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I hate bears.

NMSbowhunter said:
I wonder if you took an old dead camera, gutted it, filled it with ghost peppers and rubbed the outside down with bacon grease if the experience of eating that would deter them from future camera attacks? I have no experience with bears.
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soda bottle filled with ammonia, covered in peanut butter. Works about half the time to haze bears away from eating out of trash cans.
 
I can't believe it. I went out and fixed the camera. Put on a slim tree 9ft up hoping that would prevent anymore problems.
Another bastard got it. It's like this spot is patrolled by suckers to take down unwanton cameras. :rage::rage::rage::rage::rage::rage: 29495f19-cdf0-42ee-b821-4f92c14d7401.jpg882ca711-3259-4109-9681-077943cff704.jpg
 
Had a bear destroy my tarp this year while I was out elk hunting. Happened sometime during the day. (Left tarp up, went out hunting for the entire day, came back at the end of the day, and it was knocked down and shredded.). First time I’ve had that happen in fifteen years. Slept “great” that particular night. Lol. Woke up the next morning and relocated my camp. Didn’t want to deal with the curious or nuisance bear. Good luck with your trail camera situation!
 
I had a similar problem a few years ago in one of my hunting spots. I had 4 cameras spread out on 300 acres and the same bear found all of them. He didn't destroy them. He just licked them. Does not matter how many megapixls your cameras are they don't take good photos covered in bear spit.
 
Ive had this happen a couple times this year too. At first, I thought it was a smell thing, but now I'm not so sure. It doesn't matter how long they are out, what seems to matter is placement. The plastic on my cameras shines a bit in the sun, and I think this is the problem. The cameras I have managed to keep out of the bears immediate line of sight AND in the shade for the duration of the day are also the ones that don't get pulled down. It's just a theory, but it seems to be working for me so far. Maybe after this season I will rough up the plastic or paint my cameras in a way that the plastic isn't so reflective to see if this theory holds water.
 
Yep

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had the same conversation with my family tonight at dinner. Every year bears rip my camera out of a tree. I pulled a half dozen cards in the rain this afternoon and had a camera on the ground the last 4 weeks. I'm convinced the best bear attractant is a trail cam.
 
cville_bowhunter said:
Ive had this happen a couple times this year too. At first, I thought it was a smell thing, but now I'm not so sure. It doesn't matter how long they are out, what seems to matter is placement. The plastic on my cameras shines a bit in the sun, and I think this is the problem. The cameras I have managed to keep out of the bears immediate line of sight AND in the shade for the duration of the day are also the ones that don't get pulled down. It's just a theory, but it seems to be working for me so far. Maybe after this season I will rough up the plastic or paint my cameras in a way that the plastic isn't so reflective to see if this theory holds water.
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this has been my experience also. You have to keep the bear from noticing your camera, that means both sight and smell. If you put the camera up high, spray it down but, also have it in it location where it’s not as visible from the side or doesn’t stick out obviously from the tree they will be messed with less by bears.
 
Funny. I read this post last week, laughed, and thought that I'd never get to experience it. I was wrong.

I have a few cameras out on MCB Quantico here in NoVA and (had) a new hunting blind near one of them. Took my 10yr old out for his first deer hunt on Saturday during the base-wide youth deer hunt. He took a shot at a big doe and sailed the bolt underneath her. He was in good spirits about it and learned a lot from our scouting which paid off with a shot opportunity right out of the gate. This was around 7pm on Saturday. Later that night, my phone starts blowing up with trail cam pics and videos....and unfortunately it was a bear having a little chew fest with the camera. Knowing how close the blind was, I assumed it was a goner too. We headed into the woods the next morning to check things out and sure enough, he trashed the brand new blind and chewed up the camera BUT the camera is still fully functional. Rehung it a lot higher on a different tree and brought the blind home to see what we can do with it. Stupid bears...definitely a target for us when bear season opens up.
 
DedicatedShooter said:
Funny. I read this post last week, laughed, and thought that I'd never get to experience it. I was wrong.

I have a few cameras out on MCB Quantico here in NoVA and (had) a new hunting blind near one of them. Took my 10yr old out for his first deer hunt on Saturday during the base-wide youth deer hunt. He took a shot at a big doe and sailed the bolt underneath her. He was in good spirits about it and learned a lot from our scouting which paid off with a shot opportunity right out of the gate. This was around 7pm on Saturday. Later that night, my phone starts blowing up with trail cam pics and videos....and unfortunately it was a bear having a little chew fest with the camera. Knowing how close the blind was, I assumed it was a goner too. We headed into the woods the next morning to check things out and sure enough, he trashed the brand new blind and chewed up the camera BUT the camera is still fully functional. Rehung it a lot higher on a different tree and brought the blind home to see what we can do with it. Stupid bears...definitely a target for us when bear season opens up.
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Pro tip: I've used PEX pipe and small-diameter PVC to replace splintered hub-style blind poles. Also my L&M Fleet store occasionally has fiberglass Ameristep poles in stock.
 
They taste great so shoot 'em.
I had one turn mine upside down. I ended up getting an 8 point velvet set of tines. Then the bear relocated and I got 6 independent bucks, 3 mature and one very old buck. I have no idea where the camera is now, so it's of little help.
It was also a tactcam. But I don't think they have a brand preference because I've not had a cam in the woods not molested by bears.
 
I've had several bears climb my trees to investigate (gnaw on) my cameras. I think they think it might be a nest with honey.

Here's what fixed that for me......put it up 8 or more feet....but put it on a tree too skinny for a bear to climb but will hold you with a stick on it. That stopped it.
 
I think you could weld up a little "jail cell" box to screw to the tree and put the cam in, maybe like a suet feeder of sorts. Maybe we'll make some up as bomb proof camera cages for saddle hunters.
 
Blacksmith said:
I think you could weld up a little "jail cell" box to screw to the tree and put the cam in, maybe like a suet feeder of sorts. Maybe we'll make some up as bomb proof camera cages for saddle hunters.
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I've made trail cam lock boxes out of ammo cans before. Ugly, but it works. Depending on how you attach it to the tree it might not prevent a bear from knocking it around, and it won't prevent it from getting slobbered on, but it would prevent damage.

It would probably be counterproductive to put repellent scents in the tree under your camera; scrub your pits with a wet wipe and thumb-tack it under the camera might repel bears, might repel deer, and might make bears more curious and thus likely to mess with your camera. Could be an interesting experiment.
 
Reviving this. Day 1 of putting out the cams they struck. I HATE THEM
 

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