Trail cam in snow

[snareman1234]

So I just got a trail cam today
had a friend who was going down to cabelas, I got him to pick me up a Bushnell trophy cam 5.0 mp.

I know its a little late lol, no need for jokes, I know hunting is over, but I am just still interested in finding spots that hold deer,

It will be cool to find bobcats and other furbearers too. and spring bear!




Ok anyways, my question is, does snow trigger the camera? I am going to set it out tommorow and I dont want to kill the 8 batteries in 1 night due to it snowing, anybody know?

[Sitkaspruce]

Snow has never affected mine, snow id too fine to affect the trigger. But the frost from the moisture does, it shades the lens and can ruin an otherwise great picture.

like this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Sitkaspruce/TrailcamDec014.jpg

To get rid of this and keep the snow off your camera, I took a Glad container and cut it in half. I put the solid piece between the camera and tree and the container acts like a snow/rain shade and still allows light in.

here is a couple picts with the shade on.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Sitkaspruce/TrailcamDec01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Sitkaspruce/Trail008.jpg

Remember to set your camers where it can get the whole animal in the lens. DO not set it 90 deg. to a trail. Try to find a corner or angle to look up/down the trail.

Have fun and post up your photo's

Cheers

SS

[snareman1234]

Right on! thanks so much for the info! the shade tip is awesome!!

[Jagermeister]

You know those silica packets that come with electronics, use them inside your t/c to ward off internal moisture. Otherwise, you are good to go with wintertime use.

[BlacktailStalker]

Yes silica packs are a must.
Douzy of a BT in the first pic SS ;)

Snareman through one on one of your bobcat sets to test it, those would be cool pics.

[redcomet]

Right on! thanks so much for the info! the shade tip is awesome!!


That shade tip is a good one. I'm going to try it for sure!

I find that despite the best intentions to angle the camera to ward off snow/rain, that in windy conditions nature always finds a way to fog up the lens with wind blowing moisture onto the lens & quick changing temps causing fog issues. Usually this only happens for a few hours as the temp shifts over a quick period of time and clears up your lens.

Old cams with "garage light-type" motion sensors tended to trigger in snow but it seems the newer cams have greatly reduced that from happening.

Check to see if the new cam has an adjustable sensitivity sensor. If you find that things like falling snow, pics of nothing, and flying birds are triggering your cam, then try lowering the sensitivity settings.

Here's a couple pics taken just over 24 hrs apart and you can see the fog on the lens has dissipated and is clear the next day.

I leave my cam out year-round for fun and have found that only a few pics over the year tend to have fog issues.

Use rechargeable NiMH batteries, they last the longest in cold weather. Not sure of your camera model, but I'm guessing the batteries will last at least a month with a new Bushnell cam, despite many false triggers. I'm thinking you'll be pleasantly surprised, let us know how it goes?

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wt_deer_foggy.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16815)
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/wt_deer_clear.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=16816)

[pete_k]

There should be an area dedicated to trail cam pics.
That last pic is amazing.

[bridger]

how does cold weather effect trail cam batteries anything anyone has done to keep going in cold weather? like -20-30

[Sitkaspruce]

how does cold weather effect trail cam batteries anything anyone has done to keep going in cold weather? like -20-30

My camera is a home made one with a sony 4.1 MP and all the bells and whistles. The 9 v which powers the board would last ~9 months of full use, from mid Aug right through the winter. The two AA Re-chargables would last ~2 months during the fall and about a month and half over the winter. That is the winters in Fort St. James. The avg # of picts was probably around 100 per month in the winter and 200/month in the fall. After a couple of learning years, I used to switch out both the AA's and the card every month, no matter what was happening, just to make sure there was no problems.

The camera's are alot of fun and it is like opening up a present eveytime you check them.

Oh and BTS, that is a Mulie in the picture that is fogged over. He is a 7x6 with an ~28' outside spread. Only seen him once and he was BIG.

Cheers

SS

[redcomet]

Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries are recommended over alkaline batteries for cold weather. I've had my camera up in the southern interior for over Jan & Feb with no problems.

I also just check the cam sooner to see what's on the memory card as I can't wait, and also switch over the batteries even though it's not really needed.

Below is a pic of a cougar in -30C January weather. The Moultrie cam read 122F (?), but it was -30C, it seemed once the temps dropped below -29C the cam temp sensor switched over to 122F, weird?

You can see the frost on his back, it was chilly, cam worked fine!
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/MDGC0085.jpg

[WaterSkeeter]

great info and tips on the cameras guys

[BimmerBob]

Thanks for the tips, great stuff for a trailcam newbie, much appreciated.