Gman757
Well-known member
I am constantly dealing with shifting winds in the areas I hunt so I am trying a new approach. My current setup is 40 miles from my house so I always try to get a good reading on the wind before driving up there but it is very difficult because of where I live. Most of my hunting areas are about 30 to 40 miles inland from the Gulf coast and a weather pattern called "sea breeze effect" causes shifting winds on nights when the barometric pressure gradient is too low to establish a defined wind direction. It is a product of temperature differences between the gulf water and land mass heating during the day and it reverses at night when the sun sets.
I rarely hunt when the wind forecast is Light and Variable because it is just too unpredictable. I kept thinking on how to get better wind data and after an online search I found a company called Ecowitt that makes remote wind devices that can connect on the 4G network and the base unit and sensor units are solar powered with battery backup. Their products are very reasonably priced comparerd to most others so I decided to give it a try. I went up yesterday and set everything up and I will see how this works out over the next few months.
I also decided to revamp the entire plot so I got a new feeder and camera also. I am going to try a 350lb feeder I bought at Tractor Supply and see how it does. The lower profile and higher capacity will be a big plus if it works out. I can go back to 50lb bags since I won't have to lift them up over my head and the higher capacity should cut down on refill trips and save gas. It has a spin lock design which is supposed to be varmint proof but I add a fence guard around the legs as a backup. I will just have to see how this works after some time in the field and if it causes issues I will remove it and see what happens.
The last piece of the puzzle was which camera to use. I went with a Reolink Track Mix dual lens 4k unit with auto tracking and auto zoom. I have one of these on a plot in the woods at another location and I haven't touched it in 3 years. As long as it gets enough sun to solar charge it is a set and forget unit. The only issue I was concerned about is the sun since this location is out in the open.
Based on past experience the heat from the sun is the biggest factor in camera longevity. With that in mind I designed an enclosure to protect the camera from the sun which also protects against rain. I found a 5 gallon bucket that had the shape I needed and cut it to fit around the camera. I placed a plastic cover over the face side also to stop solar heating late in the day since this camara is facing due west. As you can see in the pics I added bird spikes to the camera box and weather sensor to help keep bird droppings to a minimum.
Everything at the plot is mounted to a pressure treated 2x4 which is then bolted to a 4x4 post and the base unit for the 4G gateway is mounted to a pole on my shooting blind. The sensor sends wireless data to the base unit which connects to an app in my phone via 4G LTE. The actual wind sensor is very sensitive as it uses ultrasonic speed sensors which can detect very small changes in wind movement. It measures the wind every 2 to 4 seconds and the app receives the latest data packet it receives from the 4G gateway.
So far everything is running like a well oiled machine so with my luck I will soon get a lighting strike on the camera pole.
www.ecowitt.com
reolink.com
elusivewildlife.com
I rarely hunt when the wind forecast is Light and Variable because it is just too unpredictable. I kept thinking on how to get better wind data and after an online search I found a company called Ecowitt that makes remote wind devices that can connect on the 4G network and the base unit and sensor units are solar powered with battery backup. Their products are very reasonably priced comparerd to most others so I decided to give it a try. I went up yesterday and set everything up and I will see how this works out over the next few months.
I also decided to revamp the entire plot so I got a new feeder and camera also. I am going to try a 350lb feeder I bought at Tractor Supply and see how it does. The lower profile and higher capacity will be a big plus if it works out. I can go back to 50lb bags since I won't have to lift them up over my head and the higher capacity should cut down on refill trips and save gas. It has a spin lock design which is supposed to be varmint proof but I add a fence guard around the legs as a backup. I will just have to see how this works after some time in the field and if it causes issues I will remove it and see what happens.
The last piece of the puzzle was which camera to use. I went with a Reolink Track Mix dual lens 4k unit with auto tracking and auto zoom. I have one of these on a plot in the woods at another location and I haven't touched it in 3 years. As long as it gets enough sun to solar charge it is a set and forget unit. The only issue I was concerned about is the sun since this location is out in the open.
Based on past experience the heat from the sun is the biggest factor in camera longevity. With that in mind I designed an enclosure to protect the camera from the sun which also protects against rain. I found a 5 gallon bucket that had the shape I needed and cut it to fit around the camera. I placed a plastic cover over the face side also to stop solar heating late in the day since this camara is facing due west. As you can see in the pics I added bird spikes to the camera box and weather sensor to help keep bird droppings to a minimum.
Everything at the plot is mounted to a pressure treated 2x4 which is then bolted to a 4x4 post and the base unit for the 4G gateway is mounted to a pole on my shooting blind. The sensor sends wireless data to the base unit which connects to an app in my phone via 4G LTE. The actual wind sensor is very sensitive as it uses ultrasonic speed sensors which can detect very small changes in wind movement. It measures the wind every 2 to 4 seconds and the app receives the latest data packet it receives from the 4G gateway.
So far everything is running like a well oiled machine so with my luck I will soon get a lighting strike on the camera pole.
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