Edcyclopedia

I left my camera out for 3 1/2 weeks and the batteries were dead when I retrieved it
There is a good bedding area about 100 yards away with some decent rubs, so I was hoping for some nubbies.
Just this big Doe, but exciting none the less...

PastorJim08

Ed,

Good picture but why do you think your batteries went dead so quickly?

Blessings......Pastorjim

haystack

Nice picture and scenery!! I have ferns, but those in the picture are 2 to 3 times larger than what grows around here. And yeah, that is a huge Doe!!

Siman08/OH

Is that the ONLY picture you got in the 3 weeks?

Edcyclopedia

The only one that was any good and made me wonder when the batteries died, which is also a partial answer to PastorJim??
I had a total of about a dozen pics and video's, with a few of them blank and a few bad lighting!
I'm considering asking the wife for a quality camera like the Predator IR for X-mas...
I'm just gun shy and would hate to have it stolen.

I found that my rechargeable batteries lasted for about 2 weeks during the winter and would have expected more time during the warmer months?? Maybe I didn't fully charge them or something, I'll certainly pay more attention next time!

Siman08/OH

Gotcha,

Ive never been a fan of wildviews, especially the wal-mart version. Probably the WORST camera ever made, but i totally understand the theft issue, that would be enough for me to change my ways.

Edcyclopedia

I do admire the fancy pics from the high/higher-end cams.

It was my first go at a digital camera and got 2 - $100 @ Cabelas (gift card), 4 SD cards, 16 rechargeable batteries w/charger for a total of $180... I've gotten some decent pics while playing, probably around 500-600 total for the limited times I've put the camera out in 1 1/2 years. At the time I bought the cameras the low level digitals just started coming down in price. If I would have waited 6-more months I would have bought something else. So now this is the stage I'm at, do I pick up a few more mid range cameras cheap. Unfortunately these aren't broken so maybe next x-mas???

These types of web sites are great for curving my purchase, lot's of good info, if you can sort thru the B.S.[8D]

daveyrock

I have the same cameras, and like you said during the winter months batteries would last at most two weeks, sometimes less on some of the more sub-zero days we had, but I've had my wildviews out for coming up on four weeks now and I'm still getting pictures with no evidence of battery wear...that being said, I don't take video which could account for the decreased battery life...I would lean more towards the idea that the batteries were not fully charged and/or maybe the batteries themselves are going bad, you can only recharge them so many times...

I also am looking into though a mid-range camera to take a little bit more high quality photo's than the Wildviews...

PastorJim08

Ed,

The security issue is definately a concern but there are several security boxesout there at reasonable prices. The great thing about most security boxes is they are made specifically for whatever type of camera you have. Most of the good ones run around $35.00. Or you could probably make one yourself if you have some scrap steel laying around. All my boxes lag bolt into the tree with a three inch 5/16 lag bolt, secure to the tree with a python cable, and the boxes are locked with a huge padlock. Are they completely theft-proof, no but it would take a great deal of effort to get one of them. Short of cutting down the tree they are in, I guess they could destroy them with a sledge hammer or something. But I have been fortunate so far. If you get ready to purchase something, shoot me a pm and maybe I can help you in the right direction, always ready to help out a fellow addict, ya know.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

PastorJim08

I gotta say that I just purchased a Stealthcam I-590 for under a hundred dollars and so far I have been very impressed with the pics. If you are unaware, Wildview and Stealthcam are the same company, GSM.But the stealthcams seem to be alot better than their counterpart. Now that being said, one true measure of a good product is it's longevity. So we will see how long this Stealthcam functions the way it was intended. But so far so good.

Blessings.....Pastorjim