Runaway Trigger Problem - Bushnell Cam

[TheLBLman]

Well, I have a confession.
Having a runaway trigger problem with a Bushnell cam several years ago, I swore I would never purchase another Bushnell anything.

That particular cam had been a "spur of the moment" cash purchase at the Bass Pro in Nashville, and I did not save the receipt; meant to, but I was on my way to go hunting for the next several days, somehow I misplaced the receipt. At any rate, that cam had two major flaws, one being an intermittent "runaway" trigger, the other been overexposed "pink" daytime pictures. The runaway trigger was "intermittent", and I could still typically get a couple weeks usage out of the cam before it would fill a card. It was an aggravation for several weeks, after which deer season ended, and I sought help from Bushnell. At that time, they basically said, "Sorry, you didn't keep your receipt, and there's nothing we're willing to do to help you."

The confession is when Cabela's had the latest version Bushnell Trophy Aggressor on sale in October 2015, I decided to buy one. The reviews were mixed, but the price was right, and this particular cam has a 2-window field scan option that can be very useful in certain applications.

This cam appeared to work as advertised in my initial testing, so I bought a 2nd one (again, Oct 2015).
I lost track of which one was purchased a week or so before the other, but both basically worked as advertised, at least for a few months, but this time I saved my receipts.

One of them has an issue with the clock losing about 4 minutes daily. Not a deal breaker, but it a bit frustrating when left out for weeks or months and the time gets hours off. Particularly the case when used in field scan mode (which was one of my main purposes for these cams' usage). Other than that, this 1 of these 2 units has worked fine.

 

[TheLBLman]

Ah, but the other one, the one that actually seemed to work exactly as advertised (beginning with Oct 2015)!
I moved it over to a hot salt lick/clover plot in early July 2016, and decided to not check the results until early October, knowing the battery life was great, and I had it set so it was unlikely it could fill a 32gb SD card within 3 months or so.

That one had filled the 32gb SD card within 48 hrs of being placed! Just didn't find this out until nearly 3 months later!

Knowing that sometimes the cause can be a storm or other anomaly, I simply pulled that cam and brought home for extensive testing. The results were I could find nothing wrong with it except it had developed a "runaway" trigger. Basically, if you set the cam where it "could" trigger as often as say either 1 minute or 1 hour, it WILL trigger every 1 minute or 1 hour (but will not trigger in between these increments). Set for 1 minute, it triggers 60 times an hour, even if nothing ever legitimately triggers the cam. A common setting of 3 pics per triggering with a 30-second delay results in an automatic 360 pics per hour, 24/7. Yep, doesn't take long to fill up even a 32gb SD card at that rate.

I've been an avid user of various brands and models of trail cams now for about 20 years when I began with 35mm film cams. Ironically, the only ones I can recall having this type runaway trigger problem have been Bushnells, although I have heard of other people having this problem with various makes & models.

At any rate, I've been here before, and am about ready to "give up" on any brand cam made in China. It's very costly to pay anything and end up with nothing, which has commonly happened to me with various brands of trail cams over the years. But the true cost is my time and no pics to show for it?

 

[TheLBLman]

OK, RANT over.
Just frustrated when cams are so carefully placed, the area is left so carefully undisturbed for months, then find out the cam wasn't even working. And in all fairness, it has often been my "user error", just wasn't this time, nor is it most times.

I did call Bushnell today, and am mailing back this cam today to see how they handle it. Had no trouble reaching someone who sounded knowledgeable and was courteous, which is a far different experience than what I had with Bushnell a few years ago when they were more like trying to reach Cuddeback. Meanwhile, this is just one more cam (that's only about a year old) UNAVAILABLE for use during this prime time period of late October-early November.

I will add I've had far worse experiences with some other brands, and at least I did get a few months use from this unit before it failed. But it seems to be a total crap shoot, no matter the brand/model, if they're made in China, odds are high it will not work as advertised, and/or not work beyond the typical 1-yr guarantee.

 

[Andy S.]

Sounds all too familiar bud, I've been in your shoes before, and it was very frustrating to me as well. I hope they get it worked out in a timely manner for you so you can put them to good use before prime time passes us by.

 

[Mr.Bro]

Its not just Bushnell. Covert calls it a stuck trigger .I have had that trouble with 1 Covert MP8. 2013 model if I remember correctly. It was out of warranty so Covert gave me what I thought was a good deal on a new model. Also had a Covert Extreme 60 Black. That was only 1 of many problems with that piece of junk.
I have also seen it occur frequently when I set up a camera on a field. Doesn't matter. Corn, bean field. cut beans or shelled fields. Runaway pics until nightfall and then they work great. I cannt figure it out.
My 2 new 2016 Covert MP8 Blacks have run flawlessly for the last 4 months and they now come with a 2 year warranty.
If I can get 2 years out of a $100-$125 camera any time more is fine with me.

Good luck.

