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Bigtex

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Have you ever tried hiding a trail camera somewhere in there?

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I put a very small and will hidden audio recorder inside the Boma area where the gift tree is, and it was taken, then I put a store bought game-camera in there. That really seemed to up set them, as they quit coming inside the Boma area, plus no more peanut butter jars have been taken since the audio incident. Think I'll try staying another night down there, and have my wolf with me......they do seem to like her and vice versa.

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Bigtex, I believe that your profile picture was made by your camera system that you were developing. Still working on that?  How far away from the gifting area do you camp?

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Hey Catmando.....good to hear from you, and hope you have been well! I have my camera system working better than I ever envisioned, plenty of power to stay out weeks, will fire multiple cameras, and start an audio recorder. I usually use one or 2 cameras, and do the setup on known BF trails at a natural pitch-point, with the cameras aimed at a known position, so the depth of field is always known for perfect pictures from several angles. The problem is it works too well, and unless I am hidden nearby ready to retrieve the camera boxes immediately.......bad things happen to them. I only used it once in my territory, and won't do it again.

 

If anyone reading this would like to try it in there area and doesn't care if you upset the local BF community.....contact me and lets get together. This setup is totally unique, nothing like out out there, very stealthy, and no electrical fields left on to trigger, 100% candid animal pics.

Edited by Bigtex
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3 hours ago, Bigtex said:

If anyone reading this would like to try it in there area and doesn't care if you upset the local BF community.

 

Me, me, me...

 

 

handup.jpg

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BFF Patron

Any theories on why they do not like having their picture taken?   This question has several behavior paths.       The first being they know exactly what a camera is and do not want their image saved for the same reason they do not like to be observed by humans.      The second possibility is that they do not understand the technology but because people peer at them through lenses on the camera it is similar to peering through a rifle scope before you shoot them.    The third is that they reject all technology, think it bad magic or evil.    

 

I think the first option is unlikely..        The only way that this could be possible, is if they are not terrestrial, and do not want to show how advanced they are by using or carrying around gadgets.         The second or third  options are more likely.    They do not understand it and want to avoid it.    .   What is your guess based on your experiences?  

Edited by SWWASAS
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I would have to say 'All of the Above' is the best answer, IMO. I believe there are races of these creatures worldwide, and just like their hairless cousins, with differences in size, color, appearance, hairiness,
wildness, and intelligence, to hit the highlights. The ones in my local study area I call 'Urbanfoots', they are very smart, rarely make any vocalizations, and stay in the shadows. There must be literally 100's of towns across the US with their own Urbanfoots coming into town at night, and rarely seen. The main reason for their forays into town is the amount of wildlife that live there, including tons of White Tail Deer. Lots of pets too.......the Bulletin Board at the grocery store is covered in 'Where's Feefee' signs at all times. Found this dog head on a BF trail used to get in & out of town. The assembled diners include Cougar, Bobcat, Coyote, and Jaguarundi, I've also seen one black-phase Jaguar around 10 tears ago, all hunting in town, why not the Hairy folks?

 

Here's a spot on one of the BF trails leading into town......the area circled in red was covered in fresh Live Oak acorns as seen in the other picture, problem is there's no Live Oak in the immediate area........were they put there to tempt the Deer moving in and out of town to take a nibble? Lots of bones in the area too, from fresh to years old, interesting for sure. 

Dead Dog Head.jpg

Acorn_Ambush_2.jpg

Acorn Ambush 1.jpg

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^^^^  SWWASAS,  is this a test?  I do not guess.

First,  they smell us and they watch us. Several times I have been watched putting a trail cam in place and testing it. One instance, I wandered around in the PIR detection zone to test the camera. It was a 'red glow' IR camera. 38 meters away from the camera, way past the PIR range, was an observer. Hiding behind large forest debris. I was busted and did not know until I checked the images. I knew that they knew. I gifted them at the hiding spot. They knew that I knew that they knew. They never got close to a 3 camera set up.  All other animals that wandered through the camera trap would meander, pause and look off in the same non-camera direction.

 

For smell, in dry warm weather, I factor in at least 3 days that they can smell me. ( nothing grows where Catmandoo goes.........)

 

Post holing. I post hole the area around a tree when setting up a camera. Less disturbance when checking the camera. Tearing up the terrain is a factor.

