Game Cam Buy

[Kentucky Colonel]

Last season, my friends and I lost a couple game trail cameras to 'opportunists' 
even though we were on private property.

I think it was this guy...

Jerky bear... :tongue:

While I did not lose any cameras, a close friend lost two so I let him have my new one. 
That means I have been in the market for a new camera. This year, I want to cover a little 
more territory so I am starting with two and may go up to three. 

I think spending hundreds on one camera is a little pointless so I looked at only trail cams under $100.00. 
I waded through all the legitimate reviews and compared features so my short list may be of interest. 

The following were the final 5 after reading, reading, reading... Two are on the way to my door and 
I will let you know about them. As you all know, I am an unpaid, amateur, average Joe hunter. So, 
all opinions are just that.

Stealth Cam P18 7 Megapixel Scouting Camera, Amazon - $77.27

Wildgame Innovations K7B5G Cloak 7-7MP Digital Lightsout Trail Camera, Amazon - $55.00

TEC.BEAN Trail Camera Hunting Game Camera, HD 12MP 1080P 120 Degree Wide Angle Infrared Night Vision, 2.3 inch LCD Screen, Waterproof  IP56 Wild Game Innovation Trail Cam, Amazon - $99.99

APEMAN Trail Camera Hunting Game Camera w/Infrared Night Versio, 2.4 inch LCD Screen, PIR Sensors, IP54 Spray Water Protected, Amazon - $59.99

Browning Strike Force HD Camera, Amazon - $104.99

I also only really looked at those with camo shells. The following were negatives for each.

CONS

1. Stealth Cam: 

Con: This was more expensive than other options that seemed to be compatible for less. 


2. Wildgame: 

Con: I have used Wildgame before. I liked it, but I use an Apple computer. It caused some compatibility issues. Images are usable, but not as crisp as others on the market. 


3. Browning: 

Con: They are always competent, but seemed to lean heavily on their name for the price asked. 
It was frequently slightly out done by cheaper offerings. Price.


4. APEMAN:

Con: This will sound strange, but I found their product descriptions more difficult to read through. 
It made me wonder if I would have the same problem with the instructions.


5. TEC.BEAN: 

Con: The price. And, the fact I wanted to play with all the options. Bad for my judgement.

PROS 

1. Stealth Cam: A lot of reviews sing this ones praises. It also comes with batteries and a memory card for the price.

2. Wildgame Innovations: I knew it to be dependable from experience. Reviews say it had only improved.

3. Browning: This unit seems all around solid and made frequent appearances in top ten lists. 

4. APEMAN: This seemed to pack a lot of bells and whistles for the price range.

5. TEC.BEAN: There were some write ups on this one that made it seem a very sexy option.

Any guesses as to what choice I made? Some of these options had unit locking personal pass codes 
to prevent others from 're-tasking' your trail cam. While I am interested, this did not make or break 
my decision at this price range.

 

[patocazador]

I don't own a game camera because I hunt public land and don't want to "gift" a camera to a thieving stranger.
Two of the most important things I would look for is (1) a quick trigger (you don't want to see the ass of the animal, you want to see its head) and (2) long-lasting batteries for obvious reasons.

A 3 megapixel camera is good enough since you want information not photos suitable for display. A remote feature to be able to access your pictures from home would be nice but not mandatory.

 

[Buck Conner1]

I use a Browning Strike Force HD Camera and am pleased with its performance. Found two of them in Cabelas Bargain Cave on sale, couldn't pass on them as they both had all the paperwork and warranty cards. Have been using them for several years now.

 

[JLBSparks]

I bought a Wildgame Innovations about 10 years ago. It worked 4 or 5 days . I returned it and have never bought another trail camera.

   -Joe

 

[Smokin' Joe]

I have a Browning Recon Force model# BTC7-FHD.  It takes great pics.  I set it so it would shoot 3 pics each series instead of one.  The one feature I didn't like was that you see the infrared red lights blinking when taking pics in the dark.  I thought it was a "black-out" camera when I bought it.  Deer always see it and so can other people if they walked by.  If I purchased another one it would definitely be a black-out camera....no red lights blinking!

