How Long Do You Leave Your Trail Cams Out?

[ElkNut1]

Curious as to what's your normal length of time but also what may have been the longest time? I try to look at them once a week but at times they're out two-three weeks!

ElKNut1

[Mike_Parson]

i put mine out on a few water holes i have been scouting areound to see what kind of activity they are getting. i left them out 2 weeks the first time and then again 3 weeks. the pics shows me they are being used but not on a good enough schedule to count on them for any solid ambush as of yet. The reason for this is the big amount of rain we have gotten the loast several months haver most of the gound spots still holding water. the best i can hope for is the rains to start holding off for the next 5 weeks and maybe some of the spots will dry up some and the deeper water holes will staret getting hit more often.

[Fridaythe13th]

Not sure on you western mountain elk hunter. But here in the whitetail Minnesota hills. The less scent I can put in the woods the better it doesn't take much the put these bucks nocturnal in a hurry. 3 or 4 weeks depending on battery life and if you can check them right before it rains is best.

[wawhitey]

I seldom will check them before a minimum of two weeks. 1-2 months is common. Sometimes 3 if im working a lot

[the weasel]

No cameras this year .... but in years past I try to leave them alone as much as possible. (I try to spray down and leave as little sent as possible, going in around noonish and still have blown deer out). Upgrading to the good Lithium style batteries has increased my hang time a lot! I try to go once a month to check, and typically hang them April/May depending on if roads are clear enough of snow to get into the spots I've chosen. And try to pull them right before season or the first day of season. I don't like to risk them hanging out while the woods get filled with people.....

[one_elk]

I have one camera that has been out just over a year I am very interested in variability in seasonal and annual use, there is also a weather station within 20 miles that I download data from to learn more about the relationship between the monthly precipitation, min and max temps and use by elk and other critters....I know it kind of nerdy but it pretty interesting to me...

[GoldToyBox]

I don't recommend it but I left one mine out for 6 months. Got snowed out and had to wait until spring to retrieve it. I did get a small idea of the migration but it was mostly pictures of wind blowing limbs and snow. I usually check them depending on what I'm looking for. I place several at a open gates on the ranch to see what Elk passed through during the night ..... if I see tracks I check the camera. Other places they are out weeks at a time (usually looking for deer). So it varies on what I'm using them for.

[elkaholic]

Most of the time I am leaving mine out for about 3 weeks at a time. However I have one that I put out Memorial Day weekend and I won't check it till Aug 8.

[ishy]

I've got an old tank so batteries need replaced every couple weeks. Dates: Usually try to get it out mid august through sept.

[wawhitey]

Batteries every couple weeks ishy? My bushnell cams last a full year on ultimate lithiums. Time to turn that thing into a doorstop. The $$ you spend on batteries in a year would go a good ways to buying a better camera. http://m.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-X8-Digit ... nav=SEARCH

[Fridaythe13th]

[quote="wawhitey"]Batteries every couple weeks ishy? My bushnell cams last a full year on ultimate lithiums. Time to turn that thing into a doorstop. The $$ you spend on batteries in a year would go a good ways to buying a better camera. http://m.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-X8-Digit ... nav=SEARCH[/quote

I must have the same trail cam as ishy it's an older Moultrie that take 6 volt rechargeable batteries. If the batteries are newer and the temp outside is warm I can get 3 -4 weeks but when it get cold in early November the batt. well last 7 - 10 days. I can get replacement batteries from Walmart for around $8 and they well last 3-4 years.

[ElkNut1]

Very interesting in the amount of time some leave them out there! My present ones have been two weeks but plan on checking them out this weekend? We'll see!

ElKNut1

[the weasel]

wawhitey hit it on the head! upgrade to a newer, smaller, better quality pics. camera! Mine is by no means top notch but I used one of those "old tanks" and had to be in the woods every 2-3 weeks... lots of $ spent on batteries and gas.... but also got to get out into my favorite places for a day! so wasn't so bad... I can get 4-5 months easy out of my set ups now....

[wawhitey]

wawhitey hit it on the head! upgrade to a newer, smaller, better quality pics. camera! Mine is by no means top notch but I used one of those "old tanks" and had to be in the woods every 2-3 weeks... lots of $ spent on batteries and gas.... but also got to get out into my favorite places for a day! so wasn't so bad... I can get 4-5 months easy out of my set ups now....

