Game Cameras or a Hunting Club

This may sound a little weird, but thinking my choices are game cameras or look for a club. I am finishing off my second season and got my first Doe at the beginning of the season. I'm on my nearest WMA just about every weekend there is a gun hunt. However the opportunity to take a buck eludes me and I am a bit frustrated. The bucks I have seen others shoot are not impressive to me
.I feel like the time I am sitting out in the woods all day is not worth it just to see a lone doe at best. So I figure moving forward I got two options

1. Invest in using cameras to narrow things down an area and time I know a buck is around on public land.
2. Look for a club.

I'd like to hear some feedback. I enjoy the public land experience and for the most part I have had little issues with other hunters or spots being taken.

P.S. Don't tell the guy mad about his picture being taken on public land I am considering this.

I guess it depends on how much you wanna spend. Buying 4-5 cameras is much cheaper than a quality hunting club.

Your cameras are going to get stolen on public.

You’ll get poached and trespassed if you lease.

Welcome to Alabama, it’s the f’n wild wild west when it comes to hunting around here.

If you can’t afford to buy 7500 acres and have the time to continuously monitor it you might as well just keep hunting public.

All options you’ll be frustrated but public is the cheapest

What are your goals? If your goal is to simply see deer each time you hunt…. Then yes I would join a club.
What caliber buck are you hoping to kill? You said the bucks you haven’t seen others shoot aren’t impressive.

IMO, cameras aren’t going to be the answer to killing deer out there. You have to be scouting and learning multiple different areas.

I’m in a lease or “club” with a group of guys only because I’ve been hunting with them for the past 15 years and we are friends. There is no drama or BS in the “club”. If it were just me I would lease a small Tracy of land and hunt public land. I’ve heard to many horror stories about big clubs.

Sounds like you need to spend more time scouting. Hunting public I always spend more time scouting than sitting up a tree.

This^^^
I'd study some maps and hunt some swamps if there are some and look for ridges running into them or high spots. Most people avoid water.

Nothing is better than hitting the ground and walking to learn what you are and are not looking for throughout the season. Cameras are fine for learning what passes a given spot and when. You could have deer walk everywhere but in front of it, or nowhere near, if it isn’t on a travel route or food source. Joining a club won’t magically make you see more deer if you don’t know how to scout. A club may be less pressured and that can help.

I used to hunt public land a lot. Back before cameras were popular. I wouldn’t buy an expensive one if I were you. I would assume it would get stolen. Not every knows to not touch other people’s stuff. Also even if you did join a club I would think you would need/want cameras there too. So if it’s in the budget why not do both. Join a club and buy a couple cameras. One for public and others for club. That way you can hunt either one and have somewhere to go when it’s not a gun weekend.

If your club budget is the same as several cameras, say 5 or so, I’d say you’re going to enjoy your experience on public much more than you would said club.

Yes. A “budget” club in Shelby county will be the most frustrating experience you’ve ever had lol

U can't hunt cameras....I grew up without them, now they're cool to see what's going on but I never hunt based on them, they'll screw u up 90% of the time if u try

I’m not a public land hunter, but I would say if you aren’t seeing other people or people aren’t wanting “your spot” then you probably aren’t in the right spots. I also agree with 3FFarms, Wal-Mart sells Tasco’s for around $30 each, so depending on your budget it sounds like public may be better. IMO a hunting club is one of those things where cheaper is not always better for sure.

Get you a 22,,,,, some map of the place , scout and squirrel hunt the hell out of it after season.

You need to find spots and pin them so they easy to find next season.

Be ready for long drags

Try to find places people don't want to hunt . Trails coming off and on of the place

Try to get in before the other hunters get in they may drive one to you walking in

Yeah don't wanna get wet and muddy when it's cold

If you are in south bama you will start seeing more buck soon. Rut is about to kick in.

As stated above. Go deeper in the woods early. Key is to have boots on the ground and be where they are. That said I’ve killed deer close enough to see my truck. At least with public you don’t pay for drama. I’ve talked with guys at the gates been polite and worked together for safety and hunting experience.

