Do you have a good rec for a trail cam
 

Hi neighbors,

I searched threads and couldn't find anything, so I hope it's OK to ask here, does anyone have a trail camera they're happy with~

We are on several acres and saw bears, a bobcat, and have also seen coyotes in the neighborhood this year. We'd like to purchase a camera, actually for 2 locations, with all of the tracks we've been seeing lately.

I am clueless on what to look for, but we don't want to be penny pinchers and would like a good one that will show us what is roaming around here-

any advice will be greatly appreciated, and thank you~

Do you want something you can watch and record on-line from anywhere on the planet? Or do you mind going out each day to retrieve the cam and manually download what's in the memory?

Offline remote trail cams are commonly used by hunters and Bass Pro has a very good selection.

If you want live monitoring, you'll be limited by distance, but security cams like an Arlo or Nest, run on batteries and bluetooth/wi-fi will give you very high definition.

I use both. But the remote cam is getting less usage as from San Francisco I am able to use my Arlos. I watched a fox this morning nosing around my truck. A couple of bears a few days ago. So many deer and turkeys I lost count.

However, I live next to 53.5 acres of currently undeveloped land that is home to lots of these critters. That is about to change as a the Meredith Planners are about to approve developing this land into God doesn't even know how many houses.

I'll soon use my Arlos to watch two years of construction...Yech!

I too am starting to research these cameras.

For our house I'd like to see what critters use our tiny yard as a highway each night.

I can mount the camera on the side of the house and do not want any hardwiring.

Are there solar powered cameras?

Do they work only when triggered by motion?

Are they color during daylight hours and a "night vision" hue after sunset?

Thanks to all for any guidance provided!

Blink
 

I got the Blink cameras 2 years ago. No hardwiring. Motion activated. I get alerts on my phone when it activates. I can actually talk through the camera from my phone if there’s somebody at the door. Great clarity. You can adjust how much area you want each camera to cover. When I first hooked up the cam in the driveway,it picked up every car that went down the street. I adjusted the area and now it just shows the driveway.

Really a function of what you want to spend. I have several made by Covert and Browning. Recently bought a Browning strike force for $99 on eBay. Not a bad camera. The have newer cell cams now that will shoot the pics to your cellphone but you need to get them hooked up with Verizon or at&t for a monthly fee.

Thanks for that info..

Is there an ongoing subscription or support fee?

Blink
 

Cameras work on AA batteries and connect to your iPad/phone through WiFi. No fees at all. Another lesson learned, don’t mount camera near a dryer vent. The steam coming out can set off the camera. You can however adjust the sensitivity for each camera so your not picking up every leaf that blows by.

We also bought Blink cameras after reading about them here. Although they're great for home use, I'm not sure they'd be great for game cameras—the only experience I have is the one on my garage, which is mounted at 7', so I'm not sure if mounting lower would be better.

I've been very impressed with how easy they are to use, how many great features they have—speakers/mics, zone adjustment, etc.—and battery life. In just over a year, I've only had to change one of three camera's batteries.

I have a video of a bear captured not long ago, if you want to see the quality. I can't post it here, though (only have photo option in the app menu), so message me and I can email it if you like.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

Here's a .gif I made of the clip, which is pretty close to the quality of the video. With the video, however, I can zoom in, replay, pause, etc.Attachment 16809

Sent from my SM-G950U using Winnipesaukee Forum mobile app

If within wifi range blinkXT is a great battery power option. For outside wifi the moultrie game cameras take great images. If you have a spotlight or doorbell the ring products are my favorite but also hardest to install and they require subscription to view video history.

I don't have one of these but it's had great reviews. https://www.tactacam.com/shop/reveal/ Choose between either AT&T or Verizon and have your pictures sent directly to your phone or computer. For the price I don't think you can go wrong. Finding one for the past 6 months was nearly impossible. Hopefully they've become available again.

I would like to get a trail cam to see if I can capture a Sasquatch on camera. Anybody ever see anything unusual on a trail cam?

June is expected date. Been waiting since November myself.