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optimistic
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 07:56
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How did you connect your game camera?
I bought zip ties but they failed miserably. (they were 99 cent store though...)
I plan on putting it high up with a ladder so I need to be able to connect it easily.
Thoughts?
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 08:24
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a ffriend of mine working on a game population survey (wildlife managment technician) had put cameras up 6' off the ground pointing out into forest openings (caught foxes, coyote, turkey, deer, etc with it). he used a cordless drill and screwed the back of the camera enclosure directly to the tree (cameras came with a mounting case that the camera popped in and out of). he only left them up for a month in each spot and the trees healed naturally in a single summer (no long term damage to the tree, choose trees that won't be used for lumber though, this tends to create a stain in the wood, apple, hawthorn or beech may work well)
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TomChum
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 10:51
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I used RAM mounts, so it would be easy to aim and also easy to remove. I screwed it to the tree. Personally I would not worry about a screw bothering a tree. Any one tree probably has ten bugs munching away at it, boring deep holes. A couple screws is nothing to a tree. http://www.rammount.com/camera_mount/camera_mounts.htm#/wizard
You can see a pic on the thread "wildlife camera TECHNICAL discussion"
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Popeye
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 10:53 - Edited by: Popeye
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I use the strap provided with the camera and a python lock.
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Dillio187
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 11:16
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I use the strap for moveable cameras as well. Another good option to hide your cameras is to put them in bird houses or bird feeders. I also sometimes hide mine behind sheets of birch bark.
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TheWildMan
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 11:16
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TomChum, most people with a small lot won't need to be concerned, the most valuable part of a tree is the butt log (the first 16' section off the stump). where trees were tapped for syrup (maple and birch) each tap hole creates a stain or streak up the tree for a few feet. if trees that were tapped are sold as lumber they are full of streaks and this lowers their value as lumber (unless sold to a niche market lumber buyer that is using tap hole lumber for cabittetry, then its worth 10 times more). on a lot of trees (at least those sought for higher quality verneers-depends on species) putting a couple screws in will stain the wood.
this is only a concern if your planning to sell timber in the future, otherwise its not important, as a forester i kind of put too much time thinking about trees
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optimistic
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 13:56
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The wildman - your option sounds the simplest and most economical (I had a hard time finding good straps).
But for how long will the camera hold like that? In terms of tree growing and moving/dropping it?
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Bevis
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 14:15
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I always screw them down. Don't won't them to grow legs and walk away.
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TheWildMan
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 14:56
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optimistic, trees only grow and add girth in the spring after leaf out then they slow down through summer as they put their energy into seeds/fruit then stop over winter (the fast and slow steps give a tree its characteristic rings) most will not grow more than 1/4 inch per year (and thats a very good growth rate), screwing into place in early spring, late summer, fall or winter should be fine for a couple months, in that late spring early summer stage you may want to move it every month, moving it once a year would not affect the trees that much and the tree won't grow around it (if it does your either down stream from a nuclear plant or discovered a new species).
my coworker put them up and left them for 6 months (but that was part of a survey project and had a time limit for data collection). another wildlife technician I have met has left them up for several years in the same place adjusting it as needed (it pointed at a popular spot for bobcats to visit).
if your putting them in the woods you may want to skip the part of the year the tree is growing anyway, too many leaves can get in the way. also if you want to get lots of photos really fast throw some apples on the ground in the area in front of the camera (a few hunters do this so they know who the best buck is in the area)
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TomChum
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 15:08 - Edited by: TomChum
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Quoting: TheWildMan the most valuable part of a tree is the butt log (the first 16' section off the stump).
Hi Wildman,
I would assume very few cabin properties are producing lumber, but in any case a tree is most useful when you use it for something other than shade and even better if you don't kill it then you can use it for lumber too someday. But in any case to get it out of a trespasser's field of vision a camera probably ought to be 8-10 feet above ground level, and as such it has to be easy to adjust the aim DOWNWARD. This takes several trips up and down the ladder, so in the ideal situation it's aimed once. Checking the card or changing batteries shouldn't cause the need to re-aim.
One problem with strapping the camera to the tree (or screwing it flat to the tree) is it has to be about 5 feet off the ground, and very visible, and vulnerable too. You can probably think of a way to screw it at an angle though. You have to choose a "hidden" place with no moving branches (due to wind) or you will get lots of pics of branches. It's not easy to find a good place. I chose a place near a fork in the road, because i thought the trespasser will be looking at the fork in the road, not up in the trees.
It depends also on the tree. I have thousands of trees, and don't care if there is a scar, in fact the ones by the road already have scars from trucks, cables. Its a little different next to the cabin, I wouldn't want to make one bleed sap near the cabin.
My camera has been screwed to the tree for 2 years. No problems, but if the bark started to push around the mounting, I wouldn't care. I'm having a much more hassles trying to get my cameras to function for a full season.
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TheWildMan
Member
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# Posted: 5 Feb 2013 15:43
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TomChum, if interested look up a free pdf book from the university of maryland called small woodlot logging (or something like that), its a how to for people with only 3 to 5 acres in making money from timber. even if its too small for a big logging company you can make a couple bucks logging. where i worked (laid off for the season-no money in the budget) most people don't have more than a couple acres and are interested in Niche forest products (non timber uses of trees, traditional tribal crafts and woodworking, foods and medicines, black ash verneer is especially prized for basket making, i oversaw logging operations on a few stands as small as 1 acre when we were looking for a specific tree species for a specific use)
my own lot has a lot of trees, mostly Ash, oak, elm and soft maple (and none are timber quality to sell) but is only 5 acres in size, but i make my own lumber and shingles and other stuff from it (old school way-no power tools just hard work).
I agree with the concern about theft, our cameras had a solid metal enclosre with a combination lock and were screwed with 1/2 inch screws (the big ones), each camera cost about $450 or $500 and we set them so that anyone wanting one had to work very hard for it, a lot more work than most would be willing to do to get it.
a few feet higher than is easy to reach is a good deterant to theft, anything that makes it harder than just pulling a strap and walking away will work in most cases
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