Game cam, Which would you suggest?

[EliyaSage]

Alrighty, we had 8 chickens in the beginning of November, and by the end of November we had 3. We started locking them up at night because we couldn't think of anything else to do. We hoped it would move on, and we'd just keep locking them up at night in their hen house (Their secure shelter) and letting them out into the coop in the morning. It's been awhile and we still have 3 chickens. We're pretty sure it's been a raccoon that's been taking them. So anyway, every few nights (not every night)when i go to lock them up, one of our chickens, "Sweety", will be in the back of the coop, instead of in the hen house roosting. I know it's weird but that chicken is so darn old i figured she must just get bored, so i just pick her up and put her in the nesting box and lock 'em up. (Btw i'm not trapping them in some crate, we have a large shelter that I, and my father, can easily pace in. it has a "human door" that we now keep latched, and a "chicken door" that we close at night and open in the morning.) So anyway, tonight about 10 mins ago, (it's 11:27 PM now), I went outside and was getting my goat's food, (we also lock our goats up in the Goat house) i heard clucking. It's 11:27 PM. One of them was clucking really loud, so i dropped what i was doing, and brought a headlamp and my dog with me to check out what was happening. One of them looked like they either molted really bad that day or had just fought off something. They where fine though, all 3, just clucking away. I thought i had made sure their feeder was full that morning but i thought maybe i had forgotten to check, so after i locked my goats up, (i had to lock them up first cause they saw me walk to the chickens and got fussy that they hadn't gotten their midnight snack yet and i was worried the neighbors where trying to sleep.) So i locked the goats up, and brought the chickens some food. I walked in and they didn't greet me at the door which they always do if they're awake. I went to the back and there they where just huddling and clucking. I gave them some food and they didn't want any, i checked their feeder and it was full. I checked their hen house door and it was open like it was supposed to be, so they weren't trapped outside. I picked them up one by one and put them in the nesting boxes near each other, cause they like to huddle in the winter. They where fine with me picking them up, and happy to have a free lift to their box. I locked them up, came inside, told my mom and she said she thought i had probably scared something off when i went out there. Some nights i go out there and hear something take off, but i'm in woods. When i walk around the trail at night the only animals i see are bunnies. I usually assume that's what i hear, but the night before last i did hear something croak/hiss. It had just snowed so it was lighter that night and didn't bring the headlamp, but when i heard the croak/hiss i went back inside and got it cause i'm paranoid like that
So any way, i've brought up the idea to get a motion activated game camera and put one outside to my parents, but they just thought i was being paranoid. (I have a reputation of being paranoid. I watch too many horror movies.)
I think money might be a factor. If anyone could tell me what cams they bought and if they work properly, and what they paid for it, i'd be really appreciative. -Thank you! Sorry for the long rant..

 

[feedman77]

For my deer scouting I've used.
Cuddebacks, bushnells, wildgame, and stealth.

cuddebacks. I like these the most. Most were around 200 plus.

Bushnells. Can be had at most walmarts. About 100 dollar. Work well with good pic quaility.

I personally don't care for stealth brand. Terrible battery life and a very long trigger speed.

If you want good pics at night go with a strobe flash not an ir
Irs can be good at times blurry at other.

 

[EliyaSage]

feedman77 Thanks!!! I'm looking at a Bushnell right now. How i understand they work is (correct me) thye have an SD card thing and you take the SD card out and put it into your laptop to view the shots, correct? And btw sorry but what does IR stand for? Sorry i'm really not used to any of this.
I said before to other people that i didn't want a trap because i was worried all we'd catch where bunnies and i didn't want to stress them out... Do you think it's worth catching a few bunnies to catch the theif? I guess if we used the right bait (raw chicken from the fridge?) then we wouldn't really worry about catching bunnies
Unless they where mad blood thirsty bunnies Sorry lol

 

[feedman77]

Bushnells are fine.

Ir stands for infrared. Strobe is like the old flashes on a camera.

Most cams are ir these days.

