, but a couple are definitely good mature bucks for the area, which is all I can realistically hope for.
2. Determine When Bucks Cast Their Antlers
I’ve spent a lot of hours searching for shed antlers in the past when most bucks were still holding tight to theirs. Not that there’s anything wrong with getting out for some fresh air and exercise, but if I’d had cameras hung to let me know which, and what percentage of bucks, still had their antlers, I may not have been as frustrated by my lack of success.
One sure way to know exactly when it’s time to start putting the miles on those boots is by watching the deer on your trail cameras and waiting until most bucks have dropped their antlers. Not only can those cameras help you know when to shed hunt, but they can also help with where to shed hunt! No, it doesn’t give you an exact location, unless you’re lucky enough to have a buck drop one or both antlers in front of your trail-camera. But if you get pictures of the buck before and after he sheds his antlers, especially within a short timespan, I would start searching at the camera location and either do a grid search or a circular search around that location.
3. Monitor Deer Herd Health
Beyond just seeing which bucks made it through deer season, winter trail-camera photos can give you clues into the overall health of your local deer herd. Winter can be a challenging time for deer, as food sources are limited and the stress of the rut has taken its toll.
Trail cameras positioned near winter feeding areas, bedding locations, or travel corridors can help you monitor body condition and spot injuries that may have occurred during the season. Thin or weak-looking deer might indicate a need for habitat improvements, such as increasing food availability or providing better thermal cover, or the need to harvest more deer next season.
Trail cameras also allow you to monitor the buck-to-doe ratio and fawn survival rates during the winter months. Seeing a healthy number of fawns and balanced sex ratios indicates a productive and sustainable herd. Conversely, a skewed ratio or low fawn survival could highlight areas for improvement.
By keeping tabs on herd health during the off-season, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions that support a thriving deer population on your property.
4. Monitor Predators
Deer aren’t the only animals you can monitor with your trail cameras. They are a great tool for monitoring predators as well. While they may not give you an accurate census of predator numbers on your property, they can certainly give you an idea of how prevalent they are, and over time, you should be able to see trends in their abundance.
Should you decide to actively manage them through trapping or harvest, then monitoring the area with trail cameras should give you an idea if those efforts are having an impact. And, of course, you’ll be able to monitor the response of the deer herd to those efforts as well.
5. Monitor People
Using trail cameras after deer season can be an effective way to monitor human activity, as well. For private landowners, trespassing can be a significant issue, especially after hunting season when people may assume landowners are less likely to visit the property. Placing trail cameras near access points, gates, or property boundaries can help you detect unwanted human traffic.
Cellular trail cameras can provide you with real-time data, giving you an opportunity to address the issue promptly. Evidence captured on camera can also be useful if you need to involve law enforcement or document repeated offenses.
On public land, running trail cameras post-season can offer insights into hunting and scouting pressure in specific areas. By placing cameras near popular access points, trails, or stand locations, you can gauge how frequently people use certain areas during post-season.
This information can help you identify high-pressure zones to avoid during future hunts or uncover overlooked spots with minimal human activity. Additionally, observing when people begin scouting for the next season can give you a strategic advantage in planning your own efforts.
6. Capture Unusual Weather Occurrences
I never really thought of this as a trail-camera use until this winter, when we got a rare snowstorm here in Georgia. I was able to capture a few cool shots on my cameras of deer in the snow, and my Facebook feed was full of similar photos. I know a deer in the snow is nothing unusual for you northern folks, but it was a rare sight for those of us in the Deep South.
I’ve also seen hunters use trail cameras – whether planned or not – to monitor flooding activity where they hunt. Unfortunately, that can sometimes cost you a camera! And while not specifically a weather occurrence, I’ve also seen some great shots of prescribed burns caught by trail cameras. And like flooding events, I’ve had a good friend lose a camera to prescribed fire on a tract of public land.
Final Thoughts
There are lots of reasons to keep those trail cameras out after deer season, well beyond just the six we’ve outlined here. Some of those reasons can provide valuable intel for future hunting endeavors, others can help with managing your property, and some are just for the fun of getting cool photos of wildlife all year long.
So if you’re like me, and you’ve always pulled your cameras at the end of deer season, consider leaving them out a little longer this year. I think you’ll find it helps extend the “season” a little more and gives you something to look forward to, whether it’s the instant notifications from a cellular trail-cam or getting to go check those non-cellular cameras to see what you captured.