trail cam addiction

[phade]

10 hours ago, TreeGuy said:

I was able to talk@sodfather through his setup of the Moultrie, and he didn't buy the cam from me. That's what we do here, help each other out !

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

[TreeGuy]

I am curious to see how the Spartan does out there. Hopefully there's a return policy if it doesn't. That cam is alot of $$$. With decent cell service the Moultrie has been amazing for the money.

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[goosifer]

40 minutes ago, sodfather said:

Yes for sure the cell cams are a learning curve. I also bought a cell cam from Phade and he to walked me through the setup. I now have a Spartan and a Moultrie and want to see what one is better. The Spartan is a lot more money but if it works on the lease it’s worth the money. The cell coverage out there is brutal. So far the Moultrie has been out there for about 2 weeks and hasn’t sent 1 pic. The Spartan hasn’t been out for deployment yet. I may start a different thread on the comparison of the two . 

That would be great to start a thread like that. Would you consider deploying the two camerals right next to each other, even if just for a few weeks, so we could get a apples to apples comparison?

[TreeGuy]

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

You are always willing to do extensive write ups on cams, just surprised you weren't more willing to assist members with cams not purchased from your shop.

I'm in the construction industry, and if I had a penny for the things I did for others and didn't get paid for....maybe it gets me a referral, or a reputation. I was under the impression you were here to help, and to sell cams. I could def understand if members reached out to you for help

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[TreeGuy]

That would be great to start a thread like that. Would you consider deploying the two camerals right next to each other, even if just for a few weeks, so we could get a apples to apples comparison?

If only apple made a cell cam, all the cool, hip hunters would have one !

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[phade]

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. 

 

[Nomad]

I have two , and I enjoy taking the cards home and seeing  what’s around , what made it through and so on. I can see the attraction of cell cameras, especially if your not close or have time to go pull cards .

However , it may be a line I don’t want to cross myself .  Reading about guys getting pics overnight ,then changing their spot that morning due to those pics, some changing stands mid hunt, because “ the #2 hit lister “ just showed up on camera somewhere else .

For a guy who started out killing deer with 12ga slugs shot out of a bird barrel , and if I wanted water proof boots, I slipped bread wrappers over my socks , it’s a bit much .

Now I’m not out there in period clothes and a flintlock , but somewhere in between makes me comfortable.

[phade]

16 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

You are always willing to do extensive write ups on cams, just surprised you weren't more willing to assist members with cams not purchased from your shop.

I'm in the construction industry, and if I had a penny for the things I did for others and didn't get paid for....maybe it gets me a referral, or a reputation. I was under the impression you were here to help, and to sell cams. I could def understand if members reached out to you for help

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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. 

Edited December 4, 2019 by phade

[Marion]

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. 

I must say I do appreciate the occasional advice on hot new cams. And have bought all of my cell cams from you. Brad you've been great to work with! And one day when I buy more cams you'll very likely be the man I go talk to. Anyone else coming out with something like the cuddilink style system or do they have a lock on that market?

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[TheHornHunter]

On 11/22/2019 at 2:13 PM, Biz-R-OWorld said:

If you have an iphone, the best way is the lightning jack. You plug SD card into lightning jack which goes into your phone. All the pics are now on phone and you hit delete and put SD card back into cam. It takes under 1 minute literally. 

What adapter do you use? I've gone through at least five different SD adapter for my iPhone and every single one as crapped out after a couple months and won't read the SD cards.

[BizCT]

4 minutes ago, TheHornHunter said:

What adapter do you use? I've gone through at least five different SD adapter for my iPhone and every single one as crapped out after a couple months and won't read the SD cards.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader-white/4803100.p?skuId=4803100&ref=212&loc=1&extStoreId=1448&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuarso5uc5gIVi56fCh0jdw1lEAQYAiABEgJB-fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had this one for years, works great. My wife uses it too to quickly transfer pics from an actual camera to iphone

[phade]

2 minutes ago, The Jerkman said:

I must say I do appreciate the occasional advice on hot new cams. And have bought all of my cell cams from you. Brad you've been great to work with! And one day when I buy more cams you'll very likely be the man I go talk to. Anyone else coming out with something like the cuddilink style system or do they have a lock on that market?

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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.

 

[TheHornHunter]

Interesting thread. My lease partner and I are having an ongoing debate about cameras. We each have about 20 cameras so 40 total for the ~1K acres we hunt... and we have 4 currently deployed LOL. I'm more of a trail cam fan than my partner who is convinced they spook mature bucks. The most useful part to me is trying to age deer and figure out what's a shooter which is really useful when it comes to quick decision making when I see one on the hoof. I will admit I think there is some truth to what my partner says... our properties that we run no cameras on consistently hunt better and hold more big bucks than the ones with cameras. I don't think it has to do with checking the cams either, because we both do it in the rain, on good winds and only every 2-3 weeks unless we are hunting nearby. Next year I am thinking of trying the cuddeback system and putting my cameras up in a tree 10-15' high to try and mitigate the risk of deer seeing them (they are about 6-7' high right now). Does anyone here run the Cuddebacks or have thoughts about them?

