Article written by Stealth Cam contributor, Heath Wood.
There’s nothing quite like seeing a velvet-antlered buck in the summer sun. For deer hunters, this time of year is key for giving us hope and gathering intel that can shape our success in the fall. Bucks in velvet are highly patternable, social, and often easy to spot, making the summer months the perfect opportunity to observe and strategize. Capturing high-quality trail camera images and videos of velvet bucks not only builds anticipation and fuels daydreams while sitting at work on a hot summer day, but it also helps you develop a game plan for opening day.
Last summer, I held high hopes of capturing a large number of velvet bucks on my Stealth Cam cameras. Over the previous three years, I had steadily increased the number of bucks on my property each summer. When you get seven or eight mature bucks in one photo, it not only offers optimism for the upcoming season but also provides a sense of accomplishment in your management efforts. Sadly, as summer came to a close, I simply did not have the number of bucks I had in the past, with only one or two mature bucks making it onto my hit list in the fall. Something had happened. Perhaps a deadly disease had impacted the herd, reducing their numbers. Or maybe they had moved out of the area for reasons I couldn’t explain. I didn’t know.
After analyzing my low number of pictures and videos of bucks, I started to wonder if I needed to relocate my cameras to a different area of the farm. The cameras were in the same spots as previous years, and I had increased hunting pressure in those areas over the past two years. In mid-August, I moved the cameras and developed a new game plan. Soon, I began receiving notifications on my Command App. Finally, a few more bucks had appeared, ones I had yet to see that year, and I spotted four big, mature bucks. All it took was strategic camera placement and consideration of the human presence I had exposed them to over the last two years.
You may be looking to capture more velvet bucks on your camera. You might also need advice on when and where to place your summer game cameras. Here are five proven tips for capturing more velvet bucks this summer by utilizing the power of Stealth Cam cellular cameras and Stealth Cam solar panels to maximize your scouting efficiency and minimize intrusion.
Choose the Right Camera Locations Early
Summer bucks are creatures of habit. They feed, bed, and travel in a reliable pattern, especially in June and July. That’s why using game cameras during this time of year can be both rewarding and exciting. If you’re not getting as many photos as expected and want to capture consistent images, focus your camera setups on travel corridors between bedding areas and evening food sources, such as soybeans, clover plots, and alfalfa. Additionally, look for natural funnels, creek crossings, and shaded field edges where bucks move during daylight hours. I often try to view my area from a higher elevation point or on my HuntStand app and imagine what it would be like if I were a deer, choosing where I would want to go.
After finding high-potential areas, begin using a Stealth Cam cellular trail camera, such as the Revolver Pro 2.0 360 trail camera or the Deceptor Max 2.0, in these high-traffic spots. This will allow you to monitor movement in real-time without having to set foot in the woods, while still minimizing trips to your camera locations, keeping your presence low and the deer undisturbed.
Keep the Cameras Powered with Solar Panels
Summertime heat and long days bring plenty of sunlight, and you should take full advantage of it. Outfitting your trail cams with Stealth Cam solar panels, like the new FieldMAX EX Solar Battery Pack or the SOL-PAK Solar Battery Pack, guarantees uninterrupted operation, prevents battery drain in remote or hard-to-reach locations, and reduces the number of times you need to re-enter your hunting area to check the cameras. This is especially important for velvet-season scouting when consistency is key. If a camera dies during peak buck movement, it could result in missing valuable information that happens only once a day, or worse, excessive human scent and activity could spook a bachelor group of bucks, causing them to leave the area.
Solar power, combined with cellular transmission, forms an effective hands-off scouting setup that operates for months with minimal maintenance.
Minerals and Water: High-Value Spots
In the past few years, the areas where I received the most buck pictures were at my mineral sites. Velvet bucks crave minerals and hydration during antler growth. Strategic camera placement near legal mineral sites and secluded water sources can provide outstanding photo opportunities. When my cameras were placed over or near minerals, the bucks tended to revisit these locations daily. In hot weather, they often visited during daylight, which is not typically the case for summer deer.
Even though I had to relocate some of my new camera and mineral sites to less disturbed areas, I always try to position my Stealth Cam cameras low to the ground, angled slightly upward to capture full-body shots and velvet detail. Don’t forget to use time-lapse or video features and take advantage of the 360-degree range of the Revolver Pro models to document bachelor groups that may pass through in clusters.
Use Cellular Cams to Monitor Movement Trends
Instead of disturbing your hunting areas by constantly checking SD cards, cellular models send images or videos directly to your phone, providing immediate insight into buck activity. This helps you identify emerging patterns, such as when a mature buck changes its routine or starts to favor a different food source. Additionally, it keeps you from needing to be present at the camera location to maintain it.
These trends typically begin in mid-to-late July as bucks prepare for the hard-antler transition. The ability to make quick scouting decisions without entering the field provides you with a significant advantage in staying ahead of changing behavior.
Go Invisible: Reduce Scent and Sign
One of the main factors that led to fewer summer pictures last summer was the overexposure of my presence and human scent in the same areas each year. Even during summer, mature bucks can be sensitive to human intrusion. One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is over-checking cameras and contaminating areas with scent. Let your Stealth Cam solar-powered cellular units do the work. Set them once and stay out. If you must enter the area, do so during midday, wear rubber boots, and use scent-elimination spray. The less presence you leave behind, the more likely bucks will remain comfortable and continue showing up in front of your cameras.
The velvet season is short, but the intel you gather can set the tone for your entire fall. With clever camera placement, solar-powered consistency, and the remote efficiency of Stealth Cam’s cellular trail cameras, you can create a velvet buck inventory without disrupting their summer patterns.
