Thinking about buying a trail camera,can,t decide which one.Anybody with ideas on what kind and model??????
Bought my first 2 this year, after 3 or 4 years of looking & researching. I spoke to Gene & Barry Wensel & went with their suggestion of the KeepGuard cameras.
They'll take upto a 2 GIG SD card, 4MP & run on 8AA batteries, rather than the D cells that most use. They'll also last outside for upto 4 months ona set of batteries!
They're small enough to fit in your pocket, hve an IR flash, excellent picture clarity & good reaction time. If you look around on thE Bay, you can get a great deal. I believe I paid $169 each for mine & I couldn't be happier.
Here's the first pic I got from each camera. One daytime, one night.....
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/robtattoo/pondcam001.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/robtattoo/porchcam002.jpg)
3Feathers I'm in the same boat . Rob do these cmeras give temp and moon phase ? Best of luck with them they do give good pics . Fred
Another good one is the 2010 Bushnell Trophy Cam.8MP,fast trigger,long battery life,compact and uses up to 16 GB SD cards.8 AA batteries and they make steel lock boxes to fit them.I picked up two,with steel lock boxes,for $200 each and free shipping.The steel boxes ordinarily go for $32-$35.I think dimensions are app. 3.5"X5.5"X 2".The same camera,with view screen,costs $50 more but also imprints moon phase and temp.
At any rate,you want a camera with a fast trigger speed,around 1 second,long battery life and the ability to set the delay time between pictures.You can decide if you need a view finder in the camera.
Hi Fred.
No temp or moon phase on these I'm afraid, just time & date.
I think I must've read every single review on every camera going before I finally commited! It seems like they're all a bit of a compromise (Unless you're happy to strap $500 to a tree n the rain!) Either they have great battery life but slow shutters, fast shutters but no IR, or good photo quality & crap battery life! These li'l KeepGuards seem to be about the best allround. Not the fastest shutter speed, not the best IR, not the best battery life, but by far and away the best average of all 3 for under $200.
Here's what they look like....
(http://stuntcams.com/shop/images/ScoutGuard.jpg)
Pope and Young possum nice. I second the Keepguard trail cameras.
I bought a couple of the Cuddebacks from Cabelas-never even looked at the manual! Just right for an old fart. :bigsmyl:
I use the same as Rob...they are by far the best I have ever used...you will also see them called the Scout Guard, Wolf Guard, and DLC Covert.
It does not really matter which of these you get as they are all the same cam.
Best of luck to ya...there are lots of good choices out there.
Chris
Mine is called a DLC Covert I but it's the same as Robs. Great camera
You said it, Rob. It comes down to deciding on the compromises you're willing to make. I gave up reading the reviews after seeing that the "ONE" wasn't out there. My son solved it when he gave me a Bushnell for Christmas. I think he picked the cheapset one!! Can't even read the directions! Maybe got another cameras directions because the one I'm looking at isn't in the included manual. Maybe I'll try one like yours.
Does the IR flash? I am thinking about using one to watch my PU when in the hills for a few days. Wouldn't want the flash to give away position. Thanks, Mike
Bushnell trophy cam.
QuoteOriginally posted by lone hunter:
Does the IR flash? I am thinking about using one to watch my PU when in the hills for a few days. Wouldn't want the flash to give away position. Thanks, Mike
It does, but it's practically invisible. It's not like a camera flash. Infra-Red is an 'invisible' light.
Scout Guard works great. Model SG550. Takes very good pictures. About $200.00. They also make another model that lete you preview the pics right on the camera for a little more $$. I found out about it after I bought the SG550.
Last fall, 3 of us hunted together in Calif. and the only deer we saw were the ones caught on the trail camera at night while we snoozed... 30 feet away in the cabin. At least I have those "trophies" from that hunt.
I have been using the the ScoutGaurd SG550 for a couple of years now and could not be happier! I highly recommend them!! And no one has told you that they also do video as well. Great camera...especially for the money! :thumbsup:
Bushnell Trophy Cam is my pick. Same camera and "guts" as the DLCs and Scoutguards but without the programming remote.
The two best review sites I have found are:
www.chasingame.com (http://www.chasingame.com)
www.trailcampro.com (http://www.trailcampro.com) (local guy in springfield, MO)
Thanks Rob. Mike
I use a Moultrie I40, but I know I miss some pictures with it. I have seen deer in front of it without getting pictures. I would try the Cuddieback. The Moultrie does take good pictures though. Here is a day and night picture.
