Reconyx - first impression
Wisconsin
3 more of my 3 year old cuddies died last year and I got sick of cheap cameras. Bought 6 reconyx to replace my junk.
We put them out this week. First impression
Simple to use. Easy to hang on tree. Takes lithium batteries - about $40 to reload 12 of them. Stated life is 20,000 pictures at night, 30,000 daytime. These should last me two years if true. That will not be to bad. If this camera burns lithiums like cuddies burn alkaline I am in trouble.
Very impressed so far. Can't wait to pull chips. Just the concept of having pictures on all my chips will be awesome. Never knew with cuddies. They seem to hit 3 years and all bets are off if they work
Bullwinkle, my buddies that have them swear by them. One buddy says he would quit using trail cams if he had to use anything other than Reconyx. He has a pile of junk Cuddeback's sitting in his shed. If I go back to using trail cams, it will be Reconyx. Now that they have a cellular model I may go that route. It would sure pay for itself with my land being 1.5 hour away.
I have 4 more cuddies on year 3 this year. My guess is I will be buying more reconyx next, I like running 10 cameras and 3 plot watchers. Gotta say those plot watchers are worth every dime.
I need to check out that cellular model - I would have a ball with that.
I have 6 dummy cuddies out as expensive decoys. My 6 reconyx are on year 3 with no issues. I have also heard good things about covert.
Bullwinkle - Glad you are having good luck with your camera's!
Here's my thoughts however which, along with .75 cents will get you a can of soda!
"Moultrie"
For the price I'd pay for one Reconyx - I'd have multiple Moutries!
But you have too be happy with what you like and if you can afford them - good for you! They are absolutely outstanding cameras....
I just don't have the time to screw around with failures. Last year I had a bunch of cuddies up for weeks and pulled the chips - blanks, white pictures, no pictures. Lost all that effort. Can't replace it.
Reconyx is the best. I used to use them but when I had a Moultrie stolen with a Reconyx not far away I decided to rid myself of the expense and buy all Moultries. I have not looked back but will never say a bad thing about the Reconyx brand. I used them for several years without any problems.
The one thing I will say is this time of year you are wasting your money using lithium batteries. Alkaline batteries always worked just as well until the temperature dropped to about 30 degrees then the lithium batteries were needed.30000 pictures is not unheard of using a Reconyx and one set of (8) batteries.
My sister in law has a Reconyx HC600 High Output she just won last week she would sell for $450 if there are any takes let me know.
dbl lung check your private messages.
Bullwinkle, which model did you purchase? I have been looking at them also and before I pull the trigger I want a bit more feedback. Moultries have been good for me as well. So far no bear have messed with the cameras.
HC 600
Have not taken a picture yet. Put 6 new one out, crossing my fingers they are taking pictures. Hope to pull chips this weekend to just check on them to make sure they are working.
I BOUGHT ONE LAST YEAR AND SOLD IT IN 2 MONTHS DIDNT LIKE THE QUALITY OF THE PICS.
Ya know for 3 grand in cameras .. I will just sit your stands and let you know what's there... cameras have taken the hunt out of hunting ... I have 10 cameras... none are in the field ... scouting by commonsense whitetail say will put just as many deer in the truck..
And I have some spendy cameras as well.. and looking back.. I'd much rather have the cash then rely on a camera to do my hunting for me.
". I will just sit your stands and let you know what's there."
Patterning a buck is dead last on my list of why I love my cameras out 24/7/365. 1) Trespassers(Shroom,shed, turkey, deer hunters, hounds, snowmachines, ect. 2)predators 3)cool wildlife pics,ect.
Ya... and take your pick hunting g never enter into the equation?? Ya.. OK... they are not called tresspasser cams... they are deer cams... and to say they are not doing your hunting for you is ... well.. no beating around the bush... A lie...
I enjoy the hunt more than that... Some guys just enjoy showing their bucks off... anyone can sit a stand that a camera spent it's time on patterning a deer for you.. who couldn't be a big back hunter with a 24/7 patterning service..
I really don't know how much easier the can make killing a nice deer.... it don't get much easier than it is right now..
It use to take savy... knowledge... perseverance ... not anymore... dump some corn and put up a camera... When a "shooter" shows.. go shoot it and take your I'm a big back hunter pics.. lol...
You can say the cameras are for other purposes all you want.... bottom line ... The cameras are doing all the hunting ... folks are just doing the killin.
Aw, I have taken only 1 buck I had a pic of prior. Besides, if trailcams were so efficient we should have multiple pics of sasquatch by now.
