Game camera post mount

I had made these game camera mounts a couple years ago for mine and my daughters camera. After using them my buddy wanted some made as he said “These are just so much easier than trying to find the right tree in the right spot.” So after fishing one day we are driving back up the trail and see a stack of old steel wire fence posts. I told him to stop and grab 5.

Old stacks looking like scrap

Yea, they stacks look like junk, but I’m going to repurpose them and give them new life. You can use 1/2″ or 3/8″ rebar and I have a few like that. The price was just rite on these though. I’m all about sweat equity.

I needed to get the grinder out and grind off the two bands of metal holding the stabilizer on the stake. It’s bent up and wore out. Plus it doesn’t have much foot step on it to push it in the ground.

Then knock it off with a hammer.

Now, no step of this shown. I used the metal vice above to straighten the rods. Very crooked spots when it the vice and clamped down hard to straighten it. Look down them like and arrow and clamp them in and pull the long shaft to bend them straight.

Next was to cut the angle iron for the foot step and the camera mount. I use 3/4″ for the bottom and 1″ for the top camera mount, if that is what I have as scrap. Above is the step and I have a 3″ piece for the bottom (left) and a 4″ piece for the top (right). The bottom is cut 45° on each side. The center cut is two 45° lines to make a 90° cut out. Then a light scoring with the cutting wheel to help control the metal bend. You see the small end goes back in the metal vise and hammer it to bend it over.

Here I have the steps on the left all bent as I need them. On the right I have 5″ to 6″ pieces of straight angle iron.

Then the camera mount piece was drilled in the drill press and then tapped for 14-20 to hold the brass bolts. The brass bolts and nuts was the entire cost of this project for me, not counting using welding rods. The rod was free, the angle iron was left over from other projects. Some friends like to say I keep too much stuff, but I like reusing this stuff I didn’t throw away.

Then lining up the foot step. This how it would get welded on giving a good 8″ of rod to shove into the ground. I sharpened the points a bit too even if its not noticable here. I ran a bead down the bar to stick the step and it together and a very light bead on the angle iron cut in the center to tack it together.

The step attached and hiding my ugly welds.

As they would look in the field and cooling down.

The foot step sank right to the ground.

No pictures of welding on the camera mount, you just melt the metal together with the welder and put the threaded hole away from the post, Very important! The previous tapped hole gets a 1″ 1/4-20 brass bolt run though and set with another nut to not move. Another nut is on to be able to set the camera. If you don’t use this the camera tightens down where ever it stops and I have had it stop to take pictures of the rod from the mount or blocking the power port. I use 12V 7AH batteries I will show in another post. One charge run the camera from August to March and probably longer.

The camera mount and the nut tightened with a 7/16″ wrench to point the camera away from the pole. I have been using the Moultrie A30 and the A25 as they are cheaper in cost and I have had very runs with them. They have this mount and 12v power ports on the bottom. You can use what ever cameras you like, if they have the 1/4-20 bolt hole on it.

Enjoy!