Drive up, don't walk up?

[Kwood]

Have seen several times that many will drive to trail cameras instead of walk up to them. Can someone explain this to me?

Also seen where some hang much higher so it's above a deers reach. Is this all for scent?

 

[JohnL48]

Driving is less likely to spook deer than walking would be. I hang my camera's above line of sight to avoid theft mostly

 

[boot]

Ive always walked, assuming I can sneak in and out better than on an ATV and the sound of a vehicle might be to intrusive

 

[HoleHopper]

IMO, If they are close they will know you are there regardless of what you do, or approach a camera. Having said that I have driven right by deer in fields on a wheeler and all they did is watch me drive by. Now if I am on foot or if I attempted to get off they would spook and head out. This may not be related but when I bait bears, I purposely drive a wheeler slowly to the bait and leave it run while I rebait the sight. I believe it makes them feel more comfortable than if I were to quietly sneak in to the bait sight. That way they just move off, till they here me leave, and theoretically, all is well.

I also believe that you don't leave nearly the amount of scent than you would on foot.

 

[ALwoodsman]

I do both depending on the location. I have some on my access roads so of course I check them with my ATV. I have also started setting them up higher in the tree. The deer don't notice them and neither do trespassers.

 

[blumsden]

Too me, they dont feel threatened by a vehicle. As has been said they will just stand there and watch you drive by, if there in cover. Walking in leaves scent everywhere. Remember the best way to clear a plot after dark is to have someone drive up to the plot to pick you up.

 

[smsmith]

Too me, they dont feel threatened by a vehicle. As has been said they will just stand there and watch you drive by, if there in cover. Walking in leaves scent everywhere. Remember the best way to clear a plot after dark is to have someone drive up to the plot to pick you up.

If they don't feel threatened by a vehicle, why does a vehicle pulling in to pick you up clear the plot?

 

[JohnL48]

If they don't feel threatened by a vehicle, why does a vehicle pulling in to pick you up clear the plot?

I believe he means clear the plot of himself

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

In my area riding into cameras is the best approach. Deer in my area are used to seeing farm equipment in and out of fields and pastures. Although they may clear the field they only go into cover a few yards and wait until I drive by to return to the field to feed. I typically try to check my cameras during mid day when the majority of deer are bedded up for the day. I try to keep my cameras out of bedding areas and typically hang them on edges or short distances into the woods with easy entrance and exit. I have a number of my cameras within 100 yards of the road and hang them on edge of bean fields this time of year. I can easily slip in by foot or UTV and slip back out. By using the UTV I am not putting any scent on the ground so this is typically how I will approach the cameras when I can. I recently started hanging my cameras further up in the tree to avoid theft but If that option is not available I will hang them where they work best first.

 

[cutman]

I honestly think that it doesn't matter as long as you keep the same routine in the same areas. I believe that resident deer get used to the normal hustle and bustle of human activity, including scent.

 

[blumsden]

If you'll reread my first reply, you'll see where i said a vehicle doesn't scare deer if there in cover, a food plot is in the wide open. I'm talking about deer that live around people and busy roads. Wilderness deer is a complete different animal.

 

[mthornton99]

Don't think there is one right answer to this. I rarely drive in where I hunt, but my Dad and I used to hunt some very mountainous woods in north Alabama and driving in was a must. My dad wasn't able to walk the incline and if I did, I would have such a sweat going that my scent would have been much more likely to scare the deer.
Now, having said that, my dad killed numerous deer on that mountain by driving in, hiding the 4-wheeler in the edge of the cutover and climbing in his ladder stand not 50yds away. If any deer heard the atv, it didn't keep many of them away for long.
Also, think how many times you have driven by deer on the side of the road in your truck that barely raised their heads as you drove by. Now if you stop and roll down the window, they speed away.
I don't know which is best, but just something to think about.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

I think it depends where you live. I live in rural farm country. Our deer are used to seeing tractors, atv's etc. up and down roads and across fields. This time of year farmers are mowing their field edges and waterways knocking the grasses down. This is why I use atv to access my cameras during this time of the year. Come October the only time I set foot or wheels into the woods is when I am hunting and I always walk in to access stands. I check my camera's on the way to and from stands after season comes in.

 

[boot]

I think it depends where you live. I live in rural farm country. Our deer are used to seeing tractors, atv's etc. up and down roads and across fields. This time of year farmers are mowing their field edges and waterways knocking the grasses down. This is why I use atv to access my cameras during this time of the year. Come October the only time I set foot or wheels into the woods is when I am hunting and I always walk in to access stands. I check my camera's on the way to and from stands after season comes in.

I try to follow that exact same plan, seems to work good enough.