Using BB2+ Products and Trail Cameras to Monitor Your Deer Herd
By Heath Wood
Trail cameras have changed the way we scout whitetails. Not all that long ago, scouting meant walking the property looking for tracks, trails, rubs, scrapes, and other signs of deer activity. Sometimes it meant catching a glimpse of a good buck from the road, and immediately getting our hopes up for the season ahead.
Today, our scouting routine looks a little different. We go to bed checking our phones to see what showed up on camera that day, and we wake up doing the same thing. Instead of starting the morning with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, many of us grab our phones to see if that hit list buck made an appearance during the night. Modern trail cameras allow us to monitor deer activity around the clock without constantly walking through the property, and when used correctly, they can provide valuable insight into the deer using a particular piece of ground.
But there is a potential problem with relying too heavily on trail cameras: a camera can only photograph what walks in front of it. That's why some hunters argue that placing cameras over supplemental feed isn't the best way to scout. While a feeding site can produce plenty of pictures, it may not accurately represent how deer naturally move across the property. Concentrating deer around one location can give hunters a distorted view of travel patterns and activity.
That doesn't mean cameras over feed don't have a place in a deer management strategy. In fact, when used as one piece of a larger scouting effort, a trail camera paired with the right supplemental feed can provide valuable information that may be difficult to gather any other way. The key is understanding what that camera is designed to tell you and using the information it provides as part of the bigger picture.
The Difference Between Scouting and Monitoring
There is an important distinction between scouting deer movement and monitoring the deer herd.When we're scouting, we're trying to understand how deer naturally use the property. We're looking for trails, bedding areas, food sources, funnels, crossings, and travel corridors. Those observations can help us determine where and when we should hunt. Yet, monitoring deer is different.
Monitoring means keeping track of the deer using the property over time. We want to know which bucks are present, how many does and fawns are using the property, which bucks are showing up consistently, whether young bucks are growing, whether mature bucks are appearing during daylight, and whether deer numbers are changing. This is where a camera over a supplemental feed site can be extremely useful. Instead of relying on the camera to tell us exactly how deer travel, we're using it as an inventory tool. And that's an important distinction.
Why Put a Camera Over BB2+
The biggest advantage is simple, you can create a consistent location where deer want to stop.
Big & J's new BB2+ lineup gives hunters and land managers three different options depending on the goal. The company describes BB2 10+ as the attraction focused option, BB2 20+ as a balance of attraction and nutrition, and BB2 30+ as the maximum protein option. When paired with a trail camera, each can serve a slightly different purpose.
BB2 10+: Build an Inventory
If your primary goal is getting deer in front of the camera, BB2 10+ is a logical place to start.BB2 10+ contains a minimum of 10% protein and is designed around the long range attraction that has made the BB2 name popular with deer hunters. Big & J specifically recommends using it around trail cameras to establish travel patterns and continually attract deer. For summer camera work, that's a big advantage.
Put a camera over a BB2 10+ site, and you can begin building a photographic inventory of the deer using your property. Instead of hoping a buck happens to walk past the camera, you're creating a reason for deer to visit the area. This can help answer some important questions about the deer using your property, including which bucks are present, how many mature bucks are in the area, which bucks are regular visitors, and what the doe-to-buck ratio looks like. It can also give you an idea of how many fawns are being produced, whether new bucks are showing up that you have never seen before, and which bucks are consistently appearing during daylight hours. The goal isn't necessarily to hunt the location where the camera is placed. Instead, the goal is to gather useful information that helps to better understand the deer herd and how deer are using the property.
BB2 20+: Monitor Deer While Adding More Nutrition
For land managers who want their camera sites to do more than simply attract deer, BB2 20+ takes things a step further. BB2 20+ contains a minimum of 20% protein and is formulated to combine attraction with nutritional value. Big & J says its balanced fat-to-fiber profile, digestibility, and protein content are designed to support antler development, herd health, and overall body condition. That makes BB2 20+ particularly interesting for someone who wants to monitor and manage at the same time.
