How many trail cameras for 21 acres wooded area?

[outdoorman]

Found a property and wondering how many trail cameras to get? It has gentle roll and a ridge, also flat land down near the creek and section on the power line.
As I write this, I'm thinking this may be hard without seeing it but I appreciate any guidance on number of cameras folks put on wooded property.
There is a sale at Dick's on Wildgame Tetra 12 cameras.

 

[sghoghunter]

As many as you want to buy. I hunt a small area behind my house and it's amazing how you get some deer on one side that you don't see on the other side

 

[Mexican Squealer]

2

 

[Killdee]

I used to run 4 cameras on a 10 acre surburban tract and get different bucks on on each cam

 

[outdoorman]

2

Would you explain why you suggest 2?

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Small tract

 

[XJfire75]

I run 2 on 11 acres but plan to add 1-2 more of my older cams once I start adding mock scrapes.

 

[EAGLE EYE 444]

As many as you want to buy. I hunt a small area behind my house and it's amazing how you get some deer on one side that you don't see on the other side

I agree with sghoghunter as I think that you should get as many as you can afford because with just 2 cameras as someone else suggested, you will still miss 90 % of the movement on your property. I know from experience and that is why I do have so many cameras in service 24/7/365 for the past several years now. About 5 years ago, I decided to add another camera and put it in a different angle on one of my feeding stations. I already had 4 cameras from different angles covering part of the area. However, when I added the 5th camera there, I quickly saw that I was missing one decent 10 pointer and also one large 11 pointer which both came in from a different approach angle and they ultimately left that same way each time too.

I now have 6 cameras on one feeding station and also 7 cameras on the other feeding station and I don't believe that I miss anything that travels through those areas now. I still have various cameras scattered throughout the property.

I didn't check every camera on my property Saturday but the 30 cameras that I did check totaled 5,207 photos from the past week.

 

[jsa1281]

2 is plenty. This time of the year eventually every deer there should come to the corn pile. Now November cones around you can put out 10 cameras And still be scratching your head lol. You will be killing yourself moving stands constantly lol

 

[Buckstop]

I agree with the 2. But it depends on your goals. If your hoping to get a photo every time an animal steps in any direction load it up. If you actually want to kill anything worthwhile on 21 acres. I would stay away from it as much as possible, other than when you go in to hunt it.

 

[HunterJoe24]

I'm gonna agree with two. The problem if you run to many is that you rely on the cameras and not woodsmanship. I hunt a 30 something acre tract and only run 1 camera. I'm moving it constantly to where I'm seeing movement that way it helps out my woodsmanship instead of hindering it.

 

[sghoghunter]

If you had more than one on that 30 something ac you wouldn't have to keep moving it

 

[Crakajak]

I have 4 on a 5 acre food plot.

 

[jsa1281]

I have 4 on a 5 acre food plot.

I like this because it allows you to view several different angles and trails around the food plot. I feel like you wouldnt need 4 on a 5 acre hardwood bottom tho

 

[NCHillbilly]

Depends on the land and how the deer use it. I have three on one <10 acre tract, and I rarely get pics of the same deer on different cameras.

 

[Long Cut]

Don’t focus on number of cameras per acre but on covering funnels, bedding areas, primary scrapes etc... terrain features, travel corridors, food/water sources

You’re overthinking it, do what you’ve gotta do with whatcha got

 

[outdoorman]

Lots of responses; I appreciate all of them.
Being a newby to hunting as well as new landowner, I learned alot from the feedback.
I bought and put out the 6 cameras to survey whats on the property.
What I did was just place them on what looked like main traveled trails along the ridge and at the bottom of the ridge; also on trails leading to and intersecting at the small stream.

 

[sghoghunter]

You can learn way more than just what deer you have. You can learn which trails they like the best,which food the like the best and the times the move best