do you guys that run trail cameras prep them at all? i do a few things.
i wash the body of the camera with uv and scent eliminator detergent, inside and out being careful not to get the inside to wet. the straps mainly of nylon webbing i wash just like my hunting clothes in uv and scent eliminator. i always chain and lock my cameras to the tree so i also prep them as well. i paint the chains so their bright shine won't stand out in the woods. i wash the the chains as well, well after the paint has dried. then i hang it all outside on a tree for a while to weather and gain the natural scents of the outdoors. then i hang them in the deer woods.
even with doing all of this i've found that the woodland critters don't miss much. they will find the cameras. i've got pix of deer nosing my cameras. i have pix of deer looking at one camera being photoed by another. big bucks will quiet often see them hanging on the trees. fortunately i believe my prep on them doesn't give them the idea they are human or human related based on the deer's behavior after looking right at the camera. now the bear on the other hand seem to be a bit more curious about them. i've had bear push one or two around and one camera eaten by a bear.
for my coverts, i have gotten security boxes so the cameras are harder to steal and so the bear don't eat them. i haven't gotten them for my bushnells..... yet. i wash these bear boxes in the same way to eliminate human odor.
when hanging, checking, or moving the cameras, i try to keep my own scent to a minimum. i try to handle things in the area as little as possible. i spray my hands down with scent killer 99% or scent away before touching the cameras for any reason. latex gloves would work but they are a pain to put on and take off just to check cameras. when i finish changing the cards on the camera i spray them down with scent killer 99% being carful not to get anyon the lens, pir, or the day light sensor.
just the things i do to get the most out of my scouting and pix with trail cameras.
i wash the body of the camera with uv and scent eliminator detergent, inside and out being careful not to get the inside to wet. the straps mainly of nylon webbing i wash just like my hunting clothes in uv and scent eliminator. i always chain and lock my cameras to the tree so i also prep them as well. i paint the chains so their bright shine won't stand out in the woods. i wash the the chains as well, well after the paint has dried. then i hang it all outside on a tree for a while to weather and gain the natural scents of the outdoors. then i hang them in the deer woods.
even with doing all of this i've found that the woodland critters don't miss much. they will find the cameras. i've got pix of deer nosing my cameras. i have pix of deer looking at one camera being photoed by another. big bucks will quiet often see them hanging on the trees. fortunately i believe my prep on them doesn't give them the idea they are human or human related based on the deer's behavior after looking right at the camera. now the bear on the other hand seem to be a bit more curious about them. i've had bear push one or two around and one camera eaten by a bear.
for my coverts, i have gotten security boxes so the cameras are harder to steal and so the bear don't eat them. i haven't gotten them for my bushnells..... yet. i wash these bear boxes in the same way to eliminate human odor.
when hanging, checking, or moving the cameras, i try to keep my own scent to a minimum. i try to handle things in the area as little as possible. i spray my hands down with scent killer 99% or scent away before touching the cameras for any reason. latex gloves would work but they are a pain to put on and take off just to check cameras. when i finish changing the cards on the camera i spray them down with scent killer 99% being carful not to get anyon the lens, pir, or the day light sensor.
just the things i do to get the most out of my scouting and pix with trail cameras.