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Thread: Trail Cam Suggestions

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    Trail Cam Suggestions

    Looking at picking up a trail cam or 2 to prep for the upcoming season. Any suggestions or reviews?
    Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. (Job 14:1 KJV)

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  3. #2
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    Jun 2010
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    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Lots and cheap! Just my 2 cents.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
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    599

    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    You definitely get what you pay for. Cheap cams are usually unreliable cams. Moultrie, Stealthcam etc. would not be my first choice. I run Browning and Bushnell only now, got rid of all my other models. They are reasonably priced and are consistent from trigger speed to quality.

    This site is a great resource for comparing cams.

    https://www.trailcampro.com/collecti...camera-reviews
    "The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom."

  5. #4
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    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    On second thought what do i know! Spend as much as you can afford on a high quality camera and put it in a magical spot. That should get the job done. Sorry about the bad advice earlier .

  6. #5
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    Feb 2007
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    Recent Nanaimo transplant to Williams Lake
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    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by wos View Post
    On second thought what do i know! Spend as much as you can afford on a high quality camera and put it in a magical spot. That should get the job done. Sorry about the bad advice earlier .
    I think you were right the first time. You only need a camera to give you a picture or video of what is in your area. You do not need perfect clarity so you can frame for the wall. My buddy and I have been using cams ranging from $50 to $200 each and very few have failed and when any of them get stolen or eaten by a bear it hurts far less lol Only ones that have failed were the higher end $ range. Also two or three times more cameras out would be better than one pricey one in the wrong spot
    "People who know the least always argue the most."

    "You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right, you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    763

    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Some of my most reliable cams have been the cheap $40 ancient tasco special.. in the cold no issues and battery lasts forever ... where as a couple of my u-ways have froze up and the battery drains in a hurry... start with something mid range if you think spending $450 on a camera is within budget go nuts . And no the wind did not trigger the uway to take a million pics for battery drain

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Langley
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    6,032

    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    I go for lots and cheap too. Simmons Whitetail were some of the best I have run into but they don't make them anymore. I have run a bunch year round with few issues.

    I do have a couple expensive ones. A Bushnell and a Browning that are excellent video quality with sound. I would have never bought them for myself but they were gifted to me.

    I have 2 or 3 Stealthcam's kicking around. Not very impressed with the video quality or trigger speed on those but battery life is pretty darn good. Fairly reliable too I guess.

    I ran one higher end moultrie and it packed it in after about 2 weeks.

    I'd be in the same boat if I didnt already have a bunch of cams. I'd probably order some sketchy stuff off Amazon or DX LOL

  9. #8
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    Mar 2006
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    Aldergrove, BC
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    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Go for lots and go cheap. Unless you make a living off social media and need the highest quality videos, why bother spending $200 on one cam?

    I have been running gamepak and apeman ones off Amazon and they have been excellent. One hung up from June to December, got 460 video clips and seemed to stay watertight just fine.

    Like everything, the Chinese have been quite good at copying the better known brands and making cheaper alternatives.

    The amazon ones are usually $75 but I just picked up 2 more for $55 on a 1 day sale.They record up to 1080p and with reasonable quality as well. (Stealth cam ones are useless at higher resolutions due to terrible interpolation). They do record sound as well which is super neat. My cheap stealth cam do not.

    Also, they have screens on them so viewing pics is very easy. This particularly handy when setting the cam and checking that it is aimed correctly. Saves me a bunch of time.

    Trigger speed is 0.3-0.8 seconds, as advertised. I cant confirm that other than to say I'm satisfied with it. Not too many deer getting caught on their way out of the the frame.

    They have been WAY better than the cheap Stealthcam ones.

    If your budget allows get the expensive ones, they will surely be better but at $55 each, I'm gonna stick to the cheap ones.
    Last edited by twoSevenO; 01-10-2019 at 01:00 AM.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
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    599

    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by twoSevenO View Post
    Go for lots and go cheap. Unless you make a living off social media and need the highest quality videos, why bother spending $200 on one cam?
    There's a lot more to a camera than getting a clear pic or video. Lots of cameras will advertise fast trigger speeds or high megapixel ratings which are really just inflated from interpolation. Nothing more frustrating than only having the a** end of a deer or elk on your screen. You can usually find Brownings or Bushnells on for $120-$150, often cheaper on clearance sales from different sites.

    Most guys don't have a clue what they miss when running cheaper cams, especially if they only run it on picture mode. I know because I was one of those guys for a few years. Bought lots for cheap when I was on a student budget. Finally pulled the pin on a better model Browning and ran it on video next to an entry level cam. Couldn't believe how much more that camera picked up than the one right beside it. Sold off the others and started accumulating some better inventory.

    You don't need to break the bank to get into higher quality cameras. They have better trigger speed, detection range, image quality and are much more consistent than an entry level camera. Worth it if you really want to know what's out there.

    Older model Browning. They have only improved since then.
    "The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom."

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Aldergrove, BC
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    Re: Trail Cam Suggestions

    Quote Originally Posted by HighCountryBC View Post
    There's a lot more to a camera than getting a clear pic or video. Lots of cameras will advertise fast trigger speeds or high megapixel ratings which are really just inflated from interpolation. Nothing more frustrating than only having the a** end of a deer or elk on your screen. You can usually find Brownings or Bushnells on for $120-$150, often cheaper on clearance sales from different sites.

    Most guys don't have a clue what they miss when running cheaper cams, especially if they only run it on picture mode. I know because I was one of those guys for a few years. Bought lots for cheap when I was on a student budget. Finally pulled the pin on a better model Browning and ran it on video next to an entry level cam. Couldn't believe how much more that camera picked up than the one right beside it. Sold off the others and started accumulating some better inventory.

    You don't need to break the bank to get into higher quality cameras. They have better trigger speed, detection range, image quality and are much more consistent than an entry level camera. Worth it if you really want to know what's out there.

    Older model Browning. They have only improved since then.
    I have already covered the interpolation and trigger speed in my post for the cheap cams.

    And again, yes, your expensive cams will be better but let's not kid ourselves and talk about how $120 isnt breaking the bank. How many hours of work does it take for you to make $120? Probably 3 for most people. That IS breaking the bank if you can get acceptable results for $55.

    Not all cheap cams are created equal and point of my post was to get people to not buy the cheap stealth cam ones. They are terrible and not worth $30 let alone $70-80.

    Just like LED light bars, cams have come a long way. 10 years ago you pretty much had Rigid light bars and they were like $800. Nowdays you can get Chinese copies for like $70 that work almost as well. They dont last as long but for a fraction of the price you can afford to buy 10 of them.

    Same with cams. They have come a long way.

    I will upload some videos at some point so people can see a comparison in quality

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