One of the things that is great about a good field camera is that you can have 24/7 surveillance of your property and that is a real help. After we set up cameras to track how many does and bucks we had we were surprised to find that the doe population was much larger than expected. That changed our hunting habits and it has worked out for the best. You need to keep those ratios in order. We noticed that when the numbers grew a little high in the deer population that the large antlered animals were coming in less often. More of the young bucks were being killed. As a result, we hunted more does, and as the population reduced and the bucks were left more to their own we started to see those big prize bucks again. There are other things that you can do to increase the chances of big healthy bucks like setting up food plots or leaving feeders full of corn to make sure they are eating. It is also a good idea to leave an area on the property where you don't hunt at all. These all help but keeping the ratios in line is the most effective thing and the field cameras really help with this.

Tracking the Population

We found that we bought the cameras to improve the hunting on the property but in the end the camera has been almost as much fun as the hunting. It is really interesting to see what you have captured and to see them out there and know they have no idea that you can see them. It has really helped the hunting as well, as we have kept accurate records of what we have seen and the camera takes enough pictures that we have a pretty good idea of the ratios. You get to see the same animals over and over again, and in many cases when you shoot an animal you end up knowing exactly which one it is from the camera shots.

What to Look for in a Camera

Now there are so many good products out there. When you are looking to get a field camera, first of all make sure that it is just that. A conventional camera just will not do for this kind of photography. You will want to get one that has decent resolution; anything above about five mega pixels will do the job just fine. You will have to determine how sensitive of a sensor you need and the salesperson should be able to help you find something particular for your use. Get an external battery pack if you can, especially if you need to leave the camera out there unattended for long periods of time. Make sure that you are using an infrared flash. They do not have the same picture quality as the traditional incandescents but they use less battery, they operate more quickly than the incandescents and best of all they will not spook the animals that you are trying to photograph. You might want to look into some security devices and camouflage if you are putting the camera up in a public place as well. They can be very useful, especially if you find the right one for your needs.