Trailcam advise

[Sliver Sticks]

It's time for me to upgrade my trail camera due to the fact that my current camera has far too long of a delay between trip and photo capture. I'm getting photos where the deer is already gone or else it's a great half-deer photo.  So tell me , who's got one that they're real happy with? I don't want to have to sell my car to buy it either!

[K.S.TRAPPER]

We are using the Moultre's and couldn't be happier but it's more about how you set the camera up then trigger speed. Yes the Cudde's are faster but as you know very pricey. I don't mind spending the money if I need to but I like covering alot territory and can't afford it.

Are cameras have a sleep mode as do most so when a animal walks in front of it it takes about 8 seconds for it to wake up. So you need to set the camera up looking down the trails,or on ponds or mineral licks.

I have two camera's out now and have been getting over a hundred picks a day for the last couple of weeks. I hope this helps some  

Tracy

[Rico]

8 sec thats seems like a long time are you using any bait or lure to slow them down. What model Moultre is that.

[Widowbender]

My Moultrie I40 has alot faster trigger speed than that, About 2 seconds.

David

[tyee]

this is not a personal attack at all so don't take it as such. First let me say I really can see how having a trail cam in the woods would be a hoot < but here is the deal the animals I hunt dont have a highway cam that tells them when I am on the way. I just think these devices are more garbage sold by the big business of hunting, and yes some of this future house hold waste works that is the sad thing, but I think as a hunter if you search your soul you will realize that these types of gizmos are just getting in your way of truly becoming the ultimate preditor that your ancient ancestors were anyway just my 2 cents. what is the cost of a trail camera anyway. I am not talking about monitary value. What do these products cost us as hunters? You all know the answers it is your choice in the end

[Guru]

opinions vary......

[GR]

Reaction times will vary within the same make and model. Last year I mounted three of the same cameras on a tree in the yard. All had new batteries and blank cards. After four days of me a bunch of critters passing by I had over 200 pictures on each camera. Surprisingly very few were the same. One would capture a lot a night, one does a very good job at picking up movement at a distance and the other one would capture a combination of both.

My sugestion would be find a camera that you are comfortabe with, function and price, and have fun. Cameras are like trucks, treestands, and bows, in that you get what you pay for and everybody has a favorite. In the end its what works for you.
gr

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I tested one of the other cameras and it was about 3 to 4 seconds same model.

Very well put GR,    Just have fun with them.

Tracy

[doeboy]

I like the cudde backs for a few reasons. They are quality built units.my oldest is 4 years old with no problems (its out 365 days a year) They have a "protection" system built into them in case someone steals it, they are unable to use it with out your code and your name is burnt into the cameras memory.(i live in N.J. sorry)i have taken over 1500 pics on one set of batteries.They have an option of a steal "bear box" wich allows you to lock it to your tree and nothing can get at it. they take nice clear pics and the resolution is good. The only thing i would tell you is not to go with the infra red models- i dont think they work as well as the flash models and the flash doesnt spook the animals that much. I have whitnessed deer on the trail and they dont even flinch when the camera goes off. They also have a less expensive model out now. I have 2 on the way from Cabelas and i will report after i get a chance to play with them.

[Dutchman]

Originally posted by Guru:
opinions vary......

As does mileage...

My experience has revealed slow trigger times on the "old" Moultries. I've had the same thing happen with deer moving steadily down a trail. Lotsa photos of hindends.

Changed my approach a bit and got better results. Now my cameras are set up looking down a trail or on mineral licks or some kind of food plot.

I mount the camera to the tree as high as I can reach (I'm 6'3" so I fugure they're 8 feet or so off the ground) and angle them down to the target area. The deer don't spook as much with the camera in this configuration and I can often get multiple shots of the same deer milling around in the area.

So now that I've made these changes in my approach, the trigger times on the camera I use isn't as much of a factor in getting the photos I want.