 

[TheLBLman]

Sometimes the angle into the sun, a wind storm, etc., can make for an intermittent false triggering (particularly at various times of the day). This would not necessarily be a defect of the cam, and with certain set-ups, you "could" experience some of that with most any brand/model. I've experienced that a lot in the past but have learned better over time how to set the cams to minimize, as it's typically effected by sun, wind, and how you set the triggering sensitivity of a particular cam.

It's been rare than any brand (made in China) will work exactly and consistently as advertised. While I'm complaining about Bushnell's runaway trigger issue on a couple cams (and non-existent customer service in times past), Bushnell is overall probably as good a bet as most any the other brands, and definitely better than some.

I've had some Covert units work great, then had about as many be disappointing, but then can say that about most brands. I will say I've received the best customer service from Covert of any I've had to request help or return a cam under warranty. Well, actually, I also received good customer service from Uway, but each new replacement cam still wouldn't work properly if at all, and I finally just gave up on Uway.

At one time, I thought Uway was offering the best features/value for the money (about half the initial cost of a Reconyx) --- would have been the case if not for such poor quality control at the point of manufacture. Uway also had a "black flash extender" I thought was going to revolutionize the budding "black" flash industry, but they weren't reliable, then other cams were able to greatly extend the built-in flash ranges. But when they worked properly, were the cat's meow.

Overall quality control appears to be getting better, but it's still a crap shoot in that if you buy several new cams, you can expect some will need to be returned soon for repair/replacement. And it's becoming less common that new cams won't even power up (turn "on") immediately after purchase. Despite my complaints, overall we've come a very long way since the 1990's, a long way in just the past 3 to 5 years, and each year we're seeing better reliability and more features at either the same or a reduced price point than a year or two earlier. Just keep in mind that reliability, longevity, and customer service after the sale should be big considerations, as it's not just about the price at purchase.

 

[cbhunter]

I have a covert that does this sometimes but I'm certain that it is caused by being on to small of a tree and the wind is causing it. It does it on random days where it will take pics every 30 seconds all day long. Then on days, it will only trigger when a deer or other animal sets it off.

 

[TheLBLman]

I have a covert that does this sometimes but I'm certain that it is caused by being on to small of a tree and the wind is causing it. It does it on random days where it will take pics every 30 seconds all day long. Then on days, it will only trigger when a deer or other animal sets it off.

This is normal with most cams. You minimize it by using larger trees, cam settings & placement.
What I'm talking about with "runaway" trigger is when the cam continuously snaps pics 24/7 regardless of the other factors.

 

[Good time Charlie]

This is why I like my homebrews...if does mess up I can fix it myself.
I have some I built 8 years ago they still do fine if I keep fresh Batterys in them .

 

[TheLBLman]

Good point, Charlie.

This is why I like my homebrews...if does mess up I can fix it myself.

YOU could probably fix one made in China, too! :tu:

If the commercial cams hadn't improved a lot and lowered prices over the past few years, probably still be using homebrews myself. May just need to re-visit that option.

I'd bet "x" amount of dollars would do more with homebrews today than it did a few years ago? And instead of a commercial cam with a 4 mp imager "interpolating" it up to whatever number, maybe have a true high megapixel "real" camera?

I kinda switched over to commercial cams mainly for the "black" flash option, which I couldn't figure out how to homebrew at the time.

 

[Good time Charlie]

One drawback on the homebrews is the trigger speed..it may be 3 seconds before a pic. is taken.

I had an old cuddeback capture laying around,broke as usual for cuddeeback.

So I took it apart to see.... why they trigger was so fast,and to see if I could somehow implement it into a build.

Nope just not much on a store bought cam that a homebrew man could use.
\\
But to answer the original post when I have my cams pointed into or at the sun I have a runaway.

And like the other Day the wind got me for 1000 pics.

 

[TheLBLman]

One drawback on the homebrews is the trigger speed..it may be 3 seconds before a pic. is taken.

Is that more a camera issue or the triggering device issue?

When I was using the Sony P41 cameras and components from Snapshot Sniper, trigger speed was about 1 second.

 

[TheLBLman]

But to answer the original post when I have my cams pointed into or at the sun I have a runaway.

And like the other Day the wind got me for 1000 pics.

Yep, but that's a "temporary" event, typically more to do with the setup than the cam ---- all cams will periodically experience a runaway trigger issue. It just usually isn't much a problem, as it stops when the wind dies down, or the sun gets higher or lower. You prevent most of it by not having anything directly in front and close that can sway or move when the wind pics up.

The kind of runaway trigger I was having with this Bushnell cam was that it was totally continuous, no matter the set-up, making the cam totally useless.

As instructed by the Bushnell service person, I mailed that cam to them on Wednesday, Oct 19 --- USPS says they received it on Friday, Oct 21.
So far, haven't heard anything back from them.

 

[Good time Charlie]

LBL. man I like the s 600 for flash and nice pics.I suppose it is around a around a 1 second with my 41s
I use a lot of s 40s and they are a little slower because of the Lens.

I would imagine some of these cameras when they were new would cost 2 or 3 hundred bucks.
Thanks for E bayIt is a good hobby I like to piddle with.

