Trail Cameras

[cohunter14]

As I mentioned in another thread, I really want to try to take advantage of using trail cameras this year. I know there have been threads about recommendations on these, but please include them here as well. My main question is how long will the batteries last on these cameras. I currently only have one camera and it doesn\'t seem to last that long, but it is older and definitely wasn\'t a fancy one. Thoughts and suggestions?

 

[Stringunner]

I try not to purchase cams over the $85 mark only because of potential theft. I have 7 of the Primos Truth Cam 35. And 3 of the Hunten Cams. I prefer the Truth Cams. They sell them on Amazon for around $80. Of the 7 primos cams that I have, I have had only one stop noting the correct date and time. I have had these 7 out for 3 seasons now. I put them out in June/July and take them down mid to end of September. They run on D batteries. I start with new batteries each June/July and have never had to change the batteries between putting them out and taking them down. And some of my cams get thousands of pictures of moo cows and the batteries still stay good. The cams are bigger in size than some of the new ones. The picture quality is great out to about 25 yards and I have not noticed any problem with trigger speed but then I use them on water holes.

 

[Swede]

I have some cheap Tascos. The battery life is good. If you want a fast trigger, the Reconnex is probably the best and most reliable. I comes with a high price. You could probably get 10 Tasco cameras for the price of one of them.

 

[cnelk]

Stealth cams for me. About $100 each
I use cameras that take AA batteries as most of my other gear takes them too.
Early July - September about 2+ months of battery use on mine.
I have the option to take movies, but never have. Maybe this year I will set one for that function.

I compare using trail cams to trapping. You are setting them to capture something, but not quite sure what will be caught!

Trail cameras can be frustrating tho. This year I had lots of decent bulls on my cameras in early August, but come season 3 weeks later, we never saw a one of those I had on camera.

I also use mine for home surveillance when I\'m not at home.

 

[Deertick]

I also use mine for home surveillance when I\'m not at home.

Funny story -- my neighbor does that, too.

I found out when my wife and son had a horse that was cut up and had to emergently take him to the vet. Our trailer was, for some reason, not available, and so she went and \"borrowed\" my neighbor\'s, knowing that he\'d be fine with it. (She called first, but didn\'t get him).

Later, he heard the story and said that, of course, she was welcome to borrow the trailer in an emergency like that. He then said \"And by the way, your wife hooks up a gooseneck pretty quick -- 3.5 minutes, judging by my trail cam!\"

------
I have a couple cheap cameras ... and I like to \"trap\" with them, and use them for home security, but I\'m not sure how helpful they really are for hunting. For pronghorn, they do tell what bucks have been coming to water, and that\'s fairly helpful. For elk ... I doubt they\'re all that helpful except in very specific, and rare, instances.

Don\'t get me wrong, though -- they are fun.

But this year, I forgot to put a card in one of them, and the other was knocked-around by a cow elk a couple days into its mission, so I didn\'t get much useful info at all.

 

[cnelk]

He then said \"And by the way, your wife hooks up a gooseneck pretty quick -- 3.5 minutes, judging by my trail cam!\".

Funny John... I had to wipe my drink off my iPad after reading that :lol:

 

[cohunter14]

I try not to purchase cams over the $85 mark only because of potential theft. I have 7 of the Primos Truth Cam 35. And 3 of the Hunten Cams. I prefer the Truth Cams. They sell them on Amazon for around $80. Of the 7 primos cams that I have, I have had only one stop noting the correct date and time. I have had these 7 out for 3 seasons now. I put them out in June/July and take them down mid to end of September. They run on D batteries. I start with new batteries each June/July and have never had to change the batteries between putting them out and taking them down. And some of my cams get thousands of pictures of moo cows and the batteries still stay good. The cams are bigger in size than some of the new ones. The picture quality is great out to about 25 yards and I have not noticed any problem with trigger speed but then I use them on water holes.

I just saw that these Primos Truth Cam 35\'s are on sale at Natchez Shooters Supplies (natchezss.com). $59.99. Part number PY63037 if anyone is interested. I might have to grab a couple to try, although I do like the idea of AA batteries.

 

[Olympushunt]

10/4 on the AA batteries being a preference. Man...I have to take out a small loan to load up some of my older cams that take 6 Ds. That and putting 2-3 of those cameras in my back pack gets a bit heavy with all my other crappola. My cheap Tascos are small, lightweight and take pretty dang good pics too. 4 AA bats is all ya need. Like Swede said...the trigger speed isn\'t super fast. I got the arss end of a cougar and that bummed me out. A recoynyx would have got the whole putty tat. I put most of my cams on water so it\'s not a big deal for deer or elk that are coming for a drink but that cat just walked by. The trigger isn\'t terrible...so for trails I aim them parallel to the cam to get the most chance of triggering. I have several of the very small models that are about the size of my hand. I\'m not seeing them anymore at Walmart though. They are the 3 MP models. The battery life was not an issue. I had one set on a 3 shot burst and it took over 6,000 pics. Unfortunately about 4000 were of squirrels. It used up my 8GB card and I\'m sure it kept on triggering and taking shots until the batteries went out. All my others were out for a month and a half averaging 300-400 images with good batteries still up when I got them. I paid $50 each for them.

 

[Swede]

The last time I was in Mall Wart, their sporting goods manager was hanging up a whole boat load of cheap Chinese made trail cameras. I think they may have been Tascos. BTW: Oly, did you pick up my midget Tasco the last time you were in out hunting area? I can\'t find it here.

