WEBVTT - Ep. 431: Foundations - A Trail Camera Overview

0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:05.760
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide

0:00:05.760 --> 0:00:10.799
<v Speaker 1>to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, and now your host,

0:00:11.119 --> 0:00:15.600
<v Speaker 1>Tony Peterson. Hey, folks, welcome to the Wire to Hunt

0:00:15.640 --> 0:00:18.160
<v Speaker 1>Foundations podcast, which is brought to you by First Light.

0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.880
<v Speaker 1>This week's show is all about understanding the technology behind

0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:24.480
<v Speaker 1>trail cameras so that you can take your digital scouting

0:00:24.680 --> 0:00:39.360
<v Speaker 1>to a higher level. After last week's excursions into the

0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:42.680
<v Speaker 1>summertime white tail jungle, it's time for a little retail

0:00:42.760 --> 0:00:44.960
<v Speaker 1>therapy at your local sporting goods store so you can

0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:47.840
<v Speaker 1>stock up on some trail cameras. While we almost all

0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:50.839
<v Speaker 1>use these digital scouters to some extent, a lot of

0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.440
<v Speaker 1>us don't really understand all that modern trail cameras really offered.

0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.200
<v Speaker 1>I had an AHA moment, not really that long ago,

0:00:57.480 --> 0:00:59.600
<v Speaker 1>include me into the fact that I don't treat trail

0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:03.080
<v Speaker 1>camera us like real cameras, and I should and I

0:01:03.080 --> 0:01:06.720
<v Speaker 1>think you should too, because you'll get better pictures, better videos,

0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:09.840
<v Speaker 1>and better overall intel if you do that, and that's

0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:24.680
<v Speaker 1>a good thing in the deer woods. My friends. Hey, everybody,

0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:27.679
<v Speaker 1>welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundations podcast. I'm your host,

0:01:27.720 --> 0:01:31.240
<v Speaker 1>Tony Peterson. I hope after last week you rubbed some

0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:34.559
<v Speaker 1>calamine lotion on your mosquito bites and you've spent enough

0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.600
<v Speaker 1>time rooting around in your various body crevices to know

0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:39.920
<v Speaker 1>whether you found all the ticks that hopped on when

0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.199
<v Speaker 1>you were out there burning some boot leather last week.

0:01:42.880 --> 0:01:46.240
<v Speaker 1>I promised you that things would get more fun, and

0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:49.560
<v Speaker 1>this week they will. This episode is all about trail

0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:52.800
<v Speaker 1>cameras themselves. In the next couple of episodes, I'll get

0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:55.440
<v Speaker 1>pretty far into the trail camera weeds, with strategies and

0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:57.720
<v Speaker 1>where to place them, how long to leave them out,

0:01:58.040 --> 0:02:00.600
<v Speaker 1>and why you'd opt for a traditional model versus a

0:02:00.600 --> 0:02:03.800
<v Speaker 1>cellular option. But for now, it's time to think about

0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:06.640
<v Speaker 1>trail cameras and what you should buy to maximize your

0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.840
<v Speaker 1>scouting efforts. The good news on this front is that

0:02:09.880 --> 0:02:11.840
<v Speaker 1>you no longer have to go broke to get a

0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:15.560
<v Speaker 1>quality model, because this is one category that has just

0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:19.400
<v Speaker 1>absolutely exploded in recent years. There are dozens of trail

0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:23.440
<v Speaker 1>camera companies, and like most new hunting technology, these things

0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:26.519
<v Speaker 1>started out mostly in a small market of super serious

0:02:26.560 --> 0:02:30.000
<v Speaker 1>white tail bow hunters, but as more options became available,

0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:33.920
<v Speaker 1>they've moved into the general firearm world and have absolutely

0:02:33.960 --> 0:02:37.560
<v Speaker 1>overtaken all other scouting methods for deer hunters from Canada

0:02:37.600 --> 0:02:40.440
<v Speaker 1>on down to the shores of the Gulf. That in

0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:43.799
<v Speaker 1>and of itself isn't bad for the average weekend warrior

0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:45.760
<v Speaker 1>who just wants to see what bucks are in the woods.