We have had fun naming them and watching them grow year to year. Not great at it but have some success. 4 named bucks made it through gun season. Can't wait to see if they are still around and if I can pick them out. This adds some spice to the hunt. In some ways more fun than hunting because the season is so much longer
Antler Whore, I have to agree with Novemberforever, they are used for much more then just patterning a deer. I have mine out for all of his above reasons. The bonus is like others said is seeing particular bucks and naming then. If you enjoy the hunt that much I hope you are using a longbow, no scent-free clothing, hunt from the ground without the aid of a ground blind or treestand, no sight or release and use traditional broadheads that require you to sharpen them. Yup so easy to bash others until you look at what you use to hunt. And yes they could make it easier....they could use drones or heat-seeking devices to locate your deer.
My homebrews mostly have lasted ten years. I got a bad deal with Cudde years ago and will never go back to them unless I win one in a contest or something.
Never used Reconyx but hear great things and if I could afford one I would try them.
A started with Moultrie three years ago and not on problem so far and all the bells and whistles are nice. I add another one this year.
Really for the money you cannot beat a Moultrie camera. I have several and the buddies I hunt with use them as well and we all like them.
Yes, the Rec cameras are top of the line, but on a budget!
Would rather spend $3000 on cameras than a set of golf clubs. My colleagues also pay dearly for their country club memberships.
Besides the land, comparatively bow hunting is in the ball park right along with all good hobbys
I can't wait to see what shows up on the cams but I will say that the added intrusion and scent definetly effects the deer. I now put the cams in areas I can access easily and get out. Setting up and checking in the rain has worked best. I have a couple cuddies and a Moultrie. They are all average at most. The Moultrie m-100 is reliable but takes a lot of blurry pics. Cuddies are fast but only last a few yrs.
I too have issues with the CuddeJunk cameras. I bought a few Moultries last fall. Yesterday I pulled one that was out since last Nov. I saw it take my pic as I walked up...I couldn't believe it. I am very happy with their $150 cameras.
3,000 on cameras? I dont even spend that on my wife!
I dont think I have one colleague that belongs to any clubs - ah...maybe the Safari Club!
I've bought all my Moultrie cameras off Ebay and saved even more with no shipping/tax. Havent been disappointed yet.
I have buddies who spend $2-3K/month for country club dues- green fees and food purchase requirements. Our habit is much more enjoyable, trust me. They take me along. Doesn't do a thing for me hitting a little white ball around. Especially the putting.
The way I look at it I got burned twice - $200 cuddies and BTC. The BTC lasted 2 seasons, the cuddies die like clockwork at year 3.
If my reconyx lasts 8 years I am break even on cost but WAY ahead in 0 lost pictures and frustration.
Never tried moultrie.
Most often called trail cameras not deer cameras!
Also use them as home and property security cameras
I get a bigger kick out if see other stuff show up, like a frontal close up of red tail hawk sitting on stump at five feet. Have to do 8x10 of that one, One of these days
Have four six year old low price moultrie still going even if can't read screen on front of a couple of them but still taking pictures. Ten coverts had thirty percent failure rate after 4 years Why is it when they get the bugs out of a model and the price eventually gets reasonable, then they discontinue it and come out with higher price and supposivly more and better features Must be a profitability price point that doesn't make it worth while to sell a great simple reliable model under eighty dollar
So if deer cams do not aid 8 any way to putting your "targeted " or " hit list " back in the truck... how does anyone justify that spending ?? There is really only one reason anyone tresspasses .. because their is something there they need to see... I know guys that have cameras watching their boarders to protect their illegal activities ... and keep an eye out for the law looking around...
I just think the cameras are doing more hunting then the hunter who sets them..If your ok with that .... fine.. but 24/7 observations and now capabilities to send pics to your phone or pc... really?? Why not just run to your local door pen and pick the one you want if you don't have the time to find the wild ones yourself??
Just another thing that takes the hunt out of hunting.
" I know guys that have cameras watching their boarders to protect their illegal activities ... and keep an eye out for the law looking around..." I hope Antler Whore that you have reported these people for their illegal activities otherwise you are just like them and are turning a blind eye to these "illegal activities"
Why does anybody have to justify "the spending"?? As a person who usually just lurks here, AW I don't know what your infatuation is with what other guys are doing!!??
TJ.. they are already on the DNR " hit list" .. that's why the perimeter cams for surveillance. ..
Justify?? So your saying spending 3 grand on cameras to hunt your "targeted" deer are ??? Then why buy land?? If killing a certain buck is all your after .. There are plenty of fenced hunts that are far cheaper than land and 24/7 buck monitoring if that's all you want.. lol... The lengths guys will go to kill a nice deer never will stop amazing me..
