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Trail Cam


wiiawiwb

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On 5/3/2018 at 3:53 PM, wiiawiwb said:

Here is the finished trail cam. Not great but it will at least give it better cover than not attempting any camo deception. Once the glue odor stops, I'll put it out in the field and see what I get. I have a zip tie in the back and will use a screw on which to hang it.

 

Having a swinging door and a latch release makes it tad difficult to cover all of the seams.

 

 

P1020977.JPG

P1020976.JPG

 

Nice work!

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13 hours ago, SWWASAS said:

   I can never imagine a BF game camera photograph of it right in front staring at it like we see deer do so often.        

 

I agree. We try to place the camera in such a way that it is not right in front of the target, but behind it. So the target never sees the camera. Like this:

 

bobcat1.PNG

 

bobcat.mp4

 

We have tested this on humans with great success. Below are examples of clueless humans:

 

C1-clueless4.mp4

Cam3-clueless1.mp4

c2-clueless4.mp4

C1-clueless3.mp4

 

The general concept is:

 

trail2.jpg

 

 

To cover both directions, you place a second camera a good distance from the first, like this:

 

trail1.jpg

 

The target will walk right by the first camera and (maybe) spot the second one, too late. It might even turn around to avoid it and face the first one. :)

 

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21 hours ago, wiiawiwb said:

Gigantor...great thinking.

 

Do the remote IR illuminators come in no glow? I went to YouTube and couldn't find anything about them. Can you suggest a place I can go to read more about this, what to get, and how to connect it?

Well remember that because the illuminators are designated glow or no glow for humans,    we have no data that would indicate how they would be viewed by BF.    BF may see well down into the IR spectrum for all we know.    I wish we could get a cooperative habituation situation to conduct experiments.   Just to determine if BF can see IR.    Does not need to be something scary for the BF.   Might even train BF to know that if an IR light is on, there will be treats available in a box.    Do glow light first to train, then do no glow.  Determine what they can see and what they cannot.     Going further, install UV light,    See if BF can see UV.   Learn something so we can stop guessing about this stuff.  .

 

Gigantor:    Really good.   If the flash is the scary thing,  put the camera away from that.     Always thought that cameras monitoring each others is a good idea because of all the reports of BF seeming to mess with cameras from the side.       How about hanging cameras in pairs like your diagram.   .   One camouflaged as good as possible and one bait camera with none at all.   Would be a good use for a camera that has stopped working.     Use it as a bait camera.      

Edited by SWWASAS
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13 hours ago, gigantor said:

 

I agree. We try to place the camera in such a way that it is not right in front of the target, but behind it. So the target never sees the camera. Like this:

 

bobcat1.PNG

 

bobcat.mp4

 

We have tested this on humans with great success. Below are examples of clueless humans:

 

C1-clueless4.mp4

Cam3-clueless1.mp4

c2-clueless4.mp4

C1-clueless3.mp4

 

The general concept is:

 

trail2.jpg

 

 

To cover both directions, you place a second camera a good distance from the first, like this:

 

trail1.jpg

 

The target will walk right by the first camera and (maybe) spot the second one, too late. It might even turn around to avoid it and face the first one. :)

 

 

Nice Job!

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Here's my solution for now. It's only be temporary. I'll have to see how it works. It will reduce the IR illuminators for sure but hopefully will let enough through to get a movie at night.

 

I'll also have to assess whether it draws attention to it with the green based on the actual tree I will be putting it on. The needles will begin to dry and brown. It's a work in progress.

 

 

P1020983.JPG

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Krylon has camo paint in 'flat' colors. Brown, black tan, green. I have painted cameras to get away from the 'solid' green color of the ABS housing. I avoid green. Dyes and pigments can not match a biological green, especially early morning and evening when eyes are changing from rod vision to cone vision and vice versa.

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Wiiawiwb.    Nice job.   If your camo job does not work,   perhaps the craftmanship will be so impressive to BF that you will get pictures of one stopping to admire your work?   

