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Post by tuketu on Feb 24, 2019 12:53:05 GMT -4
Well here it is almost the end of February 2019. Soon time for those lucky enough to have a spring season to start making plans. What are they? A new location ? New strategy? Some irresistible new concoction you've dreamed up since last season?
I hear Skeeter is already making changes to his barrel set up, and I'm pondering a new location.
Time to start ramping things up !!!
tuk
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Post by skeeter on Feb 25, 2019 0:46:35 GMT -4
Just patiently waiting for this winter to pass. Today I finished getting my newest game cameras modified. Late last fall, 4 of us were badgering about cameras, and about the problems we were having with them. These were some of the popular models out there. I had a few more bite the dust! All this junk is made in China for peanuts and the importers are making - huge $. I/we decided to buy 4 or 5 or the cheapest ones that caught our eye on eBay. Once we got them I ran them through, somewhat, a series of tests, evaluating trigger speed (not so important on a bait) file size, illumination, field of view, picture quality in day and more importantly - night.
I also value sound with my videos. Why? I don't know? but having had sound it adds something to the videos that I really like. Anyway we settled on a pretty good camera and bought 18 units. These are H882 cameras from a company in China. The picture quality, the field of view, and night time illumination in both depth and left and right really made this camera the winner. The bulbs are NOT invisible but bears don't really care and where these cameras are located there's really no reason to try to hide them from trespassers at night. Besides - how do you hide a camera at a bear bait?
The only problem the camera had was a muffled/muted sound quality in video mode. I tore a camera apart and discovered why. The electret microphone on the circuit board was mounted on the wrong side of the circuit board and was buried within the guts of the camera door housing. I ordered NEW electret microphones and soldered two 3" leads on to them (+ -). I made a plexi housing and hot glued both on to the interior face of the camera door. A .076" dia hole was drilled to the outside. The leads were ran back to the circuit board and soldered in to appropriate locations.
These cameras are NOW fricken fantastic. picture quality, illumination, depth of field, and amazing sound. I sent all the mods I made back to the manufacturer in China. They were happy for the feedback. I'm sure some engineer in China got a jail sentence for the screw-up.
Time will tell how durable they are but I'm happy so far. I have been running two units endlessly since Christmas and so far so good. If they fail then I'm out about $50 US per camera. We got them for as low as $45 and a high of $53.
My other cameras were all the popular brands we see (Bushnell, stealthcam, covert, browning, spypoint, moultrie, etc)... As they died or got stolen I was out about $150 US each.
So for about 1/3 the money I'm back in the game. I now need to modify or make new bear boxes. This shyt never ends!!!
Also the last mod is using 18650 lithium rechargeable batteries. I'm waiting for mini stepdown transformers from China (50 cents each). The cameras will accept a 6v auxiliary power supply. so I need to get the voltage down from 8.4v to approx. 6.3 to 6.5 volts. I cut the umbilical cord from the AA battery manufacturers a long time ago. These batteries top out at 4.2 volts each. so cameras using 12v auxiliary power run on 3 batteries easily. Some of the 6v cameras can and do run on 2 batteries - 8.4 volt. but this H882 is finicky and doesn't like the higher voltage. therefore the transformer was needed.
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Post by tuketu on Feb 27, 2019 15:17:51 GMT -4
Oh My ! ...Skeeter you amaze me !
I can only imagine what goes thru that head of yours when you lay down to sleep at night !
You do sleep? Right?
So what are these Tcams of which you speak? Any photo you can share?
How does one go about purchasing these little marvels of technology? I'm like the rest of the lemmings when it comes to tcams. For the longest time Roger and I were using those 2 mp Wildgame cameras at $50 a pop - if they got eaten or stolen we weren't out a pocket full of cash. They were pretty basic flash cameras that told us all we wanted to know ... who, when and how many. I've upgraded since then but with only one site I have 2 tcams setup. I still haven't warmed up to the video mode "yet" but you never know.
tuk
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Post by pipepusher on Apr 28, 2019 21:05:44 GMT -4
I am out
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Post by just skeeter on Apr 29, 2019 16:03:07 GMT -4
that's it? I am out 3 words? no description no pics what a teaser |
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Post by sideswipe on Apr 29, 2019 20:47:40 GMT -4
Good to read your post Skeeter! I have been “out” but in a different way. FWIW I’m back. Loved the description of your camera troubleshooting.
Sawed open a few sternums in my day but 27 Feb what the 1st time someone did it to me. One more month & I can use my upper body to exert more than 8#. Got some plugged pipes fixed & a valve job. Hoping to get the horsepower back. Those doggone hills were getting too steep...now I know why.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 21:42:16 GMT -4
I’ll be starting next week in Wyoming. New game of spot-n-stalk. Got a little over a month to pull it off.