0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:48.800
<v Speaker 1>For the die hard hunter, trail cameras can be an

0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:52.400
<v Speaker 1>amazing tool to having the kit, provided that they don't

0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:55.000
<v Speaker 1>convince you that you no longer need to actually scout.

0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:57.919
<v Speaker 1>And if this hits a little bit too close to home,

0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:00.920
<v Speaker 1>don't fret. We've all been there. I went through a

0:03:00.919 --> 0:03:03.600
<v Speaker 1>phase in my life, particularly when I had two babies

0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:05.600
<v Speaker 1>at home and I was hunting a lot of small,

0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:09.520
<v Speaker 1>twenty acre type of properties, where I convinced myself that

0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:13.880
<v Speaker 1>two seven digital scouters were just good enough. The problem

0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:16.160
<v Speaker 1>I found after a couple of seasons was that I

0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:19.880
<v Speaker 1>could still kill deer regularly on traveling public land hunts,

0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:23.760
<v Speaker 1>but I was getting my ass absolutely whooped during home

0:03:23.800 --> 0:03:26.040
<v Speaker 1>game hunts where I should have had the most advantage

0:03:26.040 --> 0:03:28.840
<v Speaker 1>because I was using trail cameras. Now it doesn't bother

0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:30.400
<v Speaker 1>me to get beat by the deer, because I've been

0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:33.720
<v Speaker 1>beat by the deer nearly every time I've ever hunted them.

0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:35.360
<v Speaker 1>I don't get mad when I lose an argument with

0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:38.640
<v Speaker 1>my wife either. What actually bothered me during that time

0:03:38.720 --> 0:03:40.960
<v Speaker 1>of my life where I was leaning too hard on

0:03:41.040 --> 0:03:43.880
<v Speaker 1>cameras was that I wasn't hunting as much because I

0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:47.960
<v Speaker 1>wasn't getting encouraging pictures. It kept me from going out

0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.880
<v Speaker 1>and sitting in observation stands or doing a little in

0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:53.360
<v Speaker 1>season scouting to figure out where the fresh sign was.

0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:55.680
<v Speaker 1>Not only was I waiting for the deer to come

0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:58.119
<v Speaker 1>to my spots, I was waiting for them to walk

0:03:58.160 --> 0:04:01.720
<v Speaker 1>past my cameras in those spots. That's a losing proposition.

0:04:02.200 --> 0:04:05.200
<v Speaker 1>I've since then realized the error of my ways and

0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.600
<v Speaker 1>have altered my strategy, which, as I already said, will

0:04:08.600 --> 0:04:11.120
<v Speaker 1>get covered plenty in the next couple of shows. But

0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.400
<v Speaker 1>before them, I think it's probably a good idea to

0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.240
<v Speaker 1>break down camera choice and accessories. Now have you ever

0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:21.800
<v Speaker 1>just looked at an advertisement for a trail camera? Of

0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:25.040
<v Speaker 1>course you have. You've seen plenty of marketing speak and

0:04:25.120 --> 0:04:29.000
<v Speaker 1>some flashy numbers thrown around, not unlike Bow companies touting

0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:33.040
<v Speaker 1>Ibo aerospeeds that might sound impressive but probably really don't

0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.919
<v Speaker 1>mean much. To you and your individual drawway, draw length,

0:04:36.320 --> 0:04:41.080
<v Speaker 1>aero choice, or hunting style. When it comes to trail cameras,

0:04:41.279 --> 0:04:44.719
<v Speaker 1>do those numbers mean anything to you? Should they? Maybe?

0:04:45.640 --> 0:04:49.640
<v Speaker 1>Take the megapixels advertised with a camera. For example, you

0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.840
<v Speaker 1>can find reasonably priced options that boast twenty to even

0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:57.359
<v Speaker 1>thirty megapixels, which simply boils down to image clarity. The

0:04:57.400 --> 0:05:00.279
<v Speaker 1>more pixels they cram in their higher resolution and the

0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:03.320
<v Speaker 1>photos will be to hire the resolution, the more you

0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:06.440
<v Speaker 1>can zoom in and see clear details versus just a

0:05:06.480 --> 0:05:10.880
<v Speaker 1>buck looking blob of grainy bullshit. Higher megapixels might matter,

0:05:11.320 --> 0:05:13.400
<v Speaker 1>or if your cams are typically set on a mineral

0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.560
<v Speaker 1>site or some other deer positioning attractant might not be

0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:19.320
<v Speaker 1>a big deal. You might be thinking, so what is

0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:23.159
<v Speaker 1>the ideal megapixel number? That's a great question and one

0:05:23.200 --> 0:05:26.279
<v Speaker 1>you should direct message Mark Kenyon about because I don't know.

