Completed Struikrover®

The Completed Struikrover® is supplied complete and ready for use (NOT a construction kit), including a practical manual for use in the field and including a camera trap. We have adjusted the camera trap for use in the Struirover® with a special attachment lens. Please note that the conversion lens for the previous camera unfortunately does not fit the Browning Strike Force 2023 Pro.

The latest version of the completed Struikrover® contains the Browning Strike Force 2023 Pro trail camera. This camera has been selected for its construction, response speed and quality of the images. The camera produces (infrared) flash light, which hardly scares animals, but small mammals are very easy to recognize.

We also supply loose parts to replace lost parts. Only a set of batteries and an SD card need to be added. We recommend Eneloop Pro batteries (6 batteries, 2 boxes) and a 32GB SD memory card. The camera runs even better on lithium batteries.

About the Struikrover®

The Struikrover® is a research instrument developed by Matthijs Smaal. It is a specially designed tube with which all martens and other predators (e.g. fox, raccoon, raccoon dog) found in Western Europe can be photographed or filmed with a trail camera. But songbirds are also easy to capture on camera. The Struikrover® is a further optimization of previously devised research instruments and meets the following 6 requirements:

• Suitable for inventorying all mustelids
• Easy to transport and quick to install
• Easy to use and without any specific knowledge
• Cheap lure that maximizes detection chances
• Sturdy, robust and virtually indestructible Can be placed virtually invisibly in the field

The Struirover® works with the well-known, very effective and cheap attractant, which remains scented for weeks: a can of sardines that is camouflaged. A hole is pierced in the front of the can. This way it cannot be eaten and it will not be washed away by the rain.

In addition to the effective lure, the strength of this method is mainly the specially designed PVC tube, one side of which is opened and the camera (with conversion lens) is secured to the other side. Martens are attracted to cavities and inspect the opening of the PVC pipe. The martens therefore always appear with their heads in the picture (no photos with their backs). The distance to the lure is also very short, which increases the chance of detection and the animals appear large and can sometimes even be recognized individually. Tests in the field show that mice can also be easily identified and hedgehogs can be easily monitored.

The tube keeps the wildlife camera dry and prevents it from getting dirty or condensing. Due to its robustness, the Struikrover® can even be placed in nature reserves with large grazers. The window in the PVC pipe prevents the camera trap from flashing during the day or producing overexposed images.

An additional advantage of Struikrover 3.5 is that this closed arrangement is virtually invisible and therefore reduces the risk of theft. Especially when you place soil material over it with, for example, a camouflage net. In addition, the camera trap is thus protected against weather influences.

About the camera trap: Browning Strike Force 2023 Pro X

At night, the flash intensity with the Browning Strike Force 2023 Pro X camera trap is just right. The camera trap on the photo mode ensures a fast response time of just 0.15 seconds. The use of films is strongly discouraged not only with the Browning, but also with all other camera heads, because the trigger time is slower.

Set up camera trap

As a setup, it is best to set the camera trap to "Interval" 2 pictures per interval and "Interval" 1M. You don't know what you're missing, but this setting is based on a database of observations of more than 200 Struikrovers® where the camera took a series of 3 photos every 10 seconds. Of course you can choose to record everything. That means "working through" a lot of images, where there is a chance that you will accidentally let a flash of a weasel or ermine pass through them.

Delivery time

The Struikrover® is made by Bureau Smaal. The delivery time is 1-2 weeks