Trail cams going off this morning

[BSK]

I started out with cell cams more as a "supplement" to all the regular cams, also being in a large area with spotty cell service.

Maybe not as a part of your ongoing research studies, but more as an idea what's happening in & around your property, closer to real time, you could have a few cell cams. Run your cell cams in still pic mode, and with the Brownings, you can set high-res stills to take similar to video (if you want).

Regarding the poor cell service, auxiliary antennae are cheap, and can be run high up a tree (one time can last years). Even without a solar panel, you should typically only need to visit these particular cell cams once or twice annually to change the batteries and trim some plant growth.

Adding a few cell cams, especially at points of egress, could keep you better overall informed as to what's happening on your property.

A cell cam at the front gate or at the front of our cabin would be a good idea - to know what is going on real-time. However, I switch camera locations so often with my other cams that complex antenna set-ups would be very difficult. It's only the first part of October, and I've already used 29 different camera locations since the end of July. I actually like being able to visit my cams, check activity, and then quickly change the cams location if I don't like what I'm getting. Now there certainly ARE locations I know I'm going to want a cam all season - such as pointing into food plots, and cell cams would probably work there, as most are on ridge-tops - but at least half my cam locations are getting swapped every couple of weeks, if not every week, as scrapes go hot and cold.

But even in locations where a cell-cam could get a signal, we're back to the problem of transmitting massive video files. Although I run cams to get an idea about deer activity locations for hunting, ever bit of my camera data is used in personal research. And the best data comes from video because I can see the deer behavior - a big part of my research.

 

[lol]

My deer in Monroe disappeared until about two days ago, then I started seeing some doe traffic, then a buck spent the last day and a half bedding in front of one of my cameras.

 

[Ski]

A cell cam at the front gate or at the front of our cabin would be a good idea - to know what is going on real-time. However, I switch camera locations so often with my other cams that complex antenna set-ups would be very difficult. It's only the first part of October, and I've already used 29 different camera locations since the end of July. I actually like being able to visit my cams, check activity, and then quickly change the cams location if I don't like what I'm getting. Now there certainly ARE locations I know I'm going to want a cam all season - such as pointing into food plots, and cell cams would probably work there, as most are on ridge-tops - but at least half my cam locations are getting swapped every couple of weeks, if not every week, as scrapes go hot and cold.

Thats exactly why I don't use cell cams. I need to be in the woods to see everything in its full context, not just a 120* x 100' field of view. The deer woods are in a constant state of flux. I need to see the the entire picture, then I can put context to what I see on the cards.

For me a camera's value is in cumulative historical data much more so than in season info. There's not much for me to glean from instant pics sent to my phone.