0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:28.599
<v Speaker 1>I don't think anyone in the world would see a

0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:31.320
<v Speaker 1>difference in trail camera recon between a camera that is

0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:35.159
<v Speaker 1>built with twenty megapixels versus thirty. You'll definitely see image

0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:37.960
<v Speaker 1>quality degradation if you can find a camera with a

0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.520
<v Speaker 1>really low number of megapixels. But in reality, the latest

0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.040
<v Speaker 1>models that aren't total clunkers are going to deliver crisp

0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:48.039
<v Speaker 1>enough picks for the average deer hunter's use. You'll see

0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:50.360
<v Speaker 1>the same thing happen when it comes to video quality.

0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.960
<v Speaker 1>Many models offer four K quality video clips. Now, this,

0:05:55.279 --> 0:05:59.279
<v Speaker 1>my friends, is bananas and also pretty awesome. If you

0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.600
<v Speaker 1>run video, and you absolutely should in certain situations like

0:06:02.760 --> 0:06:06.359
<v Speaker 1>during the rut or while monitoring an October community scrape,

0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:11.080
<v Speaker 1>then higher quality clips are always better, especially for nighttime captures.

0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.599
<v Speaker 1>There's a catch here, though, with this quality imagery and

0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:17.440
<v Speaker 1>videos that you're going to get if you go this route,

0:06:17.680 --> 0:06:20.520
<v Speaker 1>you should really consider your SD card choice as well.

0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:23.320
<v Speaker 1>The Cheapo's that they sell next to the trail cameras

0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.839
<v Speaker 1>that Cabela's probably aren't a great choice. You're now dealing

0:06:26.839 --> 0:06:30.440
<v Speaker 1>with a real camera that actually needs a quality SD card,

0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:33.960
<v Speaker 1>So headed the electronics store over to tar j and

0:06:34.080 --> 0:06:35.920
<v Speaker 1>buy a card that not only offers the amount of

0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:38.679
<v Speaker 1>gigs you need for the storage, but also a decent

0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:41.920
<v Speaker 1>right speed. And what this means is that some cards

0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:44.240
<v Speaker 1>can write up to like a hundred megabytes of data

0:06:44.240 --> 0:06:47.239
<v Speaker 1>per second. If you're capturing one or two minute clips

0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:52.000
<v Speaker 1>of four K video amped up right speed is real important,

0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:55.040
<v Speaker 1>and there's good news here too. Just like with the cameras,

0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:59.200
<v Speaker 1>quality s D card options are cheaper than they've ever been,

0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:02.400
<v Speaker 1>but it's still important to shop for a decent one

0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:05.120
<v Speaker 1>that won't fill up in three days or bogged down

0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:07.599
<v Speaker 1>when it's supposed to be capturing amazing footage of a

0:07:07.600 --> 0:07:10.600
<v Speaker 1>buck rubbing his forehead all over a licking branch. Trail

0:07:10.640 --> 0:07:14.440
<v Speaker 1>cameras often have a maximum size SD card they can handle,

0:07:14.720 --> 0:07:17.560
<v Speaker 1>which is what I usually go for these days. That's

0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.280
<v Speaker 1>often something like a thirty two gig model, but in

0:07:20.280 --> 0:07:22.520
<v Speaker 1>a not too distant future it will likely be sixty

0:07:22.520 --> 0:07:26.040
<v Speaker 1>four or even And to take it a step further,

0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:28.680
<v Speaker 1>especially if you might run it in video mode, look

0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:31.360
<v Speaker 1>for a class ten s D cards in the appropriate

0:07:31.400 --> 0:07:34.560
<v Speaker 1>storage size. These feature a minimum data right speed that

0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:38.880
<v Speaker 1>will serve all your trail camera needs. Another camera consideration

0:07:38.920 --> 0:07:43.080
<v Speaker 1>will involve flash. Most newer models offer nighttime flash that

