It’s a good way to meet your shy neighbors. For the past several years, the Mauter Family Tree Farm has put several game cameras to work. The fruit of that effort has been sweet. We now have a collection of wildlife photos from the back part of our forest that is informative and entertaining.
We have two brands of cameras at work, one is a Browning and the second is a Cabella brand. Both still photos and videos are captured. The cameras have chips that are downloaded to a laptop computer. One of them has a Wi-Fi antenna that sends new photos to a cell phone. There is a monthly fee for this set-up but it also provides security if we are away from the property.
This article is not intended to be a review of different products.
Bushnell, Browning, Bogs, Cabella, and Skypoint are some of the brands out there. There are plenty of reviews to check out. The value of the cameras — beyond entertainment — is that they can provide confirmation of wildlife activity and patterns. If your forest management plan includes opportunities for wildlife, the footage provides proof of the efforts you have taken.
One caveat when setting up the cameras, when the breeze is blowing small branches have a tendency to dance around. That triggers the camera shutter but no critters are present. Clipping low branches in the camera view will help that issue.
Enjoy the show.
