texashuntingforum.com logo
Main Menu
Advertisement
Affiliates
Advertisement
Newest Members
TraeMartin, Beatixre, MooseSteed, Trappernewt, casyoo
71987 Registered Users
Top Posters(All Time)
dogcatcher 110,788
bill oxner 91,416
SnakeWrangler 65,416
stxranchman 60,296
Gravytrain 46,950
RKHarm24 44,585
rifleman 44,461
Stub 43,769
Forum Statistics
Forums46
Topics537,004
Posts9,719,339
Members86,987
Most Online25,604
Feb 12th, 2024
Print Thread
Game Camera Experts? #7588994 08/25/19 04:48 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
We attend a small church in remote Blanco County. We are having a pilfering problem and would like to monitor the grounds with motion detection cameras. We have looked at a full blown security system with a wifi system but the price for the system and monthly fees was way out of line for our budget. Plus, an on site wifi system is open to theft even if the system sends the pictures to the cloud. Response time for county deputies could be as long as an hour or more depending on their situation. Some of us can get there in 20 minutes or less. We are use to dealing with road hunters and do not have any trouble dealing with church thieves.

So that leaves us with the option of cellular game cameras that transmit pictures and video.

This is our criteria:

Motion detection only
No glow so the thief does not know they are being watched.
Day or night pictures
Picture and video quality to be able read license plates clearly and face detail. They will be sent to the Sheriff's Department if there is criminal activity.
Instant or close to instant sending of pictures when activity is detected.
Multiple users to be notified. Up to 4 individuals.
A phone app that works on several phones and carriers to shut off the cameras on church day activities and reactivate when the activities are over.
At least four cameras that would be linked to each other but controlled by a common app on multiple phones.
Optional: GPS locator if camera is removed.

The church grounds are accessible 24 hours a day and we do not want to deny access to the public, We have many visitors stop by to visit the "Little Church in the Wildwood" and we welcome them. We only want to focus on the 1% dregs in our society that have no morals or qualms of stealing from a church or anybody else. We also have a 10,000 gallon water tank on site that is used to fill fire trucks during brush fires. It would not be good to respond to a fire and the tank had holes in it and was drained and no water. We definitely need pictures of those individuals.

Any recommendations that would cover this criteria?

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589288 08/25/19 09:58 PM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4,091
CharlieCTx Offline
Extreme Tracker
Offline
Extreme Tracker
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4,091
Game cameras are designed to capture game animals moving, not perimeter surveillance. Look at a surveillance camera system.


Kel-Tec RFB + Griffin Sportsman Ultra Light 300 + Pulsar Apex XQ-50
M&P-10 + AAC Cyclone
Remy 700 + Leupold VX3 3.5x10x50 CDS
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589326 08/25/19 10:35 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
Thieves don't move when they are stealing? They are just another animal of a different kind . Maybe they should be a game animal. Stealing might stop if there was a year round season on them. My question was for board expertise on game cameras with additional capabilities that we are not aware of. We don't need 24 hour screens displaying and recording nothing happening.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589349 08/25/19 10:57 PM
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11,910
N
ntxtrapper Online Content
THF Celebrity
Online Content
THF Celebrity
N
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11,910
https://www.opticsplanet.com/recony...p;utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google

Your most important aspect is the cellular service at the church. If it's not reliable, neither will the camera's cell service. Game cameras are used by thousands of police departments across the country. Many of the small metal green ground level boxes you see at the entrances and exits of parking lots, that you think have a utility control system in them, are actually a game cam and the patrol officers switch out the SD cards every few days. Great for getting license plates during a burglary of vehicle investigation. If money isn't a big hurdle, get a Reconyx.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589366 08/25/19 11:14 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
You could look into the Cuddeback link system that would allow all cameras to send pics to one homebase unit that could then send them via cellar to anywhere you like. You would only need one cell service per month but have as many cameras you needed up to 16 on one base. From what I know on here they use a lot of battery power to run the system but you are not taking 50 pics a day. You would have to put cameras up high enough angle downward to not been and clear any limbs or grass that would cause false triggers. Not sure how good the photo quality would be at night since most cameras that take high quality daytime pics do not usually take as good of B&W night photos. You will need to have at least 3 bars of signal strength on you phone and a lot of cameras are Verizon or ATT. Some systems will send a short length of video. I would look at trigger speed for what you are wanting also. That is how quickly that the camera will trigger to take a photo after the motion heat sensor is broken and relays back to camera to take a photo. Also look at the delay between photos take that the delay can be set to take the next photo. Some are multiple settings from 1 second up to hour delay and some are able to set but a few increments only.
You can check this site out for tested cameras and systems. Not sure how many cellular trail cams have the blackout feature vs the red glow feature.
https://www.trailcampro.com/collections/no-glow-infrared-trail-cameras/cellular-cameras


Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589397 08/25/19 11:34 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
Thank you for the responses and advice. I have been following the Cuddelink thread on the Hunting Gear section. I will call your suggested vendors tomorrow to get more details Again I appreciate your input. The technology changes so fast, it is hard to keep up with the latest and greatest. What was only a dream a few years ago is now standard on cheaper cameras.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589410 08/25/19 11:41 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
stxranchman
Thank you for the link on your reply, It led me to this link which may give others an insight on what is now available.

https://www.trailcampro.com/pages/how-to-catch-a-thief

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589415 08/25/19 11:46 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
S
stxranchman Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
Offline
Obie Juan Kenobi
S
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 60,296
cheers


Are idiots multiplying faster than normal people?[Linked Image]
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589480 08/26/19 12:57 AM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,255
D
Dave Davidson Online Content
THF Trophy Hunter
Online Content
THF Trophy Hunter
D
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,255
I’m using 3 no flash cams around the house at my place. Haven’t had any trespassers come by but see lots of wildlife when I’m not there. Mostly at night. Also, lots of pics of me relieving myself of some beer.


Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589507 08/26/19 01:39 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 11,658
G
GusWayne Offline
THF Celebrity
Offline
THF Celebrity
G
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 11,658
You wanna an expert?

Post this in the rifles section, that’s where the experts hang...

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: GusWayne] #7589543 08/26/19 02:25 AM
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11,910
N
ntxtrapper Online Content
THF Celebrity
Online Content
THF Celebrity
N
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 11,910
Originally Posted by procraft05
You wanna an expert?

Post this in the rifles section, that’s where the experts hang...



clap

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589564 08/26/19 02:51 AM
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,788
dogcatcher Online Content
THF Celebrity
Online Content
THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 110,788
When we had a problem, we put up a camera across the road from our place, It made it easier to see who was entering our gate, and we had the time stamps as to date and time.


Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back.
_____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________

[Linked Image]
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: stxranchman] #7589622 08/26/19 04:03 AM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4,091
CharlieCTx Offline
Extreme Tracker
Offline
Extreme Tracker
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4,091
Originally Posted by stxranchman
You could look into the Cuddeback link system that would allow all cameras to send pics to one homebase unit that could then send them via cellar to anywhere you like.


So OP, I have the Cuddeback system described above and it does in fact do what STxRanchman says. But consider, you'll spend almost $200 on each camera, another $200 to add the Cell access point, $100+ to equip each with a battery pack/solar backup (or you'll be buying a bunch of D-Cell batteries every month) plus $20 a month + on a cell plan to monitor it. The Reconyx camera mentioned below, $1,000+ each.

You also commented "Plus, an on site wifi system is open to theft even if the system sends the pictures to the cloud." You don't think game cameras are open to theft? At least you have the cloud copy and can replace components (IR cameras are much cheaper than the game cameras.)

You need a handful of cameras and one recording device, not a bunch of individual recording devices. Lorex (made by FLIR) has a 4 HD Wi-FI camera system for $900. Cheaper if you cable the video and hard wire power.

Lorex link

There's almost no way the Game Camera option will be cheaper or better, than something designed specifically to do what you want to do.

I am assuming you are talking about more than 1 or 2 cameras. Sorry if you don't care for the opinion.


