This is a review that I did about the Moultrie camera that I purchased back in 2006.  I had this posted on another site and thought I would bring it over here and share with those considering the Moultrie brand cameras.  Of course now they have upgraded to a 4.0 mega pixel, but there are still some 2.1 and 3.1 mega pixels out there being sold.  The 1.3 mega pixel was replaced the later half of 2006 with the 2.1.  This posting also shows a box that a friend made for me for security purposes, not just from a thief but also from MR. BLACK BEAR!!

As most of you know I give a thumbs up to the Moultrie digital camera that Wal-Mart sells for $98.  I purchased one back in the spring and have been wanting to get it out for some time now.  I ran it through a test in the back yard aimed at the dogs.  Got several pictures from it and was pretty satisfied.  Yea I know, it isn't a Cuddeback or Wildeye (not sure of the brand), but for a man on a budget the Moultrie will do the job for me.  I fell in love with the Moultrie last year after seeing the one my brother in law bought.

Well one of the reasons that it isn't out yet was one...I wanted a steel box to put the camera in...I got one...thank you bud!...you know who you are...second and after I got the box, I wanted to mount the solar panel for the rechargeable battery...and third get the Master Lock Python cable. 

Now all of this has been put together and I have a pretty good installation setup.  I have it outside here at the house trying it out again.  Making sure that the battery stays charged.

One thing I did do to the camera...which probably has voided the warranty...I drilled two small holes in the camera back near the battery housing and placed two rubber grommets to run the positive and negative leads for the solar panel through.  Also, after hooking it up yesterday evening I brought it in today and pulled the battery and the lithium battery...basically a complete computer reset of the camera.  It appears to be working fine with no problems this evening.

The one thing that I haven't gotten yet is two 256 mb SD cards for the camera.  I went to Wal-Mart on Monday...the Lexmark SD cards were on sale, but there was only one left and it had been out of the package so I didn't get it.  I am going to keep my eyes open at Wal-Mart and see if they get anymore in soon.  But for the time being I will let the camera store the images until I get the card or cards.

I am planning on taking it out to my hunting club this weekend, maybe sooner if I get a chance.  I know of an area where I have seen a few nice bucks in the past two years and I pretty much know the routes they travel.  So as soon as I get the thing out in the woods and start getting pictures I will start posting.

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Well, I thought I would upload some pictures of my camera box setup.  So here they are:

This is looking at the front of the camera installed and strapped to the tree.

Here is a look at the top of the camera showing the solar panel bolted to the top of the camera box.

Here is a side view of the camera.

Here is the opposite side where you can see the ratchet strap and the Python cable from MasterLock.

Front of camera with the lower door of the camera box unlocked and opened to show the whole camera.

This shows the disconnect that I made in the solar panel cable so I can remove the camera.  Also it shows where I ran the two leads into the back of the camera.  I drilled two holes and put rubber grommets in the casing and ran the black and red wires through to the inside of the camera.

Here is the empty box with only the solar panel cable in it.

Here is the top of the camera box showing the solar panel, Python cable and the wood wedge.  I know everyone has heard guys say that you might need to put something behind the camera to aim it more to the ground.  Well this is what they are talking about, a wedge between the tree and the camera or camera box that will angle the camera down some.

Going today to put the camera out in the woods.  Hope to be sharing pictures in a few weeks.

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I didn't build the box. A member of my own forum built it for me. He is the one that deserves all the credit for the box. I just mounted the solar panel on top and did a little camo'ing to it. I went and bought the ratchet strap from Wal-Mart and the Python cable from Wal-Mart.

I would mention the builders ID, but not sure if he is a member of this forum or not, but if he wants people to know who he is I will let him tell. He may not want to be inundated with requests for boxes, don't know if he would care or not.

I did get it in the woods today and have some pictures of it setup in the woods. Just got to get them off my cell/camera phone and upload them to the web.

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I went and bought an SD card last night at Wal-Mart. I plan on getting another in two weeks. As for the battery...I have a rechargeable battery on my camera and on the camera box I have a solar panel mounted. Shouldn't have to worry about changing the battery.

I took my laptop to the camera and hooked up the USB cable and downloaded the pictures. I hated taking the laptop into the woods. Now with the SD cards I will just go and pull the SD card and replace with a blank. Take the SD card home and read it. I might even get me a good digital camera that uses SD cards and has a TFT screen and then I can look at them right there on the spot. I was looking at buying the Stealth card reader that has a TFT screen and is in Bass Pro Archery catalog for 119 dollars, but have decided to hold off for now.

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Since I don't have the 256 mb card in the camera yet, I have my camera set as follows:

Standard resolution
1 min intervals
1 shot per event

I do not have the camera setup around any type of feeder this year. Decided with all the mass that it looks like we are going to have that a feeder would not be wise this year. The past two years that I used a feeder, yes we had deer and other game come into the feeder and during daylight hours. But as soon as the mass started dropping...no game! Well at late night you would get some pictures.