0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.400
<v Speaker 1>will be either infrared or a no glow option. If

0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:48.480
<v Speaker 1>you're a camera shopping and you see one that doesn't

0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:51.520
<v Speaker 1>offer this, it might have a white flash, just like

0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.800
<v Speaker 1>a wedding photographer setup. I've had a few of those

0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:56.840
<v Speaker 1>doozies in my day, and it might as well have

0:07:56.920 --> 0:07:58.560
<v Speaker 1>been out in the woods yelling at the deer as

0:07:58.560 --> 0:08:01.640
<v Speaker 1>they walk by, while making threatening movements in their direction

0:08:01.680 --> 0:08:05.200
<v Speaker 1>and occasionally throwing mountain lions at them. White flash is

0:08:05.280 --> 0:08:10.080
<v Speaker 1>no boy, no, my friends, especially if you hunt pressure deer. Fortunately,

0:08:10.160 --> 0:08:13.040
<v Speaker 1>the market has called out most of those options, which

0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:14.720
<v Speaker 1>is a trend I hope we see through to the

0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:18.960
<v Speaker 1>very end. When it comes to infrared versus no glow options,

0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.240
<v Speaker 1>which are also called black flash, sometimes you'll see that

0:08:22.320 --> 0:08:26.680
<v Speaker 1>more cameras offer infrared than anything. This red light flash

0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:29.320
<v Speaker 1>is visible to the deer at least on the camera

0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.240
<v Speaker 1>will light up, and that is a consideration, especially if

0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:34.600
<v Speaker 1>you're hunting spooky deer or plan to hang your cameras

0:08:34.600 --> 0:08:37.600
<v Speaker 1>at eye level. This is why I tend to lean

0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:40.080
<v Speaker 1>on the no glow options, although they might cost a

0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.960
<v Speaker 1>little bit more. I'd rather spend up and have the

0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.600
<v Speaker 1>deer oblivious. But there are plenty of hunters out there

0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.040
<v Speaker 1>who put infrared flash cameras to good use and have

0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:53.880
<v Speaker 1>absolutely no problems with them. There are other features that

0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:56.920
<v Speaker 1>may or may not matter to you on cameras. Time

0:08:57.000 --> 0:08:59.520
<v Speaker 1>lapse is one of them. It's a useful tool for

0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:02.840
<v Speaker 1>monitor during food plots. Burst mode is another, and this

0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:05.480
<v Speaker 1>is something I use almost always if I've got my

0:09:05.520 --> 0:09:09.800
<v Speaker 1>cameras set solely for capturing images and not video. Burst mode,

0:09:09.920 --> 0:09:13.240
<v Speaker 1>which tends to offer anywhere from like two to maybe

0:09:13.320 --> 0:09:16.360
<v Speaker 1>nine images per triggering event, is a great way to

0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:18.640
<v Speaker 1>capture all of the bucks in a bachelor group that

0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:21.640
<v Speaker 1>might pass by, not just the leader, or to capture

0:09:21.679 --> 0:09:24.079
<v Speaker 1>a dough in November and then the buck that chases

0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:26.400
<v Speaker 1>after her a few seconds later. If you've got the

0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.199
<v Speaker 1>space on your memory card, there's no reason not to

0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:31.439
<v Speaker 1>let your camera shoot away other than it's a little

0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:33.079
<v Speaker 1>more of a pain to go through the photos when

0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:36.040
<v Speaker 1>you check your camera. It's also a good idea to

0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:39.600
<v Speaker 1>pay attention to recovery time of your camera. Sub one

0:09:39.720 --> 0:09:42.959
<v Speaker 1>second times are standard, but most cameras allow you to

0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:46.480
<v Speaker 1>choose if you want a longer break between triggering events. Again,

0:09:47.040 --> 0:09:50.760
<v Speaker 1>with enough storage available on your SD card, you probably

0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.120
<v Speaker 1>want as little downtime as possible on your camera, so

0:09:53.200 --> 0:09:57.240
<v Speaker 1>choose wisely, and in regard to specific situations like rut

0:09:57.240 --> 0:10:00.360
<v Speaker 1>time recon. You might very well notice that you're camera

0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:04.400
<v Speaker 1>often captures decent pictures of deer noses and butts. This

