Ruined game camera

[Miata Mike]

My game camera was ruined a couple weeks ago and I just found out what broke the sensor cover, a downy woodpecker! My son's friend captured 3 pictures of a downy woodpecker point blank.

It is the second one in my woods this season. My neighbor said a guy in his woods had the same thing on one of those expensive game cams that send the pictures to a cell phone!

Has anyone else heard of this happening?

 

[22250Rem]

Wow..... I've never heard of that and have been playing with trail cams for about 3 years now. Currently have about 10 of them, of which 6 are currently out in the field in 3 different areas. I've had close-ups of birds and various other critters staring at the camera but so far haven't had one damaged yet. In the summer around here in Western NY state along the south side of Lake Ontario I get a lot of Common Flickers, (woodpeckers) and I've seen them sometimes pecking on stuff other than trees. But that's one of the reasons I don't get the real expensive trail cams; I've found that most of the cheapo's hold up as good as some of the more expensive stuff with all the fancy features like sending pictures to your cell phone. I just wanna know what's running around in the area game-wise without spending big bucks and worrying about theft/damage/etc. So if I ever run into something like you're describing I won't be at a loss for words and at least I'll be able to say "I've heard of this happening".

 

[bannockburn]

Miata Mike

Never heard of a woodpecker taking out a trail cam but I have seen (and heard them), going after bugs on aluminum gutters and siding.

 

[Stony]

I've had problems with them pecking holes in siding on my house and different things, but never on my game cams. Mostly the only animals that mess with the cameras a lot for me are squirrels. I have quite a few cameras out and I seldom go through all the pics without a shot of a squirrel tail hanging down over the lens. I don't know why they insist on sitting on the cameras, but it happens regularly.

 

[Kingcreek]

Wow! What are those woodpeckers doing that they don't want you to see?!?

 

[jmorris]

Box it up and send it back. I don't have a game camera that doesn't have a plastic cover over the lense.

You could likely fix it yourself.

 

[LocoGringo]

I worked at a camp for a spring and summer and there was an area pileated woodpecker that would sit on people's rear view mirrors and destroy them. We had to cover the mirrors with Walmart bags to keep it away. He got both of my mirrors.

I've not heard of a game camera being destroyed though.

 

[gspn]

He got both of my mirrors.

I hate that it happened to you, but that really made me laugh.

 

[LocoGringo]

Glad you laughed gspn. That's why I wrote it. It happened a long time ago, so my bitterness is fading and being replaced with humor.

 

[Miata Mike]

Box it up and send it back. I don't have a game camera that doesn't have a plastic cover over the lens.

You could likely fix it yourself.

This isn't a cover over the lens, but the opaque light sensor cover. It does however look like it should be replaceable if Bushnell works with me on it. I'll give them a call and see what happens.

Note: Just got off the phone with Bushnell support, a technician went into his used parts bin and says he will send me what I need to get this camera working again. I am so happy as this type of thing doesn't happen too often for me!

I will post again if and when I get this camera functional again.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

For those of you who have not heard of this or doubt it happens, this is a great video.

 

[splattergun]

Obviously you have some bugs in the camera housing that the peckers want. So get rid of the bugs.
There is a pesticide that comes in the form of a self-adhesive patch. Stick that on the back of the camera before you mount it, or inside the door. No more pecker bait.

 

[Art Eatman]

Might have been fighting his reflection. I had a roadrunner fight his reflection in the windshield of my truck for five minutes or more. For whatever bird-brain reason, he moved to the window sill and fought his reflection in the rear-view mirror.

No telling about bird brains. I once had to deal with a flicker who made holes in the vertical corner trim on my house walls--cedar, with oil-base stain. No bugs in that, for sure.