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Trail Cameras - Buying Guide Part II
Trail Cameras - Trail Cams
Digital trail cams are more expensive ranging anywhere from one hundred dollars up to the three hundred dollar range with video scouting systems in the range of $900. Assuming you buy mid-range cameras you'll probably spend around $200.00 for the camera however digital cameras don't require film or film developing like 35mm cameras. All you need to store the images from the cameras is your home computer. Simply hook your camera up to the computer via a wire supplied with the trail cam and the software also supplied by the trail cam manufacturer will do most of the work transferring the images on the camera to the computer. Since digital trail cam don't require an ongoing investment besides batteries in the long run they are the better choice in trail cameras. When trail cams first came out almost all were film, however with technology changing quickly and consumers demanding digital most trail cameras manufactured today use digital cameras.
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Digital Trail Cameras
If you do decide to buy one of the many digital trail cameras then the next decision you are faced with is how many Mega-pixel cameras do I need. All digital cameras are advertised with their Mega pixel count. Think of Mega pixels as building blocks to create the image from the trail cameras. The digital image from trail cameras is formed by millions of Mega pixels in rows and columns to create the image on the trail. The MP (Mega pixels) for most trail cameras run in the 1.3 to 4 range with several of today's more popular cameras coming in at 2 to 3 mega pixels. Usually the more mega pixels the cameras offer the higher the cost. Now here's a warning about digital cameras. Just because they may be a 4-megapixel cameras doesn't mean the images it displays will be 4-megapixels. A lot of the overall image quality from cameras is the software within the cameras and how it is able to manage and display images. Some trail cameras have lesser mega pixel ratings, but still produce finished images as good as or better than some of the higher end cameras with increased mega pixels. Sony recently introduced a 5 mega pixel line of cameras for home consumers. I'm sure they are great cameras, however this is a full mega pixel better than what most professional photographers use for cameras. The difference is in the software used by the cameras. My advice here is thoroughly look over what the trail cameras manufacturer has to say, buy a brand you've heard of and read as many reviews of trail cameras as you can. In addition ask a friend or two to see some of the images they've taken from their trail cameras and review them yourself. You might be very surprised to see that some of the lower priced cameras rival the high end cameras.
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How do trail cams work- Trail Cams are for the most part simple to use. Simply find a trail showing a good bit of sign that the trail is being used by wildlife and set your cameras up in a position on the trail allowing good visibility for the cameras. The camera is placed a few feet off the trail at the level you would expect the cameras to get pictures of wildlife using the trail. Let's say you want to see what bucks are running that particular trail. I would place the trail cam about three to four feet off the ground, preferably on tree which has an unobstructed view of the trail. Some of today's cameras have laser aiming features included so you can aim the camera precisely where you want the picture taken on the trail. On other cameras you do much of the aiming by eye and then make movement at that point in the trail at which time the cameras will often expose a light or even in some cases the flash will go off.
I often avoid simply putting the cameras on just any trail and instead mount the cameras only on a trail overlooking a scrape. Although doe will regularly use a trail with a scrape on it, sooner or later the buck that made the scrape will come down the trail and at that point your cameras lens will be in perfect position to snap a picture.
You may want to avoid putting your cameras up on a trail that receives a lot of traffic from outsiders and you will the cameras to be placed on the trail as hidden as possible. Cameras on a trail have a way of attracting a lot of attention if it they stand out and once someone spots it along a trail you'll be lucky if you just get a lot of pictures of them looking at it, but there is a possibility they may decided to take the cameras with them. More than once now my cameras have had the film taken from them or memory cards removed from the cameras. After much thought I realized these are people using the trail or land who don't have permission to be there. Once the cameras take their picture on the trail they feel they don't have a choice but take any evidence of them being on the trail with them. Trail Cam Security- Trail cams are expensive pieces of equipment to leave along a trail which is why most manufacturers provide some sort of security to protect their cameras. Simply put having your cameras locked against a tree is better than just leaving it along a trail with no with no protection whatsoever.
