Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Trail Camera Trophies

I have plans to check my trail cameras later this week and I'm really excited about what might be on the cameras. I've become a big fan of trail cameras over the last several years. They provide valuable scouting information because they are in the field doing the scouting when I can't be. Each time I check a trail camera, it's kinda like opening presents on Christmas morning - you never know what is gonna be on those memory cards. I've been really disappointed before when I would check a camera and a cow had rubbed up against it and knocked it down, resulting in a memory card full of pictures looking up at the sky. I've also been pleasantly surprised when something unique would show up on the camera. One thing I like about trail cameras is they provide another aspect to hunting. Even though you may not be able to bag that trophy buck, your trail camera might capture a picture of him. I decided to sort through some of my old trail camera pics and share a few of my favorites with you, along with a story for each one.

This first picture might not seem that unique - that's a 9-point on the left and a 10-point on the right. What I liked about this picture is that one of the deer is still in velvet while the other one has already lost his velvet. Also, if you look really closely, I am sitting inside the box blind off in the distance. This was the second morning of dove season, and there had been no birds flying the day before, so I decided to sit in my scouting blind that morning and see if I could see some deer. I took a camera with me and was able to take a couple still shots of the same deer that are in the trail camera picture.



This next picture is really strange. I thought about sending it to the National Enquirer and telling them I had documented evidence of a Chupacabra. My hunting buddies and I analyzed this picture quite a bit and we determined that this is a coyote with an extreme case of the mange.

The next picture is one that has really stood out in my mind. This is the biggest boar hog I have ever caught on camera, and I've gotten lots of hog pictures. My guess is that this porker would go 300+ pounds easily. I nicknamed him "The Grand Champion", because the way this pig is standing in the picture reminds me of a picture of an FFA boy with his showpig. I have to admit, I've walked to my stand before in the pitch black during the wee hours of the morning, armed with nothing more than a bow and arrow, heard a rustle in the brush and had visions of this image. I really don't want to come face to face with this dude!

I've gotten quite a few pictures of coyotes over the years, but this is one of the best ones. It doesn't snow that often here in Texas, so this one is a little unique.

And I can't leave you without a deer picture. Each fall it seems like I get one picture of a buck that is what I would consider a giant (at least for the area we hunt). Usually that picture is in the middle of the night and the deer is just passing through. Here is a perfect example. Although this wasn't the best angle of this deer, this is the only picture I've gotten of this buck in several years of having cameras up. The date is November 3rd, probably in the peak of the rut, and the time was 12:02 - just after midnight (I know the camera showed P.M. instead of A.M. - I had it set wrong by 12 hours). This buck doesn't have a very wide spread, but look at the length of those tines!

I love trail camera pictures! If you have a unique one that you would like for me to share on my blog, click on the email link on the right-hand side of the page and send it to me. Include a brief description of the picture (your name, where you are from, where the picture was taken, and any other pertinent facts) and I would be glad to post it on my page. Hunting season is just a couple months away!

1 comment:

Brian Grossman said...

Great post, Rob. I've just been using trail cameras for a couple of years now, and it definitely is fun and exciting to see whats running around on the property that you hunt. I've got to see a lot of really good bucks, that I never would have known were there without them. It sure makes it easier to stay in the stand when you know a good one is in the area!