Rob's Hunting Journal: Homebrew Trail Camera: The Moment of Truth

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Homebrew Trail Camera: The Moment of Truth

Saturday afternoon I had the opportunity to check my new, homemade trail camera for the first time. It had been in the woods for just about two weeks, and I couldn't wait to see how the camera worked. One of the things I like about this camera is that it has an LCD screen built in on the back of the camera to view the images. So there was no waiting until I got home to view the pictures - like with my commercially-made cameras. I knelt down on the ground where the camera is located and was able to immediately see what was captured on the camera.

The camera had performed as good or better than I had hoped. I was surprised to see that it had taken 262 pictures and had completely filled the 512MB memory stick. The batteries in the camera had run out, but they had lasted long enough to fill the card with pictures. The resolution on this camera is 4.1 megapixels, and in my opinion, the picture quality is definitely better than any of my store-bought trail cameras. I replaced the memory stick with a 1GB capacity card, so hopefully it will have enough room to not run out of space before I check it again.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the first batch of pictures. These have not been edited other than me adding the date and time to the bottom right-hand corner of the pictures. You should be able to click on the picture to open it up full size for better viewing. Tell me what you think.

These last two pictures show the quick follow up picture that this camera will take. With my Cuddeback cameras, once they trigger and snap a picture, they will not take another picture for at least 30 seconds. In this instance, the Cuddeback camera would have triggered on the first deer and then would have missed the 8-point buck when he walked by 9 seconds later.

5 comments:

Albert A Rasch said...: Nice Work!

Now I might have to do something similar.

I'll highlight your camera adaptation on my blog rodeo for the coming week too.

Best regards,
Albert
Trophy Merriam’s Turkey
Fallow Deer: Hints and Tips; August 30, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Anonymous said...: Awesome pictures for sure. I am out a trail camera and the more and more I see these pictures the more I wish I had gone out and replaced the one that died.; August 31, 2009 at 9:22 AM
Mike Shimniok said...: Those are outstanding pictures! Wow. Nicely done. Sounds like this has a lot of advantages over the store bought cameras.

Just kind of thinking out loud but as for batteries running out, the camera's lifespan could be improved. Just need more capacity, perhaps in the form of wiring in more AA's in parallel. If the camera has a DC in port, you could make a custom battery pack of appropriate voltage and plug in. If not, I have another idea that wouldn't alter the camera in any way.; August 31, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Ferg said...: NICE! I would have to say it was a huge success. I need a couple of those.; August 31, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Tom said...: Very nice pictures. They sure look better than a lot of the images I see from higher end cameras you buy at the store. Good job man!; August 31, 2009 at 9:15 PM

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My Hunting and Fishing Influences

These people, in no particular order, have each had a significant role influencing me when it comes to hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general. To each of them, I am truly thankful.

Scott Jordan - Daddy started taking me hunting and fishing with him at about the age of 5 or 6. One of my earliest hunting memories is of opening day of dove season in about 1985. I was only 6 years old, not big enough to actually hunt, but I remember vividly that day being one for the ages. It was steadily raining all day, and we were hunting west of Gunter, Texas in a maize field that was full of round bales, and I got to retrieve the birds. My Dad and my Uncle Robert will still tell you to this day that there were more birds that day than they have ever seen.

Wayne Watson - Grandaddy's eyesight had started to fail by the time I was old enough to hunt, so we never actually got to hunt together. He is the one who taught me how to use open sights on a rifle. I remember him teaching me how to make the front sight sit right on top of the back sight, and to hold my breath while I squeezed the trigger. He always said that by squeezing the trigger instead of jerking, I wouldn't know exactly when the gun would fire, so I would be more accurate. Grandaddy passed away on January 1, 1997.

