Usually I wait until after hunting season to offer my evaluation of products I used but because I have found some pretty neat products I want to share them with you a little early. I have spent the summer getting our new farm ready for our second year of hunting there and had the opportunity to use the things I’m going to tell you about so you can benefit from my experience.
Cambow Sling System
Alpine Innovations introduced a new bow sling system this year which deserves your attention. The system is built to support the bow’s weight on the riser instead of the cams. I’ve tried some of the other slings on the market and have had my bow unexpectedly come loose and fall to the ground. It won’t happen with the Cambow sling. The string cover is detachable and the bow can be shot with the sling still attached.
The sling system fits compounds up to 36” in length and cams up to 7” in diameter.
MSRP is $34.99 and well worth it (sling only is $24.99). I used it during turkey season and will be using it this fall.
Stic N Pic Trail Camera Holder
I’ve been using trail cameras for many years and have tried a lot of different ways to anchor them. It seems straight trees are never at the right spot and some camera mounts are pretty flimsy and not very durable. So I was a happy guy when I found the Stic-N-Pic trail camera stands. These guys know how to make a strong dependable product. They offer several models to choose from and I chose the Tripod Ground Mount with the 3 prong feature. It can be set in the ground wherever you want and adjusted to virtually any angle thanks to the ability to rotate your camera a full 360 degrees. The camera height can be adjusted from 0” up to 52”. All Stic-N-Pic products are manufactured in the USA with powder coated steel. I’ve tried it with different brands of cameras and they all worked fine with this stand.
MSRP is $39.99. They have other models which attach to trees and you can even add an “Add-a-Cam” bracket and put two cameras on one stand. Without a doubt this is the best camera stand I’ve ever used.
Moultrie M-880I Infrared Trail Camera
Moultrie has been in the trail camera business a long time. To be honest, some of the earlier versions were lacking in some respects, but that is not the case now. Presently they make some of the best, reasonably priced cameras on the market. The M-880 is an example and now they have the M-880i mini, which is the one I tested. I have used this camera on my food plots this summer and am very pleased with the quality and reliability of the product. Pictures are crisp and clear, day and night. I have not noticed any blurred pictures and the resolution is impressive.
Some of the camera’s stats:
- Resolution 8MP
- Trigger speed – less than 1 second
- Flash – No Glow Infrared
- Detection range – 50 feet
- Battery life – 13,500 images. 8 AA batteries and have not replaced any this summer.
- Image stamp – moon phase, temperature, time, date and camera ID.
- HD Video – 720p
- MSRP $169.99. My overall evaluation is 5 out of 5 stars.
Stealth Camera – P12
If you’re looking to buy a reasonably priced trail camera, this is one you should consider. The 6MP camera does a good job of capturing activity in daylight and at night. You can also do video recording in 15 second intervals. It operates on 8 AA batteries or an external 12V power jack. Each picture is stamped with the date, time and moon phase. It will accommodate SD cards up to 32GB.
Camera stats:
- Resolution 6MP
- Trigger speed – less than 1 second
- Flash – 12 IR emitters
- Detection range – 50 feet
- Battery life – not known but it uses 8 AA batteries and I have not replaced any this summer.
- Image stamp – moon phase, time, date.
- MSRP – $89.99.
It does not have all of the bells and whistles some of the other Stealth cameras have but it does not carry their price tags either. My evaluation – a good buy for the money.
Well there you have it, a sneak peek at some of the products I’ll be using this fall. Hope this helps you to spend your money wisely. See you in the woods.
For more from Roy: The Traveling Bowhunter
