(Part 2) Best hunting & trail cameras according to redditors

This is terrible advice.

Buy a Game cam

Bushnell 119599C2 Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 14MP Wireless Trail Camera https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D0JTRGU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_K0X2AbSHREAPG

Game cam with sim card that will text you a photo when it occurs. Get a locking cable with it to prevent theft.
There are other models with solar options also. Depends on how much you are willing to spend to get photos of them.

You could try 3G trail cameras like this: https://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-Cellular-Camera-3G-Contract/dp/B07BPDBYP5/

You could go with rechargeable batteries if you add a small solar panel to the camera. The problem with rechargeables is that their maximum voltage is slightly lower than normal alkaline AA, so if your device has a strict requirement of 2.7v nominal, then the rechargeables will show low power sooner because they run at 2.6v (for example, numbers are not exact). The solution to this is to change the batteries often.

Alkalines should work well in cold weather for quite some time. We use ours without changing the batteries for 2 weeks in freezing temperatures. Bushnell cameras claim to work for 1 full year on a single set of alkalines. I've even had cameras set up for 1.5mo in stormy weather with hundreds of videos taken and the batteries were still at 80%.

Lithium is more expensive but you'll get consistent voltage out of them. The problem is that once they run low on power they stop altogether. This isn't such a problem for cameras since they're digital, but for drills and motors instead of getting a period of slowing you'll notice that the drill stops altogether even after you just used it.

https://www.amazon.com/Browning-Trail-Cameras-Defender-Bluetooth/dp/B071YS9KNF



This requires a phone app

Well, now I see one of our issues. I assumed it did have Wi-Fi and that he hooked that up. Like this Wi-Fi compatible one. Makes more sense than him going to climb the tree every day.

http://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-MCG-12634-M-990i-Game-Camera/dp/B00HAH6NFM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1410299434&sr=8-10&keywords=trail+camera+wifi

However, it is his behavior that must show a pattern, so even if he didn't have Wi-Fi, that is still a pattern of behavior. Once to plant the camera, every day thereafter wrongfully leaving the camera in place to take pictures, and then swapping out the SD card. It is a course of conduct over time, not just one act. Just leaving a secret camera there day after day after day to spy on her, with the intent to collect the pictures later, is a pattern of stalking conduct.

As for my (reasonable) assumptions, OP isn't exactly leaping to deny them.

Something like this would do nicely if you have somewhere to put it.

http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Black-Camera-Break-Up-Country/dp/B00RDO7GMG/ref=sr_1_2?s=hunting-fishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1453257849&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4816683011

It sounds like you're already installing a security system, but a couple other options -

I'd contact your local postmaster. It's illegal for people to put things without proper postage into mailboxes, which is why you get those maid service and pest control and lawn service placards in your door jam or under your mat or hanging on your door handle. They can't just put them into people's mailboxes. Drug dealers cant leave packages in your mailbox either. You calling the postal inspectors may not get you moved up to the action list, but a postmaster calling them might. There are safety issues for your carriers as well if illegal stuff is being placed in your mailbox. Who knows what could be in there, child porn, weapons, anthrax, drugs, money, explosives etc.

If there are trees or utility poles etc near the mail box, you could try setting up a game camera pointed at your mailbox, like this one - https://www.amazon.com/LESHP-Infrared-Waterproof-Scouting-Surveillance/dp/B01MTVF2N3/ref=sr_1_22

They are usually motion activated and work pretty well in the dark.
If you had several videos of someone going up to your mailbox and putting things in or taking things out that would go a long way towards attracting law enforcement's attention

Another option, and I'd clear this first with the postal inspectors- if the mailbox inside your enclosure is a standard sized box, buy a second box at a home improvement store, cut the back of it off, punch a small hole into it, get a motion activated "spy" camera for like $40-50, mount it to the back of the mailbox you cut off, and then slide that into your normal mail box, making a false back wall with a camera behind it, and then retrieve it every couple of days to charge it and get the videos off the micro sd card. Honestly though, I'd let the postal inspectors know this is what you're going to do before you do it, that may cause them to act sooner, as mailboxes once properly installed are considered federal property.

These sound like a lot of work or extra expense for something that law enforcement should be able to handle... to be honest, I'd keep contacting the Postal Inspectors every time it happens. They're the police force for the post office and AFAIK are supposed to handle stuff like this. I know they aren't using the mail stream to deliver the junk and are just putting things into mail boxes, but the mail boxes are federal property and you're not supposed to tamper with it.

If you STILL aren't getting any sort of response from authorities, call your local news stations... this could be the sort of "stranger danger, film at 11" that gives them ratings. Heck, they might even help you set up some sort of surveillance system so they can get video of some tweaked out junkie opening people's mailboxes, that's a great optic to show on TV. You see pieces like that on TV all the time, like when they talk about catalytic converters being stolen off cars in parking lots etc.

