Outside Iowa: Setting up surveillance for big bucks
Oh boy, its that time of year again! As I age time seems to go by faster which certainly has its ups and downs. One for the negative side is I realize I am just not as young as I once was. But, the positive is deer season seems to get here quicker each and every fall, that part you won’t ever hear me complain about!
It really seems like just last week we were talking about late season whitetails, shed hunting, turkey season, but now deer season officially begins as trail camera deployment is upon us! I know a lot of hunters, who keep their cameras out all year or even get them hung up by the first of June. I like to get my cams put out when the deer are obviously identifiable.
It truly amazes me, year in and year out how quickly these bucks produce their racks. Right now most of them have the basic frame and primary points that make them easy to recognize. Sure there is lots of growth to take place still, but now you should be able to begin putting together your 2012 hit-list.
By the time the final week of June rolls around the crops are getting pretty tall and most of the fawns have dropped making the deer very willing to show themselves, especially during daylight hours. You may have noticed an increase in road kills lately? The increase in mosquito and biting fly activity matched with newly born fawns push the deer to more open terrains where they can feed and avoid some of the aggravating insects. The does are also feeding heavily right now to sustain their milk production for their fawns, its not uncommon to see them feeding during the heat of the day.
So, when it comes to camera sets, where do we start? I suggest staying away from security cover and regular bedding areas. Those places can be good, but I prefer to leave them untouched until the rut gets closer where you can find an active scrape to put the camera on.
This time of year, it’s all about the food. Look for active origin corners in crop fields that are easily accessible, even via your pick-up or a quad. Put some food out for them and let the cameras soak.
Every year there is a discussion about mineral licks here in Iowa, as the spread of CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) is a real concern.
However, there is little evidence that the prions can be spread through saliva, but some still think making licks illegal will reduce the spread of this nasty disease. That is a discussion for another day, but something to keep in mind.
For the sake of eliminating a long lasting bait site, I prefer to stick to shelled corn from the local Co-Op, which sells by the bushel at market price. This works best because they stop using the bait site once the food is gone. The food is meant to pull the deer out into the open and force them to stop in front of your camera, generating lots of great photos.
Once your cams are up, I suggest leaving them sit for at least two weeks before your first card pull. It takes the big bucks a couple weeks to find the bait site and become regular visitors, but after that, I like to pull cards once a week, (it kind of becomes like Christmas!).
The information you gather throughout the next few months will become a vital component to your fall strategy, and this is also a great way to involve the kids. From the time of this writing, 102 days until Oct. 1! But, who’s counting?
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll help in any way I can! tha481@gmail.com
Live It Up!
Thomas resides with his wife and two children in Guthrie Center. He is a professional outdoor writer, photographer, videographer, and outdoor talk radio show host; for more information visit www.outsideiowa.com