After not getting any decent bucks on my trail cameras during the summer I was bound and determined to track some down come fall.  I put my new Cuddeback Capture out in Mid-October in an area where scrapes usually open up and sure enough one did about 5 days after I put my camera out. After a few weeks of capturing photos I retrieved the memory card to see what I had.  I was happy to see two really good 10 pointers, one intersting looking 2 1/2 year old 6 point, and a nice 2 1/2 year old 8 point that I have quite a few pics of from this year and last year when he was a dink 1 1/2 year old buck.  It's really good to see that we have a few shooters running around this farm as I didn't get any good buck pictures during the summer, which is mostly attributed to lack of food on this farm.  However this area still held quite a few doe groups which I'm sure is what brought these guys out of hiding.

Unfortunately a few days ago we found a nice roadkill buck on this property with his rack cut off so I'm hoping its not one of the two big guys as I'll be back hunting this farm now that I'm home from our trip.

This first buck looks like a 3 1/2 year old deer to me. He has good shoulder depth, but his backend is pretty small and he still has a tight stomach which indicates that he's a younger deer. If he makes it another year this guy is gonna blow into a 160-170" buck for sure.  He's probably pushing 145-150" right now as it is and will definitely warrant an arrow from me if he gets close enough.  It's also very possible that we saw this buck a bunch of times last year as a 2 1/2.  We had one good 9 point that was in the 120" range running around last fall that had very similar coloration and shape to his rack.  It's hard to tell without more pictures or matching up sheds, but it certainly could be the same deer.

These photos both turned out pretty well I think.  The flash range on the Capture is excellent and even with the buck a good 25-30 feet from the camera you can see all of the details in the image just fine.

Now this is definitely an older buck. He is at least 4.5 if not 5.5 years old. I believe this is the camera shy 10 pointer I've gotten photos of the past two seasons, but without a head-on shot it's hard to tell. He's got really good mass and long, arrow straight brows that are characteristic of that particular buck. If you look at this chest where his neck meets into his body and how deep that is, along with his slightly sagging stomach, large hindquarters, and "short" looking legs you can tell he is truly a mature deer. I'd love to get a look at this guy! Again with these photos, the flash range is great and the trigger speed and timing worked wonderfully as well.  The imaegs are perfectly centered with no chopping off of the head or butt.

Here's the scary looking 6 pointer. We've traditionally had some really big 6 point bucks on this farm over the years (3 year olds and older) but haven't seen those particular genetics in a few years until now. He gets a pass this year, but next year he'll be a candidate for the wall. This particular photo is a bit washed out from the flash, but this is one of very few images like this.  I'm assuming this is because of the deer's close proximity to the camera when it was triggered.  Unfortunately that's a bit of the price you pay to have a good strong flash range.

This last buck is one that I've nicknamed 'Scar'. Very original, I know. But it's like the bad lion brother from The Lion King. You know what I'm talking about.  Last year we had some pics of him when his side was all torn open, but obviously his wound has healed and he made it. A good 2 1/2 year old buck that should be P&Y next year despite his complete lack of brown tines. Again, he'll get a pass from me this year but next fall he won't be so lucky.  Notice how dark his tarsal glands are - this buck is in full rut for sure!

This daytime photo of Scar is a good represntation of what you can expect from the Capture.  The colors are a bit muted and washed out and if the animal is moving at a pretty good pace there is some occasional blurriness, but it's not too bad.  Not nearly as bad as the old Excite models which had a major problem with motion blur.

All in all, I have been very impressed with the performance of my Cuddeback Capture trail camera.  I have had the same batteries in it for well over a month without any issues.  There are VERY few blank or cutoff images, and as you can tell the Flash range has been great.  At $200 this camera is very reasonably priced considering the features that it offers and the performance.

You can purchase the Cuddeback Digital Trail Camera along with a variety of other trail camera makes and models from the online store at Bowhunting.com.  The Capture is in stock and ready to ship today. Click here if you'd like to purchase one.

Note: An infrared version of the Cuddeback Capture was just released several weeks ago and we are in the process of testing the camera now.  A full review will be up shortly after Christmas.  If you wish to purchase a Cuddeback Capture you can click here.  They are in stock and ready to ship at Bowhunting.com.