phade

Spartan is worth the extra money for a variety of reasons. The Spartan will send HD vids with sound, you can batch send at specific times (rather than at set intervals chosen by other makers), the HD image request allows for significant zoom in on detail which becomes important when dealing with a specific buck, or a trespasser, etc. Likewise, it has active GPS that once stolen and turned off, still sends a location because of the internal LI-ION battery, which also extends battery life around 20% of their earlier models. Plus it has the ability to resend transmission if it is dropped, which often results in a 98%+ transmission rate. Most other cams without the redial capability hover in the 80-90%. The camera has an external antenna which has two upgrade options for low signal areas vs. an internal antenna that is all or nothing. You can control the app with admin privileges and give guest viewer access that limits control capabilities.There's more but these are some the ways that the added cost drives a better user experience. I'll post an example of zoom capability.

There won't be an answer you can take to the bank because its not your ground those cams are on. It's trial and error because every terrain scenario is different. I have had very good luck in flat farmland, but every once in a while I have a cam that has a weak CL signal. The cams can be daisy chained, but I encourage against it. Imagine 5 cams in your network - Cam 1 is the cell cam, cams 2-5 are the CL cams. The daisy chain is at cam 2, and cam 2 batteries go down. Cams 3, 4 and 5 no longer send images to Cam 1 now via Cam 2. You have the replace batteries in Cam 2, and then go to 3,4,5 to reconnect. It'll work, but you better have a strong battery solution and just understand the ramifications of a daisy chain. I encourage users to employ a hub and spoke method like a wagon wheel. Cell cam in center of where your CL cams will be. Yes, more intrusion than having it on one edge, but you'll have less downtime, stronger reception, better transfer rates, and better battery life.

Most all sensing issues with Browning track back to batteries. I encourage lithium at this time of year for Brownings. If it was a Strike Force or Dark Ops line, even more so due to the voltage design with 6 batteries. Once the alkaline gets below 70% in them, I switch out, and that's in summer. Lower temps in winter = lithium in Browning. When a Browning is fed properly, their sensors are some of the best if not the best in the market. Their battery life and power use is more demanding however. Your Cabelas cam and the cheap no-name China cam are likely made in the same factory or share similar original parts. Cabelas is made by BMC, which is a generic cam producer in China. Not a bad thing at all, I have some and use BMC from time to time. The gaps in those cams tend to be generic firmware that can be inconsistent. Every once in a while, you get a winner and that cam will produce for a long time. It's just a pricing roulette spin.

The impact of cams and their use on mature bucks will be one of hunting's biggest debates going forward. I think it depends on the buck's disposition. For every mature buck that is bothered by them, there is one that will not pay it any attention, or even moreso, pay it attention by sniffing or licking the cam and not freak out. High mounting cams work well to take them out of line of sight, but cause other issues. Many cams have performance degradation high mounting - you have to experiment with each cam to see how it reacts to sensing area at angles. I use to high mount all of my cams, but now do around 50% and mostly because I want to hide the cam or for use in a close-in spot. My cells for the most part I level set because they will sit there for a long time with no intrusion. I no longer am a fan of checking cards in the rain. It's a great way to introduce moisture into the cams, which is the #1 killer. Most all lower and mainstream cams do not have coated internals and use lead on solders. This results in corrosion and cams starting to "act up." Cuddelink is a complex system. Having that many cams, you might be able to pick it up quickly. It is user intensive to set up, but once up and running, it works well. If you don't have a regular cell cam, I'd suggest buying one and getting used to it as the curve is shorter to Cuddelink from that. I have sold them for a while now and users tend to be pleased with them after going through that learning curve.

I have had the same experience, too. I pulled one last week and read it on my phone and the darn thing saves 400 empty files on my phone. One by one they got deleted watching the bills game. I've probably went through 10 of them myself. All end up working for a short period of time or causing issues out of the gate. I mostly rely on my cells and then use a tablet or laptop with an integrated reader. Swap cards outside of the season.

Thanks! We'll know more in about a month at ATA as to what's on the horizon. Rumor mills swirl at this time of year. Cuddeback has that market cornered - my understanding is that they put in around $1M into the R&D for the mesh network, so expect them to keeping pushing that platform. Nobody has come out to say it, but hints are an app is in the works which will take that platform to the next level. I don't think pic size will increase - drains on batteries. Cuddelink still is more geared toward a landowner, land manager, etc. IMO. It is more complex than a regular cam and a regular cell cam. If the app brings the user experience to a more simple level, it could be more popular and useful. I spend more time on my cuddelinks than other cams. Once its up running though, it does a great job.

