Trail camera Questions

U

Ucsdryder

New member
Aug 3, 2017
392
What\'s the optimal amount of time to leave a camera in a new area? I put one up last Saturday and am thinking about pulling it next weekend...2 weeks. I\'m going to bring a new card and a reader and depending on what I see either leave it or pull it. Is 2 weeks enough?

Any other tips from the trail camera pros regarding hanging/viewing/placement/etc?
 
I would check it in 2 weeks just to see what you got on camera - be prepared to pull and move if you want. But a month would be better.

Depends on the terrain but for elk I like to put them about chest/head high and give a little tilt down - sometimes lower



 
Im close to what Brad does.
A lot of it depends on what month and how far the cameras are from me.

Elk areas I am checking every 2-4 weeks, but the closer it gets to the hunt I am checking my cameras closer to the once a month.
I like to run cameras to see what\'s in the area, but all I TRUELY care about is what I see 7 days before my hunt....

Deer areas, I am also checking every 2-4 weeks.

People will tell you to stay out of the area longer because it \"educates\" the mature animals, but I say bolloks to that.
If you go in to an area without being smart, then sure... it\'ll educate them and blow them out.

However, if you take your time, keep your footprint SMALL, keep it as scent free as possible.... then you will be fine.


In 2014 when I first caught wind of my big buck, I was checking and moving cameras every few weeks. I was able to get right in on him into his little bedroom without blowing him out. Only because I played it smart.


As for hanging, I\'m a little different. I like to hang them high. Even thought some areas are lower pressured, there are still people out there.
So I put them up at 6-12 feet. It keeps them just high enough so people don\'t see them and know I am there.

I do however have some hung a little lower, but not too low. I\'d say I don\'t go lower than 4 1/2 feet.



Good luck to you.
 
Thank you both!

Brad do you take any precautions to keep people from getting sticky fingers with your cameras? I like the idea of putting them a little higher so people are less likely to see them...
 
Gian

I have to use my GPS to find my cameras. If someone else finds them, they are very lucky
 
\"cnelk\" said:
Gian

I have to use my GPS to find my cameras. If someone else finds them, they are very lucky
Click to expand...

To piggy back on this, cameras are not always that easy to find in the right situation.
A camera sitting over a water tank might be pretty easy to see.
A camera out in the middle of no where, that is the right color or if you blend it in..... good to go....

I\'ve walked by my cameras a few times before. ;) :haha:
 
I hung mine over a swampy meadow. It\'s 1/2 mile from a trail and about 3/4 of a mile from the trail head. I don\'t think there will be a lot of human traffic going through there, although there were a couple very old tree stands over the meadow. It was a cheap camera so no harm. I\'m more worried I\'m going to get a card full of a bull moose that was laying in the middle of the meadow.
 
\"Ucsdryder\" said:
I hung mine over a swampy meadow. It\'s 1/2 mile from a trail and about 3/4 of a mile from the trail head. I don\'t think there will be a lot of human traffic going through there, although there were a couple very old tree stands over the meadow. It was a cheap camera so no harm. I\'m more worried I\'m going to get a card full of a bull moose that was laying in the middle of the meadow.
Click to expand...

What size SD card did you use?
What mode did you do? (time lapse? motion detect?)
Did you clear all of the branches and tall grass away from the front of it? (prevent false triggers)
 
Funny you bring that up. I was going to try to hide the camera but I was worried about putting it behind brush/leaves that might trigger the sensor. So I ended up hanging it more in the open. I bought a Primos easy camera. It was cheap which gave me a little more confidence leaving it on public land. It doesn\'t have any fancy modes. Haha
 
\"Ucsdryder\" said:
I\'m more worried I\'m going to get a card full of a bull moose that was laying in the middle of the meadow.
Click to expand...

That is very likely :)




Or bear


 
I like the idea of hanging em hi. Think I\'ll take a couple of section of my climbing stix when I go to hang some.
 
