It seems that trail camera rebates are definitely a trend this year. I recently wrote about Cuddeback's rebate on the Capture and Capture IR, and need to add that they are not the only manufacturer handing back money this year.
Wildgame Innovations has a $20.00 mail-in rebate on two of their popular Trail Camera Combo packs, the D8D combo, and the IR8D combo.
The D8D Combo contains the 8 MP digital game camera sporting a RealTree Camo finish, four D-Cell batteries, a 2 GB memory card, and a security bracket. This dual flash (infrared and strobe) trail cam shoots video or picture, day or night. And I almost forgot to mention that it has an integrated viewer, so you can play back your images and videos on the spot.
The IR8D Combo contains the 8 MP trail camera with 69 LEDs, for an infrared range of 60 feet. This scouting camera is cheap to operate, since they include a 6 volt rechargeable battery and wall charger in this combo. Add in the 2 GB memory card and cable lock bracket, and you've got everything you need to head to the woods.
Here is a link to the Wildgame Innovations Rebate. Like with all rebates, you'll want to read the conditions and make sure you have it correctly filled out. Always retain a copy of your form and receipt before mailing in any rebate. This is a pretty simple form, and should be a breeze to fill out.
Here is a great opportunity for all you game camera owners. Terry Rohm over at Tinks69.com is looking for some game camera owners to test out a new synthetic attractant. It's your opportunity to pick up a free 1 ounce bottle of their new synthetic test lure, and a Tink's Stretch Wick. Apply the test lure to the Stretch Wick, hang it on a branch in front of your game camera, and capture the results. All he asks for in return is some feedback on your results, any comments you may have, and some game cam pics.
The offer is good for the first 100 hunters to respond, so I don't know how long this will be open. It's real easy to participate. All you need to do is send him an email with your address and phone, and the test lure and Scent Wick will be shipped to your door.
Check it out and sign up now at his blog at Tinks69.com, and tell him we sent you: Bloggin with Terry Rohm.
You already know that Cuddeback is one of the most respected names in the game camera industry. So you also know that their price point starts at $199 and goes up from there. Well, I ran across some good news today. A Cuddeback Digital Trail Camera Rebate is available on two of their most popular models. The Cuddeback Capture (Flash Digital Camera) and the Cuddeback Capture IR (Infrared Digital Camera).
These two trail cameras have a super simple set up, and a hair trigger of less than 1/3 of a second.
Just in time to start scouting for the upcoming bow season, you can get at $25 rebate on the Cuddeback Capture, and a $50 rebate on the Cuddeback Capture IR.
There are some stipulations, such as filling out a rebate form, supplying the store receipt and UPC symbol from the box, the serial number, etc. But these are simple steps to put $25 or $50 back in your pocket.
Check out this southern Indiana bruiser that a buddy of mine caught on his Cuddeback Capture. I love seeing them in velvet. This one will end up being a shooter. Thanks Dave.
I just recently started testing the new Moultrie I-35 trail camera. This evening I decided to move it to a section of hardwoods that has some well defined, intersecting trails. So I grabbed my boots and headed for the woods.
On the walk in, I saw a hog nose snake on the edge of the wood line. Boy was he aggressive. It seems like the heat has really made them active. If you're not familiar with the hog nose snake, they will vibrate their tails in the leaves which makes a buzzing sound. They try to imitate rattlesnakes as a defense. Even though I know their aren't any timber rattlers in this area, that hog nose snake gets me every time.
In the woods I jumped up a couple of little bucks, which I am always glad to see. I saw some nice 10 pointers in the area last season, and got a few good videos of them on my Bushnell Trophy Cam. I hope those little bucks got the genetics from one of those shooter bucks.
I got the game cam moved and then walked the creek back to check for crossing areas. Fresh, muddy tracks in a couple of heavily trafficked crossing areas has me thinking I'll bring another game camera with me on the next trip.
There was a lot of activity in the woods this evening. After seeing a few turkeys in a clearing, a Red-Headed woodpecker, and a lot of squirrel activity, I realized why game cameras have become a year-round hobby. I just love being in the woods, and my game cams give me the hidden benefit of being there more often.
I recently picked up the Stealth Cam Nomad IR digital game camera kit for evaluation. I had high hopes for this low cost trail camera, but have to say that I was disappointed in its performance.
I was excited to test this scouting camera because of its low price point. I picked up the kit for around $149.00, which included the I-530 game camera, a 2 GB memory card, batteries, and a security bracket. I've had lots of questions from readers looking for the best infrared game camera at the lowest price possible. I had hoped that the Nomad IR would meet that criteria, but there were ultimately some issues during testing that would make me not recommend this game cam.
The first minor issue I encountered was with the mounting bracket. I've had previous Stealth Cams and previous mounting brackets, but this one just didn't seem to have as tight of a fit as prior models. This normally wouldn't be a concern, because it is still a very secure solution, but the issue is that it could potentially shift its position and block the camera lens. I ended up using a twist-tie through the bracket lock hole to hold it tight to resolve this issue.
My big concern with this scouting camera had to do with performance related to image quality. This camera had big issues during the transition periods from light to dark. This resulted in pictures that were washed out due to over compensation by the infrared LEDs. It's almost like the timing needs to be changed to allow the LEDs to cut off sooner. I have a series of videos near dawn that start off looking OK, but are increasingly washed out by the IR LEDs as more daylight sets in.
Here are some example images from these videos:
This first image was from a video captured at 6:32 am. Note that it is a bit washed out.
This second image was from a video captured at 6:42 am. Note that it is even more washed out.
This third image taken at 6:50 am is barely viewable because it is almost completely washed out.
You can see how this became more of an issue as the natural light increased. This issue continued until the IR LEDs completely cut off, and pictures were just taken with natural light.
In Stealth Cam's defense, I may have just gotten a lemon of a game camera for my testing. I spoke with the service employees at the retail establishment where I purchased this game cam, and they stated that they had not seen and unusually large number of returns on the Nomad IR thus far. I ultimately swapped this game camera for the new Moultrie I-35, which has the same price point as the Nomad IR. The I-35 is the next model that I'll be testing in my quest for a low-cost game camera that still offers good performance.
You can see my full video review below. Any comments on my YouTube video are appreciated.
