Scouting Camera's

**BATTLEGUN** · #1 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 07:53 AM

I just purchased and set up a scouting camera on my property. I'll admit I purchased a lesser quality camera but it seems to have pretty cool features such as infrared flash and movie capability. What it doesn't have is good directions on camera functionality. For those who have these cameras or have used them in the past, what is the general activation period before it snaps a photo? Obviously it should snap a picture for a split second movement or should it? Do you try to conceal them by placing them higher in the tree (or whatever)?

I'm really looking forward to seeing what's traveling the trail on my land and eating the fruit from my fruit trees and that durned corn that keeps showing up laying on the trail?

**GRIZZLYWIZARD** · #2 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 08:09 AM

I have never used them myself, BusterW is the camera guru here.

**1Bad1000Xxc** · #3 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 08:47 AM

Well, trail cams are kinda like. The cheaper the product, the slower the response time and the lesser quality of the images. I've seen $50 cameras that have a halfway decent response time from the time it detects movement till when it takes a shot during the day, but the night shots from them were horrible with a purple haze.

Of the store-bought cams, the Cuddebacks tend to have the best repsonse time of about 2 seconds or so, but as I said in other post, for the top of the line Cuddeback, you're talking $400, which most folks can't or won't spend the money on. A couple of years ago, I got my first Cuddeback expert off of eBay for like $250 and it was new. However, 2 years later, it was missing shots. I sent it to Cuddeback and they replaced the board in it. Cam back, same thing again. Went and purchased a new one and went through 3 in a couple of months for various defects. That was when Bass Pro told me trail cams were their most returned item. So, I decided to build one on my own from research I did online. Since I was building it from a Sony point and shoot digiicam, I figured it would last longer. To this point it has done well. The time you step in front of it, the camera powers up and will snap a shot. What this means is the delay on my home brew for the inital pic is whatever limitations that camera has for boot-up. I'm guessing about 3 seconds from power up to snap.

Now, as for location, you don't really want it high and it's not gonna bother the game being there. Generally speaking you want it 2-3 feet high and pointing down a path they would take so it can detect them at range. In other words, if you've scouted and found a trail they regularly travel, aim it down the trail rather than across it. If you aim across the trail, they're liable to pass in front of the camera and be out of viewing angle before the camera powers up and snaps the shot. Generally speaking, I try to have mine at about a 45 degree angle to where I'm expeecting the game to be. That way I can expect a good angled photo so I can get an idea about their size etc.

Does that help?

Buster

**BATTLEGUN** · #4 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BusterW

Well, trail cams are kinda like. The cheaper the product, the slower the response time and the lesser quality of the images. I've seen $50 cameras that have a halfway decent response time from the time it detects movement till when it takes a shot during the day, but the night shots from them were horrible with a purple haze.

Of the store-bought cams, the Cuddebacks tend to have the best repsonse time of about 2 seconds or so, but as I said in other post, for the top of the line Cuddeback, you're talking $400, which most folks can't or won't spend the money on. A couple of years ago, I got my first Cuddeback expert off of eBay for like $250 and it was new. However, 2 years later, it was missing shots. I sent it to Cuddeback and they replaced the board in it. Cam back, same thing again. Went and purchased a new one and went through 3 in a couple of months for various defects. That was when Bass Pro told me trail cams were their most returned item. So, I decided to build one on my own from research I did online. Since I was building it from a Sony point and shoot digiicam, I figured it would last longer. To this point it has done well. The time you step in front of it, the camera powers up and will snap a shot. What this means is the delay on my home brew for the inital pic is whatever limitations that camera has for boot-up. I'm guessing about 3 seconds from power up to snap.

Now, as for location, you don't really want it high and it's not gonna bother the game being there. Generally speaking you want it 2-3 feet high and pointing down a path they would take so it can detect them at range. In other words, if you've scouted and found a trail they regularly travel, aim it down the trail rather than across it. If you aim across the trail, they're liable to pass in front of the camera and be out of viewing angle before the camera powers up and snaps the shot. Generally speaking, I try to have mine at about a 45 degree angle to where I'm expeecting the game to be. That way I can expect a good angled photo so I can get an idea about their size etc.

Does that help?

Buster

That helps a lot Buster. Thanks! In fact the way you recommended setting it up is what I have done. Man, I can't wait to check it out. As far as the timing goes it seems to be relatively fast. When I left it yesterday there were 8 pics on it already from my nephew, daughter, and me setting it up. There doesn't seem to be a mode where I can mess around with it and it not want to take my picture. That isn't a big deal as I have expanded the disk space with an SD Card and the pics are only going to be 5 MPs each.

**1Bad1000Xxc** · #5 (**permalink**) 09-30-2008, 11:16 AM

Cool, I can't wait to see some pics!

**BATTLEGUN** · #6 (**permalink**) 10-01-2008, 09:37 PM

Well crap! I left my camera on the trail for a day or so. I checked it this evening and switched SD Cards. I had a 160 pictures. Now I have a problem. For some reason my computer will not read the pictures from the card? I have tried to open with MS Picture Manager, MS Picture viewer, and Adobe. Weird thing is, I put the card in an old camera of mine and I could see the pictures

WTH!!

So, until I figure out what is going on with my PC, I can only tell you that I captured a good deal of doe and young deer along with a few small bucks. Additionally there were a few photos of a dog and of course the first few pics were of my daughter, nephew, and me.

**1Bad1000Xxc** · #7 (**permalink**) 10-02-2008, 08:31 AM

What format is the cam saving the pics in and what brand and model is the cam?

Thanks!
Buster

**BATTLEGUN** · #8 (**permalink**) 10-02-2008, 11:43 AM

The cam is saving the files as .JPG. That is what's so dang weird. If I had a monitor for my tower I would see if it would read the card. I'm getting the feeling that maybe something is wrong with my card reader?

The cam is a cheapo purchased at wal-mart. It has the name Remington on it but I think the manufactur is BA. It came with it's own SD Card and I used one of my old Scan Disk SD Cards to replace this one while I retrieved the pics...ha!

**1Bad1000Xxc** · #9 (**permalink**) 10-02-2008, 12:04 PM

Do you have the means by which to email me one of those pics? In other words, will you card reader allow you to copy a pic form it to somewhere on your computer or will it not open the disk at all?

Buster

**BATTLEGUN** · #10 (**permalink**) 10-02-2008, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BusterW

Do you have the means by which to email me one of those pics? In other words, will you card reader allow you to copy a pic form it to somewhere on your computer or will it not open the disk at all?

Buster

I think I can get to files. I'll give it a try when I get home.