I\'m addicted to trail cameras. I need another one. I don\'t care if it\'s Jd, video, blah blah blah. I wants something that\'s cheap and goes click every time. Anybody have any ideas for something that fits the bill? I bought a Primos easy can for 30 bucks delivered and it works great. Unfortunately I can\'t find them they cheap anymore!
 
\"Ucsdryder\" said:
I\'m addicted to trail cameras. I need another one. I don\'t care if it\'s Jd, video, blah blah blah. I wants something that\'s cheap and goes click every time. Anybody have any ideas for something that fits the bill? I bought a Primos easy can for 30 bucks delivered and it works great. Unfortunately I can\'t find them they cheap anymore!
Click to expand...

Wait for sales.... IMO.
I always look for stuff like Covert MP-6s.
I wait til they are around $50-60 bucks and buy a few. :upthumb:
 
If you\'ve got time, watch Ebay. I found a Covert MPE-6 shipped for $70. Recently got a Wildgame Crush MP8 shipped for $58 I think. Both of these are new. Wildgame tend to be the least expensive from what I\'ve found. You can get some deals on Moultrie A-5 Gen 2 cameras that will probably suit you fine and be less than the other 2 I mentioned.

One thing to look closely at is Trigger Speed - how quickly it will take that first picture. If you\'re setup on a trail, that\'s important. If on a water hole or feeder, not so much.

Second is Recovery Time - how quickly it\'s ready to take the next picture. Again, if on a trail, kind of important. On a water hole or feeder, not so much.

Avoid white flash - only IR leds. I made that mistake last year!
 
I\'ve found the best way to keep folks and critters away from my trail cameras is like Dan and mounting them high where it takes a 8\' step ladder to to reach them... Lately I\'ve been using security boxes and mounting them low but just because I don\'t feel safe on the ladder...
 
\"Colorado Russ\" said:
If you\'ve got time, watch Ebay. I found a Covert MPE-6 shipped for $70. Recently got a Wildgame Crush MP8 shipped for $58 I think. Both of these are new. Wildgame tend to be the least expensive from what I\'ve found. You can get some deals on Moultrie A-5 Gen 2 cameras that will probably suit you fine and be less than the other 2 I mentioned.

One thing to look closely at is Trigger Speed - how quickly it will take that first picture. If you\'re setup on a trail, that\'s important. If on a water hole or feeder, not so much.

Second is Recovery Time - how quickly it\'s ready to take the next picture. Again, if on a trail, kind of important. On a water hole or feeder, not so much.

Avoid white flash - only IR leds. I made that mistake last year!
Click to expand...

Good stuff. There are so many camera companies on the market today and when you start reading reviews it makes your head spin. It\'s hard to know who makes a good camera and who makes crap. I was on cabelas website and half the reviews were \"camera took 2 pictures and quick working\" type reviews.
 
I\'ve found these 2 web sites to have valuable information for trail camera reviews.

<!-- w --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.trailcampro.com\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">www.trailcampro.com</a><!-- w -->
<!-- w --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.trailcamerareviews.net\" onclick=\"window.open(this.href);return false;\">www.trailcamerareviews.net</a><!-- w -->

One thing to remember about most people in general is if they have a good experience they\'ll tell 1 person but if have a bad experience will tell 10 people. Likely that\'s what you\'re seeing on the Cabela\'s/Bass Pro reviews.
 
I\'ve found what works for one person will not work for another.
I could say covert and you could have the worst experience.

I own Moultrie and Covert.. I love both.
 
Because of this thread I looked up the Covert MPE6 and ended up buying one today....

Geee... thanks guys....
 
\"cnelk\" said:
Because of this thread I looked up the Covert MPE6 and ended up buying one today....

Geee... thanks guys....
Click to expand...

I\'ve had nothing, but great results with mine Brad.
Very easy to set up, long battery life, and pictures are just fine.

I\'ve owned mine for 2 full seasons now and no issues.
 
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