Cellular Cameras
Whitetail Deer
I'm looking into purchasing some cell cameras. I'm curious as to everyone's opinions. It appears that Tactacams are a good purchase. However, does anyone have any experience with Browning or Exodus? It seems like the up front cost may be more, but the long term cost would even out. Thanks.
Browning are really solid cams have done well for us. Exodus picture quality is subpar and not in the same league as browning or tactacam. For the money tactacam tough to beat
Have had Spypoint, Cuddeback, Tactacam. Tactacam runaway winner from those
I had never tried them before September this year.
In a hunt with a couple friends we had spartan, reconx, and covert cameras out for 6-7 weeks.
My favorite by far was the spartan cameras. They were around $210 each. The picture quality and the functionality off the app was my favorite by far
I’ve had/ got all the moultrie cell cams , 2 spyppoints, and 2 Tactacam.. Tactacam for sure over any model moultrie ..
Had a dozen or so Spypoints. Only 2 still work. Purchased 2 Tactacam Reveal X Pros one works one doesnt. I also purchases 2 Wildgame terre cell and they have worked great so far.
I would concur that spartan cams pics are fantastic. They have been hit or miss for us. When they work they are fantastic
We have about 25 tactacams between our family. 1 of my original year ones stopped working this year (3yrs old) the rest have been flawless
I like the "regular"Brownings but the Tactacams cell plan is cheaper and on par with quality.We have five Tatacams and five Browning regular(videos are great).Getting spoiled with the cells,2 minutes and have a picture.
I have 3 Brownings and 2 tactacam, One original and one X series. Both brands are great. Browning costs more. I would probably go with Tactacam in the future on price. Quality is about the same.
I’m leaning towards getting a moultrie, under $75 with a few thousand good reviews. I’ll have to look at tactical now.
I have just about every brand of cell camera, and they only send me pictures of squirrels and raccoons. They’re all junk.
Another vote for Tactacam. Has been directly responsible for me harvesting game that I otherwise would not have.
I really like my Browning cameras. Have not tried the Tactacam.
I have used moultrie and tactacam. The tactacams are way better than the moultries. I’ll probably never buy another moultrie after all the issues Ive had with them.
No matter the brand- get a solar panel. Cell cams chew through expensive lithium batteries quick
TXCO- lithium batteries in my Tactacam are lasting all season (+5 months)?
I have used moultrie and tactacam. The tactacams are way better than the moultries. I’ll probably never buy another moultrie after all the issues Ive had with them.
No matter the brand- get a solar panel. Cell cams chew through expensive lithium batteries quick
Yup I buy the CVS brand batteries and they work up to a year
I have a tactacam and Covert. I think I like Tactacam better. Also, look for true blackout LED, as I find deer react badly to red glow LED lights.
Last pack of Energizer Lithium's(24) were the same price as a solar panel(Tactacam),no brainer there.
Zero experience with cellular trail cameras...but have been considering a purchase.
Am I reading the advertisements correctly? Does each cellular camera require a monthly or yearly data plan? I assumed the trail camera would simply send photos to my cell phone...but the data plans offerings are confusing for a novice like me.
Muddy 3 pack for 80 bucks
Cell cameras are like having another cell phone;you pay for a service.Tactacam gives a discount for multiple cameras.Don't quote me but I think my "Pro Plan which is unlimited pictures for a year is $120 for the first and discounted for the second and third.Give them a call to check or go to their website. I think my son pays by the month and limited pictures(maybe 200).You can turn off at any time also. Different manufacturers have different prices for service.
pav- Cell cameras are treated like another cell phone. You need a plan, which you typically get through the camera maker. The cost is similar between camera makers. They are pretty good at allowing you to start and stop the plans whenever you want (pay as you go).
I've decided to go with Tactacams. The cameras are reasonably priced ($150 for their best model) and they have an unlimited data plan that's reasonable as well. I don't see any difference (stats wise) with their cameras and the similarly prices Spartans. The kicker is that almost everyone that I spoke to has had great things to say about them.
I'll be running them on a 12-volt battery. I think this will be the cheapest way to keep them running overall. Plus there is a lot less chance for "shine" than with the solar panels.
I will still run a dozen or so Browning regular trail cameras. I still follow the advice I got a couple of years ago about buying Brownings when you see them for under $100. I haven't had any issues with mine yet, and I think the videos I get are good. I also run them with a 256 Gig SD Card so I can hold somewhere between 800-1,000 videos. It allows me to keep them out there for a while. Now, I just need to be better at placement. Sorting through 1,000 pictures of grass swaying is maddening!
Thanks for everyone's help!
For running a bunch of cell cams it costs like $50/month. To run cell cams for 5 months is like $250. That is currently what a tank of fuel costs me, and I use a half a tank back and forth. The ability not to have to go check cams, and the ability not to have to traipse in there leaving your scent all over the place is a no brainer for fuel and scent IMO.
With the Spypoint I found many pics did not go through, so checking the actual cam revealed more photos than I had. With Tactacam that has not been the case. It seems to be quite bang on.
BDA if you haven’t adjusted the sensitivity you will want to do that. The default is 7. As a standard I have moved mine to 6 but in some cases where there is a scrape vine or rope I move them to 5. I always trim away branches or vegetation that will blow all over in heavy winds.
Thanks RIT. I'll have to look into that. I know the main reason I take pictures of grass is just bad placement on my part. I sometimes need a thicker tree that doesn't sway in the wind so much. I think the sensitivity adjustment will be HUGE though.
