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NantucketShedHunter
Guest
My tip for you is to spend every waking moment of your day trying to figure out how to avoid your cameras from being stolen. It took me two of my cameras being stolen to learn how.
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Lessons Learned on deploying Trail Cams
- Thread starter HarryO45
- Start date
hooksnhorns
Member
Always try to point your camera north or south.
bullgator
Senior Member
Yes, keep it away from pointing at the rising or setting sun.
Gfjsteve16
Member
Always use lithium ion battieries instead of alkaline. Reason be is alkaline voltage drops as batteries die. This cuts most cams off early.
Throwback
Chief Big Taw
Big7
The Oracle
Put a camera on the trail you are watching.
Then put one up high focused on the trail cam.
That way, if someone messes with them, you will
have a pic..
Stopped poachers on Dad's farm.
First hand experience.
Then put one up high focused on the trail cam.
That way, if someone messes with them, you will
have a pic..
Stopped poachers on Dad's farm.
First hand experience.
I mark the deployment of my cameras on my GPS - I run 12 cameras, so if I do not mark them on my GPS i forget where i put them. Before i had a GPS i lost two of my cameras for almost two months. I was lucky to find them again.
If you do not have a GPS create a log or mark locations on map. My recommendation.
If you do not have a GPS create a log or mark locations on map. My recommendation.
1gr8bldr
Senior Member
My lessons are get in and then out. You don't need 5000 pics of a buck, you just need 1. Continued checking of cams will do harm. I usually check my cams at night. Deer are not spooked by your presence at night. They will let you walk close to them and never run. I check cams on Friday night, after returning from a good meal with fellow hunters
1gr8bldr
Senior Member
Running cameras is fun, more so than hunting to me. I have ran as many as 20 checking them once a week. Been there, done that. Not as important to me any longer. Looking in hindsight, I was limiting my chances because had you looked at a gps track of my movements, you would see that the walking involved was disturbing way to much territory. Yes, it's fun, but that desire to capture everything on film is the very thing that can hurt your chances..... unless you had rather get pictures, than see with your own eyes the target you have discovered. Find your target, get out.
Yea, I kinda think you are right... there is a balance. Last year I dropped a camera in a new spot. No corn just a trail. Everyday the biggest buck on the lease walked by my camera between 10am and 1pm. It was three weeks before the season. I got addicted. Checked my cameras every five days then I saw him in four other areas...basically he was traveling the several bottoms that connected over a distance of almost two miles. I was certain I would kill him. I hunted the ridge upwind from his trail first day of muzzleloader. Nothing. I had cameras on him all season and hunted a lot. Checked my cameras often. He went nocturnal almost immediate after file season opened. After the rut he broke his right side side so I would have let him pass. I got him on camera after the season, so I think he is gonna be game this upcoming year. I think I am gonna ease up on checking my cameras this year.
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BowanaLee
Senior Member
# 1 Unless its a real safe place, hide your camera. I like to cut out camera sized holes in banks or hide them in root systems or around logs.
Always camouflaged to surroundings. I seldom use the straps. The screw in bracket isn't to bad though.
# 2 Point slightly up or down trails so you'll get more.
# 3 Video vehicles. You'll get more. Refer to # 2
# 4 I format SD card every time.
# 5 Be careful not to over hunt your area. I check once a week or less.
# 6 Carry extra batteries and SD cards.
# 7 Keep notes on how many cams are out and where.
# 8 Refer to # 1
Always camouflaged to surroundings. I seldom use the straps. The screw in bracket isn't to bad though.
# 2 Point slightly up or down trails so you'll get more.
# 3 Video vehicles. You'll get more. Refer to # 2
# 4 I format SD card every time.
# 5 Be careful not to over hunt your area. I check once a week or less.
# 6 Carry extra batteries and SD cards.
# 7 Keep notes on how many cams are out and where.
# 8 Refer to # 1
Good rules, what do you mean - rule number 3?
I put cameras high. About six feet up. I use sticks that I find on the ground to to place between the tree and the top of the camera to adjust the aim. Depending on terrain it can increase view. I believe it also protects the lenses in the rain and sun. A good camera should not be place directly on the trail, they will trigger at greater distances. I like video to confirm direction of movement of deer,
DuckArrow
Senior Member
This cracked me up....never truer words spoken. Nothing like checking a camera after 2-3 months in the woods and it is still in the off or setup mode. Been there done that.
EAGLE EYE 444
King Casanova
Yes, this one of the MOST IMPORTANT tips posted here for sure. The fact is, I have been guilty of not doing that TWICE in the past 6 weeks now. I check my cameras most every week and I found the culprit to be my cellphone as both of these times, a phone call interrupted my "normal routine" of doing things. Needless to say, I was highly teed off when I got back last week and realized that I had done this same thing a 2nd time !!!!
The obvious solution is DO NOT ANSWER MY CELLPHONE WHILE I AM FEEDING THE CRITTERS AND CHECKING MY CAMERAS AND SWAPPING OUT MEMORY CARDS IN THE FUTURE. I should certainly know better because most every week, I now check over 35 cameras on my property.
Take pictures of yourself moving through the cover after you deploy the camera. Gives you perspective of size of deer that you are photographing...know distance from trees and other landmarks.
I have seen several deer on video that are much larger than I had initially thought because I had not know how far away the deer were.
I have seen several deer on video that are much larger than I had initially thought because I had not know how far away the deer were.
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