[TXRED]

I'm just getting aquainted with my first ever trail cam,a Moultrie I40,so my experience is very limited to say the least.Three of my hunting podners have had great service out of the $100 Wally world Moultries except they eat batteries(square 6-volt lantern battery) in two weeks.The I40 is supposed to get up to 5 mo. or so outta 6 D-cells,depending on lottsa factors ,we'll see.
One revelation to me is the fact that the I40 does not use a motion detector,rather a PIR  device to detect temperature changes to trigger the shutter.This means (to my understanding) that Ambient temp close to body temp causes a slower reaction time.In cooler temps,it triggers within approx 1.5-3 seconds or so depending on actual air temp.Detection range also increases as temps go down & vice versa.The I40 uses a red led cluster for the flash(not Supposed to spook critters as much as a white flash),that looks like a brake light on a dark night,so The jury's still out on that one.It takes fairly good pictures & will take up to a 4 Gig sd card,so if the batteries last as long as they say you could have about a jillion pics to sort out if it were full!Long battery life & high storage capacity are a big plus to me as high gas prices are limiting my 200+ mi. round trips to the deer lease.
 Redneck Research continues......
 Just my limited experience & YMMV.

[GR]

TXRED is correct under the right conditions you can get a jillion pic's. I had a small limb dangling near a camarea once and ended up with over 500 pic's. A buddy of mine had spider build a web in front of a camera,hundreds of photos of a spider building a web. Another buddy set a camera behind a barbed wire fence only to get hundreds of picture of a mouse running back and forth on the fence.
gr

[TXRED]

Yeah GR,I'm wondering if the heat sensor trigger will cut down on false triggers caused by blowing branches & such?

[foudarme]

I have a reconyx RC55...
extra fast trigger speed, i.e no lost pictures..I even catch with it a very speedy flying bird..
the pics'quality is not professional at all but that's not what I am searching for, if I want a beautiful picture, I will take my reflex !
The IR night pictures (black & white) are excellent and the camera can take as far as 25 meters (by night)..
the setup is "plug and play", very easy to use and the site provides firmware updates...
the battery life is extra long...
my only regret: on a such expensive camera, it would worth to put a 5 or 6 mo CMOS..

this camera seems to be one of the best, especially for the trigger speed !

[GR]

Foudarme, how far are you from Calais, France?
gr

[foudarme]

Originally posted by GR:
Foudarme, how far are you from Calais, France?
gr

842 kilometers...Calais is the most northern french city...

[Shovelbuck]

Virtually all game cams use a PIR sensor. They require both movement and temp differance to trigger. Trigger speed, or lack of comes from the camera. IE...how long it takes for the camera to "power up" ,read and recognise the card, refresh the flash if needed, and shutter the photo.
Back to the question. If I'm reccommending a factory built camera, it's the Leaf River brand. Awesome battery life and dependable. Unfortunately, the trigger speed is a bit slow but if you factor it in and plan accordingly, you can adjust placement for it.
By far the best cameras are the "homebrews". Lot's of info on the web for building them and a fun project to do. You end up with a game cam that will out perform any factory cam.

[GR]

Foudarme, sent you a PM.
gr

[KentuckyTJ]

I like this site it answers a lot of trial cam questions.

 http://trailcampro.com/

[Wary Buck]

Tyee--I understand how some folks initially come up with the feelings you do, but I think most come to that conclusion without actually trying them.  They are, in my opinion, missing the boat.  One of the chapters in my recently-released book (My Neck of the Woods) is 'Are Trail Cameras Traditional' and it addresses this question in great depth and with much introspection.  I do not think they provide much help if any in killing a big buck; I have never found them to reveal a set-your-clock routine of an animal in the woods.  In fact, rarely do I get more than one picture or two of mature bucks.  They are merely a window into the wildlife's world and help tell you what animals are on the property.  Much the same as spending hours away from your family with a video camera in hand or watching through a spotting scope.  I think of them as family-friendly scouting, not so much as in where to put a stand (as I am very careful not to put them anywhere near my actual stands), but in simply getting pics of bucks on the property.

They can also be used in a variety of ways.  Gene Wensel recently sent me a dozen pics of all kinds of species hitting gutpiles in Africa which was very cool.

As for cameras, I have limited experience with other brands, but have been TOTALLY satisfied with Digital CamTrakker's shutter speed, reliability, rechargeable battery life, and sensing range.  These are the four main things I  believe you should look for in a camera.