Trail camera advise
Connecticut
I want to purchase a new trail camera and I want something as small as possible and one that does not use a flash. I want to use it as much for scouting as for use in catching the person that stole 2 tree stands from one of the properties that I hunt. The camera I have now is a Moultrie and it is large and not easy to conceal. Any recommendations?
The Bushnell trophy cam is hard to beat for size, price and performance. Last year they came out with a blackout model. I haven't tried one yet. But, if they are like the infra reds they should be awesome.
I bought a wildgame innovations infared last year and it's a great little camera. Great battery life small easy to use it was on sale for 100 at Dicks normally 150. I run 6 cameras nearly all year round and Primos truth cams are great also and relatively cheap I have two that have been out for 3 years at times buried in the snow, have never failed but those are not as compact. The wildgame innovations has been out for nearly a year now and works great too and by far the best battery life of any camera i have and I have primos, cuddybacks and wildgame innovations.
I thought the Wildgame cams were great but it seems for me they last one season then dont work. This happened to two out of two cams. Now I have the Moultrie M80 and Walmart 50 dollar cams. So far so good.
I tried a primos truth cam this year, love it. Small and takes good pictures.
I've been using a Primos Truth Cam 46 for two years now and they work great, but I have noticed a trend over the years with trail cams and that is after two or three years they seem to crap out...so far it hasen't mattered what make or model...I have had two CuddiBacks, a Moultry and a Bushnell before my current Truth Cam and all died afterThree years of use...I haven't laid out the cash for the real expensive cams yet like Reconyx so maybe thats the way to go
Good reviews: http://www.trailcampro.com/trailcamerareviews.aspx
Ya V I think you have hit on something...the reviews are nice but they only review a new camera...all the cameras I have had work great when they are brand new...maybe somebody should do a follow up review after three season to see who comes out on top then
Every camera I bought just seemed to stop working! I swear they a have a self destruct timer!
I'm with you DeerDan...and I understand that they are not going to last forever but could we get maybe 5 years out of them before they self destruct? is that too much to ask?
I hear good things about spypoint. I need one or two more might give them a shot.
I bought 5 Cuddeback's from Bass Pro when they were on sale. I also bought one extended warranty (3 Years) that BP offers ($15 or so).
If any break I get a full refund. It's been 2 Years now and no issues yet.
Gene,
People have laughed at me for buying a Tasco for $50 at Walmart. It's 3MP and takes four AA batteries. I've yet to change the batteries in it. I had it out from Sept. - Dec. last year and now in my yard for the last month. I usually get 600-800 pics every 2 days in my yard. It works great and I would buy more. It's small and easy to use.
If you want more info just PM me for the model number.
I had 3 of the tasco $50 cams. Two work great and the third, you should ask the person that borrowed it from water company.
http://chasingame.com/
Some good reviews here.
I personally recommend the bushnell cams from years of experiencing nothing but positive results with them. And the bear box is good for custom decorating to hide as well as deterring thieves who may spot it.
I can't say enough about the Browning Range Ops (BTC-1, 2013) for the price. I have purchased 2 within the past 4 months for under $75 each w/free shipping on eBay. Like Griz mentioned above, I thought I'd never buy another trailcam after using the Bushnell Trophy Cam 8.0mp. However, I read the reviews from TrailCamPro (attached supporting link) and they gave the Range Ops very good reviews - better than some 2-3x more expensive and the battery life is worthy (6 months) but unlike the Bushnell Trophy Cam (1year+).
I would be very leery to place trailcam in the same area where your stands got ripped off. I've found even if your stuff is cable locked, if someone wants to steal it, they'll steal it. I would recommend getting your climber and placing trailcam about 12-15ft off the ground, focusing towards the particular area you expect the poachers to be entering/traveling. I can attest The BTC1 has a detection range of 50-70ft during daylight hours. Its listed as having a super impressive trigger speed of .68 seconds and very worthy recovery speed of 2.1 seconds. The dimensions are small, similar to the Bushnell Trophy Cam, 5" x 4" x 2.75". Also know that these infrared cameras still give off a bright red light during darkness hours. What I've done in the past is to place ducktape over the area where the LED lights are so they don't spook deer, as well as thieves. You won't get any good night photos, but chances are thieves are stealing stuff during daylight hours.
By the way, the TrailCamPro website (supporting link) has all kinds of information regarding any and every trailcam and does a number of random tests (trigger & recovery speed, detection area, night time photos, battery life, etc ) without any bias.
Guys - Thanks for the info. I will look at the cameras mentioned and order something soon. Smoothie - I like the idea of mounting the camera up high and blocking off the LED. I would love to see our local state trooper have a chat with this trespasser/thief if we can get him on film. I'm going to retrieve my big boxy Moultrie which I have set up on a crossing by a beaver dam this weekend. Hopefully I will have some "new buck photos" to post.