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Post by pipepusher on Apr 29, 2019 22:29:09 GMT -4
sideswipe work up slow buddy. glad you got that taken care of
good luck ilbowhnter , use the glass instead of your legs. keep us informed. and we love pics
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Post by sideswipe on May 1, 2019 20:44:03 GMT -4
Well wasn't sure where to put this. Pretty basic but also a good review for some of us (including me). 2018 for a variety of reasons wasn't a good year for me, especially as I didn't get out to hunt for the 1st time in a long time. Looks like I'm going to remedy the hunting situation this season. As I began to prepare (starting w/this year's big game regs) I got a surprise. My state (WA) always had a residual, pretty much invisible grizzly population high up in the Cascades near the Canadian border & the NE tip of the state in the Selkirk mtns. We are always reminded in the regs that grizzles are protected in WA & shooting one carries severe penalties. Most trailheads have pics comparing Black & Grizzly bears to remind the hunter. What I didn't know was there has been a mandatory bear recognition test for all hunters intending to purchase a tag in this state as of 2018! Well I logged in using my personal WDFW ID# & took the test. Wasn't too hard. It involved pics & videos of bears in all sorts of positions & light conditions. Had to score 80% to pass...I did. Printed out the certificate which must accompany my hunting license whenever I hunt black bear. Oh, failed to tell you, the reason for this new regulation is that last year the WDFW is in the process of reintroducing the grizzly in our state (!). Both the Spring Hunt & the General Season, GMUs (game management units) where it is likely that grizzlies may be reintroduced, bear hunters must have been qualified in bear identification. I know I'm preach'in to the bear hunting choir, but I also know that those new to bear hunting look to forums like this for much needed education, & encouragement from those a little further down the trail. It wasn't too long ago that I moved to WA w/2 California Black Bears to my credit but also realizing I had a lot to learn. The Hunt Washington Forum was helpful but I stumbled upon a great, old forum....Bears East Adventures. Learned so much & made a lifelong friend or two (whom I won't embarrass on this forum). Anyhow, this isn't the official WA test (prevented from attaching it here as they prevented it) but I will leave you the link to the WDFW's tutorial attempting to familiarize you w/mature vs immature bears & especially Black vs Griz. OK, little corny in places but it you get just one "nugget" out of it, it may have served its purpose. wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/requirements/bear-identification-testing |
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Post by skeeter on May 9, 2019 9:11:59 GMT -4
I'm up at bear camp right now. Getting in upgrades and prepping for the fall hunt. got almost 250 miles on the ATV. Great weather, some lakes still iced over, no bugs which is a blessing. lot's of wash outs but we manage. Not a leaf on and vision in the woods is at all time maximum. Sure nice to see what you're doing and knowing the surroundings rather then guessing when the leaves are on.
We've changed out barrels to new designs and removed any old stuff and it's going home where it came from. I got a cousin that's a scrap collector. Access trails were updated, tree stands checked, camera boxes positioned perfectly. It's easy to get perfection when you're not dying from heat or swatting bugs. Bait runs are actually the easy part. In and out in record time.
Never seen any other spring bear hunters yet. Good for us ..... but it's early for experience bear hunters to be out yet. When the first spring hunt started a lot of newbies were out weeks ago and I always expect to encounter some guys. My spots are pretty remote so I guess no one in their right minds would find them ... except maybe Pipe HAHA! Actually he'd be 2 miles and 2 portages past me!
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Post by sideswipe on May 9, 2019 21:07:43 GMT -4
Sensing your anticipation skeeter.
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Post by sideswipe on May 14, 2019 10:41:12 GMT -4
Things beginning to loosen up for spring bear slightly in WA. My source is the Hunt WA forum that is just part but an active part of WA bear hunters. Two bear taken this last wk, both on East side of state. Both spot & stalk. Not the toads often seen on some of the posts on this forum. On 11 May a boar, about 180 #, was shot at 400 yds while grazing on grass. Last night a nice chocolate color phase was taken. The hunter was fairly new to bear hunting but wisely took someone (Bearpaw Outfitters) w/him. The hunter commented that not only was he successful due to the guide but that he also learned a lot from him.
Average bears taken in WA by hunters are 200-250#. An occasional large one is encountered. Hunting for bear in WA is limited to; spot & stalk (esp on Eastside), still hunting, stand hunting (often over natural food sources or kills winter/cougar kills), & calling (in combination w/any of the modes of hunting). Of course there are several bears taken by chance encounters during the period when both gen deer season & gen bear season overlap (Oct/Nov).
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Post by sideswipe on May 14, 2019 10:55:35 GMT -4
Talking about WA hunting over natural food sources; it can be a great source of baiting. Most of the bears I have encountered have been at food sources where I have come upon them while still hunting or patiently waiting on a ground stand overlooking the bear’s munchies. Food sources change & you have to be on your toes to move to new sources when they do. I’m not really patient but, as you know, stand hunting usually avoids walking up on a bear only to realize (duh) the wind is wrong. Course you bait hunters are very conscious of this.
I asked a wildlife officer if it was legal to hunt over a cougar kill or a rancher’s dead livestock. The answer was affirmative. Pushing my luck, I asked him if it were OK to use my Jeep to drag a road kill over to my property to use as an attractant. I was told rather firmly that this was “going too far”.
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Post by sideswipe on May 21, 2019 10:15:18 GMT -4
Well the bears are out & moving in WA. Since last post here at least 5 bear taken. From estimates of 170# up to 2 fairly large ones w/the typical large heads. 3 of them color phase. Have no idea what the totals are state wide.
Oops! Revisited the WA forum. The largest one, a beautiful colorphase was taken by crossbow in.....Saskatchewan (figures 😏). I have invited him to come over to BQO & post his pic or grant me the permission to.
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Post by sideswipe on May 22, 2019 19:19:28 GMT -4
This was the Saskatchewan bear (his 1st) taken 2 days ago. Funny thing, he comes from the same small town in Western WA that I do!  |
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