The ones i like the best, i linked to a good deal on one on ebay, are an old 2012 model, so not exactly top notch either, but they work great and have awesome batt life. Hetting hard to find now for a reasonable price. I have a few still in their packaging, in reserve for when some of the old guys stop working someday. Not bad for a 2012 model eh?

[ishy]

Batteries every couple weeks ishy? My bushnell cams last a full year on ultimate lithiums. Time to turn that thing into a doorstop. The $$ you spend on batteries in a year would go a good ways to buying a better camera. http://m.ebay.com/itm/Bushnell-X8-Digit ... nav=SEARCH

I know...it's a ten year old wildview that cost $50 ten years ago. I also had access to free batteries that had only been used for a couple minutes then recycled. So it worked well for what I spent. Next problem is I just started playing with triathlons so I'm outfitting a whole new sport on a tight budget. A new camera is one of my top priorities though.

[idahoghost]

I have one area I'd like to leave it over the winter. Just curious about what might be going on.

[wawhitey]

I have one area I'd like to leave it over the winter. Just curious about what might be going on.

Ill stop hijacking this thread with my pics, but i left a couple cams out over the winter this year and got some really neat pics. This year i intend to leave a lot more out over the winter

[JimKirk]

I usually leave mine out for 2-4 weeks between checking. I've used alot of different camera's. If they were battery eaters I've weeded them out of my collection. I've posted many of my pictures on here in the past and missed last season but will resume here shortly. I do like the compact camera's but since mine were on public land i don't spend money for high end ones. the absolute best deals I've fouind was on natchez shooters supply on refurbished cameras. I picked up several primos models from 49 to 69$ and the have reliably taken thousands of pictures. Usually with only one battery change out per season. Thats why I liked the clunker models that used D cell batteries because of the long life. I was keeping cameras out may thru sept. depending on snow is how early i placed them. I do think its not a good idea to check them too often as it disturbs the area, but find them invaluable for scouting, espicially a new area.

[foxvalley]

I leave all 10 of my cams out all year on my farm,as it's a great way to keep an eye on the property at all times. The buckeye system sends all the pics straight to my pc within 1 to 3 min. after the pic is taken,so I don't have to physically go to each cam to check pics. I can also change all the settings on each cam at my pc. I also have a solar panel on each cam that recharges the batterie,so for the most part they are maintenance free,however, if a lot of pics are taken, or cloudy for extended periods of time,I do have to swap out the bat.
This is a great system for getting real time activity,and is an asset during hunting season, as you know where the action is now.

[Lefty]

I have kept one out all year long in different places checking at different times
the TC I was using bear hunting we checked at least weekly. July first I placed it where Ill be elk hunting. checked it today. Deer elk, and horseman.
I hope to put out a tc where I hunted last year. just to make me feel bad with the pics I get. Il pull it when Im done elk hunting
for me a tc is more than hunting/scouting. Its cheap entertainment.
Ive mentioned this before. Had a friend that makes his living with photography. Trail cams are a hobby. He has a list of "trophy" animals he wants pics of on his driveway tc

One year, Christmas night, at 2 AM he got a pic of Santa waving at his camera,.. He still doesn't know who it was

[ElkNut1]

Good stuff guys & wow some sweet photos there too! Thanks a bunch!

ElKNut1

[il_ray_phillips]

1st run of the year I will only leave them out a week. This is to make sure that they are all working properly and not taking 1000's of pics of a limb blowing in the wind. I will then check them every 2 weeks until season starts. Then they will only be checked when that area is hunted. I run 20 cams and use Coverts. They battery life in them is great. I can get a whole season out of a set of batteries. Actually just checked them for the first time this year and had a good amount of activity on them. Here are a couple of the better 1's!

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0008.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0040.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0312.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0021.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0241.jpg

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x84/ ... AG0182.jpg

[Mukbowhunt]

I just left two out from June 20th to July 22nd. They were 7 miles in by trail and three hours by car from my house.

Soaking again until Aug 8th.

[Lefty]

I sold the first Moltree. It required 8; yes 8 D batteries I think I got 4300 pics. lasted from about 10:00 Am untill about 4 PM . One day
I made the mistake of placing the camera low to the ground. But wow what a bunch action. sage grouse, grey partridge, ravens, rabbits, a rancher and a coyote