phade

I have been running two Cuddelink cell networks for about a month now. I've had good experiences but also learning moments, and quite frankly, some that were bad experiences. One has three cams and one has five - all J1415. These are mesh networks - remote cameras send pics via radio frequency to a home unit, which in turn has cellular function and sends me the images. One cell plan for as many as 15/16 cams on one property. Good - Transmitted pic quality when properly exposed/lit is better than expected. CL Signal strength (radio frequency between cam and home) has been much better than expected too. I was pleasantly surprised I didn't have to daisy chain any remotes and all cams link right to the cell home. Battery life has been good so far given volume of images. Learning Moments - The user interface is about as frustrating as it gets. Never seem a cam so over-engineered in my life. It took some time to be comfortable using the menu quickly in the field. Bad - Night image quality ranges from awesome to really poor. I think the first thing I dislike is the close, far, field option for IR. I've never seen such a difference between similar settings in other cams. I have pics where I can't make out a deer on a field because it's whited out. Deer appears to be 15 feet away. Same cam, deer is 25 feet away, and you can make it out clearly. Many other cam lines allow for active light metering that take user error/knowledge out of the process. I wish they would have done that on these cams. Out of my 8 cams - three are under powered, three are overpowered, and two have it "just right." I've run as many as 15 Spartan Gocams and not one of them has had such issues, neither has the Moultrie unit, etc. My Brownings adjust from inches to 50 feet without a problem. Getting these cams right is trial and error and nobody wants trial and error when you want to set it and leave and not return - the whole point of the system. Image sending on the cellular units is frustrating. One unit will not send to a gmail address if it is the only address in the system. If I attach my aol address (personal one) to it in addition to the gmail account, the cam reliably sends to both. The other unit has been working fine sending to the gmail address alone for some time now. Each network has a cam that partially runs away - sending 20-40 blanks per day at transition time (morning and evening); regardless of where it is set. Time lapse is not on, on either cam. I've checked, checked, and checked. My suspicion is that the cam is going into some sort of time lapse when it is not set to do so - 5 sec delay, 1 image for D/N, time lapse off. CL send 5/250. Cams with most current firmware. Sensing is hit or miss with the centered technology. Trigger count went down dramatically when these were brought in and swapped out from my Brownings at the same spot. I've adjusted angles, height, etc. Cams make a ton of noise - the partial runaways click back and forth on transition making a pile of noise. I mean LOUD. One cam was DOA - wouldn't power up at all and is being swapped out. I suspect I'll need to swap out these partial runaway cams, too. I've invested significantly into this network and have to say the ROI isn't there yet. There's potential but the inconsistency of cam performance and sending has reduced it's effectiveness for me at a time when I need it the most. I'll be tweaking it this weekend, and hope to have them just right for the rut vacation. I suspect once they are tweaked to their specific spot, they'll be fine.

Losing deer sucks - you try your best. You either find deer, or you learn. Everyone has it happen sooner or later. Don't beat yourself up more than normal.

This particular buck is standing at the location you sat last year. 20 yards, left hand shot. Don't even need to stand up on the ladder stand. Midday in mid Oct!

He is a new one this year, but one I suspect we have pics of in prior years. Shows up mid Oct and pops through time to time in Nov. Pretty sure he's here for the ladies, LOL. Have a few others to share, but not a fan of posting them online before they are dead. Might be "safe" here. FB definitely not as people know some of these bucks....

I didn't make it out yesterday. Was hoping to get my daughter out but she went from excited to luke warm to not really interested as the day went on. Won't push it. Did pull a cam Saturday evening though that showed we just missed the mark 10/18...sat a stand about 150 yards away that evening. 150 yards and 2 hours. Hopefully I close the gap this season. October 18, at 2 pm and a stud is on his feet. I don’t post pics much here but hey...here’s to positive thinking! Hope we meet soon.

Take it easy. Think long-term and follow doctors orders as best as possible. I blew my back out lacing my boots at the truck to go into the woods Nov 2, 2008. Surgery a month later, which helped. But, I've never been the same. Don't mess around with back issues.

Yesterday seemed to have a lot of deer movement based on my Cuddelink networks and Spartans. Probably all needing to get on their feet after the weather the past few days. Sounds like a fun day - makes you not worry too much about getting one into the truck bed. It'll happen!

No need to PM. Draw for the Back Bay refuge down in VB. Hell, there are so many, I once had to climb a tree to avoid attack. Chickahominy has them as well. Lots of hogs in VA.

