Cam not triggering with movement - not my first rodeo :(
Hi All!
I've had this GC-A4Gb for several years and have had great success in mounting it at the proper height, distance, tilt. Tonight it failed to trigger and I only caught this critter in a scheduled event. (similar in size and coloration to a 6 lb dog that I'm searching for with a hair cut that makes him look like a skunk!)
The cam has been working perfectly at this location. Any thoughts as to why my cam didn't trigger when the critter approached the bait station? I've attached a daytime photo and tonight's event photo. The cam is 5 feet high and tilted downward to catch the downward sloping area of the pine trees and the tree line leading to the bait station.
Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated!
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If your sensitivity is set to normal then my guess is maybe the skunk came in at a slow pace from directly in front of the camera. That's the hardest type of detection for a pir to detect. Have you checked the online portal to see how the pictures are numbered? Make sure they are sequential with no gaps. What was the time of the previous picture before the skunk?
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Hi John,
Thank you for your quick response. Yes, sensitivity is set to normal and the portal shows that all photos are sequential without any gaps. The picture taken during the daytime was one of my event photos to show the view and angle during the day. I've attached the photo taken one hour prior to the photo that captured the skunk.
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Ok, if that's the last picture before the skunk then the camera wouldn't have been busy sending when the skunk walked in. I would just keep an eye on it, also one thing to keep in mind is pir sensors detect better when a critter is moving from one side to the other rather than directly towards or away from it.
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I'm extremely limited in available places to mount the camera. I normally angle the camera to catch motion from side to side. This is the first time I've had to place it looking towards my scent trail. I think you're right about the critter approaching slowly and directly towards the cam. Will have to put my thinking cap on and see if I can secure my mobile camera mount to get the bait station orientated better. Thank you so very much!
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Thank you Elizabeth!The camera wasn't capturing animals that entered the area from behind the camera. The cam would trigger but to late to catch them so I moved the bait further away and centered in the frame which worked to catch a stray dog that was raiding my bait and following my scent trail that is leading in from behind the camera. I'm wondering if with such a small dog and now skunk, if I should lower the camera height. I've had great luck from lower height near the bait stations. It's a tough call because of the rise and then slope of the area with only one place to mount my cam and lock box.
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Another thing that I have to consider is that I set my bait and cam up in the hopes of drawing the dog I am trying to trap which in this heat, must be in full shade. Once the cam is up and the dog is coming to food, the food is removed and a humane trap is deployed in it's place. I'll need to move or adjust the cam. The dog is terrified of people so putting it near the busy building isn't an option. I'm really limited in location and available trees!
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Lower is definitely better for smaller animals. I would try lowering it like you mentioned and then aim the camera parallel with the ground. With the camera in set up mode you can use the green flashing light on the front to aim the camera, it blinks when the camera detects motion. I'll walk out in front of the camera and waive my hand to see if it detects or I've even gotten down on all fours and crawled around.
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John,
That I did not know about set up mode! I normally put it back into "On" after sending a test photo to my phone and didn't realize that the green light wouldn't blink in the "On" position. I guess I just realized it this week and was getting frustrated thinking the cam wasn't triggering! Turns out that I was walking the scent trail and walking directly towards the camera to mimic where I expect the lost dog to travel. I stay with the cam until I get a photo of the set up to make sure everything is positioned properly in frame, especially for the videos. Great tip! I will definitely get low and crawl around as you suggest. I'm thinking of moving the set up to a stand of mature pines, lowering it and positioning it parallel to the scent trail and bait to catch side to side now that I understand more about PIR detection. The lower height will open camera mounting possibilities. I think we've got this one solved.
Thank you all for your input, feedback, and great advice!
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