Headhunter":dcfvhnkc said:So many tell me they literally go to the woods or not by what they see on camera. It is legal and that is their deal and I for sure don't look down or think I am better than them, but I believe they probably miss opportunities to kill deer because they rely on cameras and if you kill a deer you patterned with a camera, you might as well be playing a video game.
I think that's a gross misrepresentation of what cameras contribute to a hunt. It seems unfair to compare using a camera with playing video games. It sure doesn't feel that way to me. My cameras are used in two ways. First is for monitoring management projects. I want to see how or if my efforts affect the herd behavior, positive or negative. Secondly I monitor several sites I am interested in hunting due to things I found while scouting. If an area tore up with scrapes & rubs is just a couple of overzealous 3yr olds then I know not to waste my time. The season is finite & I significantly increase my odds if I can focus my time on the areas that hold deer I am interested in. Does that mean I may miss a chance encounter at one of the undesirable spots? Sure that could happen. But if I have to choose between a maybe chance encounter vs a bedding area holding a few mature brutes, then my choice is pretty easy. That's hardly akin to playing a video game. Nor does it mean I'm not really hunting. I scouted those spots to hang the cameras by looking at maps, knocking on doors if private land, and hoofing countless miles of back country. It's exactly the same hunting I did before cameras. It wasn't like playing video games back then & it's not like playing video games now.
I'm not looking to change your opinion or make you feel differently. Don't use cameras if you don't want to. All I'm trying to do is show you the other perspective so you at least have an idea who you're talking to when you publicly say people who use cameras aren't really hunting. We are indeed really hunting. I am for sure. The only thing different between cameras & no cameras is being able to make a better educated guess on where to spend my time.