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On 5/9/2018 at 0:18 PM, SWWASAS said:

Well remember that because the illuminators are designated glow or no glow for humans,    we have no data that would indicate how they would be viewed by BF.    BF may see well down into the IR spectrum for all we know.    I wish we could get a cooperative habituation situation to conduct experiments.   Just to determine if BF can see IR.    Does not need to be something scary for the BF.   Might even train BF to know that if an IR light is on, there will be treats available in a box.    Do glow light first to train, then do no glow.  Determine what they can see and what they cannot.     Going further, install UV light,    See if BF can see UV.   Learn something so we can stop guessing about this stuff.  .

 

Gigantor:    Really good.   If the flash is the scary thing,  put the camera away from that.     Always thought that cameras monitoring each others is a good idea because of all the reports of BF seeming to mess with cameras from the side.       How about hanging cameras in pairs like your diagram.   .   One camouflaged as good as possible and one bait camera with none at all.   Would be a good use for a camera that has stopped working.     Use it as a bait camera.      

 

BF may see well within the UV range too for all we know.   I would go with latter than former.  

 

Could be the rock smelling at Estacada OR sighitng was just to determine family, genus, species

 

This would help them track rodents through urine trails such as Estacada OR sighting and rock piling squatch and other super cool feats!

 

Of course, if they hear in the ultrasonic range they could communicate with same before they daintily detached little heads!

 

Maybe a little ultramindspeak boarding so to speak!

 

Who needs to take a picture when you can throw your voice, smell, see in UV and ultrasonically mindspeak! 

 

My only question is why the delicate rock stacking, it is so much more fun to hurl huge rocks?  

 

Oh, to stay on point, nice western or mountain hemlock bark cam there wiiabi

Edited by bipedalist
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On 5/9/2018 at 4:12 PM, wiiawiwb said:

Here's my solution for now. It's only be temporary. I'll have to see how it works. It will reduce the IR illuminators for sure but hopefully will let enough through to get a movie at night.

 

I'll also have to assess whether it draws attention to it with the green based on the actual tree I will be putting it on. The needles will begin to dry and brown. It's a work in progress.

 

 

P1020983.JPG

 

Grand fir branches! Nice!

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19 hours ago, bipedalist said:

 

BF may see well within the UV range too for all we know.   I would go with latter than former.  

 

Could be the rock smelling at Estacada OR sighitng was just to determine family, genus, species

 

This would help them track rodents through urine trails such as Estacada OR sighting and rock piling squatch and other super cool feats!

 

Of course, if they hear in the ultrasonic range they could communicate with same before they daintily detached little heads!

 

Maybe a little ultramindspeak boarding so to speak!

 

Who needs to take a picture when you can throw your voice, smell, see in UV and ultrasonically mindspeak! 

 

My only question is why the delicate rock stacking, it is so much more fun to hurl huge rocks?  

 

Oh, to stay on point, nice western or mountain hemlock bark cam there wiiabi

Somehow I doubt they can see both into the IR and UV spectrum.    Just a guess.   The problem with seeing  both is that even if something can see into that part of the spectrum,   there has to be a source of light in that spectrum to see something illuminated.   We know that IR is generated by heat.   That is a natural source.    Objects that retain daylight heat,  that are decomposing and generating it,   or contrast between cold and hot objects would provide IR visual details to something that can see that part of the spectrum.    On the other hand,   only the sun,   reflection off the moon, and starlight are natural sources of UV.     Cloudy day means no UV at night.      Your urine trails do not generate UV but fluoresce into visual light when exposed to UV.   With reports of BF moving rapidly in near total darkness suggests to me that they are seeing IR.   I suppose those reports could be examined and if there is no overcast and starlight then, UV might be possible.   Astronomers normally install UV filters because UV is strong in star light.   Since we cannot see into that part of the spectrum,  starlight is actually brighter than it appears to humans.    A star lit night might be quite bright to something that can see into that part of the spectrum.  

 

I don't think they hear infrasound so much as feel it.  Their lungs have to be the size of a big base drum and would resonate when exposed to infrasound.   We get that experience in a movie theater with subwoofers.   Feel the sound as much as hear it.

 

I wish I could pin rock stacking on BF exclusively, but humans enjoy the same activity.   I think BF does it.   Just proving that is the rub.    I am not aware of any reports of a BF being observed stacking rocks.   Fortunately for me the rocks chucked at me have been small but delivered with great skill.   Think of what a BF pitcher could do playing baseball.   They might enjoy the game if introduced to it.   

