A second trail cam question - camera flash?

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Partikle
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A second trail cam question - camera flash?

Post by Partikle »

I'm thinking about buying a trail cam but I'm worried about spooking the deer out of the area when the flash goes off? I took a picture of some deer from my tree stand at dark last fall with my digital camera. There was no noise but when the flash went off they all skattered and the big doe stood about 50 yards away huffing and puffing and stomping her foot. I'm thinking if the digital camera flash goes off any big bucks in the area will stay away? Anybody have any experience or insight into this?

Partikle
GaryL
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Post by GaryL »

Maybe the first time :? depends on where you live, they get blasted by headlights and sorta get use to it. The flash is gone to freak out some, others not.
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Tom
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Post by Tom »

Partikle below is a like to a 24hour 7 day a week live trail cam. I have watched it to see if I could get the reactions of the deer. What I have noticed at this set up is that ther eare more than one cam there. Every once in a while, you wil see a WHITE FLASH at dusk or dawn.
http://www.chasingame.net/webcam/webcam.htm
The reaction of the deer varied. Some deer became very attentive and other deer seemed to not really care when the flash went off. Also to think about here is that this looks like a perminat or long term cam setup so the deer would be getting acustom to the flash.

On the forums that I have been to, the discussion about weither the flash spooks the deer is some what like the discussion on here as to what hunting head is the best. The thoughts and beliefs vary.

What I believe is that the white flash will somewhat spook the deer, it may not totally chase them away, but wil get them into a non relaxed state until they become acustomed to the flash. If your cam is going to be placed as a scoutting cam, then I think the white flash will hinder your effort. This is another reason that I have deceided to make my cam in the Infra Red mode.

Hope this helps you. BTW, I have found that morning at that site is the best to see the reaction of the deer.
Tom
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Moxie
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Post by Moxie »

I've only had one camera cause deer to avoid the camera, a Wildview. I have 2 Camtrakkers and 3 Deer-Cam's and the deer do not avoid them when the flash goes off. I have no explanation as to why.
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Tom
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Post by Tom »

Moxie wrote:I've only had one camera cause deer to avoid the camera, a Wildview. I have 2 Camtrakkers and 3 Deer-Cam's and the deer do not avoid them when the flash goes off. I have no explanation as to why.
This might be part of the problem with the spooking of the deer. Camera's actually make noise when operating. Some are louder than others. I forgot to mention that in my post above. Weither it is the shutter CLICK or the motor in the auto focus, it wil make some noise. Some of the home brew makers have put extra foam into the case to help sound proof the camera. Most camera do not really make enough noise to worry about.
Tom
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Vince
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Post by Vince »

Hey Partikle,

I'm using the Bushnell TrailScout....flash and all!
I got some amazing pics of really nice Lanark County bucks over a 3 month period (Oct - Dec)

At first, the flash was certainly spooking the deer.... and after a while they got used to the flash and many of the same bucks returned to get their pic taken in a much more relaxed fashion.

You can get the night vision version with the stealth-like LED mode but i think you are limited to 10' and pics are B/W.
chris4570
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Post by chris4570 »

I have had several deer get their pics taken at night with the flash going off. In all cases the deer had multiple pics taken. I had one deer trigger the cam from about ten yards, he then proceeded to walk closer and closer to the camera. On the fourth pic he had his nose on the camera!!
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Partikle
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Post by Partikle »

Vince wrote:Hey Partikle,

I'm using the Bushnell TrailScout....flash and all!
I got some amazing pics of really nice Lanark County bucks over a 3 month period (Oct - Dec)

At first, the flash was certainly spooking the deer.... and after a while they got used to the flash and many of the same bucks returned to get their pic taken in a much more relaxed fashion.

You can get the night vision version with the stealth-like LED mode but i think you are limited to 10' and pics are B/W.
Thanks Vince,

Did you get it at Lebaron's? Are you happy with that model?

Partikle
speedball
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Post by speedball »

I'm sorry to start a war here but the camera flash will spook the biggest bucks i know for a fact that the boone and crockets in our core area have not gotten there pearlly whites on film simply cause they dont like the added noise, flash and unnatural setting they produce, we've had two cameras on trails and by the feeder for about 4 months now and we both have seen huge tracks avoiding the general area, they come close but just to observe whats going on there, yea i've gotten pictures of 130 class bucks over a dozen times but no 160-180 class they have a life of seperatisism from the rest of the heard and alot of times dont even involve themselves in the rut, speedball......... :( :shock:
gone huntin never to return................
Partikle
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Post by Partikle »

Your not starting a war speedball, I need all the info I can get. I would like to buy something in the next 2 weeks. Do the IR models work at night without a flash to spook the deer?
Tom
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Post by Tom »

A IR camera uses a flash at night, but it is in the IR spectrum of light which is not seen by humans and deer are not suspose to see that light either.
Tom
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Hi5
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Post by Hi5 »

I was gung-ho to get a trail camera, one with both conventional flash as well as the IR flash.

I liked the IR idea. It shouldn't spook game, and it would be more thief resistant. The jerks of the world can't steal what they don't know about! However, the IR flash seemed to me to have such a limited range as to be almost useless in the place I would be using it.

Maybe at a feeder where you could expect to take pictures at extreme close range, it might be worthwhile. In my planned application, it would be of such limited use in IR mode that I decided to pass altogether for the time being on buying a Trail Camera. Maybe in time there will be an IR camera that has a range that is usefull to me...that's when I'll get one.
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Tom
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Post by Tom »

Hi5 the IR medium that is needed to convert the white flash into IR does limit the range alittle. Actully most digital camera have a weak flash. Not enough range for what you might want. In saying that, cameras do not have that much of a range to begin with. When an animal is out at 20-25 yards, the image on the picture is very small. The cameras with the telephoto lens do not work very well as a trail camera, so reaching out for further distances is not really accountable.

Most people will add a slave flash which will extend the night ability of your camera. IF your slave is in a remote box, you can place it out from the camera box, to give you even a greater range. These remote slaves will even work with store boughten trail camera as long as they have a working flash. The slave senses your camera flash then triggers itself for added light. These slaves can be eithre IR or normal flash.
Tom
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Vince
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Post by Vince »

Partikle,

I did get mine at Le Barons, i'm happy with the camera and results....more importantly, i'm really impressed with Bushnell's customer service.

I had a problem with the original unit i purchased and after a brief telephone conversation describing the problem, the good people at Bushnell had a replacement unit in the mail within a week, no questions asked!

I just received Le Baron's 2006 catalogue and over and above the fact they're moving to Merivale Road, the 2006 TrailScout models are higher resolution.....and at the same price as the older 2.1 MP camera's.

Check it out
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