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There are a couple of good trail cam protection locks on the market, and even some cameras which deactivate if they are broken into or tampered with, but the bottom line is if the wrong people come down the trail and spot your cameras positions if they want the cameras they are going to get them even if it means coming back the next day with bolt cutters or a saw to take the entire tree down. The best way to protect your cameras is to put them on the trail in a place that isn't to obvious and secure your cameras in some way that will make a thief have to work to get your cameras. Some trail cam manufacturers are offering high end camo for the cameras to blend into the background of the trail. If you are going to buy a couple of trail cams worth over $400 I would suggest spending an extra twenty to buy the upgraded camo or even buy some camo tape to match the surroundings of the trail you be placing your cameras.
There are a different ways trail cameras know when to snap the picture; however it's some form of infrared heat or motion detector mounted within the cameras. The buck comes down the trail and the cameras sense heat/motion and reacts by taking a picture. Most trail cams have the ability to adjust how long the cameras waits before taking a second or third picture in order for you to avoid taking a dozen pictures of a single doe walking around your trail cam. I like to set my cameras to take pictures every 15 seconds, but not more than six pictures at the same time. This setup has worked well for me as often does will lead a buck down a trail.
Bushnell Trail Cameras
Bushnell Trail Cameras have been redesigned for 2006. Bushnell's top of the line trail camera is called the Trail Scout with Night Vision Technology. The Bushnell Trail Scout Camera NV was upgraded and now all units feature 3.0 MP Digital Cameras providing all the resolution you need to get great pictures of the wildlife on the trail you monitor. Bushnell decided to lower the price on their improved trail cams bringing the MSRP to $349.00. This trail camera comes with a remote allowing you to activate the flash to make the trail camera easier to locate in the dark. For an extra twenty dollars you can buy the Bushnell Trail Scout Cameras in Mossy Oak Shadow Branch to hide your cameras from anyone waliking the trail. The better you can keep your trail camera concealed the less chance you have of people tampering with it or stealing. Features such as the Mossy Oak Shadow Branch will conceal your cameras.
Bushnell's second line of trail cameras is the 3.0 MP Trail Scout. These cameras have been upgraded this year featuring better cameras that will produce both still and moving video in 3.0 MP resolution. In addition these trail cameras can now detect game out to 90 feet from your cameras position on the trail. MSRP for these cameras is now $249.
The 2.1 Trail Scout Cameras are another Bushnell offering in the trail camera arena taking as the name says 2.1 MP still pictures and video. Its infrared trail sensor detectz motion out to 90 feet on the trail and the built in flash on this trail camera is good out to 30 feet away from the cameras location on the trail. Bushnell states that although these trail cameras are technically advanced they are all very easy to get setup and use. All three of Bushnell's trail cameras are powered by four D batteries. Both Trail Scout models use a motion sensor LED while the Trail Scout 3.0 NV uses an impressive laser pointer to aim the trail cameras precisely on the trail. All three of the trail cameras from Bushnell have time and date stamps. The lack of a time and date stamp on cameras is often heard in our Trail Camera Reviews section which some cameras still don't offer. To truly use your trail camera for scouting purposes having a time-date stamp is extremely important.
I've included the Bushnell Trail Sentry Trail Cams completely separate from the other trail cameras Bushnell offers, because these are the entry level cameras from Bushnell. The Trail Sentry series cameras includes two cameras with VGA and 2.1 MP color digital cameras that let hunters monitor their favorite trails 24/7 so they can identify the most productive hunting areas or trails. With MSRPs of $99 and $149, the Trail Sentry Cameras are affordable and easy to use on the trail. Trail Sentry Cameras are great cameras for someone just trying trail cameras for the first time or someone who wants to invest in several deer cameras at once so they can position them on trails throughout their hunting territory. The new Trail Sentry Trail Cameras provide extended battery life, faster trigger times.