Ya just gotta grow a pair knowing you’ll pay the price later. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Virginia has tons of hogs...tons. I've shot several there as a teenager and young adult.

I'd have shot again. Just for the record.

That's a really hard pass with your first bow buck. If I were you, I would have zipped an arrow through him. With bowhunting, I think getting a few kills under your belt becomes important for shot mechanics and "going through the shot process." I've seen people hold out and have issues connecting because the pressure builds up due to the few instances to let an arrow loose. Good for you sticking to your goals, but I'd have shot. Then shot again. And again, if I were you.

Move it and hunt. People are way to afraid to move stands. I think more deer are missed (no shot) because they won’t move a stand. Stop watching the game and get in it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll watch March Madness and some NFL games, mostly Bills. Used to play a lot of soccer, was actually good at it. Can't stand watching it though unless it's at the highest level - like World Cup. Hunting and NFL don't go together though...I'd never miss hunting for watching a game in person or on TV.

55 yard shot on the first Oct 1 opener here in the SZ. Killed my oldest buck and set out to do that. Only had one ambush spot - either a 20 yard shot or a 55 yard shot. He came out at 55 and perfect standing still, not alert. Sent it and double lunged. Probably my peak from a skill perspective. I set out to kill him, knew the bedding, got in close, and sealed the deal. Fist buck ever was a 2.5 8 point on an opening day. Smooth bore open sight Rem 870. Dropped him on a dead run at 75 yards - slug entered between antler and ear and out the other ear hole. Never seen a deer do what he did after that hit - flipped end over end three times and his antler dug into the ground on the last flip. Sent three rounds his way and connected on all three to ensure he was dead. I was a young teen and the adrenaline was off the charts. Same stand that PM, I shot the same tree five times at 25 yards with a doe behind it. Never once hit the doe. Probably killed that tree.

We couldn't field dress in the south...as part of the club we had to weigh deer out via a program with the state's version of the DEC.

Keep at it but I would really consider turning down the poundage. Lots of people pull lower weight and you sir shouldn't have any reservations about it unless its a personal challenge to overcome. Do you have an xbow and will you use one?

It's always interesting to see differences in opinions based on science, experiences, and what we were told to believe by those we value. For me - the single largest deer I have ever seen while in a treestand appeared on the following conditions: End of the first week in November 3:30 PM Sunny 73 degrees Moog was wearing Adidas track pants in the stand because it was so hot (he also dropped his bow from the stand that day - I am like an elephant...remember everything). Buck was pushing a doe through the property - not running, but a clear walk. All 176" of him was on his feet on a day where people say it's not worth hunting because it was so warm. Deer will always be deering. Despite what people say.

I wish Harvester was more readily accessible in stores, but I shoot them when I can get my hands on them. If not, I use the SSTs...horrible for blood trailing but accurate. The harvesters are primo when paired up w/BH209. The Barnes that Moog shoots are also very deadly. They do way more damage than the SSTs do.

Killed one of my bucks last year at 2:00. I forgot how many bucks I saw between 10-2 that day, but it was a lot. Obviously rut. Only time I'd probably consider a midday outside of the rut is either early with a water source for drinking or late season food source where they need the calories.

When I found out that does are successfully bred at 95+% in my WMUs, and that the chances of a bearing age doe NOT having fawns is very small, I had to stop shooting does or get over it. I got over it. Even if you don't see them, they are there in many cases. You are fooling yourself if you think otherwise. In some cases, killing the mother of a BB fawn increases the odds of that buck not dispersing off your ground. Everyone has their reasons, but I prefer not to ignore factual information. I'd have to almost stop shooting does to prevent killing one with a fawn. At that point, I am not being a good steward of the herd. And for those that wait for them to be pushed off during rut...in those situations the mothers and fawns reunite after breeding. Typically BB/yearling buck dispersal (permanently) happens later than that.

Stacking ‘em. 3/4 this am and the fourth punch a doe last evening. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If I could live my life over again. I'd go to school at ASU. Oh.My.Goodness. I have a team out there and we actively recruit at that school....ahhhhhmazing. Campus, amenities, nightlife, programs/scholastics, employment prep, the girls, sports, bars, the girls, and the girls. Oh.My.Goodness.

Doing everything in my power to sneak out this PM. Work wants to prevent it, ha. I'll find a way. My boss lives across the street from one of our properties and that's the one we're going to this evening. Drives right by our trucks. Should be fun. NE winds and cool...gotta make it happen.

Deez nuts.