Game Cams?

C

CD1

New member
Does anyone have any experience with any of the Game Cameras on the market? I am considering a purchase but need more info. I like the idea of the digital camera with the infra red illuminator because there is no flash to spook game. BUT that model has a 25 ft max range. Some of the 35mm units reach out to 60-70 ft. BUT you have to go have film developed and it has a flash.

Just looking for some insight. Does the flash spook game from the area? Has anyone bagged a deer they saw on film first? Does anyone suspect they missed a deer that got spooked by the cam? How good are the photos? How good is the range? I've seen a lot of the pics in the ads but I want a real world reference from someone other than the company selling it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Most of the people I know that use them, use them in conjunction with a feeder. Once the (in this case) deer realizes that there is a food source they return to the area. So the flash after awile becomes a moot point. Don't know if it scares them away, but everyone seems to be pretty successful.
 
Depends on what you lookin for.

If you want great quality high resolution accurate color pictures......use really good film camera and multiple remote flash set ups. Set up at a water or feed site a must.

If you want instant gratification with real time viewing....consider a surveilance video set up. Good ones are aimable and zoomable from remote location. And you can play the tape later or pull stills from it.

Good pics cost bucks but bucks alone won't get good pics. Takes larnin from doin and larnin from book readin.

Sam
 
I'd guess the IR is most useful in a location along a known trail. Range becomes more important when checking an area, such as around a feeder.

I'll weasel a bit and say I think the flash wouldn't be much of a problem, if at all. Deer would spook more from noise than light, just for starters, and the light doesn't last long enough to be considered all that important to a deer. A clock-feeder's noise calls deer; it doesn't scare them!

Just as deer learn to time when a feeder goes off, and show up a few minutes ahead of "Spraytime!", they get used to certain other events such as car noises or lights of whatever sort.

FWIW, Art
 
I bought a cam-trakker last year and have been very pleased.You absolutely do not have to set up the camera at feeding stations.Find an area of heavy deer use-either well used trails or make a mock scrape using a quality lure.Yesterday i developed film that had a very large 8 pointer centered perfectly as if posing,the picture was at night but was beautiful.Also on the film was a large blackie and many does.the flash does not seem to effect deer but i would caution against placing the camera where you plan to hunt.You never know it just might make that big boy a little nervous.Forget about the cost and hassle of developing film-when you have a full roll you'd pay three times the price to see what's on em, plus digital camera systems seem to cost a lot more than conventional systems. p.s. just remember that just because you have a monitoring system does not mean you will capture all deer.While bowhunting last week i had a close encounter with an eleven pointer who has yet to show up on film i had no idea he was around but you can bet i'll be lookin for him. Good luck
 
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