[Marion]

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.
 

That would be huge! I got nearly 50 acres I'd love to plaster with cams and have them send me only pictures of animals and not stupid leaves lol. Even having just a hub would be perfect and I'd never have to disturb my deeper woods cams where I've got some serious deer trail action. Just ask @crappyice. How sick are those trails Chris?

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[phade]

11 minutes ago, TheHornHunter said:

What adapter do you use? I've gone through at least five different SD adapter for my iPhone and every single one as crapped out after a couple months and won't read the SD cards.

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.

[TheHornHunter]

14 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-lightning-to-sd-card-camera-reader-white/4803100.p?skuId=4803100&ref=212&loc=1&extStoreId=1448&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuarso5uc5gIVi56fCh0jdw1lEAQYAiABEgJB-fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I had this one for years, works great. My wife uses it too to quickly transfer pics from an actual camera to iphone

Thanks! I will check that one out. Maybe it's better because it's the actual Apple brand. I've always got them off Amazon and for some reason never seen an Apple one there before.

[JRod 8G8H]

So i have 4 Cabelas cams, 1 Browning, and 1 no name Chinese cam i got on Amazon. 6 cams on 45 total acres.

The gen 1 cabelas cam is/was the best... Cabelas has been going cheap although the gen 2 has been improved this year so i bought another. I thought the Browning would be a game changer given the price point but yesterday there were 3-4 sets of fresh tracks in front of it and no recent pic. The cheap amazon one is actually doing great.. And it was only $49 with a 2" LCD viewing screen.. Unfortunately it's working so great it got a slammer buck at 3pm opening weekend about 60 yds from my stand...

[phade]

4 minutes ago, TheHornHunter said:

Interesting thread. My lease partner and I are having an ongoing debate about cameras. We each have about 20 cameras so 40 total for the ~1K acres we hunt... and we have 4 currently deployed LOL. I'm more of a trail cam fan than my partner who is convinced they spook mature bucks. The most useful part to me is trying to age deer and figure out what's a shooter which is really useful when it comes to quick decision making when I see one on the hoof. I will admit I think there is some truth to what my partner says... our properties that we run no cameras on consistently hunt better and hold more big bucks than the ones with cameras. I don't think it has to do with checking the cams either, because we both do it in the rain, on good winds and only every 2-3 weeks unless we are hunting nearby. Next year I am thinking of trying the cuddeback system and putting my cameras up in a tree 10-15' high to try and mitigate the risk of deer seeing them (they are about 6-7' high right now). Does anyone here run the Cuddebacks or have thoughts about them?

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. 

[BizCT]

9 minutes ago, TheHornHunter said:

Thanks! I will check that one out. Maybe it's better because it's the actual Apple brand. I've always got them off Amazon and for some reason never seen an Apple one there before.

Yea, that could be. 

[phade]

11 minutes ago, JRod 8G8H said:

So i have 4 Cabelas cams, 1 Browning, and 1 no name Chinese cam i got on Amazon. 6 cams on 45 total acres.

The gen 1 cabelas cam is/was the best... Cabelas has been going cheap although the gen 2 has been improved this year so i bought another. I thought the Browning would be a game changer given the price point but yesterday there were 3-4 sets of fresh tracks in front of it and no recent pic. The cheap amazon one is actually doing great.. And it was only $49 with a 2" LCD viewing screen.. Unfortunately it's working so great it got a slammer buck at 3pm opening weekend about 60 yds from my stand...

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. 

Edited December 4, 2019 by phade

[TheHornHunter]

4 minutes ago, phade said:

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. 

Thanks for the thoughts! Good point about checking in the rain - I hadn't considered that at all. If I go with the Cuddelink I will probably get their cell version. How good is the range on their mesh network? The vast majority of the properties I hunt are in a 1 mile by 2 mile block of pretty wide open farm land so if they can reach 1/2 mile I think I could get the whole block covered by daisy chaining.

[phade]

Just now, TheHornHunter said:

Thanks for the thoughts! Good point about checking in the rain - I hadn't considered that at all. If I go with the Cuddelink I will probably get their cell version. How good is the range on their mesh network? The vast majority of the properties I hunt are in a 1 mile by 2 mile block of pretty wide open farm land so if they can reach 1/2 mile I think I could get the whole block covered by daisy chaining.

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.

[sodfather]

2 hours ago, goosifer said:

That would be great to start a thread like that. Would you consider deploying the two camerals right next to each other, even if just for a few weeks, so we could get a apples to apples comparison?

Yes Goose that’s a good idea I will try that and do a write up. Thanks 

[JRod 8G8H]

1 hour ago, phade said:

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. 

Phade that was a great breakdown thanks.

You're right the battery is hovering around 80% I'm gonna switch to lithium... I figured it was a temp/batteries issue because once we dropped below freezing all my cams kept getting pics except the Browning. It's a strike force with the viewing screen. I actually jumped 2 doe yesterday who were standing right in front of it and it didn't get them... Thanks again for restoring my faith in Browning

[TreeGuy]

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. 
 

Do you think the Spartan is really worth the extra $$ ?

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