Video versus still images

[huntinkev]

All that is very fascinating stuff.

I had a limb that deer would work every year since I discovered it (7-10 years) until the limb died , rotted and fell to the ground in 2019. I drove a T-post in the ground at that location this year, found and cut down a sapling with a long over-hanging branch and wired it to the T-post. Worked like a charm

I had the same thing, a limb that would get worked every year for the last 10 years or so. This year that limb is gone, I never thought about doing this.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

For those that are interested, here is the same buck at 2 different setups using this T-post method. You can basically set up a mock scrape at any pinch point

Sorry BSK - Hope this isn't hijacking your thread

 

[BSK]

Not at all! Super cool!

 

[Mr.Bro]

BSK did your videos this year show a certain date that the bucks went crazy? I hunted west Kentucky November 7th -the 11th with not more than 3 bucks seen in any one day and very few does. November 12th the bucks busted loose! Anybody else have a day the bucks started chasing.

 

[BSK]

It started HARD November 15. Then was pretty crazy until December 2. In fact, I was fairly amazed to see so much daylight buck activity so late, especially around the 28th. Normally our rut is shutting down by then (our peak is usually Nov. 10-20).

 

[DoubleRidge]

Ran multiple cameras for years on our place....never once have I used video mode? I was always afraid the batteries would be drained or the card would fill up.....now I sit here reading this thread and I'm shaking my head....so many good points have been made which I've never considered....and I can not begin to tell you how many times...pic 1 blurred left side of frame....pic 2 center frame blurred....pic 3 right side of frame blurred....he never checked up....and you can see his rack but it's blurred and you can not make out any details....video solves this...so simple yet so profound....I'm literally kicking myself and shaking my head.....thanks guys....I've definitely got some changes to make with my camera set up......man my wheels are turning.

 

[Mike Belt]

I can't say enough good things about lithium batteries. Even on video mode all Fall and winter I never worry about my batteries dying.

 

[Footvolman]

I run 14 cameras and only have one on still photos. Last year I had photos of bucks that I believed to be smaller bucks because of camera angle. He would then walk past video and was amazed how big he was. The information you receive from videos is so great. I also run browning dark ops and have some out a year and batteries just now going down. The one fascinating video I have is 10 foot off a scrape. A old large 10 point comes in works the scrape and turns around and lays down in the scrape. It was like a Hugh cow trying to lay down and made big thump on camera when he went down.

 

[BSK]

Ran multiple cameras for years on our place....never once have I used video mode? I was always afraid the batteries would be drained or the card would fill up.....now I sit here reading this thread and I'm shaking my head....so many good points have been made which I've never considered....and I can not begin to tell you how many times...pic 1 blurred left side of frame....pic 2 center frame blurred....pic 3 right side of frame blurred....he never checked up....and you can see his rack but it's blurred and you can not make out any details....video solves this...so simple yet so profound....I'm literally kicking myself and shaking my head.....thanks guys....I've definitely got some changes to make with my camera set up......man my wheels are turning.

Don't kick yourself. I've been running cameras since the very first units became commercially available in the early 90s. Only attempted video once or twice with red-glow cameras and scared the crap out of the deer. Since then, running exclusively black-flash cameras, I've never used video until this year because 1) in the past, black-flash cameras' flash was pretty poor in video mode; and 2) I didn't think the resolution was going to be good enough in video. Newest cameras have solved both those problems to a certain extent.

 

[BSK]

I can't say enough good things about lithium batteries. Even on video mode all Fall and winter I never worry about my batteries dying.

I replace all batteries in all cameras every year, just to make SURE a camera doesn't go dead during the season, when I need it most. Lithium batteries are the BOMB! However, my battery bill is pretty pricey each year. At the beginning of each season, I spend enough on lithium batteries to buy another camera!

 

[BuckWild]

tahtah, don't want to sound like an advertisement for one camera company, because I'm sure there are several good models available, but I'm currently using the two dual-lens versions Browning has; their 2018 model Dark Ops Pro XD, and their 2020 model Patriot. Each unit has one lens and imager for daytime pictures, and a different lens and imager for night pictures. Having a separate night imager allows them to use an imager specifically designed for picking up infra-red light. And the sound quality on these videos are amazing.

Wish I could post some, but a single 20 second video is 100MB in size!

Brian start a youtube channel. One upload and you could possibly make money on your views over time.

 

[philsanchez76]

All that is very fascinating stuff.

I had a limb that deer would work every year since I discovered it (7-10 years) until the limb died , rotted and fell to the ground in 2019. I drove a T-post in the ground at that location this year, found and cut down a sapling with a long over-hanging branch and wired it to the T-post. Worked like a charm

This is an incredible idea! Thanks @JCDEERMAN I can't wait to try this. When do you normally set up your branches? Do the deer hit them all year long?

 

[BSK]

The one fascinating video I have is 10 foot off a scrape. A old large 10 point comes in works the scrape and turns around and lays down in the scrape. It was like a Hugh cow trying to lay down and made big thump on camera when he went down.

On trail-cam pics/video, I've seen bucks bedding right in scrapes numerous times. I have no idea what this behavior means.

 

[X-Tennessean]

BSK have you backed one of your video cams up with another still image camera to see if or what you may be missing from the video cam?

I am running Covert, Spartan and Snyper cell cams. The Snyper takes good video and sound WHEN it decides to capture the movement....grrr
It only sends a 5 second clip via cell but records a 20 second clip. I currently have it backed up with a cheapo Muddy white flash but I know for a fact it is not capturing all the movement.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

This is an incredible idea! Thanks @JCDEERMAN I can't wait to try this. When do you normally set up your branches? Do the deer hit them all year long?

We usually set all our scrapes up around the 2nd week of October. This year I set them up early - end of September and got nothing until mid-October. That's pretty typical for us

 

[BSK]

BSK have you backed one of your video cams up with another still image camera to see if or what you may be missing from the video cam?

I am running Covert, Spartan and Snyper cell cams. The Snyper takes good video and sound WHEN it decides to capture the movement....grrr
It only sends a 5 second clip via cell but records a 20 second clip. I currently have it backed up with a cheapo Muddy white flash but I know for a fact it is not capturing all the movement.

Honestly, the Brownings are so "trigger happy" I doubt I'm missing anything. They trigger on squirrels at 50 feet! In fact, other than not great night-time still images, the downside to the Brownings is too sensitive of a trigger. They will also trigger in the wind, especially if dappled sunlight is shining on the ground in front of camera.

 

[BigAl]

I was getting so many "blur" photos at night I decided to try video and was amazed at the difference. The downside for me is the time it takes to review videos over stills.