I appreciate the feedback. My scouting this year has been pretty good. I have about 4 or 5 spots on my WMA that I am intimately familiar with. I got rubs, scrapes, turds and beds. All the stuff you want
. I have a good idea of the trails and can predict their routes. I guess I still get into FOMO thinking. When I get bored, I can't help but think that buck must be just over the ridge or around that bend in the creek. I feel like if I had an idea or when the buck moves through, it would be heartening.

I am not looking to set the state record, but if I was to shoot a buck I'd feel bad shooting anything less than six points. I've seen some bucks shot that technically had 3 legal points but the rack wasn't even spreading out. I ain't judging, but my appreciation for balance just won't allow it. I'd shoot a doe for meat first, tbh. No shortage of them where I am.

Sounds like I need to be patient and just keep doing what I am doing. I hunt primarily for meat and exercisw. I have improved enough I could take a doe just about every other hunt. That was not the case last year.

Sounss like I am getting a great bang for my buck as is and might give a cameras a shot next year for the heck of it.

"an idea or when the buck moves through, it would be heartening." You can do that with scouting. My top three techniques for killing public bucks are: finding his bedroom and killing him when he steps out in the evening, finding his bedroom and slipping in there to kill him mid-day, sitting funnels related to bedding during rut.

There are a lot of little things that go into doing that, but mostly it's scouting. You can know where and when a buck is most of the time by scouting. I like scouting more than hunting. Figuring them out is the fun part.

Cameras are useful for narrowing down which bucks you know are old enough to suit you. You don't have to spend time sitting to lay eyes on a buck you weren't going to shoot. If you don't need it to be more than a pretty young buck then fooling with cameras is as likely to hurt as help. The danger of setting up the camera is the same or more than going in to sit.

If you join the club you can still hunt the public land.

In my experience, budget hunt clubs are more pressured than public land. There is still the benefit of a longer gun season and easier access. I bought a small property this year, and hunting has never been easier. It makes a big difference being the only hunter. It's not cheap, but it is also a wealth building investment.

As mentioned above, do more scouting. Deer hunting on public land is a year round activity. My favorite time to scout is small game season. Nothing will improve your marksmanship more than shooting squirrels with a 22. It will also give you some carcasses to practice butchering with.

Spending your money on a crossbow would serve you better than trail cams. The best public land hunting is archery only.

Good thoughts. Ultimately that is my goal to buy some land. I am definitely branching out to cross bow next season. Seems like the element of luck is always going to play a big part.

Cameras will be a big help. Good suggestion above, buy some budget cams and don’t worry if they get taken.

You can find a nice crossbow for couple hundred bucks.

Between the scouting cams and a crossbow, you should be set up well for bagging a buck by lengthening your season and hunting high percentage areas. If you’re hunting where you should be, you can be nearly as effective with a crossbow as a rifle. Bow season on the WMA you’re on can be very, very good and I’m betting the cams will only wet the appetite for your desire to hunt when you see what lives there. Although, it seems as you’re on the right track if you’re already seeing deer more times than not.

Your typical budget club in this area will carry 5-10x more pressure than the WMA.

Hunting public land in Alabama and being successful is no easy task. My advice is to find trails and bedding. The thicker the better. You can only control so much and the deer have to cooperate. There is a huge luck component involved as well. It’s easy to get frustrated. Just don’t give up.

If buying land is the plan, then take the money you would spend on a hunt club and save it for a down payment. I did find hunt clubs useful when I was first learning to hunt, but you seem to have the basics figured out already. The drama at hunt clubs can ruin your season, I'm glad that is something I never have to deal with again.

AUbowhunter is right, Alabama public land is some of the most challenging hunting in the country. You did good getting one in your second year. Killing a mature buck will be much harder though. I've gotten pretty good at finding them on public land, but haven't been able to kill one yet.

Try to learn as much as possible - it’s hard to learn over night - hopefully u pick up something from this thread? Also - do u hav any friends that are big or more importantly successful hunters ? Learn from them if u do - ask questions - if they really good friend - see if they take u

Hunt the wind

Don’t scout in prime hunting times

I hav been in some good clubs - but they are hard to find

When I hunted new places - I was always much better year 2 and 3 than the first year

In my own lease now - it usually revolves off wind and pressure. I was able to back my stand off the field on my big field and can hunt it much more now and can usually leave w out them detecting me - so in a sense it like I never hunted - that’s why I backed stand off the field