John Donovan was at home in Austin, Texas on the evening of Thursday, August 22 when a friend called to tell him there was a wildfire near his property two hours away in Mason County.
John and his family had owned this 310-acre property for about 10 years. It had a house on rolling land covered in oak, mesquite, cactus, brush, and grass. The Donovans hunt white-tail deer, doves, and ducks there. Fire had always been a part of this landscape, but not recently.
“I thought, we will be OK,” John said recently.
Then, at about 10:30 that night, the friend called again–the winds had shifted, and the fire was approaching his land.
His words to John: “We are both in trouble.”
He Had a Front-Row Seat for the Fire–Thanks to His Camera
2024 had been a wet year in central Texas, with several months of above-average rainfall. The land was lush and green–until August arrived. On August 17 the thermometer hit 101, and highs stayed above 100 for days, peaking at 108 on August 21. Finally, on the 23rd, rain arrived—but so did lightning.
At home, John watched the flames approach his property through the camera feed from his Tactacam REVEAL X 3.0.
John had recently purchased two of the cameras from Cabela’s to help spot game. Now, the cameras were offering a hand-wringing view of the firestorm.
Local firefighters, volunteer firefighters, and even neighbors with water trucks worked together to save properties–in particular, structures like the Donovan house. John relayed the code to his gate, but the flames were too close to the driveway for anyone to make it to the house. Finally, a crew made it to the home and sprayed water around the foundation.
The House Survived–and So Did the Camera
John, who operates several bowling centers in Austin, followed the frequent updates sent by his REVEAL X 3.0. The dense smoke and lapping flames set off the camera’s motion detectors, sending him a steady stream of live images.
“We were watching it in as real-time as it could be,” he said. “With all the light, motion, and fire, the camera was taking a lot of images.”
John watched the flames march right up to–and then over–the camera. Eventually, the heat melted the strap holding it to a post, causing the camera to fall to the ground.
In all, North Art Fire Complex burned 4,300 acres before it was extinguished. The next day, with mop-up operations in effect, John drove out to his ranch. The fire had burned within feet of the house. All around, trees were burned. John then went to the hunting area where he had hung his REVEAL X 3.0. There it was–lying on the ground. John bent over to look at its charred remains.
The shutter snapped, capturing the moment.
The Toughest Game Camera On the Market
Today, the camera is back at John’s home in Austin. It’s warped and discolored, with material flaking off the antenna and the back door warped by the heat. It continues to take motion-activated pictures and send them to John’s phone.
How can it still work? Part of it is the durability of the UV-resistant plastic used to build the housing. Another part is the fact that the PCBs are conformal coated, which means they are covered with a thin protective film that protects them.
John had originally purchased the cameras based on their reviews and was quickly impressed with their quality.
“I got good images,” he said. “I would send images to my friends, saying look at this deer, how old do you think it is, that sort of thing. And they all said, those are a lot better pictures than my cameras get.”
Since the camera body melted so badly, John is not able to access the control panel to turn the unit off or replace its batteries, meaning its days of taking pictures are limited. Tactacam gladly sent John a replacement camera, however, and from his home in Austin, he is keeping up with wildlife and watching the land heal.
“I have started seeing deer come back, but not the same ones as before,” he said. “Everything has moved around a little bit.”
“It could have been worse,” he continued. “We lost about 20 percent of our big mature oak trees. Lightning and Indians have been burning this land for thousands of years. It’s a healthy occurrence for the environment. In the middle of summer you get hotter fires, ones that are more destructive, but it will come back.”
And as for his Tactacam cameras?
“I’m a fan,” he said. “They’re great.”