Kel-Tec RFB + Griffin Sportsman Ultra Light 300 + Pulsar Apex XQ-50
M&P-10 + AAC Cyclone
Remy 700 + Leupold VX3 3.5x10x50 CDS
Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589637 08/26/19 05:02 AM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
To CharlieCTx:
All knowledgeable opinions and options are welcome. I didn't dismiss your suggestion at all. My comment wasn't meant to offend you and I apologize. Your follow up post on the Lorex system are the responses I was looking for. I have looked at the Lorex system in my research and it may in the end be a viable option so I appreciate you making me aware of it and you also consider it a viable option. I have to look at all options and that is why I posted the question here. There are many individuals on these boards that have more expertise then I and I respect each individual's input. Unfortunately, as you are aware of, some responses to a honest question are not what you get. You took it to heart and followed up with a an excellent option. Thank you for your input. It is appreciated.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589668 08/26/19 11:19 AM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 920
T
TrackQuack Online Content
Tracker
Online Content
Tracker
T
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 920
Nest or Arlo home security systems. For what you are looking for in a cellular game camera these should have more functionality at a cheaper price. Very customize-able, tiny comparatively to a game camera. Can provide live streaming, data storage, motion sensing, night vision, all accessible through an app...etc.. I would assume you have WIFI at the church. Your logic for the security cameras/wifi system being taken would still apply to the game cameras. Put up video recording signs, make sure it is well lit. etc..

I would hope that y'all have an insurance policy. Not sure what you expect to do showing up ahead of the police, that's a bad idea. Period.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7589912 08/26/19 04:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
O
oldrancher Offline OP
Bird Dog
OP Offline
Bird Dog
O
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 309
It's a small church with a covered pavilion on 4 fenced acres about 100 yards from a farm to market road. Two separate buildings about 40 yards apart. The 10,000 gallon water tank sits on the back part of the property. There is a cattleguard entrance off of a farm to market road and then another cattleguard entering the fenced church property. The church was established in 1855. A fire took the first church down and a tornado destroyed the next church. It was rebuilt in 1927 and is still used for services today. We have CAT 5 cables runs between the church and the pavilion that is used to transmit church services to a large screen TV for overflow crowds during Easter, Christmas and funerals. It looks like we will have to have a system of wireless and hard wired cameras. We currently do not have WiFi but that may be the route we have to go. It will give us other options for the future. The first bid from a security firm was for over $4000 and $85 per month maintenance fee. That price initiated my search for other options. Most of the church attendees are ranchers and have experience with game cameras on their ranches but not surveillance systems. So that prompted the game camera search.

We do have insurance on the property but personal liability is another issue all together. A confrontation would be avoided at all costs depending on the situation but a truck parked in the middle of a cattleguard would at least be a deterrent from leaving until law enforcement arrived. No one is wanting a confrontation but we do want a thief to be given the full attention he needs for his actions. Blanco County is still pretty narrow minded about thieves. Pictures and video evidence are better than no evidence at all and probably once installed any suspicious activity will just be immediately forwarded to the Sheriff's Department. They can handle it from then on.

Our area which is near the Highland Lakes has been hit with the meth epidemic and it has changed the type of people we are used to so we are not immune to opportunists. It's sad that it's come to this but no one is immune anymore. We had to put electric gates on our ranches and game cameras on ranch roads because of night time visitors. Electric gates are not a perfect solution but it deters the lazy ones that don't carry tools. Neighbors are having to do the same.

Thank you for everyone's responses. I have to make phone calls today to follow up on all of your great suggestions. I will do a follow up on our final solution and maybe it will help someone else.

Re: Game Camera Experts? [Re: oldrancher] #7590593 08/27/19 05:25 AM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 920
T
TrackQuack Online Content
Tracker
Online Content
Tracker
T
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 920
Really hope you get it sorted man, sorry y'all are having to deal with it. Liability would be worth checking on, especially with the water tank and people nowadays.

Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread

© 2004-2024 OUTDOOR SITES NETWORK all rights reserved USA and Worldwide
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3