Snook384

So I am going to install some trail cameras at my new lease. Since I am new I went with buying 2 Cuddeback NF4200. I also bought the bear box and 2 GB SD cards for them. In no simple terms this seems to be a very expensive way to go. I am starting to see the light in the fact that I have found Wildview Stealth cams at 40 bucks. It would seem I could buy 15 of these cameras for the price of the 2 that I have. So here are a few questions that I know you have all seen before but please bear with me.

1. Are the Stealth cams any good?
2. Can I set up a rechargeable battery pack to my Cudde?
3. Does the Bear box really help out with thieves(my biggest fear) or did I get hosed again?
4. How often do cudde, Stealth or any other camera break down and is it relative to price?
5. How long should my batteries last on my Cudde with 1 allowed photo per 10 minutes or how many shots should I expect from my Batteries?
6. It rains like hell here, are these cuddebacks pretty water tight or should I caulk the seams?

Any other things you guys do to get your photos or tips will help the new guy. I really like some of the shots on here.

TexasBowHunter

On our ranch there are 9 of us that run camera's, they alll seem to have problems at one time or another. We have come to the conclusion that it is always a crap shoot. I have three different ones, the first one I bought was a low end moultree, it did ok battery life wasn't what I desired and it wasn't compatible with a rechargable kit, last year I bought2 wildview that has been good and I put a 12v rechargable kit on it, lasts forever seems like but the the flash isn't that good. We haven't had any water issues, and we have 3 cuddebacks between all the guys. They complain about battery life and having trouble with the cards, but no water issues. There is one guy that bought a leaf river camera and it seems to be the best at this point between all the camera's that we have and we have one of just about every brand. Like I said between all of us we have between 18-20 cameras, and they all seem to have a problem at one point or another. The higher end camera's will work better on trails and the lower end cameras work better on a baited site or watering hole, just what we found....Hope it helps you out....

Edcyclopedia

Just remember the other people in the woods may like your expensive cameras...
I bought the cheap WildView and the picture quality isn't great but they work, as I'm only interested to see if they have bone on their heads!
You can always upgrade if you don't have sleezy thiefs in your area or don't like the quality?

Snook384

Here are my thoughts on trying to prevent thieves.

1. I am putting it 12 feet up a tree.
2. I bought a bear lock box.
3 I am going to camo paint it and try to place it amongst branches.
4. I am making a little wooden sign that say "password protected...this will not work for you".


Any other ideas are appreciated.

TexasBowHunter

On the ranch we hunt we don't have that trouble, but it is not public land. I have never done anything other than try to keep the squirrels and coons from knocking them around.

Snoogsdad

I buy trail cameras and test them and have had about 25% of the major manufactured cameras have problems to the point where I had to return them. These returned cameras have ranged from the cheap ones to the expensive ones. Make sure you can return the camera if it quits working properly.

silentArcher

People have cut down trees here trying to get the cams. So nothing is safe.

JNTURK

1. Are the Stealth cams any good?----stealth cams, IMO, are very good. quality and the external battery packs (6v or 12v) give you a very long life.
2. Can I set up a rechargeable battery pack to my Cudde?---never had a cuddey only buy stealth
3. Does the Bear box really help out with thieves(my biggest fear) or did I get hosed again?---if a theif wants it he will get it regardless of what you try to do to prevent it, IMO.
4. How often do cudde, Stealth or any other camera break down and is it relative to price?---i have 2 I390 stealths (never had a problem) and own 12 of the 35mm stealths...i have had two disfunctional 35mm's...so 2/14 or 1/7 aint that bad...they were returned and i got my money back..(one had issues with film rolling over and the other would snap picks of anything moving)
5. How long should my batteries last on my Cudde with 1 allowed photo per 10 minutes or how many shots should I expect from my Batteries?---not sure..for stealth with external battery about month or more...35mm with batteries about 20 days.
6. It rains like hell here, are these cuddebacks pretty water tight or should I caulk the seams?---not sure, i have had the stealths in perty nasty weather with no issues....even had them by a river..river flooded and my cams were UNDER WATER...went to get them..film was ruined but i cleaned them up and they still work...trigger speed slowed down though

not to say cuddey's are not bad...but like you said you can get way more for the same amount of money...that is the route i took and am happy with it...but to each his own...if you only have a few spots to put cams in then quality may be better for you....i hunt lots of public land all over so i needed quantity and not so much quaility...although i cannot complain about the quality of pics i get from stealth...only thing is they have a slower trigger speed..(but you can eliminate that based on how and where you put up the cam to maximize the amount of time the animals is in your optimal zone)