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A witness saw a Sasquatch dig through rocks, stack rocks, smell them, and crunch down on golden manteled ground squirrels in Estacada OR (Clackamas Co).  The account is probably cited in Thom Powell's The Locals plus several other BF books.   Not arguing that rock throwing and stacking is a universal human past-time. 

 

 

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12 hours ago, bipedalist said:

A witness saw a Sasquatch dig through rocks, stack rocks, smell them, and crunch down on golden manteled ground squirrels in Estacada OR (Clackamas Co).  The account is probably cited in Thom Powell's The Locals plus several other BF books.   Not arguing that rock throwing and stacking is a universal human past-time. 

 

 

Seems like that digging through rock pit behavior was detailed in "Oregon Bigfoot Highway"     The "Indian Pits" on Silverstar have struck my interest, because although the Forest Service claims they were used by the local Native American tribes, the tribes themselves deny any knowledge of it. If the Native Americans did not do it who did?     I always find interesting that the Forest Service is so ready to find mundane explanations for stuff that might be controversial by being associated with BF.   .   Boy scouts throwing rocks at miners in Ape Canyon and NA digging pits on tops of mountains.   

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On ‎5‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 7:18 AM, wiiawiwb said:

I thought about painting the circular are around the lens flat black or flat dark brown mottled with a lighter brown

 

Probably the best avenue to take but I wouldn't stop there. It may be that carefully painting ALL of the grey with black (even semi or gloss to match the black plastic) would make the entire face just look like a big hole in the bark? I have this model. I got it because it has two things besides video and single or burst images. A display for viewing in the field plus audio with the video. The price was right and it has black LED's as well. I've done nothing to it but if I did want to do what you or gigantor did (pretty cool) I would probably go with black around the sensors, LED black plastic covers, and camera lens. Then let it bake for a week or so in any available sunlight to reduce or eliminate and extra gassing or flashing off of paints or glues. In a pine tree environment a I might add few drops of a diluted pine scent or some smears of natural pine pitch on the camouflaged surfaces to help give it a natural smell.

 

 

Browning.png

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There are no known animals on Earth that see infrared. IR is greatest at solar noon. There is no IR light at night time. Keep IR light and thermal IR separate.

 

I looked at bark years ago. I have many images of bark. I am not able to match color, texture or smell. My areas have fir, pine, hemlock, alder, maple and spruce. I decided to go below the bark to the sapwood/xylem. Basically a 'straw' color with very little texture. I use white oak veneers to make a cover.  The edges of the openings are trimmed with round felt rope that is painted black. For olfactory signaling, I scratch the white oak with sandpaper.

 

A sample image of 'straw' colored wood, courtesy of a bear. I am around a lot of damaged/deformed trees.

bear scrape.JPG

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On 5/11/2018 at 9:19 PM, bipedalist said:

 

 

I found this chart related to what is known about vision of various animals.    Seems like other than snakes not much sees into the infrared.    On the other hand as you can see several animals can see ultraviolet.    

COMMON ANIMALS AND THE COLORS THEY CAN SEE

 
ANIMAL THE COLORS THEY SEE RELATIVE TO HUMANS
SPIDERS (jumping spiders) ULTRAVIOLET AND GREEN Different
INSECTS (bees) ULTRAVIOLET, BLUE, YELLOW Different
CRUSTACEANS (crayfish) BLUE AND RED Less
CEPHALOPODS (octopi and squids) BLUE ONLY Less
FISH MOST SEE JUST TWO COLORS Less
AMPHIBIANS (frogs) MOST SEE SOME COLOR Less
REPTILES (snakes*) SOME COLOR AND INFRARED Different
BIRDS FIVE TO SEVEN COLORS More
MAMMALS (cats) TWO COLORS BUT WEAKLY Less
MAMMALS (dogs) TWO COLORS BUT WEAKLY Less
MAMMALS (rabbit) BLUE AND GREEN Less
MAMMALS (rats) ULTRAVIOLET, BLUE, GREEN Different
MAMMALS (squirrels) BLUES AND YELLOWS Less
MAMMALS (primates-apes and chimps) SAME AS HUMANS Same
MAMMALS (African monkeys) SAME AS HUMANS Same
MAMMALS (South American monkeys) CAN'T SEE RED WELL Less

* pit vipers, some boas and some pythonsI 

 

 

 

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