Showing posts with label Trail Camera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trail Camera. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Help Me Name This Buck
I got a picture of a really gnarly buck on camera this past week that is so freakish looking I don't know how to describe it. Anybody got any good suggestions for a nickname for this buck?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Time to Get Trail Cameras Running
With deer antlers really starting to take shape, and hunting season just a little over two months away, now is the time to get those trail cameras in the woods. I recently got several of my cameras in place. Hopefully I will have a good number of pictures to share in the next few weeks. Here is the first nice buck I've gotten on camera this summer.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Big Bucks in Camera Test Site
In my last post I showed you some of the best pictures I got from my new camera on it's first trial run in Iowa. Well, in the last couple weeks I've had this camera running on some property I have access to that is a little closer to home. This camera was set on "trail mode" which snaps as many pictures as it can as long as it is sensing motion. With this particular camera they are usually about 4 to 8 seconds apart for night time pictures. Check out this sequence of seven pictures of a really good buck working a scrape captured in the span of 1 minute and 10 seconds...
That was the biggest deer on the camera this time, but it wasn't the only nice buck this camera captured. These deer weren't camera shy either...
I can't wait to build another one of these cameras! You can never have too many!!!
That was the biggest deer on the camera this time, but it wasn't the only nice buck this camera captured. These deer weren't camera shy either...
I can't wait to build another one of these cameras! You can never have too many!!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Some New Trail Camera Pictures...
I checked a few game cameras this past weekend. Here are some of the pictures...
This is a neat sequence of a couple young bucks sparring...
This is a neat sequence of a couple young bucks sparring...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Young 10-Point
I got a picture of a young 10-point on one of my game cameras this past week and I have been trying to look at some of my pictures from last year to figure out exactly which deer this is. I like to watch the progression their antlers make from year to year, and a good way to do this is by looking at game camera pictures of the animal. Here is one of the pictures from this year:
I'm pretty sure this is a 2.5 year old deer, as he looks young in the picture. I found this picture I had from last year that I think is this same deer at the age of 1.5. The similarities I'm noticing in the pictures from last year to this year are the G-2's that are shorter than the G-3's, and the brow tines are really short making me think this is the same deer. If it is the same buck, he went from an 8-point last year to a 10-point this year.
Here is a closer look from the front from last year as well as this year:
This is an example of a buck that would have been protected under the 13" antler restrictions last year. This year he appears to be a little wider than that, but I hope he is able to survive another season or two and reach maturity. I'd like to see what a couple more years would do for this buck's antlers.
A fun way to keep track of these deer from year to year (especially when you hunt with a group of people on the same property) is to name the deer based on some kind of characteristic that deer has. I haven't thought of a name for this one yet, but it will probably have something to do with those short brow tines.
Even though this is just a small buck you can see a difference in what another year of age can do for their antlers. You will never have big bucks on your property if you shoot the young ones before they can mature.
I'm pretty sure this is a 2.5 year old deer, as he looks young in the picture. I found this picture I had from last year that I think is this same deer at the age of 1.5. The similarities I'm noticing in the pictures from last year to this year are the G-2's that are shorter than the G-3's, and the brow tines are really short making me think this is the same deer. If it is the same buck, he went from an 8-point last year to a 10-point this year.
Here is a closer look from the front from last year as well as this year:
This is an example of a buck that would have been protected under the 13" antler restrictions last year. This year he appears to be a little wider than that, but I hope he is able to survive another season or two and reach maturity. I'd like to see what a couple more years would do for this buck's antlers.
A fun way to keep track of these deer from year to year (especially when you hunt with a group of people on the same property) is to name the deer based on some kind of characteristic that deer has. I haven't thought of a name for this one yet, but it will probably have something to do with those short brow tines.
Even though this is just a small buck you can see a difference in what another year of age can do for their antlers. You will never have big bucks on your property if you shoot the young ones before they can mature.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Game Camera Photography: Tip #1
Most hunters that use game cameras do so for one purpose - to monitor the bucks on their property so they will be better prepared to hunt one of those particular bucks when hunting season rolls around. While I follow this practice as well and have done so for years, lately I have focused my efforts on a different aspect of game camera usage - capturing a high quality image. And that doesn't necessarily mean a big buck.
When I am choosing a place to set a camera up in the woods these questions come to mind: What will the background in the picture look like? Will it be a good sunset or sunrise picture? How far away will the subject be when the camera takes a picture? There are lots of aspects to consider when you are trying to use the game camera for more than just a scouting tool.
I am no expert by any means, but after seeing thousands of trail camera pictures I have learned a few things about what to do and what not to do when using a game camera. In some of my next few posts I am going to discuss some of the things I have learned and offer up a few tips to consider when placing your camera in the woods.
