Trail Cam Question

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have a moultrie m80xt on a salt lick. I have been getting anywhere from 100-900 pics a week mostly of coons and deer but other stuff as well. I went to check the cards last week and the camera was missing a card. There was no card in it. I cannot find a card anywhere and I don't pull a card unless I am putting another in at the same time.

I found it odd that the card was gone but the camera unharmed. I put another card in and fast forward to this week. I pulled the card without checking the picture count and put another in. The cam acted like it wasnt on but the power button was in the on position. I turned it off and back on and watched the readout. The battery life started in the 90% range and quickly started dropping until it got down to 13%. I have just checked the card and there was absolutely nothing on the card. These cameras usually create their own folders on the cards but this week nothing was there at all.

I am gonna check it next week and also check the batteries. I feel like the card was taken out of the cam by someone....but the battery issue has me perplexed. I have no idea how anyone would find that camera because only two people know it is there.

The batteries are lithium energizers and have worked wonders so far.


I checked another cam located a half mile away and its working fine and the battery life is still in the 90% range.


Has anyone else had an issue like this? I am sure people have had cards taken...but the rest is beyond me. I may go get the camera this afternoon.
 

Briargoat

Ten Pointer
More often than not, cards are taken by people who don't have permission to be on the property and they realize they're caught on candid camera. They took the card to avoid trouble rather then stealing the camera.
 

Larry R

Old Mossy Horns
You are lucky, the bastards stole two of my cameras and destroyed the other one (took the SD card). They were all in a bear safe box.
 

poppop

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Take your camera home and do a hard reset. Take all the batteries out, and turn the camera on. Leave it on for about an hour to drain any residual power. Then with camera off, remove battery tray. On the side wall, where the battery tray slides in you will see a small black button. This is the reset button, press and hold it for at least 15 seconds. Then insert a SD card, reload batteries and see if that fixed it. Set it up around your house for a day or so and see if that helped.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'll give it a go guys.

The card culprit is either someone that isn't supposed to be in there or a leo. I have to park on the side of the highway at the location and I wouldn't doubt someone hadn't reported it as suspicious.
 
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aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I was thinking about the SD card being removed by somebody who didn't want to be caught on camera. Why not just open the camera, reformat the card and erase the photos? That way nobody knows you've been there. Granted, its easier just to take the SD card, but if you're going to do that, I'm surprised that they didn't take the whole thing. Let us know if what poppop suggested works. I didn't know about a reset button for the camera.
 

Wildlifepro51

Guest
Take your camera home and do a hard reset. Take all the batteries out, and turn the camera on. Leave it on for about an hour to drain any residual power. Then with camera off, remove battery tray. On the side wall, where the battery tray slides in you will see a small black button. This is the reset button, press and hold it for at least 15 seconds. Then insert a SD card, reload batteries and see if that fixed it. Set it up around your house for a day or so and see if that helped.

Exactly what he said about the reset. Do this first. Next get a cable lock or a steel box and chain it to the tree if possible. and keep a look out for people in your area posting or talking about pics. I have had card removed and had cams taken. It sucks , and we all on here hate a thief..Good luck with the reset..
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It's in the resetting process.

Someone asked why they took the card instead of doing a reformat....my answer: I doubt they know what it is or how to do it.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Did hard reset....batteries were toast. New batteries (regular dura cells) and it's working it seems. Kinda disappointed in the lithiums lasting 3 months. If the camera has no sd card, will that burn batteries up? That battery reading was still in the 90% and all of sudden it was zero.
 

81toyota

Twelve Pointer
I have had good luck with my lithiums 5+ months on avg. some of your setting maybe part of the problem with the drain, when I get back in the woods in the morning I will let you know what brand Im running
 

poppop

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Moultries for the most part are hard on batteries...and 3 months is about average on lithiums on my three Moultries also. I made up a double 6v battery pack for my Moultries and they always have battery power when I change out the SD cards, usually 3 sometimes 4 months. I can run my Covert Black 60's and MP6 Blacks for nearly a year on litihums.
 
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81toyota

Twelve Pointer
Moultries for the most part are hard on batteries...and 3 months is about average on lithiums on my three Moultries also. I made up a double 6v battery pack for my Moultries and they always have battery power when I change out the SD cards, usually 3 sometimes 4 months. I can run my Moultries Black 60's and MP6 Blacks for nearly a year on litihums.

hmmm, got a how to???
 
Moultries for the most part are hard on batteries...and 3 months is about average on lithiums on my three Moultries also. I made up a double 6v battery pack for my Moultries and they always have battery power when I change out the SD cards, usually 3 sometimes 4 months. I can run my Moultries Black 60's and MP6 Blacks for nearly a year on litihums.
poppop u sure u meant moultrie black 60 and mp6 lol..i was thinking covert:confused::D
 

poppop

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Never had a SD card taken...some idiot forgot to turn the camera on a couple times though.

Yea, that idiot came by one of my cameras last year and forgot to turn the camera on, but it was about three months before I knew about it.
 
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