Pennsylvania Game News - August 2016 - 4

BIG BUCK PHOTO CONTEST
Get those trail cameras rolling. As
we inch closer to hunting season, the
Pennsylvania Game Commission is
holding a big-buck photo contest in
search of some of the best whitetails
caught on trail cam this summer in the
Keystone State. Winners could receive
a new trail cam. Look for details on the
Game Commission's Facebook page. We
promise not to give away your secret
spot, but can't guarantee we won't ask
to hunt there.

willing to spend.
Of course, we all would like to have
the best. But if you are interested in putting out multiple cameras, you might be
looking for something inexpensive that
takes photos decent enough for buck
identification. Lower-priced cameras
also might be the best choice if you're
concerned about having a camera stolen.
Cameras priced $60 to $120 sometimes sacrifice trigger speed and recovery
time.
Trigger speed is the time from when
the camera's motion sensor is triggered
until the photo is captured. Recovery
time is how quickly the camera can process the first image and be ready for the
second one.
For example, as a deer is walking
through the field-of-view, a slower
camera might only record a photo or two.
If you are using a camera with a
slower trigger speed, your setup is important because you'll need the camera in
an area where the animals are spending
time. Slower cameras won't record much
if you just catch animals passing through.
Cameras priced $120 to $250 usually
have faster trigger speeds and quicker
recovery times, with the potential to capture three or more images as an animal
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passes through the field-of-view.
Cameras in the $120 to $250 range
also might have better motion-sensors,
which ready the camera before the
animal walks into the lens' field-ofview. Another improvement in this price
range is the use of infrared illuminators,
which cover farther distances, from 60
to 90 feet, compared to those on lessexpensive cameras, which might cover
out to 30 feet.
The next level has a broader price
range, from $250 to $800 or more. This
range includes the top-of-the-line cameras used by many professionals. Their
features are remarkable and the quality
of daytime images is consistently good.
Nighttime images can vary from good
to great.
Finding the right trail camera can be
tricky. Advertising can be misleading.
Talk with other trail-cam users and
look at reviews from independent organizations. A great website to check out
the pros and cons of trail cameras is
www.trailcampros.com.

TRAIL-CAM FEATURES
Trail-camera technology has improved
significantly since the cameras went on
the market. It takes some comparisonshopping to find the camera that best
meets your needs.
Some animals respond differently to
the type of flash on a camera. Cameras
with a white flash produce color images
at night, but animals - and people - can
see the flash when it's triggered.
Deer, foxes and coyotes tend to react
to the white light. Other mammals, like
bobcats, don't seem to care.
Another option is an infrared camera,
which might cast a red or black flash.
The images from such cameras are
black-and-white.
http://www.trailcampros.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2016