Tip #1:
In my opinion, a high-quality game camera photo will never have a feeder in the background. That doesn't mean I don't have cameras at feeders, but when you compare a picture of a deer standing in front of a big, ugly 55-gallon metal drum to a picture of a deer walking down a trail through the woods there is a huge difference.
I checked a camera last week and it had this picture that I thought was a really nice image. It isn't a monster buck, in fact it is just a regular ol' doe, but there is something about this picture that I like. The sunrise creates a nice backdrop for the trees being silhouetted in the distance, and the deer is in a natural setting. This picture is one of the first images captured on my new 7.2 megapixel homemade game camera.
Stay tuned for more trail camera tips and images from the field!
When I am choosing a place to set a camera up in the woods these questions come to mind: What will the background in the picture look like? Will it be a good sunset or sunrise picture? How far away will the subject be when the camera takes a picture? There are lots of aspects to consider when you are trying to use the game camera for more than just a scouting tool.
I am no expert by any means, but after seeing thousands of trail camera pictures I have learned a few things about what to do and what not to do when using a game camera. In some of my next few posts I am going to discuss some of the things I have learned and offer up a few tips to consider when placing your camera in the woods.
Tip #1:
In my opinion, a high-quality game camera photo will never have a feeder in the background. That doesn't mean I don't have cameras at feeders, but when you compare a picture of a deer standing in front of a big, ugly 55-gallon metal drum to a picture of a deer walking down a trail through the woods there is a huge difference.
I checked a camera last week and it had this picture that I thought was a really nice image. It isn't a monster buck, in fact it is just a regular ol' doe, but there is something about this picture that I like. The sunrise creates a nice backdrop for the trees being silhouetted in the distance, and the deer is in a natural setting. This picture is one of the first images captured on my new 7.2 megapixel homemade game camera.
Stay tuned for more trail camera tips and images from the field!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Trail Camera in the News
A local television station ran a story today involving a trail camera and some strange pictures it had captured. According to the story, this camera is located near Archer City, Texas which isn't all that far from where I do most of my hunting. Check out the story...
Did Game Camera Snap Extraterrestrial Photos?
Looks like a glitch with the camera to me...
Did Game Camera Snap Extraterrestrial Photos?
Looks like a glitch with the camera to me...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Built Another Trail Camera
I finished up another trail camera build this past weekend, and I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out. This one uses a 4.1 megapixel camera with a 1.5" LCD screen for viewing the pictures in the field. I built this one for a buddy of mine, and hopefully he can get it set up in his favorite hunting spot and capture some high-quality pictures before archery season opens.
Here are some pictures of this camera. Of all the ones I've built thusfar, I like the camo on this one the best.
Here it is out for a quick test run.
A test picture proves that it is working properly.
Can't wait to see some field pictures from this unit!
Here are some pictures of this camera. Of all the ones I've built thusfar, I like the camo on this one the best.
Here it is out for a quick test run.
A test picture proves that it is working properly.
Can't wait to see some field pictures from this unit!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Velvet Bucks
I got these trail camera pictures from my friend Marc yesterday. These are some great looking bucks! The first one has some really good mass. The second one has some really cool brow tines. And the third one has some character to his rack.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Latest Camera Build
My obsession with trail cameras continues to grow, and building my own has really added a new dimension to my hunting experience. I recently put the finishing touches on another camera and thought I would take this opportunity to unveil it here on my blog. So here it is, complete with custom 3-D camo:
This trail camera utilizes a 7.2 megapixel Sony digital camera with a 2.5" LCD view screen for reviewing pictures in the field. The control board I used in this camera features 8 different delay settings and can also be set to "Rapid-pic" mode where the camera continues to take pictures as fast as it can as long as motion is detected. This is perfect for a trail setting where multiple deer might be walking by in a situation where a camera set to a 30-second or 1-minute delay could easily miss the second, third or fourth deer.
Here is a view of the guts of the camera. The control board runs on a 9-volt battery which should last several months. The Sony camera runs on a Sony "G" rechargeable battery. This camera also has a walk-test mode in which a red LED lights up when motion is detected so you can get it set at just the right angle.
Another feature I added to this camera is the pipe-through security system which allows you to run a cable through the case to secure and lock the unit to a tree. If you aren't concerned about the unit being stolen, I also added a quick-connect to the back of the case which allows for easy setup on multiple sites. The quick-connect is the same style used to hold quivers on archery equipment.
This camera is only 7.5" x 5" in size, so it easily fits in a backpack or coat pocket. Here are some more views of the camera.
This camera was deployed to the deer woods a little over a week ago, and I can't wait to check the camera and see what it captured!