 

[TomBanks]

All I'll ever use is browning cams or reconyx. Iv tried just about everything out there. The reconyx are by far the best but everybody can't justify paying that much. The Brownings Iv had have worked great for the money. Far better than anything else Iv used around the same prices

 

[TheLBLman]

The Brownings Iv had have worked great for the money. Far better than anything else Iv used around the same prices

I would have to agree about the Brownings.
I did have one fail to work properly (under warranty, within 2 months of purchase), but was pleased with how easy and quickly Browning replaced it --- from the time I mailed the old one back to the day I received the replacement was 8 days, and all I was out was the postage to ship it to Browning. Just based on my single personal experience with Browning standing behind their warranty, don't see how it could be much better than that.

So far, the Bushnell "service & support" isn't measuring up to that, but at least they did send me a postcard acknowledging receipt of the cam I had mailed them on 10/19/2016. According to their postcard, they say they received the cam on 10/24/2016, although the USPS says they received it on 10/21/2016. They also provided a "Lab Repair #" to check the progress on their website. Just did that, but the only progress reported was "received". I will say when I called Bushnell (before mailing), a live person did answer the phone, and I was pleased with the initial communications, simply did as instructed in mailing them back the cam.

 

[TheLBLman]

I use a lot of s 40s and they are a little slower because of the Lens.

I may have to buy you a hamburger after deer season, and pick your brain a bit. :mrgreen:
The Japanese quality control is certainly much better than the Chinese.

Have you tried any cameras in your homebrews other than Sonys?

 

[Good time Charlie]

Would love to meet you ,I bet I could talk to you all day.I had about 25 homebrews but I have given alot away.I never dove into the High mp. cameras. I have done a fuji and I love the little NIKON L11.I have a plastic storage container full of s40 and little NIKONS.I have many parts cams.
\
I would like to get into it again but I have to get well,since our family tragedy 3 years ago I just do no do nothing.It about Drove me crazy.

 

[TheLBLman]

Would love to meet you, I bet I could talk to you all day.

Same here.
I may not have all day, but will plan to run up there sometime after the first of the new year and buy your lunch.

I have done a fuji and I love the little NIKON L11. I have a plastic storage container full of s40 and little NIKONS.

Sounds like I just need to hire you to build them for me! :tu:
Not necessarily kidding about that either. I'd like to put together some cams capable of significantly better imagery than what's currently "commercially" available. Would really like to put together something using a TRUE 16.0 mp (or higher) processor, i.e. a REAL "Made in Japan" camera, not some 4.0 mp big brand trail cam that's just being "interpolated" up to whatever claimed. Be nice to be able to see good antler detail on a buck 200 yards away from the cam.

I'm increasingly using "field scan" modes, which at least in larger fields and more open woods, can be amazing what you pic up way beyond the typical "triggering" ranges. Even some of the current commercial units (such as the Bushnell Aggressor) are providing some pretty good imagery out to 100-plus yards. Have even been able to regularly identify specific bucks, specific people, even specific dogs at 150-plus yards. Imagine what you could do with this hooked up to cellular, but programmed to only transmit when a "new" object (person or deer) appears in an otherwise repetitive periodic image sequence. We already have the software to filter out the pics with no new objects, just a matter of "programming" that with cellular.

In the meantime wishing you a great deer season!

 

[TheLBLman]

Bushnell Cam UPDATE:

According to their postcard, they say they received the cam on 10/24/2016, although the USPS says they received it on 10/21/2016. They also provided a "Lab Repair #" to check the progress on their website. Just did that, but the only progress reported was "received". I will say when I called Bushnell (before mailing), a live person did answer the phone, and I was pleased with the initial communications, simply did as instructed in mailing them back the cam.

This morning, Wed., 11/02/2016 their website states "Replacement Item on Order" --- whatever that means.
It also says "Balance Due $10 for shipping & handling." But provides no further instruction or explanation, and no way to pay online.

However, the mail just ran today, and I received today a new replacement cam from Bushnell
(Hopefully it will work as expected.)

So, my mostly old prior "issues" with Bushnell's warranty services have been greatly vindicated.

Exactly 2 weeks from the day I mailed in the non-working cam, I received a new replacement cam today (Wed., 11/02/2016) under warranty.
Still don't know if am expected to pay $10 (which I certainly will if am supposed to) --- there was no "bill" in the box, nothing other than a cam with a packing list.

Bottom line, Bushnell replaced an approximate year-old cam under warranty within 2 weeks, and I was initially out only my time and a little postage to send it in.

Following this experience, I will consider adding more of these particular cams, since more than any other (than Reconyx), I like the field scan programming options best that's coming from Bushnell. It allows more options with two "windows", whereas many brands only have one "window" (times of day when field scan mode is operating on top of regular triggering mode). Even though Browning also has two field scan mode "windows", Bushnell's programming allows for a wider range of times (including up to 24 hrs a day, whereas Browning's field scan mode cannot be programmed to operate at night.