The VGA Trail Sentry Trail Cameras produces high quality, color photos and is equipped with an enhanced 1.3 MP cameras setting for greater clarity. The 2.1 MP Trail Sentry Trail Camera takes high and low resolution images. Both digital trail cameras can take still images or video. These cameras are easy to setup, and controlled by four toggle switches which allow you to control most of the cameras functions. Trail Sentry Cameras sell for $99.00 and the 2.1 MP model Trail Sentry sell for $149. Visit Bushnell at www.bushnell.com.
Stealth Cam in my opinion seemed to have a jump on the rest of the manufacturers of trail cameras. My first two trail cams were Stealth Cams. My experience with Stealth Cams trail cameras was less than satisfactory and could have easily turned me off to the use of trail cameras. The very first two I tested was the 1.3 mega pixel trail cameras which had a habit of reacting to the sun on the trail by taking every picture available. At first I thought perhaps I had set it up wrong on the trail, but soon discovered after a few days of experimenting this camera only worked well for me in the shade. Another disappointing aspect was the Stealth Cam 1.3 Mega pixel trail cameras ate batteries daily. If you are scouting trails near or around your house this isn't such a bad thing, but some of my trails are two hours away which didn't make the Stealth Cam trail camera very advantageous.
Our Trail Camera Reviews section shows Stealth Cam trail cameras receiving several bad ratings. One user submitted multiple reviews in our trail camera reviews area stating the only trail he was seeing with this camera was the trail between him and his mailbox to send it back. In fact some of the reviews seemed irate I'm sure Stealth Cam is working out the problems in their past trail cameras, but for the moment I wouldn't suggest buying one until we receive mostly positive reviews in our Trail Camera Reviews area.
Moultrie Game Cameras have two different trail cameras models. They are the Moultrie Game Spy 100 trail cameras and Moultrie Game Spy 200 trail cameras. The Game Spy 100 trail cams features a 1.3 mega pixel digital cameras with a built in expandable memory option allowing you to put in larger memory cards to hold more pictures on the trail camera. Pictures on the Game Spy 100 Trail Camera can be taken in single still photos, ten second video clips or anywhere from one to three still photos in a single burst from the trail camera. The ability to take multiple pictures in a burst with a single activation is a nice function and one I've found useful when mounting my trail cameras on tight trails where the deer may be hustling to get through the trail. One great feature on both of the Moultrie Cameras is they run off six-volt batteries which will give them more battery life than many of the scouting cameras which use the D batteries. Moultrie claims their Game Spy 200 Trail Cameras a single six volt battery will last an amazing six weeks due to their improved electronics. The way I look at it is even if I get only half that amount of battery life from my trail camera that's a big win over most of the other trail cameras on the market today. MSRP of these Trail Cams is $119.99.
The second Moultrie Trail Camera is the Game Spy 200. The cameras on the Moultrie Game Spy 200 is a 3.1 mega pixel which gives it a clearer resolution than the Game Spy 100 Trail Cameras. The camera has many of the same features as well; however a few added functions including temperature, moon phase and location on each image, along with the date and time. I like the fact it provides the location as after a few weeks you'll find your computers hard drive loaded with digital trail images many of which look so similar it's hard to distinguish exactly what trail the picture was taken from. If you're like me and plot the trails your scouting camera takes images on trying to pinpoint exactly where each buck's core area is then you'll find this to be a great benefit of these trail cameras. One last note on the Game Spy 200 it also has a laser aim that allows you to adjust the trail cameras target area on the trail precisely. MSRP of these cameras is $199.99 which is a value.
Our Trail Camera Reviews on Moultrie are mixed, leaning toward good. One item I would like to note is it appears Moultrie is improving their trail cams each year and some of the models listed in our Trail Camera Review area they no longer make. I also like the fact they seem to be putting their effort into building two good cameras for watching trails and not several cameras. I hope to do a full Editor's review of these deer cameras in the future.
Leaf River- Leaf River Trail Cameras haven't received a lot of reviews in our Trail Camera Reviews area, but their worth taking a look at because the trail cam reviews we have received are very positive. I believe they offer seven different models of scouting cameras including one to match every budget or trail need. I'll review a couple of them here.
