Trail Cameras

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This big four point has been coming around since shortly after putting the feeder out this summer. It has only been in the last couple of weeks that I have seen him, or any other bucks, at the feeder during the day. There is a nice little six point that comes around as well. There was a doe with two fawns for awhile, but they have separated.

This is the Stealth camera.
 

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Number of years ago I made a wooden tree stand. Used some rattle cans to paint it green/brown/tan/black. Thought I did an OK job. Nothing spectacular, but good enough. Rested it up against a big oak in my yard to dry.

So, hour or so after I put it out, I let my dog out. He takes about two steps, then glances in the direction of the stand. Hair on his back stands up and he starts barking like crazy at the stand. I mean going nuts.

Now, obviously though we as humans think it's camo colored, the animal could very easily pick it out. And not just pick it out, but see it as danger. I figure it was UV being given off by the painted surface.

Where I'm going with this is a video on trail cameras and the reaction of deer. We've all seen pictures of deer spooking away from cameras, but is it the flash, noise, smell?

This video gets into that, and answers a couple of the questions, but never really explains how the sense they camera is there. This is the one I referenced a few posts ago.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQUSR5BdIk

I'm thinking the camo on most cameras gives off UV. Looks invisible to us, but what we think doesn't matter. Deer's opinion that counts. So, any ideas on a paint, coating, etc. that is invisible to deer? Or, maybe a better way to hide the camera but still keep it close to the ground?
 
Comparison

futurerider,

Had a glitch on a battery change out of all 3 cams.
I bought a couple 24 packs of Ray O Vacs, changed out all the batteries to log how long they lasted. I set up the 3 cams but didn't have much activity to really compare.
After a few days, I opened one of the Bushnell's and had a couple batteries leaking. I called rayovac and they are replacing the batts but I just bought some Energizers for the cams. I won't use Rayovacs again

With the temps at 0 and single digits, I haven't been out to reset the cams.

I'll be back in a tree this upcoming week so hope to have the cams in place tomorrow.

I have to verify the one cam isn't crapped up by the leaky batts.
 
I have a friend that buys batteries for industrial applications. He wouldn't use Rayovacs if they were free. Started thinking about it, and they are the only batteries I can remember that leaked

I might put them in a cheap flashlight but I personally wouldn't use them in a $200 game camera. And, what's gonna keep the others from leaking and screwing something up?
 
Yeah, lesson learned.
I've been using RayOVac lithiums in my carry flashlights for 10 years with no problems. Buy them 60 at a time.

I'll never put another ROV alkaline in anything but cheap flashlights and my beard trimmer.

I just checked the cam I had a leak in and 2 terminals were corroded already. Luckily, they are made to remove pretty easily and I cleaned them. Still have to get into the slots before that cam goes back out.
 
After a few days, I opened one of the Bushnell's
Is your Bushnell a Trophy model by any chance? I asked Mr Google about trail cams and found a rather extensive review of eleven different models on YouTube. Ranged anywhere from cheapies to $400+. Bushnell Trophy was mid priced but ranked first.
 
Yeah, the 2 Bushnells are Trophy HD's. One is the Bone Collector. It's smaller with an 8 battery pack. The first one that had the batteries leak is also a Trophy HD but is a bit larger and takes 12 batteries.

I noticed the Bone Collector's IR's are visible. The other one is not.

I have the Stealth cam set up for 20 sec videos so will put out that and the Bone collecyor tomorrow. I want to verify I got the other bushnell cleaned up and dried out before putting it out.
 
Here's a shot of a buck running away from a cam. I think it may be the shutter. I really don't think it's the IR flash but who knows, could be either
it's not either one. You need to watch this from post #123.

This video gets into that, and answers a couple of the questions, but never really explains how the sense they camera is there.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVQUSR5BdIk
 
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My boss and I put out his feeder a couple of weeks ago. It took about 4 days, but the deer have found it.
 

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I've done a TON of looking on the interweb in the past few weeks. Lotsa YouTube stuff on deer food plots. Food plots can give you more, bigger, and healthier deer than feeders. Also end up being cheaper. Might want to look at some of it if you get a chance.

That looks like a great location to plant. Surrounded by heavy cover so deer will use it all day. I'd guess those are all 1 1/2 year olds by body and antler size. Need to keep them around two more years.

If I had woodland like that I'd be managing it to the maximum. Might consider hinge cutting trees to make buck cover and created food plots and travel lanes. You'd have it made.
 
I need to make some spots for food plots, no doubt, and cutting trees is my only option with no real open spots currently. That is part of the plan one of these days. My boss asked me if I was going to plant any food plots this year, and that he would help. My answer was where? As I am all trees.
 
