Trail Camera Owners

[Lawnboy]

For those of you that have trail cams, do you use those metal protective boxes or is it something that you don't really need? They mention that they keep bear damage to a minimum and possible theft.
Have you had either of these happen with your cameras?
I bought one on Black Friday and am excited to use it with my kids. We go geo caching in the summer and I thought this would be another fun activity moving the camera around each week and seeing what we get on camera.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Bart, They are a ton of fun and in your area the Metal Box might not be a bad thing. Game Cameras are sorta like running a trap line. Just Catch and Release. I know Travo and I caught some neat stuff on our cameras this year. Hope ya catch Bigfoot! John

 

[shoots-straight]

Just get an old ammo box and put the camera in that. I've had bears bite mine.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

SS, I was not worried so much about the bears as I was about people with sticky fingers. John

 

[Lawnboy]

Just get an old ammo box and put the camera in that. I've had bears bite mine.

Do you just cut holes the sizes you need to allow for the flash,lens and sensor?


Draft I agree I think this could be a blast with the number of different critters we have in our area and maybe even Sasquatch If anything we get the family out on some shorter hikes and away from the video games.

 

[shoots-straight]

Do you just cut holes the sizes you need to allow for the flash,lens and sensor?


Draft I agree I think this could be a blast with the number of different critters we have in our area and maybe even Sasquatch If anything we get the family out on some shorter hikes and away from the video games.

No, You put the camera in the bottom, secure it to the tree and point it out the top of the box. Take the lid off first of course.

The bear can't get his mouth on the camera because the metal box sticks out farther than the camera. Might lick it though.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Best of luck with the TC's, i have over a dozen units, mostly home brew trail cameras and i realy enjoy getting images of different animals in different places we hunt.

As for security, i use python locks with mine, a pretty sturdy point of contact to the tree and to help minimise theft. Not sure on the boxes, i guess it would help with bears, but i would probably assume theft might be a bigger issue then teeth and claw damage?

What model unit did you get?

We have also been using HD homebrew trail camera video units my mate has built, boy is that fun to check the footage after a 100 day set in a remote area with a high ratio of mature stags to females...mind you checking through 6-8000 images from half a dozen tc's that have been in the bush for a few months also is rather addictive and a little time consuming!!

 

[Lawnboy]

SS, thanks for the heads up on the lid

I got the bushnell model 119325c. Not a real expensive model but had good reviews.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

SS, thanks for the heads up on the lid

I got the bushnell model 119325c. Not a real expensive model but had good reviews.

Out of the manufacturers TC's we have used, i have to admit the Bushnell have always been quite reliable and pretty straight forward to use. From memory they have a pretty thin piece of rubber on the outer lip to use as a seal to keep moisture out when the case is closed and we always used to make little hoods either out of ice cream containers, or metal and this did help with keeping the unit dry and functional. Mind you placement on the tree, direction it is facing and also the type of tree will also help you with the moisture coming into contact with the unit. I love putting units on big tree ferns as they create a natural umbrella but they might be a bit scarce over your way. Finding everything perfect is always hard where you set a unit, but all part of the challenge in obtaining the type of images and settings you want.

Good luck with it.

 

[blb078]

For some good deals on cams check ebay. About 2 weeks ago I managed to get 3 new in package Wildgame Innovation Red 4 mirco's for 130 shipped, comes out to 43 bux per cam. I have also 3 of their Red 2's and they work great so I decided the mico's and I haven't had an issues any of them, even w/rain, snow, cold. The battery life is great on them about 3-5 months since the flash is LED. I will say the night pics are so/so when the animal is moving but that's not a big issue to me since can't hunt then anyway.

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Something else to keep in mind is always check the voltage of your batteries before you set the TC, you would be suprised how often they are down on charge straight out of the packet. A cheap volt reader can be brought. Eneloops are great as they hold their power and don't self discharge over time and duracells are really worth the extra $ if you are doing longer sets where battery power is critical.

 

[Zach]

I don't have bears or 2 legged thieves where I place mine. I do know that I don't trust the plastic buckles all the time, they tend to break if you're cinching down on a good size tree, or the strap may not be big enough if you're around mature trees.

+1 on double checking your batteries, especially if you're going to let the cam sit a few weeks.

Looking forward to seeing your pics.

 

[live free or die]

A couple other things to keep in mind. Make sure there are no objects in front of camera like tall grass or branches that will fill card on windy days! I.ve had alot of bears check my cameras out but never damage them. Dirt bags are my only concern here and I end up pulling most of my cameras during hunting season. Lost 3 tree stands over last couple years ( all have locks now! ) Cameras are a blast though, me and my sons run a dozen or so. In fact yesterday we started setting them out again to see who made it through the season.

 

[jlmatthew]

Glad I found this post, good stuff here

 

[Lawnboy]

Thanks for the advice/ideas. I'm excited to go give it a try.

 

[JCS]

Pretty soon you will be naming bucks/bulls/bears and shooting them in the fall

 

[Jwill]

I got a couple cameras this spring and decided to get the steel security box with python locks for them. I figured it would help keep honest folks honest and keep bears from getting them, though I've had no issues with either so far.

 

[Lawnboy]

Pretty soon you will be naming bucks/bulls/bears and shooting them in the fall

Yea that's my intent

 

[MtnWest]

Lawnboy your kids will love it! My oldest boy (12) and I have a blast with them. He gets a kick out of seeing what is around where we hunt. We use them for scouting elk and set them mid July and pull them the weekend before archery starts. The area is general archery and rifle so I like to get them out of the woods before hand. I don't have boxes for them though the ammo can is a great idea and will try that. Where I hunt is thick with bears and have had some licking and chewing but not enough to hurt the cams (yet). Like above posters said, watch swaying vegetation and face north when possible.

This year I set one too close to a closed road in my opinion. Up a side draw watching a tiny seep, maybe a 1/2 mile walk from the truck and figured it had a 50/50 chance of being taken.

We walked up the game trail and it was gone! I thought damn low life's, Seriously?! But then saw the strap around the tree still. The extra paracord in case the plastic buckle broke was gone and the camera was an exact 180 deg to the back of the 3ft dia ponderosa. I thought well the other people weren't happy I knew of their spot and sent a message pointing it the other way. When I checked the pics it was a spike bull that got after it for a full 20mins. I got eyeballs, forehead and blur until he was happy he pushed it all the way around. Here is the culprit... and a cool pic of 4 spikes in one frame before the camera got turned



Some other pics from this summer. My boy arrowed his spike where the bull below is standing. Sorry for the cropping but being a general area close to Boise and 600k people I don't want to post gps coord's.

 

[noharleyyet]

Used em for the first time this year Bart....hooked.