Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

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Browndawg80
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Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby Browndawg80 » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:14 pm

I decided to try something new this year and soak a pair of trail cams in some good looking bedding that I found last March. I’ve never soaked my cams before and was wondering what settings you guys use as far as picture intervals and SD card size? My cameras were both Browning Strike forces with 16 gig cards set to take 2 pics every 10 min, camera said cards had a capacity of 10,000 pics. Obviously factors such as twigs blowing around and other things can have an influence but I feel like I did a good job with placement to hopefully avoid that. Do you guys that have done this before think they’ll last until December or January or should I have used 32 gig cards instead?


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backstraps
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:19 pm

I do it often

Battery life would be a concern, especially if a ton of pics are during hot temps or very cold temps

I have used 16GB cards with no problem and I also use a much smaller interval time than 10 mins

If you used Lithium batteries, I think you’ll be in fine shape for the duration you’re looking at.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby cspot » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:23 pm

If you are setup on a trail then 10,000 pics would be a lot of pics even in a year (unless it is a cow trail also :lol: ). Personally I would set to a much smaller interval. My Brownings have really good battery life. Late winter with cold temps can be rough on battery life. LIke Backstraps said lithiums do better.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby Browndawg80 » Fri Aug 23, 2019 12:31 pm

I used energizer batteries FWIW and I feel like my Browning cameras have pretty good battery life. I guess I saw that someone else was using 32 gig cards and I was thinking I should have gone that route. I feel better now. :dance:
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby EllieTheChubb » Fri Aug 23, 2019 1:19 pm

Can't agree more on the lithium comment they work better in cold temps and maintain a consistent voltage throughout their life leading to better quality pics. Especially at night. The one down side is you never quite know when they are almost dead. The battery life estimate will say 100% until their last leg if it drops to 99/98% it will die shortly. I always put new batterys in when I know the camera will be out there a while.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby DhD » Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:42 pm

Not trying to hijack, but does anyone else have issue with lithium batteries not showing how much life they have left on the battery gauge?
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby jwilkstn » Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:15 pm

DhD wrote:Not trying to hijack, but does anyone else have issue with lithium batteries not showing how much life they have left on the battery gauge?


Yes that's the only negative to lithiums. They maintain full voltage almost until they are completely drained and therefore the gauges show 100%. You've gotta monitor your picture count and change accordingly, or if you're setting one to soak a long while you need to start with fresh ones.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby buttonbuck » Sat Aug 24, 2019 1:46 am

Why have a camera take a pic every 10 min and not let it just take pics when movement occurs?
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby Huntress13 » Sat Aug 24, 2019 2:13 am

One camera I seem to get 900 pics in a month. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks. It's on a scrape though and I can't find another tree that will capture what I want. So I left it.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Sat Aug 24, 2019 2:25 am

The biggest problem I have with long soaks is when a branch or leaf or tall grass gets in front of it and blows in the wind. I end up with thousands of pics of nothing and dead batteries.
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Re: Question about soaking a camera for the 1st time.

Unread postby DaveT1963 » Sat Aug 24, 2019 2:58 am

I seldom soak a camera for all year. Most is 6 months. Rationale: deer use different trails, areas for different times. ZI typically soak cameras starting in OCT and will collect them or cards in early spring just after horn drop. I like lithiums for long soaks and how I set it up dictates for how I program it. If I am focused on rut trails I will set it to 5 second delay with a 3 shot rapid fire curst - last thing I want is to miss a trailing buck hot on a does heels. 5 seconds seems to be about right to cover a doe with a buck hot on her tracks (with a burst setting) and yet reset in 5 seconds incase he is trailing some distance.

If I am collecting inventory over minerals, liking branch i will usually have a single pic and 1 minute delay as i don't need a ton of pics.

Just how i do it. I like to reset cameras, or at least check them if they have been soaking long in May - why? because grass grows like crazy here and I want to ensure it has not filled a card, run a battery just when the bucks are going to rebuild their antlers. But really I have two primary periods of setting out cameras (Oct-Nov getting intel on who is in the area and how they use the area) and then I reset Late April - early may on minerals, water, licking branches to get inventory on who is alive and a target for upcoming season. This is my primary method and then supplement as needed to collect info on a new buck I am interested in. I will sometimes set a few cameras right where I am hunting a big buck but do not check them until I hunt that spot - if I am hunting in an area near the camera I will usually check it going in or coming out - especially if I have no desire to sit that area again immediately.


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