 

Bad camera Ju-Ju was posted on this forum more than 10 years ago. The tested problems are noise, EMF and magnetism.

The cameras with filter switching make audible noise when going from daylight mode to IR and vice versa. A minor problem.

The ultrasonic noise is a huge problem. The capacitors for the flash are screamers. Without being in flash mode, the electronics make some noise.

The noise goes down into the VLF range. The switching-regulated power supply is a source of noise.

The cameras have magnetic fields: variable AC and variable DC.

Spiders/insects and batteries. They like the poles of the batteries, depending on the lay out. Have you noticed insect cocoons located close to the positive and negative poles of the battery compartment(s)?   

 

Then there are the visual and smell aspects. I use a lot of ASAT camo on my equipment. I put the leafy hoodies over my camera boxes.

 

The EMF is difficult to deal with. Shielding is expensive. Most of it costs more than the camera. Shielding likes flat. Fold it or bend it and the characteristics change. There are only a few types of shielding that can take weather. Water is bad. There is no 'one size fits all' material. There is no such thing as perfect shielding because of 'final enclosure shape' and the holes cut into it for the lens, light sensor and PIR sensor if used and possibly power/trigger cables and ground wire. For the Plotwatcher dudes: I have shielding with ground wire on my plotwatchers.

 

I have not bothered with bear boxes. Years ago I learned that steel mounts(plates) are reflectors/projectors of ultrasonic noise.  I use white oak. I had some on hand and tried it. White oak does attenuate a small amount of ultrasonic noise and it is pleasant to work with.

 

There will be those who want decibel values and frequency numbers and Tesla values. Not going to do it.  So call me "Anecdotal Guy".  Buy your own test equipment.

 

You are buying surveillance cameras. They do not have very many 'wildlife details' in their designs.

 

 

Edited by Catmandoo
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Cat, I think the TBRC actually paid a while back to test trail cameras for emissions. The test was negative.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Bigtex said:

I would have to say 'All of the Above' is the best answer, IMO. I believe there are races of these creatures worldwide, and just like their hairless cousins, with differences in size, color, appearance, hairiness,
wildness, and intelligence, to hit the highlights. The ones in my local study area I call 'Urbanfoots', they are very smart, rarely make any vocalizations, and stay in the shadows. There must be literally 100's of towns across the US with their own Urbanfoots coming into town at night, and rarely seen. The main reason for their forays into town is the amount of wildlife that live there, including tons of White Tail Deer. Lots of pets too.......the Bulletin Board at the grocery store is covered in 'Where's Feefee' signs at all times. Found this dog head on a BF trail used to get in & out of town. The assembled diners include Cougar, Bobcat, Coyote, and Jaguarundi, I've also seen one black-phase Jaguar around 10 tears ago, all hunting in town, why not the Hairy folks? 

 

Here's a spot on one of the BF trails leading into town......the area circled in red was covered in fresh Live Oak acorns as seen in the other picture, problem is there's no Live Oak in the immediate area........were they put there to tempt the Deer moving in and out of town to take a nibble? Lots of bones in the area too, from fresh to years old, interesting for sure.

 

Interesting when you find stuff out of place like that.

I figured out the same is going on around here, loads of deer in suburbia that can't be hunted by humans. We see their sign often and know some local gnarly ravines where they hide out. Have also found signs of predation, I know there are coyotes around, but rarely. There's a ten-plus acre ranch up the street with horses and a few head of cattle. Also a sort of wilderness area boundary nearby. All the audio and related evidence I've collected for the last few years points to the BFs, at least juveniles, passing through at times.

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1 hour ago, gigantor said:

Cat, I think the TBRC actually paid a while back to test trail cameras for emissions. The test was negative.

 

 

 They have change coming.  I don't follow the various groups.  How are they doing with their camera traps?

I can't remember the details but a camera ( Reconyx Hyperfire ?) was tested and found to be 'silent'.  Seems to me that they did not turn the camera on. The filter switcher makes noise that humans can hear. Cameras have huge problems.

I am having trouble with the link:

 

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0110832

 

Should work. It is old. Paper was published 2014.

 

Edited by Catmandoo
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I've never seen that one, thanks for posting it. I'll read it when I get a chance.

 

But Bigtex has a solution I hope.

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