Best trail cam for the money?

R

redsnow

Active Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2009
Messages
25
Guys, I've got an old Moultrie trail cam, it works good but will eat up batteries like there's no tomorrow. It takes 6 D-sized batteries, heavy enough to use for the boat anchor too.

I know that trail cams have improved over the years, so many different ones on the market.

What's the best thing going today?
 
I am no expert, but researched on-line and decided on Primos Proof Cam 03. I have 3 of them and so far they seem to do the trick. Battery life is good, pictures are good day and night.
The only complaint is a lot of pictures with nothing in the frame. I assume it's false triggers. They have one of the fastest trigger times so I don't think it is animals stepping out of the picture area before the camera can react. The empty frames don't bother me because I don't think it is missing anything.
Don't have any experience with other cameras.
 
Well, I've asked a few of my friends in person, seems just about all of them have a different brand. As a rule, it's what was on sale!

Seems the Stealth cameras are good, small and compact. Think $115 or so.

Moultrie has one for $130 or so, shipping included.

Another friend just bought 2, forget the brand, but got them for $50 each. But they take C-sized batteries, so I figure they're a little bigger than some cameras.

But last fall I put my old camera up for a week, with new batteries, after 7 days, and some flash pictures, my battery charge was down to 20 %. With D batteries, that's almost $1 per day.

I'm still checking around.

Oh, wanted to comment about your "false" triggers, I've has some, but lots of times after I put the pictures on my computer, I'll find a squirrel or groundhog in the picture. Never know.
 
I like my Moultrie Panoramic camera. I caught it on sale for $150. It takes great pictures day or night. The batteries usually last one season and somewhere around 500 pictured taken. It watches a huge area is the main reason I purchased it. It puts a date, time, temp and moon phase stamp on each picture. You can see an example of the pictures it takes here.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...il-cam-pictures-97447/index4.html#post1185587

Notice the little buck standing about 20' to the right of rhe big buck in the middle. The big buck was approx 20' from the camera when this picture was taken.
 
Check out Chasingame.com – Your source for Scouting Cameras and Information They review all makes and models of trail cameras so You can read in depth comments about several different makes and models and learn how they perform,battery life and picture quality etc.They also have a Section on Home Brew (Build Your Own) Trail Cameras.

Personally I have stayed with the Moultrie Brands and really like the performance of the M-80,m-880i and the M-990i.


I know several other Hunters that really like the newer Browning Cameras and the Bushnells.....the Reconyx are some of the best trail cameras but cost in in the $400.00 - $500.00 + Range.
 
Well, I've checked around, finally decided on a StealthCam, G42ng, found it online for $115, shipping included.

I also did see where the Browning's had a good review and the Moultries too. And some of the expensive cameras, but I'm not looking for picture to frame, and hate to tie up that much money knowing that a bear could trash it.

I set up this Stealth Cam, here inside the house, I had it setting on the kitchen counter watching the door, a good 40' away. Seems like it's got a good wide field of view top to bottom and side to side. It's a good 10 or 12 feet to the fridge from where I had it setting, on my computer I can zoom-in on the pictures and just almost read the handwritten notes. Not quite, but almost.

Seems like a fast trigger speed, coming in the door, it'd get us after about 2 steps. Fairly easy to operate, hopefully I can set it out this weekend, and see what happens.
 
Glad You found a good trail camera....I would reccomend buying a metal lock box for it if You have Bears around where Your setting it up and I would put a good lock on it and possibly one of those Python Cable locks thru it also so it doesn't get stolen!
 
Yes the Stealth camera is doing good for me.

I've had it out since April, finally had to change batteries, being very conservative it had taken over 5,000 pictures. Mostly daytime pictures.

I changed SD cards yesterday, it's on duty now.

Talked to a DNR friend the other day, he showed me video from a Browning trail cam, I'll tell you I was impressed, I could hear that one bobcat walking in the leaves. But in all fairness the bobcat was within 3 feet of the camera. It was a good quality video.

Talking about bear, a friend told me that he mounts his cameras using rubber gloves, to avoid getting any scent on the camera. He said after the camera has been out, aired out and all for a week or 2, bear don't seem to mess with them as much. Don't know? So far, my camera is ok.

I've got my camera mounted up, about 8 feet above ground level. I check it standing on a milk crate, about as high as I can reach, and wedge a twig behind the top to angle it down. People just don't notice stuff above eye level. And without that milk crate, it'd take a little work to be able to steal it.
 
I'm partial to the bushnell trophy cam aggressor low glow IR. Been doing this since there were two brands available, camera flash used to turn them deer inside out turning around when it flashed. Film smell really effected bears my first cam got destroyed by a sow with cubs. Digital brought longer battery life and video as well as no more developing costs and hassles. my current bushnell has a wider motion detector than view range, lot of what looks like false triggers. Don't you love a warm evergreen branch blowing back and forth out front. Dave
 
I will say I have one thing I would change about my cam and will the next one I get, the no glow IR doesn't get the deers attention like even the low glow does. the lithium batteries seem to do well even in below zero temps.
 
So many options and details. I have some cheap and some expensive. Day night black out flash etc. I only use ones that take aa batteries and I use rechargeable. My best day camera are plot watcher and best motion night is a reconyx. Mid price browning and bushnell. Super cheap and work ok are bresser.
 
I've only had a couple. The Moultrie was good, but was stolen. I paid $145 for a Stealth and couldn't get it to work, CS didn't care.
I'm now using a Tacticam Reveal and am impressed with it.
 

Similar threads

C
Best trail camera for $300???
Replies
10
Views
6K
squirrelduster
S
T
Trail cam pictures
Replies
2
Views
3K
TXAoudadKlr
T
R
Bushnell Trail Cam Thoughts?
Replies
0
Views
3K
RugerHawg413
R
H
Bobcat Trail Cam Pic
Replies
7
Views
4K
SidecarFlip
SidecarFlip
B
Czech trail cam results
2
Replies
25
Views
12K
BushcrafterCZ
B

Recent Posts

Top