A member here sent me more than 20 PMs, asked me to troubleshoot a cam he bought from TCP. I did, spent alot of time on it. Said user went back to TCP gave them the info I found as the bug, and then they started posting it as their own. Said user here who went to me for help, promised to buy cams from me going forward, then didn't, and then returned to me asking me for advice on which cam is best to buy, and went and bought elsewhere. That is a very typical request I get - people ask for help, I give it, they promise to buy, and then go elsewhere and often come back asking for help on said cams. Clients at the same time began coming to me saying "I am buying from you because of the support you can give me - when you give it away for free to non-customers, there is no reason for me to buy from you." It's also the reason why I don't have to advertise, market, etc. 95% of my sales come word of mouth and I have been very fortunate to hit well into the 6 figures on cams sales for each of the past two years. I have to go with what my clients want. I should also note some of the customers who told me this are members here. Active ones, too.

Cams are in the same field - not same tree, but within 40-50 yds. Moultrie Cell and Spartan Ghost. Normal transmission pictures. Not HD or other options.

I have a business to run and clients to account for/answer to. Big difference.

Vario Speed is the most common selection from Black Diamond.

Black Diamond.

Porch Pirates.

People take this kind of stuff one of two extremes in the boating world. One is laid back and easy going and the other is high-maintenance. If it was some happenstance (mechanical failure or other emergency) it's taken in stride. If its purposeful, you pretty much committed a sin within the lower levels of Dante's Inferno. The boating community is complex. I was exposed to some of that industry "down south" in my early 20s and boat sales/ongoing drama made a used car lot look like CSPAN on ludes. My boss had one of his boats burn up in an indoor marina fire. Millions of dollars in exposure for that claim...you should have seen the shenanigans coming out of that. People were making money left and right off of the claims. Boats magically became equipped with stuff that didn't exist. Boats "burned in the fire" magically reappeared with different paperwork. The amount of money in that community is indeed absurd though.

The originator sold muck 15 years back or so, but then that company that bought Muck sold again in the past few years to a conglomerate I guess. Not sure what the Muck inventor did between then and now, but he is with Dryshod.

Keep in mind Muck was sold since then. Recent reports of newer models are not as stellar as a large company bought them and did some cost cutting. Dryshod is the new company started by the Muck originator.

I'm not sure on rules/protocol, but anyone can request time in front of the board. Go do it yourself instead of the Assessor. Even if it's not the proper channel to ask or request, you'll win the hearts and minds of the board and they'll make it happen behind the scenes. Tie it to your passion for the community and what it means. The assessor isn't invested in this like you are. Why leave it up to anyone else?

Spypoint is not a cam that I could recommend. They need better support and better reliability on a larger scale.

Says the person assuming genders. Sheesh. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. LOL

If the act was witnessed by others they can lodge a complaint. Anyone can lodge a complaint. They might be reaching out because the lady with the tattoo feels uncomfortable and unable to advocate for herself OR they may think that and not know. At the end of the day whether anything is "found" of the issue, the complaint can most certainly be lodged. I have around 200 people in my org. The rules of the road are many. Best practice is to avoid the pot holes altogether. I shake hands with people and that's it. I can count on one hand how many times I've hugged a peer and it's never initiated by me, and in a social setting. I have too much to lose by frivolous actions so I don't even allow myself to be in that position. I have a harder time in discussion because of my rural background - once I'm comfortable, I put alot of trust in people. I have to constantly remind myself to make sure what I say is not misinterpreted. The latest conversation point is the "OK Boomer" comment. Having to explain to the generation that gets offended easily according to some, that you cannot say that in the workplace to more tenured/experienced employees is not easy.

Destination food sources, and trails leading to them, and thick bedding areas. What' you're looking for is A. bed/food/bed pattern you can leverage (most often in PM), or a bedding area where a buck is finding pressure relief.

One thing I will say with cell cams is there is a learning curve. It's a product you should be buying local or at a place where you can get ongoing support. Box stores won't do it for you and it's only going to cause you frustration. I have clients who buy from me because I troubleshoot most of the cams based on experience - many of said clients are referenced in this post alone. Ask Sodfather if he got the same kind of prep instructions and tips for his Moultrie vs. the Spartan. The hard part for me is that I've had to stop troubleshooting cams that were not purchased through me or if the client will not buy through me. A few members here have had me troubleshoot for hours, and then go buy a cam elsewhere, and then come back to ask me to troubleshoot their cam again. Current clients have asked me to stop troubleshooting because that's what they're buying when they buy from me. Cams are fun, but the business part is hard work.

Reconyx.

I use all of them on some degree for research/competitive analysis and sales support purposes. Right now in the field, I have Spypoint, Moultrie, Browning, Cuddeback, Spartan, Stealth.

Time is the ultimate change agent.

I'm down in total number of cams this year but up significantly in cell cams. Only running around 35 cams right now instead of the ~50 normally, but 25 of them are cell cams. Expensive but they are making it more of a scouting tool. It's easier to see patterns and actions with cell cams because you aren't looking at one cam at a time from a location. You start to ID pretty quickly when behaviors change in near-real time. There is alot of value in that understanding when it comes to hunting strategy.