Trail Camera Question

[Majja]

I have been thinking about getting a couple of Trail cams for trying to locating game routes. Are there any suggestions on brands to look at or stay away from. I do not want to break the bank so please keep that in mind. I do not need live streaming WiFI cams.

Are there any other advice those that use cams could impart would be fantastic.

Thanks
Majja

 

[esracerx]

Stay away from wildgame innovations. They're cheap...but there's a reason they're cheap. Plus the former owner is a serial violator.

I've never had a bad experience with stealth cam. But there's a ton of models out there.

 

[BigGameDIY]

I would stay away from Bushnell, they usually fail in about two years. If you buy Moultrie, never use biggest SD card they accept, use at least one size down, like use 8Gb if manual says up to 16Gb.
Good luck!

 

[u1299]

Visit trailcampro.com

Go with what they say, they know their stuff. $120 to $150 will get you what you need.

 

[JLDemo]

I have several brands of trail cams, like anything else, you get what you pay for. Pay attention to battery life, it's going to be the biggest factor if you live several hours away from your hunting spot like yours truly. Out of the ones I have now, TruthCam 35 is my favorite. I don't like how bulky it is but the image quality and battery life far outweigh the large camera. Never owned a Cuddeback, but everyone I know that has them and from the pictures I've seen, they're one of the better ones.

 

[jvanhoy]

Moultrie or Browning. Stay away from Bushnell for sure. I had one i finally blew up with a sparkler bomb after several disappointments.

 

[Ryan2782]

I use two different Moultrie and a cheap Stealth Camera. They both work great during the day time. Stealth cam not so good at night. The flash isn't bright enough to pick anything up so I get black photos. Not upset about it because of the price I paid for it. Things I look at now while browsing trail cameras. Is the amount of lights for the flash. I'm not a fan of the black out versions of Stealth Cam personally. The other thing I look at is the range of the sensor. They vary a lot, My Moultrie says it's a 70ft detection, I haven't tested it personally but I get photos of animals that I'm surprised that they triggered it being so far in distance. The stealth cam is shorter distance at 50' and it doesn't seem to actually reach that far. I'm not saying don't get stealth cam, like I said for the price I paid for great daytime photos it's great. Battery life can be important. If you are planning on using it for summer to fall months, it shouldn't matter as long as you are buying new batteries. I use mine Spring to October and have never had batteries get close to 50%. Also, I stick around the 8-10 megapixel range plus or minus. I don't need any higher (they go up to 20 I think) because I don't want to publish or print any photos.

I read a lot of reviews from different sites on the cameras I have. Everyone expects something different out of them it seems. One site would rate it high by customer reviews, another store reviews were low. For my Moultries I paid $80 while they were on sale, and the stealth cam I paid $35 on sale. I would look at the $100 plus range in general and watch for sales if you want a good camera under $100.

The Stealth Cam is 6 Mega Pixels, the Moultries are 8 and 10.

 

[kenton]

It really depends on what you want out of the camera. If you just want to see if animals are there, go with cheaper ones (wildgame, moltrie, stealth cam, primos). They will do fine and you can get more of them for the same price. For me, none of these will do what I need so I don't ask them to. I started using Browning cams last year and they work very well and show enough detail that I can really differentiate different deer. I just wish they had white flash.

Examples of Browning daylight and IR

 

[nhn2a]

I've used a lot of cameras and as most said anything in the less than $100 range probably wont last more than a year or two. In that range, I've been a fan of Moultries but even then I've had several break after just one season (flash stops working, wont keep a charge, wont recognize SD cards, etc). I've personally been leaning more towards cameras that offer a minimum of a 2 year warranty like some of the Covert cameras.

 

[zachthebowhunter]

Camofire has good prices on cameras often. I picked up a Browning cam from them and it has performed really well for me.

 

[Majja]

Thank you all this is giving me plenty of info to sort through and decide I want to start off with 2 or 3 to begin with. And thanks for posting the pics I love to just watch the critters.

 

[Ryan2782]

dicks sporting goods online has good sales on cameras randomly and not advertised, and camo fire. Sometimes on camofire they are refurbished but they tell you in the description. Refurbished doesn't bother me. I have ordered other items from camo fire and they ship promptly.

 

[RedRaider13]

I have been using Trail Cameras in Texas for the past 8 years now. I have bought middle of the road cameras ranging from $60-$150. I have tried many of the brands:
Wildgame - had 3 all Junk
Stealth Cam - had 2 both lasted 1 season
Covert - had 1 worked ok
Browning - Worked well lasted 3 seasons
Moultrie - Currently running 8, 4 are on their 6th season, had one DOA that I returned to store 2 years ago.

My vote is for Moultrie. Best of luck!

 

[muledeerjunkie]

I leave my cameras out all year long and mostly use Moultrie cameras. I prefer the 80, 800, 880 & 888 models, but I've had good luck with their 900 series models too. A couple of my old model 80's are 6-7 years old and still going strong. I would recommend purchasing a higher speed SD card if you are using the 3 shot burst setting, the photos seem to turn out better. I usually wait until black Friday, then buy higher speed SD cards for $5 or $10 each (depending on size).

 

[windymtnman]

I'm reading here that Bushnell is getting some poor reviews. I bought their top model last Winter, because it has a solar panel option, and my last camera ate batteries. What I also like is the microphone feature, as many of my videos do have some audible stuff going on too, which is fun on video. I set my camera to take one still pic, and then automatically begin recording a video, which I can set the time length on. I enjoy the videos more than the still pics.
A bear tore up my solar panel cable and ripped it out of the camera. Bushnell gave me a brand new camera and cable FREE, including shipping. So I was very pleased with that customer service.

 

[kenton]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I have to ask: why do people like moultries? I know its a personal preference and I'm certainly not saying anyone is wrong but I don't get it. Being better than Wildgame Innovations and still cheap is a positive (I guess) but to me they are junk. Again, Im not trying to criticize anyone because they are very popular but I'm honestly curious as to why.

 

[RedRaider13]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I have to ask: why do people like moultries? I know its a personal preference and I'm certainly not saying anyone is wrong but I don't get it. Being better than Wildgame Innovations and still cheap is a positive (I guess) but to me they are junk. Again, Im not trying to criticize anyone because they are very popular but I'm honestly curious as to why.

Because they are the best bang for your buck, and my personal experience is that they outlast just about every other brand out there, at least all the ones I have tried. What are you using that is so much better? I'm always looking for new gear ideas.

 

[kenton]

What are you using that is so much better?

Brownings are way better, the only thing I would change is the programming should have let it stay in IR another 15-20 minutes, the first and last light pics are a little grainy. I would put the newer bushnells and any of my stealth cams over moultries. I would even put primos at the same quality as moultrie. Still nothing as good as old cuddebacks (definitely not the newer ones), have several that have been up 9 months a year for 12 years. Only problem is they won't let me advance the year setting past 10 years from the manufactured date. 8 or 9 cams all did the same thing.