Hunting & Fishing Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

[Tikkad]

I have been running cameras for about 6 years now despite the fact that technology has come a long way I feel that the new functions just leed to new problems. I have mostly used Cuddeback and Moultrie. but i have dabbled in just about every brand.

Last weekend after adding to my pile of dead trail cams i went shopping. under the belief system that no trail cam ever lasts i just decided to buy one at a price that would not be to upsetting when it broke.

spent 85 dollars out the door and it is doing great. Its a Wild Game Innovations (not to sure what model)

So I would love to here others reviews on different cameras they have had The Good The Bad & The Ugly. I feel like there has to be one out there that last but until then i will just have to go on the disposable mindset for my game cams

 

[Slapchop]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

Recently I purchased a Bushnell Trophy Cam. The model with the black flash (466) and I have to say so far so good. My only 2 complaints are that it goes thru batteries rather quickly and it doesn't throw out light as far as I'd want it to. I guess I can purchase one of those Xtendir B units.

I was looking at getting the Uway NT50B but I keep hearing negative things about them. The Reconyx units that offer black flash seem pretty air tight but I'm not sure I wanna spend 500-600 bucks on a trail cam.

Like I said before the Bushnell is pretty good, has both video and still shots, a time lapse feature the ability to go up to 8 mega pixels in stills or it can record HD video (1080p). It's reasonably priced also.

 

[boudin]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

A couple weeks ago, my buddy who's farm I hunt on, showed up with an Archers Choice Stealth Cam. Neither of us have ever used trail cameras before, so we were stoaked to try it out. We were pretty impressed with the quality of the pictures and after getting shots of a couple does and 6 pt the first night out, my dad decided he was gonna pick one up as well.

Three days after putting the first one out (1 day after we put second cam out), we noticed a reddish filter located between the camera lens and outer plastic cover, had come loose and slipped down below the lens. Knowing the camera had not be dropped or banged around, we decided to go check on my dad's and see what his looked like. Low and behold, dad's had the same problem. It didn't seem to affect the pictures at all though, day or night. Pops is heading out there tomorrow to check and see what it's caught, and he'll probably take it back and return or exchange it. Not sure what my buddy's doing about his, but it caught this pretty cool picture of a bird coming in to land on the stake.


All in all, it's kinda 'a shame... I like the cam and was gonna get one of my own, but to pay $130 or so and have something broken right out of the box is unacceptable.

 

[bbear]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

I run a few cuddeback Captures. I've been completely satisfied with them, I guess if I had a complaint I would say the battery life could be a little better. Supposedly the new Attack model has better battery life, I plan on ugrading to one of those next year. I'll stop back and post a few shots when I get to my other computer.

 

[hognuts]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

I got three of the Tasco trail cameras from Midway USA and they were only $35 ea. been running them the last two years, they are a little sensitive and I get alot of "nothing" pics, but I bought them because they are cheap and they take pretty decent pictures and have not failed me yet.

taken with my cheapie Tasco game cameras.

 

[redirt78]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

I've used a lot of cheap brands through work, Moultrie and Stealth being two of them. Their low end units are terrible, had a lot of problems with moisture damage, slow triggers, too many blank pics and sorry battery life.

Had a neighbor who has had good luck with the pocket sized Bushnells so I tried one for myself this year. I don't like to use one with a flash, I have noticed that I get more repeat pictures of mature bucks on cams with IR (heavily pressured deer here though).

I have had it take 500+ pics over a three week period without checking it and still have battery power. I think I paid $140 for it at Walmart. Long battery life, a quick trigger and overall good pics, it also fits easily in your front pocket. Now that the deer are moving around a lot here I keep it with me in a ziplok bag, going to put it up on the next rub or scrape I walk by on the way to my stand. It's very portable which most aren't.

 

[Chucky]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

I bought one of the wildgame innovations that has the ir flash and came as a kit. Money well spent so far. It came with a battery box with two rechargeable batteries in it. (2) 2GB memory cards and was a hair over 100 bucks. It is on the same charge since August and takes sometimes as many as 80 pictures a night.

 

[Slapchop]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Hognuts</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got three of the Tasco trail cameras from Midway USA and they were only $35 ea. been running them the last two years, they are a little sensitive and I get alot of "nothing" pics, but I bought them because they are cheap and they take pretty decent pictures and have not failed me yet.

taken with my cheapie Tasco game cameras. </div></div>

Looks like the white flash doesn't bother the game at all. I know with many IR cams the red blob seems to spook them as soon as they see it. I once read somewhere that deer attribute the white flash as lightning and it doesn't bother them. They see the red blob from the IR lights as "eyes" looking back at them hence they get spooked.

 

[redirt78]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

I could be wrong but I don't think young female elk act like the bucks I hunt. I have noticed that I get multiple pics of the same buck from one minute to the next and night after night with IR compared to when I used flash cams. A lot of times with flash cameras set up to take a picture every minute I would only get one shot of the buck working the scrape or rub or mineral site that the camera is watching. Most of the time that buck would be in an "oh shit!" pose and ready to run.

Old bucks around here are like ghosts. I have been running game cameras in central Ga for 10 years and from my experience the IR seems to spook less game. Like I said, everyone's experience could differ, thats just my example. Maybe Georgia bucks don't like to be blinded repeatedly at night, I don't know.

 

[redirt78]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

Usually looked something like this

Maybe its just me, or just the bucks where I hunt but I like IR.

 

[SingleShot85]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

how about little birds.....

 

[264win]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

Dont know about other areas, but here having any kind of a visible [ to humans ] flash seems up the odds getting your camera stolen.

 

[SAATG]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

python locks make it a bit harder to steal them but obviously they can work around that too if they have bolt cutters

 

[redirt78]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

Yeah, sucks to have climbing stands, lock ons and ladders stolen, much less trail cameras.

If anyone is still looking here

<span style="font-weight: bold">Bushnell Trophy Cam</span>

-Fits in your pants cargo pocket (in a ziplock for me)
-Good batteries last forever (longest so far was over 3 weeks and about 600 high def pics)
-Pictures are plenty clear
-shows time/temp/date/moon phase
-fast trigger
-has a long range and adjustable sensitivity
-easy setup
-Does not spook Whitetail (as far as I have witnessed) no flash and no loud click
-Been in the woods non stop/5 months and has no moisture damage

Mine has taken repeated pictures of spooky, mature Southeastern Whitetails (lots of loud or regular flash cams do not)

Once you've set the date, time between shots, mode (really easy) and you are in the woods, you just flip it on, hit setup twice and its ready to take pics.

I got mine on sale about 6 months ago for $140 at Walmart
-------------------------------------------------


I've used Stealth, Wild Game Innovations, older Leaf River, Moultrie and older Cuddebacks and had problems with all of them.

They all had a problem or a mix of them, the main problems were:

-moisture damage to LCD screen
-slow trigger
-short range
-terrible battery life
-hugeness
-grainy pics
-blurry motion pics even in daylight
-Loud shutter
-some had regular flash-spooks some animals


This is the one I have

Bushnell Trophy Cam- Brown 8.0

I would like to try this one

Bushnell HD with color viewer

Overall the little camera has been great. I will stick with Bushnell's new line until I have good reason to change.

 

[TreeMUP]

Re: Game Cams; The Good Bad & Ugly!?!?

Ive never bought the high end models alway had some of the moultrie WalMart specials. Never failed me. Was always worried to purchase the pricey ones and go to the woods and its gone haha so the $100 and below have been my main choice. Would love to have the models that take pic and sends it straight to your email. Ha and if some one does take it you got the face pic sitting in your email. But those units are very expensive to buy....One day...