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Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

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Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby Tuffcrk14 » 10 15, 2024 •  [Post 1]

This year I took out my cameras and set them in the mountains of NW Montana in various areas looking for black bears, elk, and whitetails starting back in May of this year. Elk were my number one and everything else was just a bonus in my mind. If you’ve been on the fence about using cameras or setting them, do it. The knowledge I’ve learned has been priceless. It’s gotten me out in the woods more and it gives you that day before Christmas feeling you felt as a kid. From my 5ish months of having cameras out in the woods I have learned a few things that have paid off big for me.

1) Approach your camera from a different angle each time you check it whether on your way in or way out. I found an incredible elk wallow by doing this recently and will be setting a camera over it next year. This was after the third time I had checked my camera and had no idea that it was less than 100 yards from my camera.

2) Set your camera up high. (6’-8’ high)I had countless bears/people go by my camera and never paid any attention to it. It seems to be just out of their peripheral vision. I had one bear climb up and mess with my camera a little, but he couldn’t do much to it since he had to hang onto the tree. If you’re trying to cover a multi trail intersection or an area maxing out the limits of the camera’s triggering capabilities, you’ll want to keep it lower rather than higher. The camera will trigger at night but the ir flash can’t cover what triggered it and you’ll get black photos if it is higher.

3) Screw in swivel camera mounts. Get one for each camera. The caveman approach of wedging sticks to get the angle you want is time consuming and a waste of time in comparison. I got a two pack for $12-15. Worth it. My camera that had been messed with by the bear was mounted on one of these and all he did was change the angle of the camera to pointing straight down.

4) Extra SD cards and batteries. I had an SD card crap out on me for no reason after I uploaded the photos from it out in the field. Luckily I had an extra. Batteries seem to last longer than what the camera says they will with the selected settings, but cold nights and long stints in between checking can drain the battery overtime. Double check that you have the right sd card for your camera. A lot of cameras require specific types of sd cards and it can prevent the headache and heartache ahead of time if you’re using the right card for the job.

5) Cheap SD card reader/sd card hard storage case. I bought a card reader on Amazon that inserts into my iPhone or iPad for $8 and it works great. I prefer to take my iPad with so I can get a bigger picture and delete the unwanted pictures/video without clogging up my phone’s storage. The hard case for your sd cards is really nice because it’s easier to keep track of your cards. I used to misplace my cards all the time before.
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 15, 2024 •  [Post 2]

TC14, I agree with much u say in your thread..but..6-8 feet up for cams is asking for trouble sir. Bring 3 tree steps when placing/checking game cams and you’ll fare better. Those mountain black bears will flip and disturbed cams even at 12+ feet up. Been there, have multiple T shirts. The higher the better.
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby Tuffcrk14 » 10 15, 2024 •  [Post 3]

WapitiTalk1 wrote:TC14, I agree with much u say in your thread..but..6-8 feet up for cams is asking for trouble sir. Bring 3 tree steps when placing/checking game cams and you’ll fare better. Those mountain black bears will flip and disturbed cams even at 12+ feet up. Been there, have multiple T shirts. The higher the better.
I started packing a few tree steps with me and that helps a lot. I should’ve mentioned that. I wonder what it is that keys bears in on cameras while most other critters stroll on by and have no clue. Scent of the batteries? Click sound of the camera going off? Could be both I suppose. I think the height can be played with depending on your camera and it’s IR flash range. After the first bear climbed up and messed with my camera, I moved it to a different tree and several feet higher than prior. Only downside with that camera is a-lot more black pictures at night that don’t capture anything. I’ve heard the best way to deter bears from ruining a camera is to ditch the strap and use either baling wire or a mount like what I described. I haven’t found the sure-shot way to keep bears from messing with my camera 100% of the time, but elevating it has helped a-lot.


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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby Lefty » 10 15, 2024 •  [Post 4]

We have 3 Reveal cell cameras out I have been so impressed with the quality and the pics we get. Just such a fun hobby.

