Trail cams; side by side?

[B-Logger]

Just wondering if anyone has tried any experiments like my neighbor just did.

He had a Cuddeback flash camera and recently bought a cheap IR camera for $100 (Wild Game I think or something like that). He had thought the Cuddeback might not be getting all the pictures and wanted to find out. What he found was interesting.

He noticed that the Cuddeback did trigger faster but not a great deal. But then he noticed that with every night picture, the second picture with the IR showed the deer fleeing! So much for the flash not bothering the deer?!

However, I have a Cuddeback flash camera and the darned thing will sometimes set itself to start taking a picture every minute (when the battery starts getting low). One sequence I got a few years ago showed the deer by 3 apple trees. They all ate some apples and then bedded. They stayed bedded for a long time too so evidently were not scared. These were all does though. I've not had it set like that when a buck came along so can not say about what it would do to them. However, I have had some things happen to convince me that some bucks for sure are bothered by the flash whereas some aren't.

So far he has tried this only along an open field but not inside the woods. I hope he does try it inside the woods to see if there is any difference. I too very well might do some experimenting but probably not for a while as we are too close to the opener of bow season. One experiment I would do would be to set the cameras on video mode.

[crazyfarmer]

what model cuddeback did he have btw? Had to be older cuddeback since the new IR would only take 1 image per 30seconds which I hate. I dont like the capture IR at all. Granted its a cuddeback but the IR images arent good in my opinion. IR spooks deer more than flash if you ask me. The slow red glow compared to the quick flash pop is a big difference... Ive had more deer spooked by IR than flash. All deer I have pictured on my IR cameras are looking right at the camera!

the whole IR thing is a myth.. deer will see it unless you have a black glow IR one.. those cost money though.

i just wanted to know which cuddeback he had since you cant get burst shots on the newer IR cuddeback.. i hope they start that next season though!!!

[B-Logger]

The Cuddeback is not IR. It is the Cuddeback Capture Flash.

I respectfully disagree with you on the IR. While I have seen some back off from the IR there have been very few. In addition, on the bigger bucks I get multiple pictures of them but when using the flash I get one shot usually. They simply do not come back to that area after the flash. So when they come back after an IR picture and not a flash that leads me to believe there is a big difference.

I hope I worded that right so all can understand. I am not talking about a second picture while they are there but the second or third picture the following day or days. After the flash I can think of only 2 times when I got a nice buck on two separate days. After the IR I have many.

[crazyfarmer]

Your bucks are just flash shy;) I've gotten picture after picture of mature bucks with flash just walking their same routine and even coming up to smell the camera. Just depends on the deer. The ir ones are the cameras the deer actually seem to keep their distance from for me. From what I've heard from many others its the same results. They can see the IR glow just as easy as the flash

[B-Logger]

I can certainly agree they see the IR glow but so far I have yet to see one run away. A few have backed out slowly but did not seem unduly alarmed.

One instance really changed my mine. A few years ago I had a nice buck coming in on opening morning. When he got close to the trail cam he suddenly looked that direction and you never saw a deer get out of there so fast. My theory is that he had seen that camera before when I had it set along a food plot. btw, my neighbor got that buck that very same evening. Sometimes you are the windshield, sometimes you are the bug.

[Sopchoppy]

Deer are like people; some are shy (IR), some are not. I have many IR pictures of deer standing and looking straight at the camera very relaxed. Some where the next pictures show the same deer walking up to the camera to investigate and take a sniff. Some where the deer's ears are perked and wondering what the heck is that. Some where all I have is the back end blur where the deer is getting out of Dodge. I have all these different situations with flash cameras and IR cameras. Picking a camera based on flash or IR spooking the deer, should not be the deciding factor.

[crazyfarmer]

Sometimes you are the windshield, sometimes you are the bug.

thats hunting;)

I keep all of my cams a good ways away from my stands also for that reason. My closest camera might be within 200 yards of one stand. I just dont trust spooking deer with my presence checking the cameras every 2 weeks. If one does spook the buck, its so far away from me it doesnt effect my spot. If it does spook him, maybe it just makes him come out 200 yards down the field where its within 20 yards of me

sopchoppy pretty much nailed it.. some are spooky, some will stand there and look at the camera for 40 mins, some will lick the camera, and some come by every 15mins just to get it to flash for them

For everyone Ive seen spooked by one or the other, its another deer that isnt.. just depends and its always a guessing game. I only use IR near houses so someone doesnt see my camera flashing. I started out with one of each style cameras.. but couldnt find hard data either way to support IR being invisable to them. I want one pic of a buck just to let me know he's on the farm. The next picture is hopefully in my yard with my wife taking the picture of him down on the ground

[B-Logger]

I agree. I also do not place the camera where I am or will be hunting. That is not the place for a trail cam.

[Limbs and Sticks]

I like the flash better than the IR, how ever not many spook from one more than the other, I do put the cams where I'm hunting I can see them across the field I want to know where he's going in the woods and thats where I WANT TO BE. I move mine every Sun. after a wk in the same spot you see the same deer traveling the same trail, unless your pouring old spice on the ground your scent is gone in 24hrs anyway, works for me

Wes

[B-Logger]

The point I was trying to make is that we too thought the same as many others but when we placed the trail cams side by side taking the pictures a second apart it showed that what appeared to be a relaxed deer showed to be a spooked deer when the second cam took the shot. Without two cameras like that nobody would know that is what happened. It sure was an eye opener for me and I do plan on some experiments, but not during season.

[crazyfarmer]

could it be possible the second camera spooked the deer just a thought also

if all of a sudden 2-3 cameras started snapping pictures of me I would get a little nervous LOL

thanks for the info and keep us posted on your other tests