Which scouting camera are you using this year?

[mqqse]

I am about to finally upgrade my camera to digital.  Moultrie and Cuddeback are probably my first picks.  The silent image is tooooooo expensive for me.  Any comments or photo samples would be great if allowed by the moderators of course.

[pseman]

I have been using the Leaf River digital model for about 3 years. Very good pics and has a small monitor on the unit so you can view in the field.

[bowdude]

I hunt public as well as private and have concerns of losing them.  I had some 35 MM ones that ended up throwing away due to cost and poor performance.   I recently bought 2 -  Wildview 4  cameras and am happy with them.  (sensitive detection) I am not buying them to take high quality stills of wildlife, just to tell me whats in the area.  Recently used one in colo on a trip and love the digital 10 sec video.  As for in the field, any camera you already have that takes an SD card will read the SD card and show you the pics, though not the videos possibly.
 
 

[Black Gold]

I use "Swamp Ghost".....this camera took pictures under water during a flood!!!!....The best thing is that the camera is removable and you can take regular pics with a high quality camera when you are not using it as a game camera....Helps sell it to the wife!!!

[bowdude]

I mean a digital camera that has a screen of course. My regular digital camera shows the pics, but does not recognize that there are videos on the card.  Even though my camera takes video.  Kodak.   Another elk vid and nite pics.
Keep in mind these are uploaded to a website and reduced, not what you see on your computer.

 
 
 
 

[mqqse]

Any cuddeback users out there?  I'm curious as to how good the video is on those.

[fireman_3311]

I have 2 cuddebacks, but have never used the video feature...figured it would fill up the card too fast!

[Grabwad]

I have a Swamp Ghost as well. I got the IR feature

 

[Jimbob]

I have heard that the cuddeback cannot be beat, as long as the batteries hold up. I have heard alot of complaints that the batteries just do not last. I built my own using a pixcontroller board and an old sony digital camera that I already had. It is alot of fun building one yourself.

[geno]

cool pic grabwad..I use a moultrie. I put it out behind the house 2 days ago and brought it in this am. When I set it out it had %13 battery left. It still took 36 pics both day and night.

Hey bowdude..I dont know if your sig is true or not but but you could always add that you have one of the largest cases of CWD..  :(

[Bowmania]

The two that you mention have the fastest trigger time according to Cabelas.  I have a Leaf River IR3 that I'm playing with now.  If I had known about viewing a card in my regular camera I probably wouldn't have gotten the LR.  Just set the camera out last night.  So I'm pretty useless on this question.

Bowmania

[mqqse]

The battery thing is big with me.....but I did read, and I'm sure this is conditional, that the cuddeback would run for 6 months on one set of batteries.  I just don't see how that's possible unless you set it for long intervals and daytime use only.

[Dave2old]

I'm old-fashioned and prefer the scouting camera that's mounted behind my sunglasses. I like the mystery, the unknown, the challenge.

Which is not to deny that you get some really cool pics with those things, but only that they don't fit my lifelong approach to hunting. Each his/her own, legal is ethical, etc. Besides, as I age I increasingly need the exercise that scouting provides me. But then, I'm lucky to have big country to hunt. I do realize that often, the way we hunt is largely shaped by where we hunt. dave

[Dave Lay]

I am with Dave2old.. just couldnt ever warm up to a camera doin my scoutin..I work 10 hrs a day 5 days a week but make time for scoutin, its a very big part of the entire experience.. nothing wrong with game cameras, just never seemed quite like something I wanted to do.. so what camera?? how bout an old Minolta SLR slung around my neck..??

[kennym]

Actually,mine aren't for scoutin cause the deer never seem to be doin the same thing come October that they are now.
I do like to see whats around and it gives me something to do during the summer.
 Confession: I bought mine to try to catch a big cat,haven't yet  

[W.Tim]

i have the Wildview digital, bought it 2 years ago for 99 bucks at Bass Pro, they now have it on sale with a 5 gallon bucket feeder for 59.99 .......a GREAT DEAL


 

[BlkDog]

I have a few homemade digitals I put together a few years ago.  Sony 3 and 4 MP cameras and purchased sensor boards.  They have been great so far.  I hope to get them in the field this weekend!

[Slasher]

This is my first year... got the cheapie $79 moultrie from BPS...  for us its more about letting my 8 Y.O. son come spend some scouting time with his dad...

Also since he's shooting a .243, we go scout a lil, look for tracks from the different funnel areas and set up the camera... Then go shoot a few rounds at the range to make sure he's ready  in his shootiing ability and we come home and look at the pics...

He then shows me where he thinks he should aim, guesses wether its a younger or older deer and has to explain why... Its a tool and unless you have a feeder or corn out, its not easy to put one in the right spot... or to set one up where the sun isn't setting it of reflecting off of leaves...

I am a meat hunter for the most part ,but will fling an arrow at a good 3.5 or older buck...(does do taste better) but am selective on what i take to a lrge degree... Yearling and young does with late dropped fawns get a pass as do middle of the road does that have two or more fawns with them... Old nanny does will be sought out and hunted down(if need be, then thats when the .308 comes out!!!)  Its like a garden, only pick the fruit which is ripe, keep enough fruit to seed next years crop, however, there are exceptions... like fired green tomatoes....

[Slasher]

oops...