I remember in my early hunting days in the ’60s, scouting for deer meant getting into the woods in search of well-used trails, scrapes, rubs, and feeding and bedding areas. It also meant setting up somewhere in your potential hunting area to see what deer were frequenting the area and at what times.

The problem, of course, with that scouting was that time spent in or near your planned hunting locations could lead to you being spotted by the very deer you were after, and leaving your scent behind didn’t help either.

These days, I still try to check out my potential hunting locations, but I do it less frequently, and I try to keep some distance by using binoculars.

Due to advancing technology, however, we are now able to “scout” our potential hunting locations without actually being there — introducing the trail camera. It was in the 1980s and ‘90s that the trail camera came about. Over the years, improvements have resulted in cellular cameras that can take and transmit photos to a cellphone or other connected device in real-time.

Obviously, one great big advantage is that you can see what’s there without actually being there, and the photos can be pulled up live when movement is detected.

Now we can not only count the bucks, but we can actually keep track of antler growth on individual bucks, and it’s not surprising that some of those bucks end up with names.

Not only do the trail cameras provide a lot of constantly updated photos of deer, but they also produce a lot of photos of critters that you probably had no idea were passing through.

We have a number of cameras surrounding the property around our home, and in addition to deer, we have had a number of bears, turkeys, raccoons, possums, rabbits, foxes, and coyotes. I had no idea that many different wild animals were frequenting our area.

It’s probably a good idea to move your trail cameras as the months change since where the deer are roaming in late summer will not likely be the same areas come fall or when the rut gets underway.

Not only does the rut change deer patterns and behavior, but changing food sources will also change deer movements. The greenery of spring and summer that deer were feeding on is gone by fall, and deer begin to seek out hard mast crops like acorns and beechnuts, so moving your cameras will help keep track of deer traveling patterns.

My wife and I decided to add more cameras to some of our potential hunting locations.

Upon checking with others who utilize cellular cameras, I found that the Tactacam by Reveal was highly recommended. My son has found them very helpful in keeping track of local deer numbers and their movements. I know of one family that owns a couple of sizeable tracts of land that utilize about 40 cameras.

Probably one of the most helpful features that we all agree on is the camera’s ability to send live photos at any time of the day or night; you can pull out your cell phone and check what’s happening anytime.

The camera offers both daytime and nighttime photos, and they operate with AA batteries, but you can also opt for a solar panel.

Animal movements can be detected at 96 plus feet. The daytime and nighttime photos are pretty clear, and you can order up to 50 high-definition photos for a small additional fee.

The camera comes with an instruction manual, and there is a minimal fee for each camera’s operation.

Does having these cameras on hand guarantee you’ll get that buck you’ve been seeing? No, it doesn’t, but they do help in keeping track of where they might be and when.

However, it’s still important that you consider changing movement patterns due to changing food supplies and the rut and post-rut periods.

It’s also great fun checking the photos to see what wildlife is showing up.