(http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/distantmeadows/Resident1.jpg)
(http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/distantmeadows/Crabclaw1.jpg)
If you are using them in cold temps the cuddiebacks are the best I have found. They are the only camera I have found that will work in sub 0 temps. The moultries I have shut down. The batteries will still be good but the camera won't function.
http://www.chasingame.com/ the new one HCO is coming out with sounds like the deal.
Thanks Rob I think you sold me on them , by the way Gil where in Jersey are you getting that much action ? Fred
Fred I own a little farm in Jackson. The problem with the camera and watching them all year, you wind up not wanting to shoot the ones you have been taking pictures of. I feel like I am cheating! Ha! I let my son and his friend hunt that stand openeing day and his friend took the 11 pointer in the picture. I also have a ton of turkeys, but my neighbor with a farm next to me treats them like chickens. I can't hunt them either. It is like shooting a petting zoo turkey or deer.
(http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/distantmeadows/FarmPictures006-2.jpg)
Scout guard is what I use - you'll be surprised at the size of em. They work great had no issues with mine going into the second yr of usage. Batts last forever as well.
It wont catch an animal crossing it in a trail if the camera has been "sleeping". It will if it is "awake". Easiest to set it up where it will face up or down the trail not just straight across the trail.
J
Right now at Walmart the Moutrie I40 is $158 on the Internet. That isn't bad for that camera.
Gil
Gil I'm over in Toms River . I asked Gene Wensel about shooting deer around your house as it felt like you are hunting pets , his response was if they don't come when you call them they ain't pets . I mostly hunt south of me as there are a lot of deer just small ones . I have a tough time finding open ground over your way . Best of luck to you , Fred
Thats a nice buck you have in that picture, so they don't look too small down there either. Last year I had over 11 rack bucks on the property and I couldn't imagine how many young small rack bucks. They bachelor up here on my farm when they are in velvet. Once the velvet comes off they go in all different directions. Everyone of those bucks on my property live 99.9% of their time on a heavily hunted, heavily driven WMA. They escape all the deer drives, they are amazing. I found the best shot at them for me is the first week of the season before they know the game is on. They go nocturnal real quick. Every year I get one that I know is a resident buck. The 11 pointer is in both pictures in my first post. I would get pictures of him all times of the day. I knew my son and his friend would have been tickled with that deer so I gave them my stand.
Good luck to another Jersey boy.
Gil
I can't really tell you which kind to buy. But I can tell you what not to buy. I bought two Moultrie's, and they both were useless in about a year. I have a couple buddies with the same problem. Customer service was horrible. They wouldn't help me out at all.
I have 6 of the scoutguards that Rob has...love 'em.
The only problem I have is, if I don't mark their locations on gps, I have trouble finding them again. I have one now that I won't find again until the leaves fall off in December!
QuoteOriginally posted by A. Kinslow:
Bushnell Trophy Cam is my pick. Same camera and "guts" as the DLCs and Scoutguards but without the programming remote.
The two best review sites I have found are:
www.chasingame.com (http://www.chasingame.com)
www.trailcampro.com (http://www.trailcampro.com) (local guy in springfield, MO)
That is true. I bought two and love them.
I threw my cuddeback's away after trying these. They took great pictures, but I never was sure they were gonna work. They chewed through batteries and used poor memory technology.
I love the size of these. I am gonna get two more.
I purchased them from trailcampro.com. Great service too.
Truth be known Gil I sniped that buck in Georgia a few years back on a St. Jude's hunt . They open up doe hunting over here 2 weeks or so early and by the time the bucks are legal they are nocturnal and in stealth mode . I used to do well with rub lines but even they are tough anymore and with baiting legal now they figure out in a hurry that no one bothers them after dark . I guess that's why they call it hunting . Be well , Fred
Fred we head to Ohio usually once a year. This year we are going for two weeks. Next year we will be doing a DIY Colorado elk hunt.
Are you in any of the local clubs? I am in Black Night's. If you ever want to try a Trad turkey hunt, I have a few turkeys (chickens) over here. This deer in the picture was on my property and neighbors property. I saw it in velvet the year it was shot. It looked like a caribou when it was in velvet. I think it net scored 168. It was shot on public land here by a Jackson police officer. There are still some big deer in NJ on public land, but nothing like Ohio, although this would be big anywhere.
Gil
(http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv324/distantmeadows/Stevesdeer2007.jpg)