Yep

Bushnell 14MP Trophy Cam HD Aggressor Low Glow Trail Camera, Brown https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T9N2CFK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WZbMBbD9RJAVA

I just got this one and I really like it so far:
http://www.amazon.com/Ear-Phone-Connection-Fox-Earpiece/dp/B00C7W5MHA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

I got one of these for my dad last year, and its the best gift I've ever got for him. He's eternally difficult to buy for, but this nailed it. He doesn't even hunt (anymore), but they have some woods behind the house, and he's always interested in looking at the tracks and wondered what we had roaming around back there besides what we usually see. I got him one of these for Christmas last year, and now every time I go over there he shows me new pictures of deer, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, you name it, that have walked passed the camera. Its great.

I got him one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-Terra-Game-Camera/dp/B01B9KPBYY/ref=pd_nav_hcs_bia_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C30BEBWEH76BKM27XRSM

Its like 45 bucks, and takes decent photos. They're not going on /r/HdPics or anything, but you can see what its looking at with good clarity. Takes photos at night. Needs an SD card as well, but you can get those pretty cheap.

For Pi #2 I strongly suspect that you would be better off getting something off the shelf, very minimal Googling got me to this for £115 which would just about cover the Pi hardware costs. For bonus points the 5003 says it lasts for 6 months on 8xAA battery’s

Ah, well, that's a bummer. If you're up for round 2, perhaps you could put up a few well-placed game (hunting) cameras in some nearby trees, and put a few more signs up.

They work well for night-vision, are camouflaged, and will likely help you identify your sign vandals.

Something Luke this would do nicely:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B4F8B8M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XNahzb3VEKWPY

I understand you don't want a war with the locals, but they are being particularly nasty to what appears to be a thoughtful, community-minded organization.

You probably need to take a step back and reconsider what you are hoping to accomplish, and re-calibrate your expectations.

If you simply want to see what kind of wildlife is tipping over your garbage bins, something like a game camera might do the job: http://www.amazon.com/Primos-Trail-Camera-Black-63051/dp/B017WAVIU6

With that said, if you really want a video surveillance system, the first step is determining the bare minimum number of cameras you need. You can always start out with a couple of cameras, and expand your system later.

A $200 budget can probably get you into a one or maybe a two-camera system, if you are resourceful and computer-savvy.

For example:

Camera ($90):
http://www.amazon.com/Hkivison-DS-2CD2335-I-replace-DS-2CD2332-I-security/dp/B0177U7ZK8

PoE injector ($40):
http://www.amazon.com/WS-POE-8-48v60w-Passive-Ethernet-Injector-Cameras/dp/B0086SQDMM

Blue Iris software ($59) or iSpy ($0)
http://blueirissoftware.com/
https://www.ispyconnect.com/

In addition to the above, you'll need an Ethernet switch, Ethernet cables, and a PC to run Blue Iris or iSpy.

There are other camera options out there - this is just one that I have some personal experience with and can recommend. But $70 - $90 is pretty much the low-end when it comes to decent outdoor IP security cameras with low-light capabilities.

real gangsters!

I need to get my self a bulletproof security camera, hah.

https://reolink.com/shop/rlc410-4mp-fixed-lens-poe-ip-camera/

I found this call "bullet" camera, although its not bullet proof, it is called bullet camera cuz it looks like a bullet. handpalm...

but finally, I found this http://www.amazon.com/Primos-Bullet-Proof-Trail-Camera/dp/B00TP8KCOC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463047080&sr=8-2&keywords=bullet+proof+camera

Looks like this is your best bet on amazon.

Here is the search I used to pull it up.

EDIT: I think this is the best thing for your situation, some kind of trail cam that records on motion.
http://www.amazon.com/Stealth-Cam-Scouting-Camera-Camouflage/dp/B00KE5WJSW/ref=sr_1_4?s=hunting-fishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1462914572&sr=1-4&keywords=trail+camera&refinements=p_36%3A1253557011

I'm not aware of any stand alone battery powered cameras that can record to SD card contentiously for over a day, the battery or the SD card would not last that long.

Looks like a trail cam in a security lockbox, similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Uway-VH200B-Security-Lock-Lockbox/dp/B00GPS3X8C

Here is a cheaper one on amazon. I know nothing about these so no guarantees...http://www.amazon.com/Stealth-Digital-Infrared-Housing-STC-I430IRNX/dp/B00E99KCU6/ref=sr_1_138?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1375622713&sr=1-138

I can totally respect your point about budget. Hope you can get the survelliance you need however you decide to go about it.

Look at webcams. Or trail cams; there are some that work wirelessly like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Lixada-Wireless-Wildlife-Scouting-Waterproof/dp/B078Q2RC5H