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General Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Ozark Custom Calls on December 30, 2009, 05:43:13 PM

Title: Trail cams
Post by: Ozark Custom Calls on December 30, 2009, 05:43:13 PM
I was looking into buying a trail cam or two, and wanted to know any suggestions you all have.

Thanks,

Richard
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: BD1 on December 30, 2009, 07:20:53 PM
I have a Moultrie Game Spy I60 Digital Game Camera & It works Great.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: hunter22 on December 30, 2009, 07:35:30 PM
Richard,

I have been using a homebrew made by GobbleCam out of Brandon, MS. This is a good trail camera.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: jim-n-em on January 04, 2010, 12:26:13 PM
I have a Cuddeback Capture and DLC Covert II Assasin.  Love them both.  I have had the cuddeback out behind my house for 3 years and have had nothing but good luck and great pictures with it.  The Covert takes great color pictures by day and IR at night.  I have the Covert out behind the house right now and just changed it to video mode.  I have not tried it in video mode yet, anxious to see how it does.  Here are a couple pics from my Cuddeback(http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/jim-n-em/CDY_0454.jpg)(http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/jim-n-em/09-10cuddepictures005.jpg)
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: Mzlhunter on January 04, 2010, 01:01:32 PM
I would save your money. Trail cams are just another gadget in the "deer farming" culture.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: wisturkeyhunter on January 04, 2010, 01:38:38 PM
I would save your money. Trail cams are just another gadget in the "deer farming" culture.
Yep
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: jim-n-em on January 04, 2010, 01:56:39 PM
I agree that they are more in tune for deer hunting, however, they are great scouting tools to set up in areas (field edges, logging trails, hardwood ridge, etc..) where you think turkey's are frequenting.  You can't be in the woods every second (even though we wish we could), but these things can.  I have seen scouting cameras used effectively for determining an approximate time when turkeys are in a certain area.  Undisturbed, Turkeys are a creature of habit.  More for deer hunting, but can be good for turkey as well.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: Mzlhunter on January 04, 2010, 02:08:12 PM
I prefer to do a lot of scouting and rely on woodsmanship rather than a camera. If I can't figure out how or where to hunt an animal without  the aide of a camera then I'll hang up my gun and pick up another hobby. That's just my opinion, different strokes for different folks.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: ronmexico on January 04, 2010, 02:10:21 PM
if nothing else, it gives you a good idea about which bucks made it through the season and what kind of deer are on your property.  we don't really have the camera's out during hunting season, but do have them out just after the season ends through february or so.  put them back out in late spring, early summer.  i like to see the antler development and to get a feel for what caliber bucks we have to look forward to.  i don't bow, or gun hunt over food plots, but it is nice to see what deer are using the plots.  wire cages let you know how hard they are getting hammered, but the pictures tell the story.

i have never used the cuddeback's, but have heard great things about them.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: ronmexico on January 04, 2010, 02:13:19 PM
I prefer to do a lot of scouting and rely on woodsmanship rather than a camera. If I can't figure out how or where to hunt an animal without  the aide of a camera then I'll hang up my gun and pick up another hobby. That's just my opinion, different strokes for different folks.

i can understand your thought about this and i too don't put out camera's (during the season), where i will be hunting.  but if you think camera's are bad, i imagine you don't hunt over food plots either.  i have no problem with people hunting over food plots, but i choose not to.  we didn't even plant any this year.  when we do, they are usually planted in the middle of the property, but i choose to get deep in the woods and hunt over native browse.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: jim-n-em on January 04, 2010, 02:20:49 PM
There is nothing that takes the place of hard scouting and good woodsmanship.  However, I live 30 minutes from my closest hunting spot.  That does not sound too far, but when you have 2 jobs, a wife and 2 kids (involved in everything you can think of), it makes it hard to get out as much.  That is where the cameras come in handy.  I would never depend solely on a camera to determine where and when I am going to hunt.  It can only give you so much information.  It is just another tool, but you have to put the leg work into scouting and knowing the woods to be successful.  I love my cameras.  I live in a subdivision in Louisville and have the cameras in my backyard.  I love coming home everyday to check them.  It is like a kid at christmas.  I never know what I am going to find on that camera. Both of my daughters love checking the pictures with me.   
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: hunter22 on January 04, 2010, 02:25:44 PM
Cameras are a great tool to know what is on your property. My son and I killed nice bucks the first day of our blackpowder hunt here in Arkansas. We had pictures of both bucks we killed but the deer were killed 3/8 mile from where the pictures were taken. We got pics of bobcat, coyote, coons, fox, turkey, and two men. That also told me what I suspected.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: Bulldogmikey on January 04, 2010, 02:26:26 PM
There is nothing that takes the place of hard scouting and good woodsmanship.  However, I live 30 minutes from my closest hunting spot.  That does not sound too far, but when you have 2 jobs, a wife and 2 kids (involved in everything you can think of), it makes it hard to get out as much.  That is where the cameras come in handy.  I would never depend solely on a camera to determine where and when I am going to hunt.  It can only give you so much information.  It is just another tool, but you have to put the leg work into scouting and knowing the woods to be successful.  I love my cameras.  I live in a subdivision in Louisville and have the cameras in my backyard.  I love coming home everyday to check them.  It is like a kid at christmas.  I never know what I am going to find on that camera. Both of my daughters love checking the pictures with me.  