As far as trapping with a live trap. Get one sized for a coon. Bait it with tuna, sardines, a honey bun or chicken from fridge.

So far I have never caught a bunny.

 

[Hivoltage]

We have a Stealth Cam and it works great for pics and video. The card pops right out, batteries last for a couple weeks.

 

[EliyaSage]

I just got back inside from locking.. or going to lock them up. I went out, and, i didn't notice at first, but i went in and looked for them, i found one chicken. Her beak was bleeding a little but it's stopped now. I ran inside and got a jacket, ran back out, brought an old guinea pig cage i had in the shed and put some hay in it. I brought the jacket and wrapped it around her and brought her and the cage inside. On the way out of the coop, I saw blood... chunks..... and a head.... a head of a chicken i've had and loved for years. My mom met me at the door on the way in with the chicken, she had heard me scream. I told her and she helped me bring the cage in the man cave (where it's blocked off from the dog) and set her cage up. she has some bread and water, straw and a old shirt. She seems cozy enough. I raised her myself as a chick and she's always been pretty domestic but tonight i couldn't get her off me. I opened the door to pet her and she came right out, got in my lap instead of going and searching the new room she'd never been in, and she sat down on my lap and nestled her head between my ribs and my arm. I'm worried about her. I don't want to get another chicken until we COMPLETELY remotel and rebuild the coop for more security, and mom says giving her to someone else, there'd be no guarantee she would stay safe there either. (relieveing cause i could never give her up unless i knew for sure it was best for her). I'm worried about her staying alone. I'm definately NOT keeping her in the coop anymore. Mom suggested at day she could stay with the goats and at night she could sleep in the garage in her new cage, but my dad is protective about what is kept in there and he's sleeping right now so i can't exactly ask if it's ok. But i'm shaking. I don't know if i'm scared for her, or just scared. When i got the cage out of the shed i saw blood on the bottum. I had a good bright flashlight. I touched it with my finger and it was still wet! But when i put her in it i looked for it to show my mom and i couldn't find it. I had just seen the head and the chunks, maybe i had imagined it, but i'm still shaking. I'm not cold at all. mostly my hands and my shoulders. Weird cause when i first saw it and was bringing her out of the coop, I hardly reacted besides screaming, but the second i setttled down i started shaking. Maybe something in me didn't want to start freaking out until i knew she was safe? Anyway, Does anyone know if i can keep Clarisse (that's her name) with my two weather goats during the day? I now think a camera might be a bit useless since at this point it's personal. I know what took them. I want it gone. I want it trapped and sent far far away from here.

 

[EliyaSage]

I'll post pics of my sweet chicky tomorrow but tonight i have to go to bed early (it's 11:33 PM) cause i got a appointment at 8:00 AM.

 

[Hivoltage]

Sounds all too familiar. We had an attack and lost 5, but 1 was laying in the front yard, I thought it was dead but wife says look she is breathing. Well it has been in my room in a tub for the past month recovering from serious wounds. I see where the term "tough old bird" comes from.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Bushnells are fine.

Ir stands for infrared. Strobe is like the old flashes on a camera.

Most cams are ir these days.

As far as trapping with a live trap. Get one sized for a coon. Bait it with tuna, sardines, a honey bun or chicken from fridge.

So far I have never caught a bunny.

i caught a bunny with marshmallows and coon lure in a live cage trap.


but we use stealth cams there not bad (where on sale)

 

[EliyaSage]

Thank you so much to everyone who helped with their knowledge, i'll probably use it in the future. For now I just want to make sure she's gonna be ok, and hopefully we'll get the raccoon trap or just ask around and see if we know anyone who has one we can borrow. We have a lot of trails around here, do you think rangers will give us a hard time letting the raccoon go there once we catch it? I realize they might be worried about rabbies but do they even allow people to free sane raccoons there? I don't know i'll probably just call a wildlife rescue and see what they suggest, IF we catch it. Thanks guys -I'm gonna make a new thread since this is drifting from the original question.