Wednesday, June 25, 2008

StealthCam

Mr. Johnson purchased a new "toy" for me last Saturday.
Of course, it's really his toy, but I'm the "geek" who gets to figure out how to use it and make this camera take the right kind of pictures once we put it out in the woods for deer scouting (near the new treestand!)

Once I got the programming figured out, the camera went out on one of our trees in the backyard by the ground feeding tray where we know the deer are nighttime visitors.

Our other trail camera is motion activated, but this camera has a Passive Infrared Detector. That means the camera will take a picture when any large, warm object moves within its range. It didn't take any pictures of the birds that sat at this feeder, but Sophie is a large enough object that the camera took a few pictures of her.
Even though I know bunnies also sit in this tray feeder and eat corn, there were no pictures of bunnies, so they must not be large enough either to trigger the infrared sensor.

I decided to test it myself once it got dark to make sure I had the flash setting correctly programmed. (I got lots of pictures the previous night, but didn't have the flash turned on so couldn't see anything.)
This is why I hate having my picture taken......the body view I see in the mirror is way different from what the camera sees! UGH!! Looks like I've got some work to do!

But finally, here are just some of the pictures we were hoping to see on this camera.

I'm really happy with the pictures this camera takes. They seem much brighter and clearer than our older trail camera (this camera gives you 4 choices on the resolution of your pictures and even has a video feature). It's nice that the time/date stamp shows under the picture and not down in the corner of the photo like our other camera. I'm amazed at the advances in technology of these camera over just a few years. This camera also has the viewing screen built right in (like our digital cameras) so you can instantly see what images you've captured without having to go home and download to the computer. I think this camera is going to work well for us and I'm looking forward to what kind of images of deer and other wild creatures we'll be able see once this camera is out in our deer hunting area.

16 comments:

Mary C said...

That's really cool, Ruthie. Will it work to capture those non-existent wild turkeys, too?

Beth said...

You'll get some fun pictures with that--imagine seeing what is going on in the woods while you sleep--be sure and share with us.

Jayne said...

That is soooo cool Ruthie! Love that you can see what visits you when you are not looking. :c)

Ruth said...

What every girl wants! A Stealth Cam! LOL. I would love it. The pictures are really good quality.

Marsha said...

This is "fun stuff" as you have labeled it. Are you going to leave it in your yard until hunting season? I should look into them, it would make a great gift for my DH.

Cool that you feed the birds and the deer! I wonder if it would pick up a racoon, skunk, etc. if it did not get any bunnies.

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful new toy for you and Mr. Johnson. I really enjoyed this post.

Richard said...

Forget the woods, just leave it in your backyard. Great pictures.

Windyridge said...

I've been humming and hawing over buying one of these for years. It would make a great birthday or Christmas gift for the hubby. The pics look great!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Aw Ruthie- that is soo COOL! I'll admit I chuckled a bit at your picture though, you look like a "deer in the headlights"! That stealth camera is going to be so much fun. Share some more!!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a great new toy. I have always wanted to do this at our water feature during night. Something(s) help themselves to the water. I would love to know what it is.

Mary said...

Wow. I'd enjoy that so much! I've always wanted to place a handy cam in the house to see what the dogs are up to all day.

I thought that picture of you was good! I see see how tall you are.

RuthieJ said...

LOL, Mary....I can only hope so!!

Hi Beth,
It will be nice to have another camera to cover more area.....maybe we'll get a shot of the wolf others have supposedly seen in Fillmore County.....

I think it's neat too, Jayne. The deer don't stick around long in the backyard, so the chances of waking up just at the right time to see them are pretty slim. Now I can just sleep through the night!

Hi Ruth,
There's only a few "special" girls who can appreciate a StealthCam, but I bet all of them reading this blog are included in that "special" group!

Hi Marsha,
Do you have a Fleet Farm by you? That's where we got this camera. Cabelas or maybe a hunting specialty store would have them too. There are lots of different styles and price ranges, but really fun to have even if just for the backyard.
I'm not sure if the infrared will detect skunks, but I would guess raccoons for sure. Our other motion detector camera worked on bunnies and we even got a bluejay once!

Hi Richard,
It will probably stay in the backyard till mid-July, then out to the woods where the real wild things are.

Hi Windyridge,
You definitely need to get one of these. There are many different brands and price ranges. I think the least expensive ones are around $50, but some go all the way up to around $500! I liked this one because it was easy to use and had the viewing screen built right in.

Hi Lynne,
That flash was so bright! I'm always amazed that it really doesn't seem to bother the deer though. You'll definitely be seeing more pictures from this camera.

Hi Lisa,
You could get one of the less expensive cameras to "keep on eye" on your water feature overnight.....you might be surprised what sort of critters are hanging out in your yard while you sleep (don't tell Luna though :-)

Hi Mary,
I would like to get one of those live webcams to put on my birdfeeders too, so I could see what's going on in my backyard while I'm at work.
Don't you think Bella & Chloe just sleep all day? They're such good little girls!

Debbie said...

What a great toy. My dad has an older version, but he has gotten so many great pictures of wildlife. I'm sure you will love having the Stealth Cam.

Susan Gets Native said...

Woo Hoo! White legs and blue clogs!

Anonymous said...

Just caught up on your blogs, that Stealth Cam is great, what wonderful pics it takes, a lot better then your other one. I'll be looking for more PM pics on the wild side.
MOM

RuthieJ said...

Hi Debbie,
It's always exciting to see what new pictures will be on our camera!

LOL Susan--yeah, those legs don't appear in public (in shorts) very often!

Hi Mom,
Another great buy for Mr. Johnson from Fleet Farm! There will be more pictures on the blog as I get some good ones.

Larry said...

That's really cool.It is bright and clear.-I'd love to look out and see that seen.