0:10:04.480 --> 0:10:07.120
<v Speaker 1>is almost as frustrating as hanging a camera and then

0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:10.040
<v Speaker 1>forgetting to actually turn it on, only to return a

0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:12.360
<v Speaker 1>month later to find that you've basically hung an expensive

0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:14.880
<v Speaker 1>paper weight in the woods. I've done this roughly three

0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:17.439
<v Speaker 1>thousand times in my life, and every single time it's

0:10:17.440 --> 0:10:19.400
<v Speaker 1>made me appreciate the fact that the government lets me

0:10:19.520 --> 0:10:23.600
<v Speaker 1>drive a car and use scissors without supervision. Some cameras

0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.760
<v Speaker 1>offer just one trigger speed, which is whatever they build in.

0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.199
<v Speaker 1>Others let you choose and you can cater them to

0:10:30.280 --> 0:10:34.000
<v Speaker 1>different situations. If you're capturing running bucks, the quicker the better.

0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:36.960
<v Speaker 1>If you're monitoring a food source or a mineral site,

0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:40.120
<v Speaker 1>you might not need a lightning fast trigger, and you might,

0:10:40.160 --> 0:10:42.200
<v Speaker 1>in this case just get the very bow of the

0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:45.760
<v Speaker 1>deer with no hope of seeing the stern again. There's

0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:48.360
<v Speaker 1>good news here, because you've got a pile of options,

0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.600
<v Speaker 1>and most of them are pretty reasonably priced. I say

0:10:51.640 --> 0:10:56.120
<v Speaker 1>that with a whole bunch of terror, however, because every

0:10:56.160 --> 0:10:59.040
<v Speaker 1>time I write about products or talk about them and

0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:02.000
<v Speaker 1>I say something like that, some random person out there

0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:05.079
<v Speaker 1>in anonymous tough guy land will say something like, yeah,

0:11:05.160 --> 0:11:06.839
<v Speaker 1>I bet those erroos are worth it. For the guy

0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.800
<v Speaker 1>who makes your kind of money, or or I'm sure

0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:12.480
<v Speaker 1>it's nice to have all those free bows and not

0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:16.280
<v Speaker 1>have to pay for them. Listen, folks, prices price, but

0:11:16.440 --> 0:11:19.480
<v Speaker 1>value is subjective. When it comes to trail cameras. The

0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:23.079
<v Speaker 1>most common question out there is what's the best camera

0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.520
<v Speaker 1>I can buy for X amount of money. No one

0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.200
<v Speaker 1>can answer that question for you, because no one knows.

0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:31.520
<v Speaker 1>The better question is what do you really want out

0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.240
<v Speaker 1>of a camera and which models deliver that. If there

0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.679
<v Speaker 1>are five on the list, are any in your price range?

0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:39.520
<v Speaker 1>If not, pretend it's the last day of the season,

0:11:39.760 --> 0:11:41.880
<v Speaker 1>your freezer is empty, and then there is a fat

0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:46.240
<v Speaker 1>forky walking in lower those standards. Bro, If one or

0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:48.280
<v Speaker 1>more of the cameras does fall into your budget, you've

0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:51.040
<v Speaker 1>got options. I'd say you could probably look up some

0:11:51.080 --> 0:11:53.720
<v Speaker 1>reviews on your perspective models, but also that it sure

0:11:53.760 --> 0:11:56.640
<v Speaker 1>seems like quality out there has leveled up drastically in

0:11:56.679 --> 0:11:59.440
<v Speaker 1>the last five years. It wasn't that long ago when

0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:01.520
<v Speaker 1>if you bought a cheap camera you might as well

0:12:01.559 --> 0:12:03.439
<v Speaker 1>just hit yourself in the head with it before throwing

0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:05.679
<v Speaker 1>it in the garbage. That way, you might learn your lesson,

0:12:05.800 --> 0:12:08.160
<v Speaker 1>and it would have ended up there anyway. If you

0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:11.000
<v Speaker 1>haven't noticed, one of the things I'm doing is a

0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:14.920
<v Speaker 1>writer's trick we call weasel words. I'm being really sneaking

0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:17.600
<v Speaker 1>and telling you what to buy without committing to tell

0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:21.640
<v Speaker 1>you what to buy. So I'll say this. Brand wise,

0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:23.680
<v Speaker 1>you're on your own. There are a lot of good

0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:27.079
<v Speaker 1>trail camera brands out there. Price wise, the sweet spot

0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.440
<v Speaker 1>for a solid camera that isn't a cellular option seems

0:12:30.480 --> 0:12:32.760
<v Speaker 1>to be about a hundred to two hundred bucks right now.

