Hunting Cameras

As many unfortunate hunters have discovered, the theft of hunting cameras is on the rise. There are claims that night vision cameras infrared function will activate cell phone cameras alerting the thief to the presence of the trail camera. If this is accurate, there is little you can do to prevent the theft of trail cameras with infrared other than placement in little used areas.

GPS technology has yet to develop game cameras with a GPS locating feature. Perhaps in the near future the small GPS components of cell phones and newly released DSLR cameras will be adapted for use in hunting cameras. For smart phones that are GPS enabled you can download the free app Prey (before the phone goes missing), and for non-smart phones subscribe to the app Accu Tracker with a small monthly fee. If you have a Prey account when the phone goes missing, you simply log into your account to locate your missing smart phone. With Accu Tracker you log into the website to locate the missing phone. Hopefully these apps or others will be soon be of assistance to hunters whose trail cameras go missing.

Until the technology arrives for use in game cameras, the following hints can assist you in preventing theft and assisting in possible recovery.

• Position long range night vision game cameras well away from commonly used trails and roads.
• Camouflage game cameras, and don’t make the mistake of cutting brush for this purpose. Dead brush can be a dead giveaway to camera thieves. Some hunters use natural looking artificial plants that blend well into the foliage appropriate for the season. It will keep its color much longer than brush. Keep in mind, during the winter when the leaves fall bright greenery can be as much of an alert as dead natural brush. Use fall colored foliage in the fall, or place the camera in an area where natural foliage and brush help to screen it. If using placed material do not block the camera’s eye, field of vision or motion sensor with foliage.
• If visual contact alone is the only means thieves have of locating your game cameras, keep in mind that the eye sees the nearest object best, placement where brush and trees are between paths, trails and the camera, will assist in making it ‘disappear’ into the landscape.
• Shadows are fleeting, but can assist in hiding the camera. Some cameras are camouflaged, but if not placed on the appropriate tree will stick out like a sore thumb.
• Mark all trail cameras in a means you can identify. It isn’t a bad idea to put your telephone number on the camera with the message to call (your number) if anyone tries to sell it.
• There are trail cameras available that send the images to a website. This has double the benefits as you can see game in real time and it does the same with thieves. These are photos you can turn over to law enforcement to assist in capturing the thieves and are considered evidence. These models cost significantly more but are well worth the money if your cameras are being stolen as fast as you set them up.
• Last but not least consider a game camera with password protection. It won’t prevent theft, but it will prevent anyone else from using the camera!

GrabAGun online gun dealers has game trail hunting cameras for sale with the same great discounts we apply to our gun sales. Shop our site today!