Why not just hunt the deer yourself? Deer hunting especially bow hunting use to carry a special breed of hunter...The creme of the crop woodsmen. I think bowhunters have become more and more inadequate. ..Not many really hunt the deer themselves anymore...deer cams all over... feed stations all year... I think this era also contributes to guys finding other things to do.
The a lure of the challenge is being erased.
AW, why does anyone have to justify to you how they spend their hard earned money? Sounds like a liberal to me.
AW, loved to see your arsenal of amenities/gear that help you hunt. Why is shining so popular?
It's his 3k and this is Merka so whether it's cams, beer, Packer tickets,Indian casino or gazing balls who cares.
I have a 2005 spiral cam ultratec.. I use thundered broad heads and GT shafts.. I use a summit climber and wear cheap old regular came ..no scent BS stuff..
Pretty basic stuff ..
However I have used up to 10 deer cams at a time.. and then realized I was not doing the hunting .. now they sit in a cabinet...none are in the woods.. and i have tresspasser concerns as well..
What i am saying is the challenge that once was is being erased..
And deer cams are part of that reason..
If they are not hunting for you... then why set them?? I enjoy being 8 the woods ... I don't like other folks or things hunting for me..
Another example of this is .I have hunted many other states with many times bringing home a nice deer.. other guys from home always want info on where exactly and what exactly I found to find 5 here deer so far from home..they are not getting the hunt part.. If you want that info.. it's finding them yourself that makes it a challenge... if you can't ..well.. I guess that's were your at as a hunter..If you need help .
Running cameras is almost as much fun as hunting for me. Extends the enjoyment of the land and the work we do to improve it.
I've had deer patterned one time where I thought I had it figured out. 3 days on the plot watcher doing the same thing. Guess what, the pattern stopped three days before I hunted the stand. I had a ball just dreaming about it and it was very exciting sitting in that stand that evening. Didn't hurt a single deer that night.
Cameras are just plain fun. I have been using them for years and most of my big mounted bucks never showed up on camera. One I got a picture of just before I put an arrow thru him as in 2 seconds. Was that an unfair advantage? I don't use them to tell me where and when to hunt but it sure is fun to know that you have some shooters in the area. Rarely do I put a camera near my stands. Lighten up AW. It is just hunters enjoying watching deer. That is what we all love to do.
98% of trail camera users agree....if your buddies trail camera isnt exactly the same model as yours.....it's garbage.
Ive wasted my money on cheap camera's enough times. Bushnell Trophy Cams or Moultrie M-990i have worked fine for me. Reconyx sound great but I've never owned one.
Almost every hunter draws a line in the sand that they will not cross I have several and one is the use of trail camera's.Most of my friends use them and thats great but I like to do my own scouting.But thanks for the info because I need info on what to buy.My cabin was broken into 2 times by ATv and need to set up a few.
Add me to the list of people who does not use them. Our camp likes the element of surprise and good old fashioned scouting. We feel better about our successes that way. I also don't have one those fancy cell phones. I carry a pay as you go cell phone that sits in my truck and is off unless I need to call someone in an emergency.
I agree, I think Reconyx are the best! I own 3 and had sent one back last winter to get worked on. GREAT service & customer support!! You talk with a "live" person who speaks "English", they update you by Email as to when your camera is being worked on, shipped, etc...Great company in my opinion. I still glass almost every evening and spend part of every day in the woods here on my farm. I am retired and still have my cameras out. I agree with the others, it extends your season, lets you enjoy the sport / deer even more (like year round) I like to watch bucks develop, see them from year to year, see the occasional bear, coyote, etc...It is like Xmas morning to me when I go and get my chips. I feel sorry for the others who miss out on this enjoyment. It is your loss. I still scout the old fashion way and spend ALOT of time in the woods!!! Improving the timber, water holes, food plots ( I bet I hear about this one?) and the overall betterment of all wildlife. They don't shirt cut success!
Silvrtip
If i could afford the Reconyx I would get several. From what I've read/heard they are in a class by themselves. I have cuddie's (which I actually like) Moultrie (work fine but take crappy photos) and now have 2 Brownings out (the jury is still out on them). I like Cuddie's $100 rebate/trade in allowance.
I've had trail cameras out for 10+/- years and they have never helped me shoot a single deer. Not one. Now, they work great on bear baits. We've used them in Canada with much success, I see nothing wrong with that, you might.
To each his/her own... BC