0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:34.960
<v Speaker 1>And if you do drop a Benjamin or two on

0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:37.560
<v Speaker 1>a camera, think about it like it is in fact

0:12:37.840 --> 0:12:41.640
<v Speaker 1>a camera. As someone who routinely hauls expensive camera geting

0:12:41.640 --> 0:12:43.679
<v Speaker 1>into the woods and on the water, I've learned a

0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:46.760
<v Speaker 1>lot of lessons about how to handle technology in the field.

0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.559
<v Speaker 1>For example, if you think you should just throw your

0:12:49.559 --> 0:12:52.600
<v Speaker 1>expensive DSLR camera in the backpack without it being in

0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.960
<v Speaker 1>a case because you're only going out for a morning

0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.480
<v Speaker 1>December muzzle order hunt on the farm just down the road,

0:12:58.000 --> 0:13:00.600
<v Speaker 1>don't set your pack down too hard on the cold

0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:03.520
<v Speaker 1>front steps to run back in and grab the coffee monke.

0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:06.400
<v Speaker 1>You forgot. Trail cameras are built for the woods, but

0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.640
<v Speaker 1>they are also worth taking care of. You're already going

0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:12.000
<v Speaker 1>to leave them out in the field for weeks, months,

0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:15.000
<v Speaker 1>or maybe years at a time, try to keep them

0:13:15.040 --> 0:13:18.640
<v Speaker 1>stored in a dry, warmish place when they're not in duty.

0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:21.120
<v Speaker 1>When you do actually hang them in the woods, consider

0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:23.080
<v Speaker 1>what you would do to get an actual picture in

0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.560
<v Speaker 1>that spot at all times of the day. If it's

0:13:25.559 --> 0:13:29.120
<v Speaker 1>facing toward where the sun rises or sets, you might

0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:31.120
<v Speaker 1>be in trouble either in the morning or the evening

0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:33.880
<v Speaker 1>as the sun blazes away on the horizon. If your

0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.520
<v Speaker 1>camera sports a test mode option or features a built

0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.200
<v Speaker 1>in LCD screen for viewing, use them to make sure

0:13:41.240 --> 0:13:44.000
<v Speaker 1>you're set up is spot on. To take this a

0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.680
<v Speaker 1>step further, I also like to use an adjustable mount

0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:49.199
<v Speaker 1>and hang my cameras above my head, angling them down.

0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.280
<v Speaker 1>This keeps them from getting stolen sometimes, and it provides

0:13:53.320 --> 0:13:56.240
<v Speaker 1>a better look at bucks as they pass a deer's

0:13:56.280 --> 0:13:59.640
<v Speaker 1>eye level. Camera hang only works if the deer has

0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:02.080
<v Speaker 1>their head about level with their back as they walk through.

0:14:02.559 --> 0:14:05.000
<v Speaker 1>Oftentimes they stop and pick their head up, or they

0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:07.360
<v Speaker 1>put their nose to the ground to sniff away. I'd

0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.520
<v Speaker 1>rather capture the entirety of the deer every time versus

0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:12.760
<v Speaker 1>hoping I get lucky when they pass through. This is,

0:14:12.800 --> 0:14:15.719
<v Speaker 1>of course dependent on the setting. It's also easy to

0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:18.080
<v Speaker 1>think about camera angle in the same way we consider

0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:21.640
<v Speaker 1>shot angle with cameras set up on food picture of

0:14:21.680 --> 0:14:24.880
<v Speaker 1>the camera taking a broadside shot of deer travel, just

0:14:25.000 --> 0:14:26.520
<v Speaker 1>like you'd want to with a bow in your hand.

