Game Cam.....how to get em to hold still?

D&D Farm

D&D Farm

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Santy.....Actually my kids chipped in together.....brought me a game cam for Christmas. Could not be happier except for one problem. I guess after X amount of time the camera goes into a standby mode and then when something moves in front of it, it takes 30 seconds or so to come OUT of standby. This supposedly saves the batteries; but I am missing critters. It's the predators that come to the sight where I throw the tree rats to lure them in. Been doing this for a year or so once or twice a week, whenever I see one of the tree rats around the house, and then I take them up and throw them by my deer mineral lick. Have gotten some HUGE cat tracks, coyote, and fox on a regular basis. No it doesnt seem to scare the deer off as there are lots of signs that they visit; but in the last few nights...........there will be tracks of specifically a pretty big coyote with just black pics. Last night, he took a dump right in the middle of the deer caine but just a black pic. Yes, the ground, and mineral lick show up but NO critter........</p>


How to get them to hang around just a bit longer?...........Havent had any tree rat bait available since I got the camera but the empty pics and tracks tell me they are there.............Then......when I do get some bait......how would you tie it down?........do you think that this might chase off the deer...........Thanks guys......Dennis</p>
 
Don't know what brand of camera you have but most new ones have a faster trigger speed than 30 seconds. Of the 2 camera's I have the Cuddeback camera has a quicker trigger speed. Even with that I stll sometimes get pictures with no animal in the photo. The only thing that seems to hold them longer is some sort of feed. I place one of mine along a game trail where the beam faced a long straight portion of the trail. That way the animal would be in the photo zone longer as they walked to the camera. Open area's are more difficult as most game continue to move.</p>


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With the black pic's at night the animal may be out of the range of the flash but within the range of the camera beam trigger. My camera have triggered during the day at 40-50 foot but most night shots only animals within 10-20 foot show up.</p>
 
Trigger speed is everything ..... I've caught deer running bye, bats in the air, me flashing by in the RTV ..... Caught owls catching mice, even have a pic somewhere, last year, have where camera went off just after the bullet has gone threw a deer, and you can see the spray blood coming out the other side. Another shot, have a buck just after the bullet hit, that his chest cavity & belly swelled from the impact of the bullet hitting him so hard. Now they were lucky camera shots.</p>


This is one reason I only use the Cuddeback, is for the trigger speed of the camera .....</p>


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Birds will set them off. Another thing is thethe temp makes camera's do funny things.</p>


All cameras every now and then, will have a " dry fire " ( blank shot ) in the group of pics </p>


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.........two guns </p>
 
Got my Cuddeback camera back in the mail today. Instead of fixing the other they sent me a new one.</p>


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Now if it would just warm up enough to get outdoors for more than 5 minutes.</p>
 
That is Great ,,,good companyto work with >>>></p>


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Yes Sir, It's very cold down here!!!!</p>


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........... jamie </p>
 
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We are at -27 at 10:00 - will be about -30 at 7 AM. We got up to -17 today. Supposed to warm up next 8-10 days. Jerry</p>
 
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We are at -27 at 10:00 - will be about -30 at 7 AM. We got up to -17 today. Supposed to warm up next 8-10 days. Jerry</p>
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Make my 18F here on the gulf coast fell quite balmy. Good thing I am taking a road trip south this week. I wonder how far south I would have to go to reach 80F?</p>
 
11 here this morning as the COLD just goes on and on. For me, it isnt really a problem, justput in a few more sticks of wood to make the stove hotter,and I actually welcome it for a few reasons. Mainly the various kinds of bugs that have been flourishing will finally be killed off. Great for the round worm eggs and larva that infect goats, that live on grass stems or barely under the ground. Takes a HARD freeze of many days to get them. Fantastic for killing the fleas and am finding in the wood pile NOTHING is alive but MANY carcasses of the typical roaches etc that should be hidden as I uncover them but are dead. NO not hibernating............</p>


Anyway.....the game cam.......Look guys.......I got a Moultrie I 65 which is what I have........My kids and wife did not have your wisdom to refer to when selecting this.......It is what I have and feel blessed...........Yes, I would LOVE to have another of the brand that YOU guys think is so fantastic; but I dont and probably never will.........times are hard............sooooo........I know you dont mean to diminish what I am proud of......NOT YOUR WAY.........HELP me please instead..............</p>