Instead of merely creating an attraction site, you're creating a location where deer can receive supplemental nutrition while you monitor them. For example, throughout the summer, you can use the camera to follow individual bucks as their antlers develop. You can compare body condition, identify new deer, and watch how the herd changes as the season approaches. The important thing to remember is that supplemental feed should complement, not replace, quality habitat and native forage.
BB2 30+: When Nutrition Becomes the Priority
BB2 30+ is designed for times when nutritional demand is higher. With a minimum of 30% protein, Big & J positions BB2 30+ as its maximum protein blend for high demand and highstress periods, with a focus on supporting antler development and overall herd condition. That makes it an interesting option for serious deer managers who aren't simply interested in seeing more deer in pictures. They're interested in what those deer look like and how the herd is developing.
A camera over a BB2 30+ site can provide a combination of visual information and supplemental nutrition. During antler growth, for example, you can document individual bucks throughout the summer while providing additional protein during a period when bucks have significant nutritional demands. Again, the camera isn't telling you everything about the property. But it can give you a piece of the puzzle.
Don't Let the Camera Fool You
This is where hunters need to be careful. If you put a camera over feed and photograph 10 different bucks, it doesn't necessarily mean those 10 bucks spend most of their time in that area.You've created an attraction. That's both the strength and weakness of the strategy.
A camera over BB2+ can tell you which deer are willing to visit that location. It can't necessarily tell you where those deer came from, where they're bedding, or which route they normally take when they're not visiting the feeding site. That's why, as hunters, we shouldn't stop traditional scouting. Instead, use the two methods together.
Look for natural trails, bedding areas, food sources, terrain features, and travel corridors. Then use your camera sites to help confirm which deer are actually using the property. Think of it this way: traditional scouting tells you how deer use the property while cameras over BB2+ help tell you which deer are using it.
Use Camera Sites as an Inventory System
One of my favorite benefits of this approach is the ability to develop a hit list before the season ever begins. As summer progresses, individual bucks begin to stand out from the rest. You start recognizing their unique antler characteristics, body size, age class, and patterns. Give them a name or number, and you can begin keeping track of their appearances throughout the summer.
When opening day finally arrives, you aren't starting from scratch trying to figure out which bucks are using the property. You already have a good idea of what deer are present and which ones have caught your attention. Big & J even recommends using its BB2 10+ and BB2 20+ blocks at pre-season camera sites to help hunters identify and monitor their hit list bucks. Because the blocks are designed to last longer and require less frequent replenishment, they can also be especially useful in remote locations where checking cameras regularly isn't practical or where minimizing human intrusion is a priority.
Don't Overlook the Does and Fawns
One of the biggest mistakes hunters make with trail cameras is becoming obsessed with bucks. A camera over BB2+ can also provide valuable information about the rest of the herd. Watching does and fawns can provide valuable insight into the overall deer herd. Their activity can help you understand fawn recruitment, doe numbers, general herd activity, changes in deer numbers, and the timing of seasonal movement. Over several months and, even more importantly, across multiple years, that information becomes increasingly valuable. One summer’s trail camera pictures might be interesting, but several years of pictures can become a valuable management tool, helping you recognize trends and make better decisions about the deer herd and the property.
The Best Approach: Use Both
There's no question that I still prefer natural scouting when I'm trying to understand how deer move across a property. But I also don't want to overlook the advantages of a strategically placed camera over BB2+. Used properly, it can give you a controlled location for monitoring the herd, identifying individual bucks, documenting antler growth, and watching deer numbers change throughout the year.
The key is not to mistake a feeding site camera for a complete scouting system. Instead, use it for what it does best. Monitor the herd, identify the deer, gather information, and then take that information back to the woods. When you combine trail camera data from BB2+ sites with traditional scouting, habitat observations, and an understanding of how deer use the landscape, you have much more than a collection of trail camera pictures. You have a better picture of the deer you're hunting.