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I hear you JLB and Smoking' Joe. I would not have passed that up, either Buck. 

However, I ordered before posting this thread. Guessing what I got was part of the fun. I thought. :suspect:

The first one arrived and I am setting it up for a test tonight. Joe? Fortunately, they have improved 
during the last decade. This is selection number 1. I'll let you know. 

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

The second trail cam arrived before I could get the first set up for a test. 
I have family visiting. None of them hunt. 

As you can see, it arrives with batteries and SD card. So, it prices out higher to start with, 
but is really not as bad as it looks since the others on the list do not come with these essentials.

 

[Marty1]

I've had a BUSHNELL Trophy Cam Standard Edition now for several years with no complaints.   All trail pics I've posted here on the forum used this Cam.   I get false triggers every now and then likely due to positioning/settings, but it's not a big deal with a 32 GB Card.  

 It's out right now assessing this years :shooter:  outlook.  

 

[Smokin' Joe]

One tip when setting out your game cam.  This might seem elementary but, "Don't point the camera where the sun can shine on the lens".  Try to place it in a very shady spot or point it in a "Northern" direction.  You'll find this out when you get home and review your pics the first time.  

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

One tip when setting out your game cam.  This might seem elementary but, "Don't point the camera where the sun can shine on the lens".  Try to place it in a very shady spot or point it in a "Northern" direction.  You'll find this out when you get home and review your pics the first time.  

Great tip, Joe. It is easy to forget that after a hike in and at a different time of day. 
Much appreciated.

Marty is ahead of me, dang it!

 

[Whokalouie]

Marty........I have two of the Bushnell trophy cams with view screen <a href='/tags/119577' rel='nofollow' title='See all tagged subjects with: #119577'>#119577</a>, is this what you have?

They have worked very well for us and took the 2013 bear over bait pictures that the Colonel posted for me.

I also have a Wildgame cam bought locally five years ago on a close out at a ridiculous low price that takes photos better or equal to the Bushnell. I only wish I had bought all three that were left!

John

 

[exMember]

wildgame makes really good cameras. I've only had one issue with one that lasted years, but the SD memory card read went bad and I had to run off internal memory.

 

[mark1945]

I have went thru several of the brands you listed and never had a single 1 to last more then a year if I was lucky enough to get that much. A few years ago I bought 2 Moultrie cameras have them at my lease year around batterys last 6-8 months havent had a single issue with either 1 and they are getting close to 4 years old .

 

[Marty1]

Marty........I have two of the Bushnell trophy cams with view screen <a href='/tags/119577' rel='nofollow' title='See all tagged subjects with: #119577'>#119577</a>, is this what you have?

They have worked very well for us and took the 2013 bear over bait pictures that the Colonel posted for me.

I also have a Wildgame cam bought locally five years ago on a close out at a ridiculous low price that takes photos better or equal to the Bushnell. I only wish I had bought all three that were left!

John

Looks like you have a model-up from mine...I have the 119456 Trophy model.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Wonder what our forefathers did without all this modern crap we now want to depend on ???   Maybe stay out in the woods, stay later in the field, know how to stalk, pay attention to what the game is doing and how they move around all come to mind. 

These are not store bought packaged skills sets, they are hard learned skills that seems most aren't willing to put any effort into today. Like the trail cameras we are talking about (used because most don't have the time or want to spend what time they have doing the above, we all understand that one).

In Utah they let you use an in-line with a scope for muzzle loading season !@#$%^  Use to hear about the 175 and up yard shots made (never hear about the wounded game that got away and left to waste.)  

What the hell ever happened to the idea of a special season and how everyone wanted to use this season 30 years ago as a PRIMITIVE HUNTING SEASON ONLY - NOT A MODERN RIFLE SEASON SHOOTING A PRIMITIVE POWDER ??? Thanks to the greed of these companies offering the in-lines that should have had their own season, (another season going down the tubes.)