It isnt the shutter speed that is causing me NOT getting the critters............The camera takes GREAT pics..........In the dark it takes out to perhaps 40 to 50 feet and picks up on MOVEMENT...............What the problem is, is that ALL cameras go into standby to save the camera batteries, I have solar on the way by the way. When the initial movement is sensed by the IR detector it fires up the camera and then begins to take pics...........Anyway, mine is 30 seconds, which I agree is a very long time; but it is the way it is.</p>


My problem is, to get the critters to hang around for awhile. I really HATE to put out dog food or feed the coyotes on a regular basis as it will just draw more in........hmmmmmmm perhaps more to hunt though............but that is the only way I guess to get them to hang in that spot for the time needed??????????????</p>


IMPORTANT question.............Will baiting the coyotes/predators right at or close by where I get the deer to come in cause problems for attracting the deer?...........Am totally new to this "LURING" them in business and I value the deer that will build and build in numbers more than I do about the predators...............This is the first year that I am maintaining the mineral lick with some success and will develop a "plot" of about 1/4 acre around it.........I get visited by deer perhaps 4 or 5 times per week, but coyotes on a VERY regular basis judging by tracks, poop/droppings, and blank cam pics...............anyway......THANKS.........Dennis</p>
 
I have been baiting this area for a couple of months with deer caine.....NO deer sign in aperhaps 3 weeks; but have gotten some shady pics of coyotes and fox. Jamie, thankYOU so much BUD suggested sprinkling some chicken innards and blood around in front of the camera rather than just place a squirrel. Am getting ready to do that; but firstI put out a squirrel wired to a stake so that the predator will have to ork on getting it loose. NOW this morning wentand found deer sign, and low and behold had the deer into corn that I had sprinkeled around. We will see if they come back but for me, this is fantastic. Yes, I am in management rather than shooting and hunting. The game cam is pretty much as much hunting as I really want for now.Really encouraging to see this and will make further work easier to do.......food plot etc........for NOW though.....had to post these FIRST pics with MORE to follow........THANKS Jamie and God bless........Dennis/cs/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.27.95/pic-19-small.jpg</p>
 
Dennis : I would be putting a hurt on those coyotes and you will start seeing a lot more deer. If you don't cut down on the coyotes they will not stay around, especially in the spring when they birth. The predators are hard on babies. KK those are some nice racked buck.</p>
 
Dennis,</p>


I picked up and installed anI-60 October 1st. It's the same as your I-65without the "phone-home" feature.I'm not aware of any 'sleep' mode. </p>


There is a delay setting for the time to wait between photos (1,5,10,30,60 minutes). Mine is set at 1 minute. Also, I use the 'Multi-shot' count set at three pics, so it will take 3 pictures every 60 seconds whenever the IR detector is triggered. I get pictures of critters as small as squrrels and blue-jays eating the corn.</p>


Take a look at the IR aiming. It looks like your aim might be way above your feed pile & your camera isn't 'seeing' them.</p>


If you use the 'phone-home' feature, it might use more battery power, but mine is still at 72% after almost 4 months & hundreds of pics, so I haven't even looked at the solar charger.</p>


Good Luck, Rich</p>
 
Two Guns,</p>


Thanks, I'm pretty happy with the camera. </p>


Even though it the IR 'flash' glows red, & the camera makes a small 'click' when it takes a picture, it doesn't seem to bother the deer. They just get curious about it sometimes. This pic was after they'd been there 30 minutes & they stuck around for 20 more.</p>


I don't know if they all do, but this one has a laser pointer to aim the IR sensor. I have it directly on the pile, I think that's why it's also picking up birds and small game.</p>


Unfortunatly none of the deer came around when I could get a good 'sight picture' during season. I even used your peanut butter idea!!!</p>


Rich</p>
 
Rich......YOU are exactly right about lower the field of view. When I began I had the camera mounted at around 4.5 ft.........I lowered it recently to 3 and much better results:</p>


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The stake you see in the foreground is what I use to wrap a wire around "bait" to keep them around for awhile. Usually one of the tree rats that I get 3 or 4 times a week. Lately, thanks Jamie, I have been spreading around some chicken guts with liberal sprinkling of the blood and it keeps them coming for several days.........NOW I need an IR scope...........Dennis</p>


OHHHHHH......Jamie......is it Soda Ash that I should be trying to find?.....Called a local pool supply house and they had NO idea........thanks</p>
 
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