I've taken lots of pics with the trail cam and it seems that some deer don't mind at all and others you never see again. I think it may depend on what mood they are in I try to set a camera close to the area I hunt and not right under a stand. If they do spook they will just avoid the camera, but will remain in the area.

I agree with Red, even with the infrared camera I have, they see the red lights come on and some spook. While I have had others decide to get up close and personal with their noses touching the camera while taking a picture. So I too never put it within 50 yards of my stand but still in the same area to see what is around. Also learned something from a friend that I will do next year and that is to set it up on an active scrape to see the bucks in the area working that scrape. He showed me how it has worked for him plus he says you get a good feeling for most of the bucks in your area over a period of time.

I think it really depends on the area you are hunting. When hunting pressured deer, I don't even like getting near the woods I'll be hunting with a trail camera for fear of spooking the mature deer I hunt.

When hunting pressured whitetails, it doesn't take much to turn them nocturnal or move them to another area. That's why I have all of my scouting and stand setups finished by the month of May. That keeps me out of the woods to prevent spooking the deer.

Personally, I'd much rather get pictures of the buck with my hands wrapped around his antlers.