Robert Watson - I've always wanted to be able to shoot as good as Uncle Robert. He is the best wingshooter I know, and he shoots competitively in a skeet/trap league. Anytime someone compliments me on my shotgunning, I think, man, if they could only see my uncle shoot, they wouldn't think I was any good. He has given me lots of pointers and I always enjoy when I get to go to the skeet range with him. We have bird hunted together quite a bit over the years. When I was about 10 or 11, my Uncle took me and my Dad to his deer lease with him in central Texas. An incident happened on that trip that opened my eyes to the importance of firearm safety, and I will never forget it.

Dr. Tim Patton - This was one of my college professors and advisor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I learned more about wildlife and fisheries from his lectures and field trips than anywhere else. He encouraged me to apply for the summer Park Ranger position at Lake Texoma, which eventually led to my career with the Corps of Engineers. Some of my favorite college memories are of field trips with Dr. Patton to trap fish in some of the streams of southeastern Oklahoma.

Kenyon Wood - Mr. Wood was my Ag teacher in high school. During my Junior year he taught a wildlife management class, which is where I completed the Texas Hunter's Education Course and the Boater's Education Course. He took us on field trips to shoot skeet and archery equipment, to fish, and to the TPWD Wildlife Expo in Austin. Mr. Wood passed away during the summer between my Junior and Senior year of a heart defect. I couldn't bring myself to take Ag my Senior year without him there.

Steve Hollensed - Mr. Hollensed was my science teacher in high school. He also assisted Mr. Wood with the wildlife management class. Mr. Hollensed was an avid bass fisherman. He taught us how to make our own lures and to tie different kinds of fishing knots. He took us on a field trip to Lake Ray Roberts to watch the TPWD biologists electroshock fish to take sample data. That was probably the first time I realized I wanted to have a job involving the outdoors and wildlife. The last time I saw Mr. Hollensed I told him that I was a Park Ranger at Lavon Lake and I could tell that he was proud of what I had done and that he had impacted the life of one of his students.

Denny Somers - Denny is a longtime family friend who lives in northwest Iowa. My Dad and I have pheasant hunted with Denny every year since I was 16 years old. Denny and his wife Kathy are very generous people and are an integral part of a ministry that spreads the love of Jesus Christ to physically challenged youth by providing them a means to overcome their disability through hunting. Denny's place is a haven for wildlife and I enjoy the trip every year. He is also an avid deer hunter and harvested a deer in 2001 with his bow that scored in the high 170's.

Carl Davis - Carl was a member of our church growing up and he always gave my Dad and I an open invitation to hunt on his land. When I was 12 or 13 years old, he always made me feel like I was the best shot in the field by complimenting me in front of the rest of the group. It made a lasting impression on me, and I hope to be able to pass that on to another youngster some day. He also bought one of my showpigs my Freshman year, and then turned around and gave it right back to me. Carl was a hardworking painter and he passed away at a very young age when I was a Senior in high school.

Mark and Terry Drury - I've never actually met these guys, but they are brothers who have a hunting show called "Wildlife Obsession" on the Outdoor Channel. Their show, which happens to be my favorite, is more than just about shooting a deer. They are primarily bowhunters that explain the ins and outs of deer hunting and talk about different aspects of the sport that most people don't consider, like why they choose specific stand locations, how to effectively use food plots, and other informative tips. I've learned quite a bit about bowhunting from watching these guys. They also host another show called "Dream Season" where teams of amateur hunters compete by videoing their hunts in an effort to become part of the Drury Outdoors team.

Ben Jezek - Ben was a friend of mine growing up who had his own boat in high school. Neither one of us played football our Senior year and spent many hours on Lake Ray Roberts while our friends were at football practice. Ben taught me how to use a Carolina rig to fish for bass. On one trip with Ben to Ray Roberts, I caught a bass that weighed about 8 pounds. I got it mounted and still have it on my wall today. Ben knew Lake Ray Roberts like the back of his hand, especially where the humps and brushpiles were, and he could put you on fish just about every trip.

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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Homebrew Trail Camera: The Moment of Truth

5 comments:

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