Trail Cam Suggestions

[HighCountryBC]

From the first Bushnell I bought. Still going strong after being in the field year round for a few seasons. Have acquired quite a few more since then.

[hunter1947]

I have 10 wild game evolutions they all work great average price is 110.00





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[DStewart]

As others have mentioned, I wouldn’t worry about the cheaper ones for their image quality, but rather missing animals. I don’t care about the photo/video quality, I just hate the idea of investing a few months into a camera and missing something. I would recommend the Cabelas brand cams. They can be relatively affordable, and also come with a screen to test placement.

[hunter1947]

Here is the wildgame cam thats costs a person around 110.00 this cam took the pictures I posted on this tread,,it can also take videos

[Wild one]

I have a mix of cheap ( old tasco that is huge lol ) to mid range browning( I don’t remember all the brands I have lol). Here is what I have figured out if you have poor trigger speed the cam is still useful but you need to set the cam so the animal will be in frame for an extended time. So yes cheap cams are still worth buying but you are limited to how you can set them and be effective. I would not rely completely cheap cams but a mix works for me

I don’t run bait or minerals so all trail, pinch point, and funnel set up

poor trigger speed cams I use them on tight trails and funnels so the animal will be walking towards or away from the cam for an extended period of time. Basically point them down a straight stretch

wider trails, intersections, and anywhere I think animals may pass by giving a limited window I use my better quality cams

In my opinion a mix makes it cost effective and gives you the ability to cover more ground but you need to pick locations according to the cams trigger speed

[twoSevenO]

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

[HighCountryBC]

As others have mentioned, I wouldn’t worry about the cheaper ones for their image quality, but rather missing animals. I don’t care about the photo/video quality, I just hate the idea of investing a few months into a camera and missing something. I would recommend the Cabelas brand cams. They can be relatively affordable, and also come with a screen to test placement.

This post is accurate.

Image quality is not real high on the list in terms of what most guys who are serious about scouting look for in a camera. Most cameras on the market have decent image quality from the low end right on up.

Trigger speed, detection field/range and consistency are the first few qualities that come to mind.

As has been said already, most guys don't have a clue what they are missing out there (guaranteed twoseveno is missing stuff with those cams.). I know I didn't until I looked at upgrading. Some guys just want to capture a few cool pictures/videos and for that, an entry level camera will do the job most days. If you really want to get a sense of the inventory in your area and make sure you're missing as little as possible those cams aren't going to perform how you want.

Most hunters don't have the time to run a lot of cams. What's better, running 12 cameras for $75 that half-a** get the job done (with half probably sitting on the shelf) or 6 really solid cameras for $120-$150 that perform when put to the test?

[twoSevenO]

12 that "half ass" at $75 hands down.

First, have you anti-cheap cam guys actually tried cheap cams in the last year or two? Have you set them side by side with an expensive one and then compared the captured footage later? How do you know twoseveno is missing stuff out there? .... sounds like pure speculation to me at this point

Second, with a 12 cam coverage you are bound to produce much better results overall even if you lose the ocassional pic or two.

Third, I rarely get running deer on my cams where trigger speed of 0.2 seconds would help me over 0.7. Its just not that frequent in the real world, in MY areas.

The biggest feature for me is range (especially night time). More so than a couple milliseconds faster trigger time.

If you're getting ass end of a deer frequently you obviously have your cam aiming to work on, OR they are all crossing too close to your cam.

Again, I'm not knocking expensive cams, but standing up for the cheap ones. I've been running cheap cams for 2 years now, and I've gotten plenty of satisfactory results. Follow me on Instagram and see for yourself.

[Wild one]

12 that "half ass" at $75 hands down.

First, have you anti-cheap cam guys actually tried cheap cams in the last year or two?

Second, with a 12 cam coverage you are bound to produce much better results overall even if you lose the ocassional pic or two.

Third, I rarely get running deer on my cams where trigger speed of 0.2 seconds would help me over 0.7. Its just not that frequent in the real world, in MY areas.

The biggest feature for me is range (especially night time). More so than a couple milliseconds faster trigger time.

If you're getting ass end of a deer frequently you obviously have your cam aiming to work on, OR they are all crossing too close to your cam.

Again, I'm not knocking expensive cams, but standing up for the cheap ones. I've been running cheap cams for 2 years now, and I've gotten plenty of satisfactory results. Follow me on Instagram and see for yourself.

I agree how you set your cam is a huge factor most overlook and the newer cheap cams are not bad. The old brick tasco I still run is real crap compared to the new cheap stuff and it still does the job

Only thing I like with the mid range and higher cams is the view screen so I don’t need to use my viewer

You can easily get by with cheap cams and being able to set more locations is better then quality cams.

[HighCountryBC]

12 that "half ass" at $75 hands down.

First, have you anti-cheap cam guys actually tried cheap cams in the last year or two? Have you set them side by side with an expensive one and then compared the captured footage later? How do you know twoseveno is missing stuff out there? .... sounds like pure speculation to me at this point

Second, with a 12 cam coverage you are bound to produce much better results overall even if you lose the ocassional pic or two.

Third, I rarely get running deer on my cams where trigger speed of 0.2 seconds would help me over 0.7. Its just not that frequent in the real world, in MY areas.

The biggest feature for me is range (especially night time). More so than a couple milliseconds faster trigger time.

If you're getting ass end of a deer frequently you obviously have your cam aiming to work on, OR they are all crossing too close to your cam.

Again, I'm not knocking expensive cams, but standing up for the cheap ones. I've been running cheap cams for 2 years now, and I've gotten plenty of satisfactory results. Follow me on Instagram and see for yourself.

No one is arguing you can't get some decent pics if that's all you're after. How many of those cams do you leave out year round? - I know the answer.

Yes we have compared cameras - Ourea has probably compared more cams than anyone on this site and I know what he will say. I have compared numerous entry level models side by side with mid-higher range ones and that is why I switched.

Most guys don't have the time to effectively run 6 cams, let alone twice that. Even with the best intentions, a lot of cameras spend more time on the shelf than they do in the field. Much rather run something reliable at a little more cost. With the competition among companies, a guy doesn't need to break the bank to purchase quality.

Guys are no doubt missing a lot more with those cameras than they know. If you don't mind sacrificing that to save a few dollars then $75 Amazon cams are the way to go.

This is not a knock, but you're relatively new to the game. I remember you saying the same thing about backpacks. Then you went and bought a SG.