Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Folks,

Several members asked me to post a thread about game camera tips and strategies and then pin it to the top for a spell. There seems to always be alot of interest in them at this time of year and I am sure many new game camera owners could benefit from some of the game cam "veteran's" experiences.

Though I do not consider myself a veteran.........always make sure you have a fresh set of batteries in there and (with the Stealth cam) make sure the LED reads "0" and not "E" after you load the film or you are going to have a blank role of film developed. ;)

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

If you are putting your game cam in an area with heavy weeds and vegatation make sure you cut down most of it. Otherwise when the winds blows you'll have a lot of pictures with nothing in it. The same goes for branches.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

how are you guys setting the pic amount

1 pic per minute or more?

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I do 1 picture every 2 minutes. Time to get those camera out there! I'll be posting some photos next week.

Good Luck!

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Just put out my new stealth cam. I got the 24 exposure but after thinking about it I wish I would have gotten the 12 exposure so I dont have to wait as long for it to fill up.:D

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My tip is to eyeball the height that the camera is set, don't follow the directions! I like to kneel down beside the camera so I can get a feel of what the pic is going to look like. It works better than a suggested height that doesnt take into consideration the lay of the land, distance of the deer, and the angle of the tree!

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Try to point the camera towards the North. If sunlight hits the sensor at the right angle it can cause it to trip, taking pictures of nothing. Definately avoid pointing it East & West. I get some Purina Deer Chow to lure them in. Corn brings in the squirrels, crows and racoons to much.

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Also, make sure the glass in front of the lense is spotless. Small smudges show up really big in pictures.

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I had read a post about putting tape on the sides of your motion detector so that you didn't end up with half a deer in the picture, is this suggested? I did it for the first try and haven't been out to see how many pics I have.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

1 pic every 2 minutes seems to now work best for me. This setting stretches the amount of time that the camera takes pictures...instead of having 5 shots of one doe that fed in front of the camera for 5 minutes. :)

T in PA2,

Nice pictures you posted. Makes me want to be back out in the woods now.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

This really depends on the type of sensor & fresnal lense being used. Some sensors detect a pretty wide detection area, like the old Radio Shack sensors that were about 2-3" across. Sensors now seem to be pretty narrow which helps make sure the subject is in the picture before the camera is triggered.

In the thousands of pictures I have taken I don't recall getting many half deer pictures. Doesn't seem to be that big of a problem.

Time delays are not that important to me with a digital camera unless I plan to not check the camera for a few weeks then I will set it for a minute or so delay. If the camera is out for a week I set it for minimal time delay. Took 300+ pics in a week once with a digital camera and minimal time delay.

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The needs to be lower on the tree than you would expect. I place mine about 1 1/2 to 2 ft from the ground. This ensures getting the deers legs moving and tripping the camera.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

1) Buy the best camera you can afford. I had one of the cheap ones do a meltdown on my counter this weekend.

2) Make sure the batteries are good or the camera may not rewind the film even though it says it has.

3) Make the camera scent free when you put it out in the woods. I had the same bear pull my camera off the same tree two years in a row. The second time he bit a hole in the camera flash.

4) As others mentioned earlier, know where the sun will be.

5) I set my timing on the lowest possible time setting when it's on a trail and much longer when it's at a mineral block or at my feeder up north.

I have lots of pictures of deer, moose, wolves, etc. that I would be happy to post, but I'm not very good with a computer.

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use the lock! If your camera does not have a way to lock it to the tree you need to make something. Be causious and dont tell others hunting in the area you have a $300 bill straped to a tree in this fence line. Always carry extra 12 exp film and bateries.


Has anyone used a "Deer Cam" and bought the expander for it?[

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WOW that green is bad! sorry about that.

Question was has anyone used a "deer cam" and the expander unit they sell with it?

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Any ideas for locking the stealth cam to a tree? It doesn't come with any type of lock and if it did it would be easy enough for anyone to cut the strap.

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I have a deer cam and it has a cable that goes through the bottom. I am not sure about the stealth cam box. I had one stolen last year (deer cam) and built a bear box that I will lag and chain to the tree. If they want it they will get it, I am just trying to discourage it.

The cable just had a thumb screw like thing on it and you could have it inside the camera case which is locked. Maybe you can lag it to the tree?

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I guess thats the way to do it if baiting - but I am not. I am catching them just walking through trails. I have switched it to 2 pics per minute to see how it works.

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If snow is expected - make sure you have a "roof" over the lens. A snow filled lens will not stop the sensor from tripping the camera - and getting black pictures.

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using rain x on your lens glass to keep the rain drops off which will provide you with better pictures on those rainy days or dewy mornings.

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What speed film does everyone use? I've only used 400 so far in my Stealth cam but I just bought a box of 800 speed to try out.