What are your thoughts on these changes that most didn't want and how big money has screwed up another one of our liberties.  I hear the same thing about traditional bows over compounds and their devises to make them shoot faster, straighter, etc.  Now the "air bows" have appeared in there field....

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

I would happily take the whole season hunting to take my deer. 
Very happily, as I like the woods. I would stalk hunt one day. Stand hunt another. 
I would go with friends and without. My skills would rise as well because of all this 
time and experience. As I manage to make smoke at least twice a month, I feel pretty 
certain I would live up to my expectations and hunt the woods at least as often. 

(Sigh)

BUT, unlike my forefathers... I have ONE weekend out of an entire year to legally take my deer... 
IF I am lucky enough to win a draw in the lottery. I am also limited in how I can take my deer 
during that weekend. (Yes, I can buy land, pay guides, lease, and/or get land owner's permissions. 
My forefathers rarely needed this, either.)

So, I don't think our Great Grandpas would mind that we took the occasional tech advantage for the 
narrow window that we have.

The other part of your question is different; "Are we fairly managing our hunting with good sense?" 
No, I don't believe we are doing as well as we could be doing.

 

[Buck Conner1]

At my age my wife wouldn't let me do as in the past, now have to take a friend with me (old hunting buddy of 40 years).  We spend a week scouting during the summer and then return to the area scouted two weeks before the season we will hunt. The easiest tags to get are for the late January season (modern rifle) we still use the flinters. We have found most don't like snow or wading in it up to your crouch. You take your time and move to where you'll setup and watch the game trails just like our forefathers. Our hours are shorter in January but cell phones have made getting meat out easier with other friends still having pack animals within a few miles. I still have access to my old smoke house on the ex-wife's property (good place to leave the animals for a few weeks) until taken to my home 275 miles away. We have done this for the past 10 years and I'm afraid my hunting time is growing shorter these days, but I have great memories of some fun hunts and better camps.

 

[Marty1]

No doubt technology advancements such as trail cams continue to provide more options on how we approach hunting.   The pros and cons of improvements and advancements have infinite opining.   After hunting for nearly 50 years I needed to look back for a moment and see how technology has changed the way I hunt.  Bottom line…not a significant change at all.  The foundation I learned about hunting came without the use of trail cams.  Give me a topo of a new area today and I’ll hunt it tomorrow with a magnetic compass.

Trail Cams have been a standard hunting tool for me over the past several years.   My only con is leaving a man-made object in the wild.   I come across trail cams every year and they usually spoil my outdoor experience for a moment.  On the pro side, trail cams sprinkled here-n-there and everywhere simply post man’s presence.    For that reason I avoid hunting areas where I’ve seen a cam.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

Prelim report... 

The Stealth Cam and the Wildgame cam were set up on a test run over night. 
(It actually became two nights as I discovered I needed a different USB cable 
for my viewer. Nertz!)

Surprises... The camera I expected trouble from was well mannered. The one I expected 
to work with easily, disappointed.

Stealth Cam FAIL:
While it successfully shot pics of my ugly mug during set up in the house, it failed to capture a single 
frame out of doors. I am a bit puzzled as I made sure to stomp my big feet in front of it with the dog at different times of the day. Nada. It is odd. The set up on this cam was twice the time that it took the other one. This is in trouble shooting mode. 

Wildgame cam SUCCESS:
Not only did it capture me, my dog, and a stray cat during different times of the day, it captured another sneaky feline trespassing during the night. Day quality was very nice. See for yourselves. Night quality was a little less sharp. The resulting pic from that was blurry enough that it made me think I had a weasel in the yard before I could get it blown up for a better look. Also, when the dog moved fast, the camera seemed to distort him, changing size, shape, and color for parts of him. Weird. But, This cam is ready for the woods as soon as I can manage it.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Black Panther!!  Nice.