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Ken Olson – How to use WiFi trail cameras to build a hit list

vKO Farms Ken OlsonGood morning. Welcome to another episode of Whitetail Rendezvous. I’m privileged to be sitting with Mr. Kenneth Olson. Ken and I connected 1977. We were both with the New York Life company, and Ken and I have maintained a relationship ever since. Ken went on to be very successful with the New York Life, and I went into the publishing industry and had a great career. And I’d like to spend two or three days, as much as Ken can tolerate me up at KO Farms in Northwestern Wisconsin. Ken, welcome to the show. Ken Olson – How to use WiFi trail cameras to build a hit list

Ken: Thank you, Bruce. Nice to be back here.

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Bruce: We’re sitting at the farm. It’s about 450 acres and it sits on a lake. And we got marsh, we got ridges, and we got fantastic whitetail habitat. Let’s talk about why you went to a wireless system.

Ken: Well, I wanted to monitor the behavior of these critters, not just the deer. But I get all kinds of pictures of all kinds of critters. But I’ve hunted for 50 years and sitting in the woods seeing nothing just got old. So now with my system, I at least know what’s around. I have been able to pattern and shoot one very nice buck. This year, I had two dandies that I had on the pattern. And about a week before bull season started, down came the acorns, away went my deer. And I monitored those cameras for six weeks seeing very little. And then as the acorns disappeared, my bucks started to reappear. So rather than wasting a whole month of my life, I was playing golf and fishing in Florida for October and on back during the rut.

Bruce: And Ken, I understand that you can be sitting down in Fort Myers and on your boat with your iPad or whatever and see whatever critters are walking past the camera lens. Is that correct?

There is a software, I believe it’s called TeamViewer, that’s pretty easy to install on my iPad

Ken: There is a software, I believe it’s called TeamViewer, that’s pretty easy to install on my iPad. I could actually be in a blind out here and check what’s walking by on the other cameras in the woods. But like you said, I can be in Florida. And it’s rather fun to monitor what’s going on. Then I do keep what I consider the best pictures, not only of deer, but everything else running around. And then I make a book of pictures in the winter time. I believe I’m on my fourth book this year.

Bruce: Yeah. Ken and I were talking. He’s got over 15,000 photos are taken each year, not just of deer, but we have turkeys. What else did we catch on the cameras, Ken?

Ken: A lot of sandhill cranes. I have lots of bears. bobcats. But the only thing that I believe that’s in the neighborhood that I haven’t had a picture in yet is a cougar. My neighbors claim to have seen them, but I haven’t.

Bruce: And how many food plots are you monitoring, and travel corridors?

Ken: I have 11 cameras, 9 of them are on food plots. But those food plots might be as small as 2/10ths of an acre. I think my biggest one is 7/10ths of an acre. Most of the time I’ll plant a brassica along with the clover, so we hunt the brassica. But the fall that I plant this stuff, and then the clover basically comes up for the next year as much as five years after that. Well, I usually mow Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day just to keep the clover down. Fertilize it spring and fall. I’m a city farmer.

Bruce: Suburban farmers. There are a lot of us out there on Whitetail Rendezvous, that’s for sure. Ken, let’s talk about the mileage you have on your travel corridors. Now ladies and gentlemen, he has roads that are basically food plots. What do you have on there, clover?

he has roads that are basically food plots. What do you have on there, clover?

Ken: Yeah, it’s a mix of grass and clover, and I mow those trails periodically. But they’re basically just access ways into the woods, or they were roads left over from bringing logging trucks in. A few of my food plots were actually landing areas for the logging operation.

Bruce: So how may miles do you think you have of trails on your 450 acres?

Ken: My bet is about six, and it makes it really nice going to the stand. You can walk or ATV. Or if need be, in gun season, you can take a snowmobile.

Bruce: So, let’s talk about the system now. Let’s talk about why you set it up. You were sharing a story about Mr. Brooke Torgerson . His dad donated a substantial ranch in New Mexico to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. So, true conservationist in that family. So, how did you get a hold of Brooke and what did he tell you about the system?

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