A BF should not know what a camera is. So why do they avoid stepping in front of them?
BFs don't avoid other objects as they've seemingly toyed with items you placed for them in the past.
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Have you inspected a large area, installed a camera in the center of the area, and then see new stick markers in the previously scanned area?
If so, it could indicate that the camera installer was being watched during installation of an item.
(If this is the case a possible - pricey - experiment.... Have multiple videocams set up in a rig so that they provide 360 coverage. The game cam installer turns on the cameras perhaps 50 yards before stopping to set up the game cam. Game cam is installed and the video rig is taken out of the woods and videos inspected for any possible activity)
(alternate idea - if two people are going into the woods - one sets up game cam, the other then inspects the area with a thermal device ($$$$) or video cam.
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If it is suspected that BFs avoid cams, how about installing Fake game cams in order to "direct" BFs towards a real game cam....or a waiting researcher. (this would fail if BFs can see any lights/signals/etc. emitted by came cams, as is sometimes suggested)
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Alternately - set up multiple, functioning, game cams so that any possible BF-viewable beams would funnel BFs into an area where they could be caught on film/video run by a live person/crew (without any possible beam-producing recording devices). Or use beam-funneling for night-time research so that a curious BF would be forced to approach (for example) a research campsite from just one direction.
I'm sure you've already tried every possibly imaginable trick in the book.
There's just GOTTA be a way to trick these things into camera range.
(Have a Happy 4th!)
-Mike
Posted on Jul 3, 2009, 12:10 PM from IP address 12.107.33.43