I may end up putting out some apples and maybe an apple block just to get the deer or whatever to stop in front of the camera.

Once I see that I am getting pictures then I will change the settings.

I do have the camera facing in a north direction so it doesn't get the rising and setting sun. The solar panel is mounted on top of the camera box, so I don't think I will have a problem with it charging the battery. I tested the system at home before setting it out. I had it under a black walnut tree for about 4 days and the battery stayed up at 99% the whole time. My son and I kept triggering the camera to take pictures those days it was in the front yard.

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I wish that instead of 1 min, 5 min, etc. you could set it like...15 second, 30 second, 1 min, etc. I would say that it has to do with possibly recharging the flash if the flash was used and also with storage to the memory of the picture. Of course I have heard that if you use a memory card it doesn't take as long to store the image. That I am not 100 percent sure of, I just got a memory card for mine and I am going to go tomorrow and see if I have any pictures already on the camera and then install the SD card in my camera.

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August 19, 2006

Well I went yesterday with my son and brother in law to check our camera.

My brother in law had no pictures and I only had 4 pictures...but it was only a week.

And on all the pictures...nothing...but I did notice that my wedge was out from behind my camera and the solar panel cord had been pulled out of the camera box and look like it had bite marks on it. Probably a squirrel fooling around the camera. I went ahead and deleted the pictures...had the laptop in the woods with me this time...and turned off the camera and put in the new SD card.

The one thing I have not done was put out a feeder this year. I tried to find areas that I could tell that deer may be traveling. I may go get some apples and put them out along with maybe a salt block. Get something out there that may attrack the deer to the camera and keep them there long enough to take some pictures.

The solar panel seemed like it might be doing okay with charging the battery.

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A little update about my camera. On August 28th I went to check the camera, well the battery only had 13%!!! Don't know what the problem is. The solar panel was hooked up and I thought was working okay. Brought the camera home and began some tests. Checked connections and such with a volt meter. Seemed that everything is okay. Charged the battery up with the AC charger and test the camera again. OH, I had no pictures!

September 3, 2006 I took the camera back to the woods along with a salt block, apple block and corn block. Set the camera up, checked all connections and left. Also, my brother in law retrieved his camera. His battery was dead, but he didn't have his solar panel and box like mine setup yet. His camera had one picture with 2 does on it.

September 6, 2006 I went with my brother in law to setup his camera again after we installed a solar panel on his camera box. Also put out a salt block for him and an apple block.

Checked my camera just to see how it was doing and within 3 days I had 29 pictures and the battery life was at 94%. My corn block has been broken in half, the apple block was knocked over and the salt block had the leaves cleared away from it. I wonder....deer!....bear!!!....won't know for about 2 weeks. Getting a new digital camera with a view screen and uses SD cards...will use it like a card reader to view pictures while I am in the woods. I think reacord gave me that idea, thanks Bob.

While coming out of the woods about 7:45 last night jumped 3 deer, 1 wasn't about 75 yards or so from my camera, the 2nd one was just about 40 or 50 yards from the first one jumped and the last one was just as we were coming out of the woods. It snorted and snorted at us.

A good day in the woods!!

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Here are some photos that I got off of my camera this evening.  I had 63 photos.  A few were somewhat bright, but not complete whiteouts and I think I found what the problem is...the camera is somewhat angled toward the morning sun.  I will have to fix this when I go back.

Here are the photos:

Looks like 3 deer in this picture.  Look behind the doe at the tree...looks like the back or rump of another deer.

Three deer in this picture.

In this picture there is 4 deer.  Look at the legs of the doe at the tree...count the legs.  If this deer has 8 legs it has to be a mutant...LOL

Don't know how big this fella is.  But we thought there was one in the area.  We found droppings on Saturday.

Mommy with two fawns.

I messed up the first 42 pictures with the wrong date.  The time was correct but the month was off.  I fixed it when I saw this on Saturday.

No bucks in any of the pictures.  Sure hope to see one show up.  Seems I have the worst luck for catching any bucks on camera.

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Here are some recent photos that I got off my camera this evening just before dark. 

The first one here is of a doe:

Here is one of a buck and a doe...the buck is to the far right of the picture.  Looks to be a 6 point:

Here is another picture just 2 minutes later of a doe and a buck.  My son thinks it is an eight pointer, the reason  he thinks this is the direction the deer is standing and his posture.  Neck stretched out head down, almost like he is telling the other buck to back off.  Don't know for sure if it is an 8 or just the 6:

And this last picture is of a doe:

I only had 4 pictures in a week.  I guess I should put out some corn...just throw some out by hand just to get them to come in more.

Discovered a lot of big acorns down on the ground.  Already brown and the size of my thumb!  Didn't find any rubs but really didn't have time to look, had to get out before dark.