0:14:26.960 --> 0:14:29.480
<v Speaker 1>For a trail or a travel route, you might want

0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:31.760
<v Speaker 1>to point your camera down the trail for a quartering

0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.240
<v Speaker 1>two or quartering away shot to get a better look

0:14:34.280 --> 0:14:38.320
<v Speaker 1>at the passers by. Camera angle and mounting considerations are

0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:41.640
<v Speaker 1>important for another reason too. Some deer just seem to

0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:44.480
<v Speaker 1>be wise to cameras, or at the very least not

0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:48.000
<v Speaker 1>big fans of them. In northern Wisconsin where I hunt,

0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.320
<v Speaker 1>the deer have a very low tolerance for trail cameras.

0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:54.880
<v Speaker 1>They spook from them often. And I'm only speculating here,

0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:56.760
<v Speaker 1>but I think it's tied to the fact that baiting

0:14:56.800 --> 0:14:59.000
<v Speaker 1>is legal in the county I hunt. I think those

0:14:59.040 --> 0:15:02.080
<v Speaker 1>deer are so across them to danger around corn piles

0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.720
<v Speaker 1>that they associate anything else that's usually around those corn piles,

0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:09.720
<v Speaker 1>like cameras, which are always there with danger. Now I

0:15:09.760 --> 0:15:11.240
<v Speaker 1>know there are plenty of bucks that get shot up

0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.600
<v Speaker 1>there while munching away on the Golden secret and having

0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:16.120
<v Speaker 1>their picture taken. But I also know the prevalence of

0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:18.800
<v Speaker 1>images I get with dear spooking that aren't anywhere near

0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:22.920
<v Speaker 1>abait pile is really really high. Pay attention to the

0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:26.920
<v Speaker 1>images you're getting, and adjust your cameras accordingly. That is,

0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:29.880
<v Speaker 1>if you're putting cameras out. Yet some people like to

0:15:29.880 --> 0:15:32.840
<v Speaker 1>wait until later in the summer, reasoning that bucks will

0:15:32.880 --> 0:15:35.280
<v Speaker 1>be closer to a killable pattern. Then that's up to

0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:38.400
<v Speaker 1>the individual and probably not a terrible strategy, even if

0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:40.160
<v Speaker 1>it isn't as much fun as getting out now and

0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.440
<v Speaker 1>setting up some cameras. And on that note, I think

0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.400
<v Speaker 1>the best way to dive into this type of scouting

0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:48.360
<v Speaker 1>correctly is to circle back to your East scouting and

0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.160
<v Speaker 1>your boots on the ground efforts and start planning out

0:15:51.240 --> 0:15:54.560
<v Speaker 1>camera spots around that earlier work. Look at your way

0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.920
<v Speaker 1>points there in the places you can't watch or clearly

0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.960
<v Speaker 1>figure out by walking in and looking for sign start there,

0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:03.240
<v Speaker 1>or in the places you've already looked at that have

0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:06.480
<v Speaker 1>tickled your curiosity but you're not really sure if they're

0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:08.280
<v Speaker 1>going to be worth some stand time in the fall.

0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:11.520
<v Speaker 1>Those are the places worth starting with cameras, and that

0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:14.240
<v Speaker 1>can happen any day now, because if you get it right,

0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.320
<v Speaker 1>you'll have weeks or months of good intel building up.

0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:19.560
<v Speaker 1>And if you get it wrong, you've got time to

0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:23.280
<v Speaker 1>reset your camera strategy, which in the next episode is

0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:25.080
<v Speaker 1>about to get a hell of a lot more detailed.

0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:28.240
<v Speaker 1>I'm also going to go down the cellular camera rabbit

0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.760
<v Speaker 1>hole to make the case for and against them. So

0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:34.800
<v Speaker 1>if you're interested in taking your scouting game even further

0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:39.360
<v Speaker 1>and really maximizing your trail camera advantage, you're gonna want

0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:44.000
<v Speaker 1>to listen next week. That's it for this week, my

0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.080
<v Speaker 1>white tail obsessed brothers and sisters, be sure to tune

0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:49.800
<v Speaker 1>in next week for more deer hunting wisdom. I'm Tony

0:16:49.840 --> 0:16:52.760
<v Speaker 1>Peterson and this has been the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast.

0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.720
<v Speaker 1>As always, thank you so much for listening, and we

0:16:55.760 --> 0:16:57.480
<v Speaker 1>will see you right here next week