On YouTube look for Growingdeer.tv. Or www.growingdeer.tv

They go onto a place that's all heavy timber. He calls it a biological wasteland for deer. Really little to nothing for them to eat. And, it's so open in the fall that you can see deer a hundred yards away. Which means they can see you a hundred yards away. Which means they won't stay if there's any kind of pressure

They show how to make doe bedding areas, buck bedding areas (which are different). Satellite food plots (only maybe 40x40') major food plots, travel lanes. How to steer the deer to exact locations.

There is the thread running about land management. If you watch these, you'll know why his place doesn't hold deer during the daylight.

I've deer hunted for forty years and never realized half this stuff. He's getting five different quality bucks moving all day on ten acre plots.
 
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Thanks. I have some plated pines as well where they have more cover from the undergrowth. Plenty of scrapes all over though. As a new property owner, I am at the very beginning of what I want to do. Many of those things are what the wife wants. ;)

Food plots are definitely on the list, somewhere. :)
 
gonefishin1,

To answer your question in post #116 as to my getting a response back from Bushnell about the $30 rebate, I just did receive that rebate check today.

It's raining and freezing rain in the low 30's right now in western Pa but the temp is dropping to high teens, low 20's tomorrow so I should be back in a tree with my crossbow.

I have the 3 cameras set up on one tree. Looks like the angle is pretty similar and I set up all 3 for 25 second videos. I may give them a few days before changing out the SD cards. There are tracks in the snow along that trail so I'm hoping for some activity to do the comparison of those 3 cams.


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I finally did some comparison videos between mt 3 trail cams.

The oldest one is a Bushnell Trophy Cam HD, black IR 12 battery.

The second one is another Bushnell Trophy Cam HD. It is the BoneCollector model, is not black IR and is a 8 battery model

The newest cam is a Stealth Cam.

The animal traffic behind my house has diminished considerably so in 2 days, only had 3 doe come by at night.
I will eventually put together 3 minimovies of each cam ( maybe 2 to 3 min ea.) but don't have the time right now.

What I did notice was that the Stealth Cam seems to be too sensitive to movement. I had a doz or 2 videos of snow falling. The night range wasn't as far or clear as the Bushnells but I have to do another check ( sometimes the IR of all 3 or 2 of the cams came on at the same time and you can spot the difference).

Daytime clarity seemed about equal but the first day we had that fog/freezing rain crap so I'll wait for another few days to compare the daylight vids.

I climbed a tree about 20 yds away from my cams so I'll check how that looks on a brighter sunny day like today. ( I didn't see any deer and think I'm turning into a candy ass because I got cold after only a few hours).

OK, so I owe you all some videos so you can take a look for yourself.
I have to make the mini movies and get them onto youtube but have to study for a big test a few weeks out first.
 
My deer are starting to change their pattern when they are coming in front of my camera. I think it may have to do with the dogs and coyotes.

Jan 10 2015 am: http://youtu.be/yipqJtlxcYM

Jan 11 2015 am: http://youtu.be/w7ASoVaeon8

Jan 11 2015 noon: http://youtu.be/DYCdcTb1ot0

Jan 12 2015 snowing: http://youtu.be/Yby5piIubOs

Jan 14 2015 am coyotes: http://youtu.be/R97BpOOcJZ4

Jan 15 2015 am: http://youtu.be/0egEl1z5AD0

Jan 15 2015 pm: http://youtu.be/GqFGpHT8GSI

Jan 16 2015 am dogs: http://youtu.be/eQDT9Uomm0g

Jan 17 2015 am: http://youtu.be/twd0-Eb2arU
 
trail cam comparison video

Sorry It took so long to get this together.

Between hunting extended archery until last Sat, the 24th, shoveling snow, teaching plumbers and misc BS, I finally got it together.

I had trouble with the movie maker in that I had 3 SD cards and when i tried changing cards to add videos, the previous part of the movie would go blank. I sent them all to a flashdrive and was able to get all 3 camera videos posted in succession.

I believe I am spoiled by the more expensive Bushnells because of the hybrid function of having both 3 picture bursts followed immediately by a video.

The quality of all 3 was not too different. The Stealth Cam was way too sensitive and gave me dozens of videos with what I thought was no trigger movement.

The BoneCollector Bushnell and the Stealth Cam were priced the same after the Bushnell rebate at about $130 +- but the Bone Collector was priced incorrectly and i got it cheaper than it should have been by $20 to 30. Dicks stood by the advertised price.

Anyway, the movie layout was to run 8 Stealth Cam vids followed by 5 ea of Bushnell vids as noted by cations in the movie.

IIRC the first 3 videos of each cam were of the same deer moving toward the cams. The other vids were for daylight comparison but I had moved the cams to other trees.

Here ya go. It's about 7 plus min.

http://youtu.be/h3ytPpnp3yY

As far as the python locks being easy to pick, I also chain the security box to the tree as well. If they want it, they will get it. I just hope I make it a little harder.
 
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