 

[Stringunner]

Completely agree on the weight and size of the bigger cams with d batteries. Olympus now has me thinking about the cheap tascos. I might have to look into that.

 

[Olympushunt]

Completely agree on the weight and size of the bigger cams with d batteries. Olympus now has me thinking about the cheap tascos. I might have to look into that.

Shoot Jeremy, I will just give you one. I think you will like buying 4 AAs and they last a long time. They say 3 months but obviously that is subject to the amount it gets triggered I would guess. I was impressed with the boxes you were making for yours. Solid. I am buying A/C disconnect boxes at Home Depot for $7 and they fit inside perfect. Heavy gauge metal boxes that are lockable. I just take a dremel tool and cut out a window.

Swede, I will look in my stash...I have a bunch of these mini tascos. I bought a lot figuring I would get a lemon or two but so far they have all worked great.

 

[Swede]

Oly: Keep it if it ended up in your stash. If it did, I can quit looking for it.

 

[Olympushunt]

Here is one picture from a $50 Tasco. Not bad really.

 

[Stringunner]

Luke, that is a very clear picture. Those boxes that I use my dad makes. He is a sheet metal man and has become pretty handy at making the boxes custom for whatever cams I buy. But for $7 on the box you mention for the tascos, that sounds cheaper than the metal and time my dad puts in. I will have to look into those.

Sounds like between you, me, and swede we have enough cams to have one on every tree in our area! :lol:

 

[OldMan]

How do you manage to setup cameras, and then go back for the pictures without leaving your stink in the area you want to hunt?

Could be why the animals aren\'t there when you go hunting.

 

[Olympushunt]

How do you manage to setup cameras, and then go back for the pictures without leaving your stink in the area you want to hunt?

Could be why the animals aren\'t there when you go hunting.

Ya....must be the scent I leave behind installing the camera since I\'m getting thousands of elk pictures for a month and a half after. That must be why.....or maybe as the opener approaches and the hunter pressure increases drastically the animals change their patterns. That couldn\'t be it. Must be the stink. :crazy: It must be dumb luck I get elk pics the same day I install them....or kill elk the same day going in. You probably believe killing an elk and hunting over the top of the gut pile won\'t work either. I have places close to home I would check a half dozen times during the summer even kicking elk out going in to check them and the elk would be back the same day as if nothing ever happened. I\'ve even passed over elk opening day but the numbers of animals visiting drastically went down the opening week with all the traffic only half a mile from the roads near by.
Maybe I don\'t stink like you? Possible.

 

[Olympushunt]

Pic of a 6pt bull that was petrified by the scent I left behind shortly before he arrived. He milled around for an hour to scared to leave.

 

[OldMan]

How do you manage to setup cameras, and then go back for the pictures without leaving your stink in the area you want to hunt?

Could be why the animals aren\'t there when you go hunting.

Ya....must be the scent I leave behind installing the camera since I\'m getting thousands of elk pictures for a month and a half after. That must be why.....or maybe as the opener approaches and the hunter pressure increases drastically the animals change their patterns. That couldn\'t be it. Must be the stink. :crazy: It must be dumb luck I get elk pics the same day I install them....or kill elk the same day going in. You probably believe killing an elk and hunting over the top of the gut pile won\'t work either. I have places close to home I would check a half dozen times during the summer even kicking elk out going in to check them and the elk would be back the same day as if nothing ever happened. I\'ve even passed over elk opening day but the numbers of animals visiting drastically went down the opening week with all the traffic only half a mile from the roads near by.
Maybe I don\'t stink like you? Possible.

Pretty sarcastic post bud. I was trying to gets guys thinking about what they were doing.

I probably do stink more than you you sweet pea, but i\'ve probably killed more elk than you too, and never needed cameras. Can you still find them without your toys?

 

[Swede]

Sarcasm! Humm? I wonder where Oly learned that trait? :lol: Anyway, I can comfortably say, he comes by it naturally.
To the point though, Yes we have run off elk by going in and setting up cameras. I have not noticed a long lasting effect though. For example I ran off a herd when I went in to set a camera where Stringunner had his stand in 2013. I did not know he had a stand there at the time. I sure did not adversely impact Stringunner\'s hunt. I would rather run off elk when going in to set up a stand or camera, than when I am going in to sit in my tree stand. I do not remember ever getting an elk on the same day I ran off an elk or elk herd, when I was going in to my stand. I am sure that is coincidence to a degree, but I try hard to avoid disturbing elk as I go to or leave my stand.
As Still Hunter suggests, cameras are a modern tool. We got elk long before we had cameras, but I believe they can help pattern elk movements and show you better what is coming around. Tracks will tell you that elk have been there, but trail cameras will show you the days and time of day they show up. It will also show you bulls and cows.

 

[cnelk]

After playing with trail cameras for a few years, I consider them more \'fun\' than a \'tool\'.
I mean really, if you put one up on a trail, you\'re gonna pics of elk -right?
You put one up on a wallow, you\'re gonna get pics of elk -right?
Put one on a water hole, you\'re gonna get pics of elk -right?
Thats no great phenomenon

I mentioned this before, try putting one up where there is none of the above concentration points.
Try a saddle, or a funnel, edge of a meadow, a place where you find a lot of rubs.

I bet if you put put one in a spot where you would do a \'cold call\' you would get elk pics.
Why?
Because elk wander, they graze, they move a lot.

Try putting one where you DON\'T KNOW ANYTHING about.
That info will be valuable