ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

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gizmo1
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ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by gizmo1 » Mon May 21, 2012 6:11 pm

ok, we bought several stealth cams because they were on sale and i thought they would be a good buy. they are absolute crap :>/ . what brand isn't overly expensive but are good quality. i dont want to spend 300$ a piece on trail cams because i have to get a bunch of them. what would u guy suggest.
Romans 13: 1-4

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killerbee
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by killerbee » Mon May 21, 2012 6:18 pm

what kinda issues are you having with them? all in all, they seem to get a great review for cheaper cams?

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derekp1999
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by derekp1999 » Tue May 22, 2012 10:42 am

I like the Primos TruthCam 35. They're @ Cabela's for $100 (do a Google search & you can find them cheaper elsewhere). I have 2 and haven't had any problems... I keep toying with getting a few more (the wife tells me "no"). The only drawback is that it's black... so I bought a roll of digital camo duct tape from Wal-Mart and fixed that in about 20 minutes.
The TruthCam 46 is also a good one for about ~$20 more with a little extra range on the IR flash and in camo. (on sale @ Cabelas now for $120).
They also now make the 35 and 46 in an Ultra IR model which are smaller & run off AA's instead of D's, they are $120 to $160.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
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gizmo1
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by gizmo1 » Tue May 22, 2012 1:10 pm

Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Unread postby killerbee » Mon May 21, 2012 6:18 pm
what kinda issues are you having with them? all in all, they seem to get a great review for cheaper cams?

The batteries wear down quickly, the night pics are terrible, and they are way to sensitive. If the wheat blows it sets the camera off. The triggerspeed is real slow. I have a ton of pictures of deer butts because they have already passed before the camera goes off. At night the pictures wash out if the animal is close and you cant see anything but eyes if they are more than 30 ft. They work ok i guess if your deer are programmed to come in at noon and stand still for several seconds. I have four of them and they are all the same.
Romans 13: 1-4

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derekp1999
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by derekp1999 » Tue May 22, 2012 6:09 pm

Check out the "Trail Cam Tips and Tricks" article on the "How-To" page. Since you're getting a bunch of butt shots it sounds like you have a very small window for the deer to wake up the camera to take the picture. Try placing the camera parallel to the trail instead of perpendicular, giving the animal more time in front of the camera to wake it up. I've found it very beneficial to elevate my cameras as high as 8 feet and aim them down towards the trail... contrary to most recommendations to place them about 4 feet off the ground. It's a personal preference as I think it gives the camera plenty of time to "wake up" and gets me decent pics of what I want to see... antlers.
"Eyeball" night shots of distant animals and washed out close ups are part of the nature of these cameras. Most of the time you really can't avoid it, I've had those problems with ALL my cameras. If you're seeing a spot where all you're getting are eyes then you should move your camera closer to the area that the deer are moving to/thru... if that's possible.
It took me 3 years before I even got a picture of a buck... it's a learning process but it's fun (I learn more slowly than most).
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore

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derekp1999
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by derekp1999 » Tue May 22, 2012 8:37 pm

The batteries not lasting is another issue. I have a Moultrie that goes through 1 of those big 6V flashlight batteries in about 10 days. It irritates the heck out of me & it costs me a lot of $$$ to keep that thing running for any extended period of time (trying to convince the wife that it would be cheaper to just let me buy another Primos).
Your battery life is often a function of the settings you use. I set my TruthCams for 1 photo every 10 seconds and the 4 D batteries lasted me almost 4 months. I increased to a 3 shot burst and the battery life dropped to about 6 weeks.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore

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Muleys 24/7
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by Muleys 24/7 » Thu May 24, 2012 2:40 pm

primos 35 or 46 I have had good results with them :thumb

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gizmo1
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by gizmo1 » Thu May 24, 2012 4:47 pm

hey thanks for the help i will try seeing if i can move the cameras abit. i have a tree near one of them i may be able elevate that one a bit with. i think with some rearranging i may be able to get it worked out. the batteries are killin me tho. i have them set on low resolution and 1 pic every 30 secs yet the best i can get is 4 weeks out of 8 aa batteries. i wonder if they have a solar panel rig up for them. i looked on line and really didnt see anything for the stealth cams.
Romans 13: 1-4

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derekp1999
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by derekp1999 » Thu May 24, 2012 9:26 pm

I bought a 6V solar panel and rechargeable 6V battery for my older Moultrie from Cabela's hoping to get some more life out of it... waste of money. Primos makes a "steroid pack" maybe Stealth Cam has something similar to provide extended battery life. I just wouldn't waste any money/time/hope thinking a solar panel is the answer 'cause it sure wasn't for me.

I'm considering building my own "steroid pack" by running a half dozen 6V batteries together in series (keeps the voltage at 6V but increases the amps & therefore increases running life on the camera) and store it in a marine battery case. It would take some work and be an absolute BEAR to pack up the mountain... but maybe I'll leave it on the first tree I come to! I don't know if you could do the same with a bunch of regular AA batteries.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore

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gizmo1
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Re: ARRRRRRRRRRg!!!!!!!!!

Post by gizmo1 » Fri May 25, 2012 8:47 pm

? somethin to play around with tho
Romans 13: 1-4

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