How to Use a Game Camera for Hunting

Animals move habitually through their environment on a schedule, much like people do. It is not uncommon to see a deer cross the road at the same place each day. As a result, it is relatively easy for a hunter to use a game camera to learn their natural travel patterns and improve their chances of shooting a trophy animal during season.

1. First: Hang the game camera

   Hang the game camera along the animal's trail. Find a location where the brush looks beaten down, and there are visible prints from the animal you wish to hunt. The more warn the path is, the more often it is traveled by the animal in question. Aim the camera toward the path so that it will film anything that travels on the path. Do not bait animals to the camera. This is a common mispractice, it moves animals outside of their natural travel pattern and may make patterns harder to predict when it comes time to hunt.

2. Second: Watch the footage

   Watch the footage regularly over the course of three to five weeks before season. Look for which animal is the best specimen and plan to shoot only at it. Track the times that the animal moves through the area where your camera is, and how he tends to stand. By the time season comes around, you should know where you need to set your blind in relation to the camera, what time to expect the animal to come to the blind and what animal you intend to shoot.