 I Agree! Would Love to have one in the yard! Adam had one in his and it is a lot of fun. Where we hunted camera's would not have been there 30 minutes after you put um up.

Mike
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: ronmexico on January 04, 2010, 02:26:32 PM
There is nothing that takes the place of hard scouting and good woodsmanship.  However, I live 30 minutes from my closest hunting spot.  That does not sound too far, but when you have 2 jobs, a wife and 2 kids (involved in everything you can think of), it makes it hard to get out as much.  That is where the cameras come in handy.  I would never depend solely on a camera to determine where and when I am going to hunt.  It can only give you so much information.  It is just another tool, but you have to put the leg work into scouting and knowing the woods to be successful.  I love my cameras.  I live in a subdivision in Louisville and have the cameras in my backyard.  I love coming home everyday to check them.  It is like a kid at christmas.  I never know what I am going to find on that camera. Both of my daughters love checking the pictures with me.  

i hear ya, i have a 2.5 hr drive to where i do the majority of my deer hunting.  
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: ronmexico on January 04, 2010, 02:28:49 PM
Cameras are a great tool to know what is on your property. My son and I killed nice bucks the first day of our blackpowder hunt here in Arkansas. We had pictures of both bucks we killed but the deer were killed 3/8 mile from where the pictures were taken. We got pics of bobcat, coyote, coons, fox, turkey, and two men. That also told me what I suspected.

you never know what will show up.  a couple of years ago, we had a huge goat on one of our camera's...thing was a beast.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: B-Ready on January 04, 2010, 02:29:42 PM
I Think trail cams are a useful tool, not only for what's runnin' around but "Who" is runnin' around . Had a friend catch on cam the person stealing there stands.  :o
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: Mzlhunter on January 04, 2010, 02:41:44 PM
If they are legal and you like using them then go for it. If I wanted to grow an animal to mamoth porportions, take pictures as it grew an maybe even give it a nickname I'd get a bull calf and raise him. To me deer hunting has been taken over by deer farming and these are just another gadget used in the farming process but that's just me and my opinion.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: wisturkeyhunter on January 04, 2010, 02:47:45 PM
I could see a guy that was all about shooting the biggest buck on his land and wanting to pick out what he wanted to shoot ahead of time having some use for a trail cam.

Bears over bait are another place I could see them being useful. Be handy to see what baits have the biggest or maybe different colors of bears.

But turkeys I don't see the point. Finding tracks and other sign will tell ya they are in the area which should be good enough for a caller. Don't need exact time or even the exact area they spend the most time. Unless your one of them types that wait em out. Then they'd be nice to know what time to set the alarm in the blind to wake up.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: B-Ready on January 04, 2010, 02:59:16 PM
No Alarm clocks or fences around where I hunt, That being said just because there on cam don't mean there going to be there ... when you are there! Just a great little tool thats  *cool*
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: jim-n-em on January 05, 2010, 12:07:19 PM
Personally, I have never shot a deer that I have seen on camera.  Granted I would love to shoot one of those I posted.  Cameras are fun.  I encourage you to go to www.kentuckinghunting.com and check out the forum on Trail cams.  Some have video of gobblers strutting.  If that don't get you fired up, I don't know what will.  I guess you can say I get as much fun out of camera hunting as I do pulling the trigger or releasing an arrow.  If you are interested in getting a camera, they can be a lot of fun.  If you have no desire for one, don't get one.
Title: Re: Trail cams
Post by: Shadetree Callers on January 11, 2010, 01:10:48 PM
Trail cameras can be very useful to a hunter. They can give you a relative idea of when game travels by that location and even the quality of animals in your hunting spot. One year I had pictures of a 16 pt. buck near my house. I was able to watch his antlers grow through the season and then shed velvet. I even have pictures during the shedding process. Later I got photos of him with a terrible arrow wound in his shoulder that I was able to document it's healing.( shot by a neighbor) Eventually I caught up with him in late season, but not near a camera.
 Not only will you get pics. of your target animal but you will get photos of ALL the different wildlife including some of those elusive nocturnals. Catching pics. or even video shots of turkeys in your area will definately get you fired up for the season.
 Try one out for the FUN of it. I am sure you will enjoy looking at all the photos you get!

p.s.  Cellular transmitting cameras are a different story though. I don't like the idea of a LAZY hunter being able to watch one or many hunting spots without leaving their seat. I picture some rich hunter with multiple cellular cameras, cherry picking his daily hunting spot by the up to the minute cell reports. Heck , he could change locations in the middle of a hunt when his Blackberry alerts him of deer prescence. That doesn't seem fair and ethical.