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Bull Elk Browning Spec Ops Trail Camera BTC-3

This young bull elk was captured on a Browning Spec Ops trail camera.

Dang, I just noticed the date is wrong on the camera... it's 2013, not 2012... which is also giving an incorrect moon phase. Note to self — fix the date next trip up the mountain.


5x5 Bull Elk Browning Range Ops Trail Camera

A herd of cows and calves and this young bull passed by the Range Ops trail camera.


Cow Moose Spec Ops Trail Camera

This moose was captured on a Browning Spec Ops trail camera.


Bull Elk Browning Recon Force trail camera

I moved DIYHNTR03 a Recon Force BTC-2 camera just a little so I could get better recognition with the motion sensor on passing animals. Unfortunately I forgot to test it before I left it last week. As you can see the camera is pointing a little too high in the air. Hopefully, this is fixed for next time.

I moved the trail cameras around a little last time out checking them and I added a Browning Spec Ops trail camera to the cameras that I have out. I really like the two-inch color TFT viewing screen the Spec Ops camera has. It made positioning the camera a lot easier as it allows me to see what the camera sees in real-time when I am mounting it on the tree.

The time before I went out to check the cameras we had a much-needed rainstorm hit the mountain. I knew that if the mountain was really wet that the clay on the dirt roads can be horrifically sticky. I figured that as dry as it has been that the ground would have dried up enough before I headed up the mountain in the morning on my 29er mountain bike. I was wrong. I ended up carrying or walking my bike up a large portion of the mountain because the clay would build up around the frame and wheels. However, a couple of hours later it was dried right up for a smooth ride off the mountain.

Being new to trail cameras I have been learning a lot about how they operate. One thing that I have noticed with the Browning trail cameras is their excellent motion detection. My friends often complain about their cameras filling up their disks full of moving weeds. Browning Trail cameras motion detection is able to filter out the motion of moving weeds. However because the motion detection filters out motion like this it also filters out motion like an animal walking straight at the camera, because the signature of the animal grows gradually the camera does not recognize it as motion. I have found that the cameras work best by setting them up so that animals pass parallel to the camera giving good solid motion signatures.

Another thing I have learned to do this last time out was to verify exactly where the camera was pointing before I leave. My DIYHNTR03 Recon Force camera was pointing a little high catching the tops of the elk and deer as they walked by. This time out I noticed it with my Samsung USB cable and card reader. (learn more about my SD card reading system) I repositioned the camera and walked past it a couple of times then pulled the card and reverified the field of view in the camera before leaving it this time.

This time out I captured a lot of elk. Many spikes and a couple young four to five points. Elk's antler growth is winding down with them shedding their velvet in mid-August. I am hopeful an older bull is in the area that we just haven't found yet. Neither Dallen or myself have yet to harvest anything better than a 5 point. Then again things will change once the rut starts kicking in. Bulls will be running around looking for cows all over the place.

Bull Elk feeding with Browning Spec Ops trail camera

Five young bull elk captured on a Browning Spec Ops trail camera. A 5x5 and four spikes all in the same photo. Pretty cool I think.


Bull Elk Browning Spec Ops Trail camera

Another young bull elk captured on the Browning Spec Ops trail camera.


Mud built-up on front wheel of 29er mountian bike

The mud was terrible trying to ride in on my 29er mountain bike. It built-up around the front wheel like crazy.


Mud built-up on rear wheel of 29er mountian bike

Mud packed in between the frame and rear wheel on my 29er mountain bike.


Browning Range Ops in Oak Brush

I moved the Range Ops camera to this new location watching a heavily traveled trail the climbs out onto a ridge.


Elk with Range Ops trail camera

A herd of elk feeding past a Range Ops trail camera.

I have a Recon Force trail camera watching this location now.