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I have been using the 200 speed Kodak Gold the last few times that I have done it this year. It seems to provide satisfactory photos. However, as we get closer to the season I may opt for the 800 speed film as I got some beautiful shots of nice bucks with it last season.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

is 800 beter for night shots?

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

800 speed will give you a better picture under very low light conditions, will allow the flash to reach further in the dark BUT you will get an obviously grainy picture beyond a 4x6 size print. The lower film number ie 200 speed will provide a much clearer picture. After a zillion pictures with my Nikon SLR, IMO Kodak film gives much better reds and browns, Fuji much better greens, again IMO. :eek:

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

If there are bears in your area, build a metal housing for it or it may get chewed up. They are attracted to the smell of the film and will destroy it. Also, if you have it set up at a feeder site, put it on a much longer delay than 2 minutes or the same group of does and fawns will take up a whole roll.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

IMO use the ISO 400 for the 35mm setups. gives you the in the middle road between 200 and 800 speeds. the 800 will give you the best night picts but not very good daytime shots. on the other side of the spectrum, the 200 gives great daytime picts and okay night shots. hence the reason I split the advantages/disadvantages and used 400 when I used to run 35mm's.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

You guys have given some good tips..........the only things I can add are 1 - lithium batteries are great but expensive. I get 3 months before I need to change the batteries. I have a Trial Timer Photohunter....about the quickest and easiest cam to use out there! 2 - Remember.......this is an awesome scouting tool. Put it obsure and strange places. Place you don't usually hunt or even lightly used trails. You will be amazed at what you see. I don't bait for photos but use trails and trail intersections alot. Lastly, starting mid- October your camera will have an exposion of buck photos. Alot of people pull there camera in October but October to mid December is awesome!!!!

The best toy I ever bought!

Good Luck!

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If you are looking for pics of Big bucks Dont..................



Put em out where I am..............LOL:D

Lord I have some dinks around me:)

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How often does everyone check their camera?

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Be sure your camera is off while packing it into the woods or you will take a half roll of film of just yourself looking like an idiot. I am speaking from experience. It made for a good laugh with my wife.

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With fresh batteries my digital will last just about 3 weeks. I check it to make sure it is where I left it about every 7-10 days

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Have any of you found that the cameras spook deer from your area? I have heard guys say that they found deer were avoiding the area where the camera was once they had been caught on film a couple times. Have any of you had similar experiences? I really am considering buying a camera but I would rather have no pictures of a buck than spook him off his usual trails.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Regarding locking a Game Cam: what I did was i bought a Master Cable Lock, and had a metal cover made that fit the cam. The cover was completely open on the back. On the front there ws a flange about an inch wide leaving an opening the cam would not go through, but the lens and motion detedtor was fully exposed. Had 2 eye bolts welded to the cover, one on each side. Strapped the cam to the tree, then placed the cover over it, threaded the cable lock cable through the eye bolts and snuged it to the tree. The eye bolts were positioned so the cable would not interfeer with the Cam operation.

I have probably made it sound complicated trying to describe it, but it was very simple, cost $20 to have the cover made and the Mster Cable lock was about $10

This is a very crude sketch

Hope this helps someone.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

T_in_PA2, what kind of game cam are you using?

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Bucky,

I make my own. Been making them for over 4 years now.

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Great tips guy's 4 sure. I too am intrested in wether the deer become photo shy and avoid an area after repeated photo shoots! Not to mention thier agent! Any good brand names to toss out there would b nice as well. Thanks!

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Shyness depends on the deer. Some are not at all, some are. I build my own, and sell under the name Dead Deer.

In regards to bears, metal cases are bear "resistant", not bear proof. Along with chewing on the camera case, they love to stick their nails thru the sensor lens and go fishing inside the sensor. Film may attract a few more, but it has been my experience that curiosity attracts them more to both. Once they start fooling with one in a particular location, they tend to keep fooling with it each time they come by. If one messes with your cam, move it, or you are likely to end up with a totalled cam before they are thru.

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Thanks for the lesson in film.

I have an option to take more than one picture at what ever sets my camera off. I have not used it yet, only one at a time, but I am going to put a roll of 24 in to see how they react to the first picture.

I try to check my camera about twice a week, and more often when the film is low. I think last year I changed bateries twice, so I just check my set-up for the film.

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Great tips guys. I have been away for a few weeks and was surprised to still see this thread posted up top. It looks like there is alot of useful information. I plan on changing a few ways that I use my camera because of it.

Pictures to follow next week....:)

RE: Game cam Tips and Tricks
 

Too often when setting up on a trail, folks will set up looking straight across the trail with the camera fairly close to that trail. Lag times with trail cameras from sensing motion to snaping the picture vary from nearly instaintanious for some 35mm to around 7 second for some poor quality digitals, with 1-1/2 to 3 seconds being average for better digitals.

When setting up on a trail, angle the unit on trail where it will "look" up or down the trail. Doing this, the deer, or other animal, will stay in the field of view longer, giving you a better oportunity for a better picture.