This trail camera utilizes a 7.2 megapixel Sony digital camera with a 2.5" LCD view screen for reviewing pictures in the field. The control board I used in this camera features 8 different delay settings and can also be set to "Rapid-pic" mode where the camera continues to take pictures as fast as it can as long as motion is detected. This is perfect for a trail setting where multiple deer might be walking by in a situation where a camera set to a 30-second or 1-minute delay could easily miss the second, third or fourth deer.
Here is a view of the guts of the camera. The control board runs on a 9-volt battery which should last several months. The Sony camera runs on a Sony "G" rechargeable battery. This camera also has a walk-test mode in which a red LED lights up when motion is detected so you can get it set at just the right angle.
Another feature I added to this camera is the pipe-through security system which allows you to run a cable through the case to secure and lock the unit to a tree. If you aren't concerned about the unit being stolen, I also added a quick-connect to the back of the case which allows for easy setup on multiple sites. The quick-connect is the same style used to hold quivers on archery equipment.
This camera is only 7.5" x 5" in size, so it easily fits in a backpack or coat pocket. Here are some more views of the camera.
This camera was deployed to the deer woods a little over a week ago, and I can't wait to check the camera and see what it captured!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Summer Update
Well, the dog days of summer are here. It's hot. Really hot. But, that means that cooler days and fall hunting seasons are just around the corner. As I write this, dove season is only 37 days away and archery season for deer is only 68 days away.
I've been really busy this summer with work and family activities, and I haven't had many opportunities to keep my blog up to date. So, with that being said, I also haven't had many opportunities to make it to my hunting grounds this summer. A few weeks ago, I was finally able to go, and when I got there I discovered this:
That my friends is prep-work on an oil well pad site. That used to be solid woods with a small clearing where one of our ladder stands was located. Now it is a two-acre clearing. I also had one of my homemade trail cameras on a tree in this location. The ladder stand had been taken down and was laying on the ground, but the camera was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I was a little aggravated. But sometimes that's the way life goes. When I look at this on the bright side, I think that after the well is drilled and the trucks and equipment are gone, this might make for a good food plot site, since there is really good cover surrounding it. And I also have vehicle access to a location where I used to have to walk.
On to some trail camera pictures. Since I was unable to locate the camera, I don't have as many pictures to show you as I would like, but I do have a few from some other cameras. These are the first pictures I have of bucks in velvet from the summer. Nothing huge, but at least something to look at.
This one looks like he has something strange going on with the G-2 on his right antler. Maybe he bumped it against something and caused it to grow funny...
This little guy better hope that his left antler branches, otherwise the antler restrictions won't be in his favor...
I think this is the same deer that was in the first picture. If so, looks like he added a little bit of length on those tines in just a couple weeks...
Here's a couple pictures of a doe I got from one of the cameras I built that was placed in my camera test location. I had about 20 pictures of this doe in front of the camera, and in every single one of them she had that horsefly on her forehead...
Those last two pictures are from my homemade trail camera while the first three are from a store-bought Cuddeback. Based on image quality, which one would you rather have?
I've been really busy this summer with work and family activities, and I haven't had many opportunities to keep my blog up to date. So, with that being said, I also haven't had many opportunities to make it to my hunting grounds this summer. A few weeks ago, I was finally able to go, and when I got there I discovered this:
That my friends is prep-work on an oil well pad site. That used to be solid woods with a small clearing where one of our ladder stands was located. Now it is a two-acre clearing. I also had one of my homemade trail cameras on a tree in this location. The ladder stand had been taken down and was laying on the ground, but the camera was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I was a little aggravated. But sometimes that's the way life goes. When I look at this on the bright side, I think that after the well is drilled and the trucks and equipment are gone, this might make for a good food plot site, since there is really good cover surrounding it. And I also have vehicle access to a location where I used to have to walk.
On to some trail camera pictures. Since I was unable to locate the camera, I don't have as many pictures to show you as I would like, but I do have a few from some other cameras. These are the first pictures I have of bucks in velvet from the summer. Nothing huge, but at least something to look at.
This one looks like he has something strange going on with the G-2 on his right antler. Maybe he bumped it against something and caused it to grow funny...
This little guy better hope that his left antler branches, otherwise the antler restrictions won't be in his favor...
I think this is the same deer that was in the first picture. If so, looks like he added a little bit of length on those tines in just a couple weeks...
Here's a couple pictures of a doe I got from one of the cameras I built that was placed in my camera test location. I had about 20 pictures of this doe in front of the camera, and in every single one of them she had that horsefly on her forehead...
Those last two pictures are from my homemade trail camera while the first three are from a store-bought Cuddeback. Based on image quality, which one would you rather have?
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