Trail Camera

[Mags]

the good news is, the game camera arrived and appears to be a most impressive unit ....

This might be a camera I'd be interested in. Most interesting features to me are the solar powered and WiFi picture/video file transfer. Please continue to share how this camera works out you.

[JEBar]

This might be a camera I'd be interested in. Most interesting features to me are the solar powered and WiFi picture/video file transfer. Please continue to share how this camera works out you.

will do, once our son gets it working and explains to me how to use and understand it

[Steve51]

I have an old Bushnell game camera that still works and the night pictures are remarkably good. Last fall I bought a package of two Muddy game cameras but I have been pretty disappointed in them. Daytime pictures are good but night time pictures are quite disappointing.

Be very interested in the picture quality of your new camera.

[rickhem]

Two of my cameras, the first two I got, are what is referred to as "low glow" cameras. At night, the IR Illuminators give off a red color that is more visible as it gets darker out. The deer seem to have their curiosity piqued by that, and I get video of them walking right up and sniffing at the camera. They acclimated to it pretty quickly. Most other animals don't seem to notice it at all. The coyotes, however, are unnerved by that illumination, and they usually take off as soon as they see it.
All the other cameras have what they refer to as "no glow" illumination. Absolutely noting visible, yet the camera works fine, and you get a black-and-white video of surprisingly good quality. The newer cams even have sound, and I have a few clips with bucks sparring and you can hear the antlers clicking. The IR illuminators do put a strain on battery life though.
We really do enjoy seeing all the wildlife, including neighbor's pet cats (and occasionally dogs) that show up. I've even got a neat picture of a hawk flying right in front of one, crazy that it captured the hawk in flight like that.

[Vaquero]

Here's the Christmas tree pics. I mentioned.

Screenshot_20240105_091251_Facebook.jpg (317.76 KiB) Viewed 8931 times

RP

[Mags]

In the latter pictures it looks like something had made off with the presents!

[JEBar]

sure hope our new trail camera will show such quality pictures

I've figured out how to format the 128 SD card and was able to set the Date .... so far setting the time has eluded me, its OEM format is 24 hours (military time) .... it says that can be changed to 12 (AM/PM) but I haven't found any way to switch it .... I have read enough to believe that I'm going to leave the rest of the default settings

[fortyshooter]

Now that was a cool idea I will try next Christmas!

[JEBar]

when I checked this morning the only pictures were of me belting it in place .... with today's forecast for extreme wind and rain, I decided to bring the camera in .... I need to find a place to relocate it .... I'm beginning to wonder if Maureen's puppy is paranoid ..

[JEBar]

I finally got fed up with not being able to figure out how to use our new Trail Camera .... the detailed user's manual is beyond me so I got out the quick start instructions .... it took a while but eventually a mental light bulb came on and I was pretty sure I'd figured it out .... it was cold and wet out there while I was strapping it to a tree and installed a cable lock for the first time .... no, I don't believe the cable lock is necessary, I simply wanted to make sure it fits and I can work it .... my plan is to leave it out there a couple of days and then see if I've figured out how to call up and look at any pictures it may have taken ... other than birds and squirrels I haven't seen any signs of wildlife so I'm not anticipating seeing anything else

[markiver54]

In my experience there have been times that there are many pics yet nothing very interesting. I think that a lot of the pics were because of wind blowing tall grass or shrubbery branches. The squirrels and birds and such are annoying but occasionally we get some very good pics of Deer, Foxes, Bobcats, ( at the cottage) and some interesting critters here within city limits.
The camera settings can be a PIA but I still think it's worth it for the special pics and videos we get sometimes.

[Mags]

... other than birds and squirrels I haven't seen any signs of wildlife so I'm not anticipating seeing anything else

When we first set ours up. Same thing, mostly birds and squirrels. Took patience leaving it set in any one locations for several days before deciding to repeat at another location. We eventually found a spot where we got more traffic variety. A lot of disappointment until we found a good spot. Even so, there were still days with just birds and squirrels.
We pretty much shoot videos only. Lot more interesting than still photos.

[rickhem]

Mine are all set to record videos too. I have units on either 15 or 20 seconds, and I think 15 seconds is enough.
Part of the learning curve is to get all the vegetation out of the immediate vicinity of where the camera points. That cuts down on the wind generated captures. For mounting, I prefer the little screw-in hooks with the 1/4x20 end that the unit screws onto. It's way, way less obvious than a black strap around a tree trunk, and offers more options when aiming the unit at where you want it to point. I have cameras on smaller, 6"-8" trees, but those sway more in windy conditions, giving empty videos. Bigger trees are more stable, and help hide the camera better, but yuou don't always have that option.
My highest activity units are placed at gaps in the treelines where a tractor or other vehicles would pass, or pointing along a road/trail that runs along a treeline. Aiming the camera down the road/trail gives better results than aiming across it. Seems like the deer and coyotes cross from field to field through the gap, while the fox, racoons, porcupines, bobcats, and other small stuff cross from within one side of the treeline to the other side, preferring to stay within the treeline.

[JEBar]

thanks for the suggestions and comments about using a trail camera .... this rookie really appreciates it

[Mags]

In garden areas close to the house I use a tri-pod. So much easier to quickly change locations. When we get a good spot or when we leave town I'll strap it to a tree so that it is less obvious.

[markiver54]

In garden areas close to the house I use a tri-pod. So much easier to quickly change locations.

That would be nice, and I thought about it once. I do have a tri-pod, however where I live, I don't want it to be obvious to critters of the two-legged type.

[Mags]

In garden areas close to the house I use a tri-pod. So much easier to quickly change locations.

That would be nice, and I thought about it once. I do have a tri-pod, however where I live, I don't want it to be obvious to critters of the two-legged type.

We're pretty secluded, so not too much concern here with two legged critters. When we're not home the camera is well hidden to capture license plates. We sometimes get trespass drive-threws despite the signage to stay out.

[rickhem]

[/quote]
We're pretty secluded, so not too much concern here with two legged critters. When we're not home the camera is well hidden to capture license plates. We sometimes get trespass drive-threws despite the signage to stay out.
[/quote]

This would be my sole purpose for getting a cell service camera. I'm rural and secluded enough that if someone came down the driveway when we weren't home, nobody would see anything. Having a cell service unit that gave immediate notification would at least let me know if/when someone was there. I put one of my chip cameras elevated on a tree and facing the house, which worked well, but you only get to see what it has observed when you pull the chip.

[markiver54]

Keep in mind that anyone with ill intent can just remove the card if they see the camera.

[Steve51]

The MUDDY brand trail cams that I have take pretty good daytime pictures but night pictures lack clarity. Pretty sure a license number would be impossible read on a night photo.

2023_11_12_1.JPG (323.96 KiB) Viewed 5351 times

This picture has been cropped

2023_12_27.JPG (878.51 KiB) Viewed 5351 times

This picture has been cropped

2023_12_25_1.JPG (679.24 KiB) Viewed 5351 times