Making a reference to the TV show Candid Camera will definitely put me into the Official Old Geezer category. A quick Google check tells me the program began production in 1947 or 48. As a kid growing up in the 50’s, I recall watching it on the little black and white set we had that allowed 2 channel options. We thought that our lives moved to “high cotton” conditions where Channel 12 was added to Channels 4 and 5!
The show generally documented people’s behaviors in surprising and unusual contrived situations when they were unaware of the recording. It caused many a laugh for me and my family and was a “must see” part of our TV schedule watching.
Fast forward to the last couple of decades and the use of Trail Cameras out in La Brasada as a game monitoring tool has become very popular. Getting notices on your smart phone when something walks within camera range is commonplace today.
My own use is geared primarily to make stewardship decisions. Much of my focus is on overall herd conditions in terms of the different age and gender classifications, particularly of the whitetail deer population. Antler development and fawn recruitment (survival) are also high on my watch list. These data reference points have been of value to me, both personally and professionally, for many years now.
There is no question such “intel gathering” tends to lessen the “surprise element” of what is discovered during the actual hunting season. But I can say without hesitation, that most every year, any number of unplanned and unknown events occur for me while in south Texas outdoors in my Hunter role.
Data gathered is very useful in terms of setting harvest limits for both sexes. And it is especially helpful to target specific animals that are “off limits” or that are “hit list” candidates. Continuing to follow the status of the various native populations, ranging from turkey to varmints, and deer to hogs, is an appropriate management tool in my way of thinking. And by seeing and showing the pictures to various “interested parties” it allows for fewer “OOPS” mistakes.
For example, if an overly eager hunters should decide to harvest a real “up and comer” buck at age 3 ½ or 4 ½, the negative impact can last a full decade. Given it will set back the clock by a year to have the replacement baby on the ground, and generally at least another 5 ½ years to bring the next deer to his full potential, do the math.
Of course, mistakes are going to happen, and Mother Nature can play a REAL big part of the equation either by death or injury, to say nothing of weather patterns. But those are factors mostly outside of human control. In summation, the use of cameras not only provides ongoing information to those parties attempting to improve wildlife management practices, but it can also be a LOT of Fun to see those images to keep the old heart and brain stimulated when a person cannot be out there in the flesh!