We set one near my bl;ind, I stopped and wave,, so family knows Im on the way out of the woods.
We also use them to mointor for grizzlies
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby Swede » 10 26, 2024 •  [Post 5]

Tuffcrk14 wrote:1) Approach your camera from a different angle each time you check it whether on your way in or way out. I found an incredible elk wallow by doing this recently and will be setting a camera over it next year.


I am glad you mentioned this. I discovered this many years ago and mentioned in my tree stand book. I have made several good discoveries this way. Following game trails can also help you discover springs and wallows. It is a rare wallow if they actually exist that is reliable. Some water holes are more consistent.
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby wawhitey » 10 27, 2024 •  [Post 6]

My tcam game has been slacking the last couple years. But i went out today and hung a bunch in an area i never explored until a few weeks ago. Gotta be some big unpressured wt bucks in there. Particularly excited about a cam i set in video mode over a big primary scrape.
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 10 27, 2024 •  [Post 7]

wawhitey wrote:My tcam game has been slacking the last couple years. But i went out today and hung a bunch in an area i never explored until a few weeks ago. Gotta be some big unpressured wt bucks in there. Particularly excited about a cam i set in video mode over a big primary scrape.


Nice!
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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby Tuffcrk14 » 10 27, 2024 •  [Post 8]

wawhitey wrote:My tcam game has been slacking the last couple years. But i went out today and hung a bunch in an area i never explored until a few weeks ago. Gotta be some big unpressured wt bucks in there. Particularly excited about a cam i set in video mode over a big primary scrape.
The bottom line is it gets you outside and exploring new areas! That’s also my current situation as well. A real nice buck started showing himself in early October three different times and only at night. I’d guess to get rub lines going for the rut? I’ve only seriously hunted whitetail in river bottoms and coulees before this, so adjusting to hunt them in the mountains/timber has been a fun learning curve. I’ve learned a lot and still have a long way to go. Last spring I got the opportunity to listen to Troy Pottenger give a seminar on hunting big mountain whitetails. It was eye opening to say the least. He’s big on utilizing community scrapes for bringing deer to him and making the big bucks search him out instead of the other way around. He’s been featured on a-lot of whitetail hunting podcasts describing how he does that in great detail. Please share pictures of what you get on camera!


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Re: Checking Cameras- learning tricks of the trade

Postby wawhitey » 10 28, 2024 •  [Post 9]

Tuffcrk14 wrote:
wawhitey wrote:My tcam game has been slacking the last couple years. But i went out today and hung a bunch in an area i never explored until a few weeks ago. Gotta be some big unpressured wt bucks in there. Particularly excited about a cam i set in video mode over a big primary scrape.
The bottom line is it gets you outside and exploring new areas! That’s also my current situation as well. A real nice buck started showing himself in early October three different times and only at night. I’d guess to get rub lines going for the rut? I’ve only seriously hunted whitetail in river bottoms and coulees before this, so adjusting to hunt them in the mountains/timber has been a fun learning curve. I’ve learned a lot and still have a long way to go. Last spring I got the opportunity to listen to Troy Pottenger give a seminar on hunting big mountain whitetails. It was eye opening to say the least. He’s big on utilizing community scrapes for bringing deer to him and making the big bucks search him out instead of the other way around. He’s been featured on a-lot of whitetail hunting podcasts describing how he does that in great detail. Please share pictures of what you get on camera!


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If i was to dig through my archives i could post pics of some big old bucks hitting primary scrapes year round. Maybe ill do that some time if i get bored. Too busy nowadays to be that bored though. Lot going on. But i intend to go check these new cams sometime between nov 5th and 9th. If i get anything exciting ill post pics. But if i was a betting man, id say the exciting pics will fall nov 10th - dec 5th, so i wont see them until next spring after the snow melts off. Probably some time in may.
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