August 20, 2005: Hurray!  We finally got our first deer photos after 5 weeks of trying:

Sample1   Sample2

Note: These sample pics are unmodified.  They are original size and may take a while to download on a slower connection speed.

The Bushnell 119600 and 119900 are both a very innovative design. They use of a series of switches to select different operating modes is a really great feature. We have placed both these cameras side by side with known good performing cameras. During this test the known good cameras had as much as 27 pictures on them and neither Bushnell cameras had a single picture. We have pulled a ATV with a hot engine up in front of these cameras and it would take about 10 seconds for the motion LED to come on. When these cameras do trigger they both have acceptable pictures with the 119900 having really good clear pictures. Using the test data displayed on the Cuddeback web site they say the trigger time is approximately 9 seconds. Cuddeback has a series of cameras mounted on a pole and it displays the trigger time of the different cameras. Their findings are somewhat similar to ours. I spoke with the Bushnell representative when he was here in the Augusta area and I spoke at length about our tests. He reflected that the Bushnell factory folks are interested in field input and that they would be in direct contact with me. If Bushnell would make a major adjustment to their sensing circuits I believe that they would have a really good camera. If you close your eyes and just imagine just how far a deer could move in 9 seconds, you can see why we could not recommend this camera. Hot weather slows things down but the side by side tests show that other cameras can perform under those conditions, but not to trigger at all is another question that we are trying to find an answer to. Other cameras like the Leaf River have slow trigger times but they do trigger giving them value when properly placed on feeders, salt licks, and up and down trails.

Update on Bushnell 119600 and 119900

These two cameras were pulled from the field and shipped back to the factory. The weather gasket failed on both of these units. Both cameras had a severe problem with the triggering circuits. Both units had a problem with picture clarity when and if you could get them to trigger. The 119900 had a problem with the IR function not working. On the 4^th of October I received a couple of cards from the Bushnell repair facility that gave a repair number that could be tracked over the internet. This was really great and allowed me to keep up on the status of the cameras while they were being repaired. This would tell you things like parts on back order or repaired and shipped with a UPS tracking number. Today, October the 12^th, both cameras have been returned. Bushnell replaced both cameras with new cameras and now we are going to be in the process of retesting both units and compare the results with the data from the old cameras. 

Update on the replaced Bushnell models 119900 and 119600

The in shop testing of the 119600 has gone well.  We have discovered some issues with the 119900 concerning the IR triggering and this cam will be kept in the shop for further testing. It appears at least on the 600 model that the trigger time is extremely fast but this will be better understood once we see its capabilities in the field. The night temperatures are now in the 50s and soon next week will drop to the 40s this will give us a chance to see how this new crop of cams will perform. My phone conversations with the 800 number at Bushnell to gain some technical information was pretty much in vain. This very nice lady did her best to find the information for me but I still have many unanswered questions. Mr. Stephens the product line manager for Bushnell has E mailed me but we have not been able to hook up on the phone after several attempts. I will keep trying to find out answers to our concerns. We see in the catalogs these models listed and they are shown on the same page as two different cams the 119900 model and the (NEW) 119900. This is also the same for the 600 model. We want to determine exactly what has changed between the cams with an early 04 manufacturing date and the cams with a mid year 05 manufacturing date because there is a noticeable difference in there performance. The Spokes lady on the phone also explained that the new model 119700 was the same as the other models except it does not come with the SD card. This does not seem to be logical and we want to know more about this new cam. The trigger times for the 119900 are 2.5 to 4 seconds with the standard flash and 1 to 1.5 for the IR flash. Delay time is suppose to be 60 seconds  but it appears it is more like 90 seconds. We found that if the battery level is down the IR flash will not work. Putting fresh batteries corrected this.

The standard flash worked even with the battery level down. Prolong periods using the IR flash would probably result in lost pictures due to the flash not working. Compared to our first units these two cameras are much improved and will sense under most field conditions with temperatures 80 degrees and below. Standard flash is somewhat marginal and with enhancing software dark pictures at 30 feet are readable. Picture quality is still somewhat grainy but much improved over previous models.