Bear finally ruined one

[Bango skank]

So i run a lot of cameras all over, year round.  My feelings are that using a bear box / python cable type setup, the only way to really do that and get it aimed right thats not a huge pain in the butt is to have them mounted down at eye level or lower, which makes them much more noticable to people and therefore more susceptible to theft.  So i just use slate river ez aim mounts and usually put them 10-15ft high.  The weakness of my method is that occasionally a bear climbs the tree and monkeys with the camera, leaving it aiming up at the sky, back down at the trunk of the tree etc.  Results in a wasted soak, which is frustrating, but at least the camera is still there.  But of all the times the bears have done this to me, theyve never ruined one.  Scratched em up a little, yeah, but thats it.  Seems like maybe when theyre busy holding onto the tree they just arent so destructive.  Well last april i set a camera in a new to me area.  Just went back yesterday to see what was on it.  Took me all day to hike up there.  Cold snowy and steep.  On the way i saw some elk, and everywhere i looked were elk tracks and beds.  A herd of 10+ had just walked up past my camera that morning judging by the tracks.  I get there and find my cam pointing up at the sky.  Damn bears.  Well, turns out this one was a motivated destroyer.  Camera has holes chewed in it.  Combined with it left facing up, the cameras guts filled with water, which of course froze.  One big block of ice.  Had to bang it open, and couldnt get the sd card out until i thawed the cam out under the floorboard heater of my truck.  I want to see what pics were taken before ol bruin decided to ruin my 8 month soak, but when i put the sd card in my reader it wouldnt work.  Tried it in my laptop and still wouldnt work.  Computer pops up a window saying the card will have to be formatted before use.  Is there any hope of salvaging this?  I have the card in a bag of rice for now, hoping that might draw out any moisture in the card after a few days and enable me to see pics.  Any other ideas to make it work, or am i just screwed here?

[Skyvalhunter]

Let me ask you this. W hen you put it in your card reader and go to my computer. Under the card does it show something like6meg available on say a 8meg card or does it say 8 mag available? Meaning it didn't take any pictures.

[Encore 280]

Pepper spray the tree and camera or cayan pepper around the tree? 

[Bango skank]

Let me ask you this. W hen you put it in your card reader and go to my computer. Under the card does it show something like6meg available on say a 8meg card or does it say 8 mag available? Meaning it didn't take any pictures.

Nope, nothing like that.  I know what happens when i put a card in with no pics, this is different.  The camera was definitely turned on, and im positive it took pics.  The movement of the cam alone when the bear was spinning it around and chewing on it would have triggered the cam, and i generally walk in front of a cam after i set it, so ill know which day i put it up if i forget to write the date down on my camera list.

[Bango skank]

Pepper spray the tree and camera or cayan pepper around the tree? 

Not looking for bear deterrent advice, trying to find out if theres any way i can retrieve pics from card that froze into a block of ice and is now unreadable.

[Skyvalhunter]

Then I would try to open it on another computer or a camera as some cameras will open whatever extension your cam works in. If they allowing open or read the card I don't have a solution for you.

[ghosthunter]

Well I am no expert.

Put the sad card in a digital camera. If it says needs format do it in the camera than put it in the computer again.

Worked for me.

You could also take it to Walmart or Costco and see if their machines will read it.

[luckyman]

I use pc inspector smart recovery.
It will pull things of your memory card you never thought it could. I would think it would retrieve any pictures.

[Bango skank]

I use pc inspector smart recovery.
It will pull things of your memory card you never thought it could. I would think it would retrieve any pictures.

No idea what that is.  Where do i get it, how does it work if cpu wont read card?  I tried what ghosthunter suggested, no dice.

[Bango skank]

I use pc inspector smart recovery.
It will pull things of your memory card you never thought it could. I would think it would retrieve any pictures.

No idea what that is.  Where do i get it, how does it work if cpu wont read card?  I tried what bone suggested, no dice.

Nevermind i looked it up myself like a big boy.  When i get my laptop somewhere with wifi ill give it a shot, thanks.

[KFhunter]

TAG

I knew there were recovery tools for SD cards that'll pull stuff off even a formatted card (formatted but not rewritten) but haven't tried it. 

[NOCK NOCK]

Well I am no expert.

Put the sad card in a digital camera. If it says needs format do it in the camera than put it in the computer again.

Worked for me.

You could also take it to Walmart or Costco and see if their machines will read it.

Interesting....Typically when you format a card in any device, you are erasing any data on that card

[luckyman]

Well I am no expert.

Put the sad card in a digital camera. If it says needs format do it in the camera than put it in the computer again.

Worked for me.

You could also take it to Walmart or Costco and see if their machines will read it.

Interesting....Typically when you format a card in any device, you are erasing any data on that card

When you format the card, the data isn't removed. It just prepares it to be written over. If you didn't re use the card it will pull some if not all previous pictures from it.

[NOCK NOCK]

Hmmmm. If I format in laptop then try to read cards from camera, viewer, phone, different laptop, pics are always “gone” and device says card is empty. 

[luckyman]

Hmmmm. If I format in laptop then try to read cards from camera, viewer, phone, different laptop, pics are always “gone” and device says card is empty. 

Yes It's showing you the available space. Kind of like sweeping the dirt under the carpet. The dirt still remains, you just can see it. Something as simple as lifting the carpet will make all the dirt viewable again.

[warthog]

i don't know what it is but bears absolutely luv messing with cams.  unless i can find something against it ,i'm gonna pile up 15-20 cameras next year and use them as bait.