Moultrie M-80 & its Variants

[FrankT]

This is almost the only cam I am running. It is a trail cam, plot watcher or both, especially great for a new location getting an idea of what is there. It has a wide angle lenses making the pics twice as large as normal cams, good battery life. I have had some problems w them after a year in the field so I buy them from Walmart and turn them in every year to get a new one. I save the packaging and if one breaks and I can't fix I take it back to them w their receipt . Moultrie service sucks but the cam is that good. Great clear pics and a LONG flash 60' or more so you get lots more pics with it. $105-135


What are the rest of you using??

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

Is it an ir flash? If so you can use them like motion sensors for nigh vision. One place I hunt I sit on a hill in the middle and wait for the flashes can see them hundreds of yards away!

 

[FrankT]

They are IR, I use them and my motion lights to make a move if I need to...LOL

 

[Soonlobo]

My buddy has had pretty good luck with his Moultrie. Not much luck with anything else though. Game cameras on the whole just are not made to stand up to the Texas environment.

 

[FrankT]

The key I think is not to put them where they are in direct sun all day and maybe put a heat/rain shield on the top...mostly it is just quality of the camera.

 

[Soonlobo]

That and the fact most are made in China these days.

China today is Japan 75 years ago...

 

[FrankT]

Gotta have cameras and I try to get the best for what I need to see.

 

[Afalex1]

Texas has claimed two of my cameras this year. After three years in Arkansas deer seasons they were fine. Two full years outside in Texas heat, a little rain, ice, snow, and 90 MPH winds they were toast.

 

[sjb67]

I have a 5 year old cuddeback capture IR that has been out year round in Texas since new. Has taken thousands of pictures and still no issues. I bought a new Cuddeback Attack IR 2 years ago and it has been out year round with no issues. Both take good pictures and have good battery life with the Attack being great on batteries.

 

[Soonlobo]

My buddy bought a Smart Scouter, works off of satellite Internet. He has the Smart Scouter camera set up about 250 yards from his cabin where the satellite dish is set up on a pole about ten feet up.

He's had pretty good success with it for about two years, and the camera sends you an email when it takes a picture or you can have the pics delivered at a certain time of the day.

This is a different set-up than a normal Moultrie-type game cam, more expensive. Besides this and the one Moultrie we've had little succes with game cams.

 

[FrankT]

Hey when you can look at an IP cam or have pics sent to you, it has gotta be cool...I just can't afford it!

 

[Soonlobo]

Yeah, I'm lucky, he's pretty cool and can afford it.

 

[histopicker]

Is it an ir flash? If so you can use them like motion sensors for nigh vision. One place I hunt I sit on a hill in the middle and wait for the flashes can see them hundreds of yards away!

Kinda sneaky aint ya.

 

[Ratdog68]

Kinda sneaky aint ya.

Indeed... LOL...

 

[FrankT]

I use my solar powered motion lights the same was to tell me if something is there.

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Hey when you can look at an IP cam or have pics sent to you, it has gotta be cool...I just can't afford it!

I sort of thought the same thing. I don't use the Moultrie system which is convoluted, but I think that Smart Scouter and what I use, Covert Code Black Spec Ops, both work by sending images directly to your phone/email. For $12 (after taxes), you get 1000 texts' worth. That is how the messages are sent...MMS, whether to email or to your phones texting app. The cameras run a bit over $300.

For me, where the money is saved is in driving. I can keep a partial eye on my property without having to drive to it.

I also like the fact that I get sent the battery status as well. I know when I need to replace the batteries (am not doing solar yet, but do recharge).

----------------

Oh, and the M80s are pretty cool. Mostly I am using the M55IRs. They do not have the plot watcher feature but have worked well for me.

Moultrie has pretty poor CS, however. They probably aren't too much worse than most of the other companies, but I have not been pleased with my dealings with them on all three different occasions.

 

[histopicker]

I wonder what a motion sensor setup like the border patrol has would cost. On a much smaller scale of course.

 

[FrankT]

Brian, so you walk into an ATT store, tell them you want to buy a sim card and activate it for $12 a month??

 

[Brian Shaffer]

Basically, that is correct. It helps if you take the camera and tell them that you want a Go Phone sim card set up for 1000 text messages a month and 0 minutes (which minutes you would be charged for the minutes if you use the card to make phone calls) and then you pre-pay for however many months you want. Of course, you won't be making any phone calls, so the 0 minutes is perfectly fine. You just need the texts.

I use ATT. You can also use T-Mobile, but not Sprint or the others that are on a different type of system.

You may get a yahoo who is confused about such matters. At my ATT store, only the manager had done this previously, but in the months since, after I went in with another camera, several of the folks were familiar with the process.

Did I cover that sufficiently?

 

[FrankT]

You did great! I am online at their site reading too

So, cam is $350, sim is free? and plan is $12 a month $144 a tear and then your batteries and an SD card. This will go to my email as well as my phone or is it either or? Actually that is not real bad for what you are getting. I am an hour away from the lease not sure how that would help me though but I would know they were there when I left.