Their top of the line is the Leaf River IR Scouting Cameras which features an excellent four mega pixel rivaling many home cameras. The pictures you receive off of these cameras are of excellent quality. With these cameras you can choose to take video clips of 3 to 90 seconds depending upon visibility of your trail or field. The Early Detection PIR Sensor has five detection zones to trigger the cameras shutter just after the deer enters the picture window of the trail which almost doubles the time allowed for the trail camera to capture the picture before the deer exits the trail. There is also a quick shot mode to capture a second or third picture before the cameras goes into pause mode. This is a great feature of these cameras. You can adjust the number of pictures the camera takes of the trail before going in pause mode. You do this in order to avoid using up all of your images on a single doe that decides to take nap or just hang out in front of your trail camera. However, let's say the doe is slowly walking down the trail and your camera takes two pictures and goes into pause mode, but suddenly it senses additional movement coming down the trail. The cameras circuitry automatically reacts by taking images of the additional movement coming down the trail. This is a great addition to these trail cameras. More than one of my cameras has taken a doe centered on the trail and with another out of focus large shape further up the trail. Kudos to Leaf River for this camera's great idea. Included on the Leaf River IR Scouting Cameras is a 1.6" viewing screen which will let you view your pictures right there on the trail and quickly delete any images you don't want to keep allowing these cameras to go back to work without having to switch out the memory card to take home or in some of the lesser cameras having to take the entire unit home to download on to your computer. These cameras have too many features to mention in this article. MSRP of these cameras is $299.95
Leaf River has another option for those of you on a budget or wanting to buy several trail cameras at once. They have refurbished some of their Trail Scan C-1BU Trail Cameras and now sell them at a discount to the public. These cameras aren't digital instead they use 35mm film as the original deer cameras did. The cameras are reconditioned at the factory and carry a six month warranty which should give you plenty of time to review the trail camera and determine if it works correctly. Features on this trail camera are a Canon Sure Shot Owl 35mm camera with a Canon F 1:3.8 lens for high quality pictures. The day and time or date only print on the image. These cameras have the ability to be used for day, night or twenty four hour operation. Last, but not least an adjustable delay for 1, 5 or 10 minutes. At a price of $79.95 this is a pretty hard deal to beat it was one of the better trail cameras out there and will still do a good job for you today. I'm buying two to put up on a trail in public game lands where there's an increased theft risk.
Video Scouting Systems
The M.A.D. Video Scouting system is about to become the rage if it hasn't already. Unlike trail cameras which contain digital cameras, a video scouting camera has actual video cameras within them. The M.A.D. Wildlife eye operates a number of different ways. You can program it to automatically tape a field or trail at intervals during the day or have it operate like a trail camera to detect heat and motion in order to trigger footage. Imagine setting your video scouting system on the trail you want to hunt the first day and allowing it to tape at intervals throughout the day. This will tell you when and what is moving past your favorite trail or hunting plot. When you want to see what's going on by your favorite trail then simply retrieve the tape from the M.A.D. Wildlife Video Scouting Camera and watch it whenever it's convenient for you. A picture from deer cameras may say a thousand words, but having actual taped footage from a video scouting system is so much better.
For night vision the M.A.D. Video Scouting System has an infrared light invisible to animals that illuminates out to 40 feet.
The M.A.D. Scouting Camera is very easy to use. All that needs to be done is simply connect the camcorder to the power and you're ready to start scouting. The M.A.D. Video system comes with a twelve volt battery which should keep most cameras operating over two weeks.
You have two options with the M.A.D. Video Scouting System. You can buy the unit which includes the vide camera for around for around nine hundred dollars or just buy the unit itself for $299 and place your own video camera in it. The Mad Video Scouting System is compatible with over 125 new and older models of Sony and Canon Camcorders. All that is needed on these models is a LANC connector and from my experience most that I've seen have this connector. Many of the original camcorders are growing old and can be bought on places like E-bay and the like dirt cheap. You may even want to consider buying a new camcorder for the family and heisting theirs for the Video Scouting System, but I would recommend running that idea past your wife first. I know a guy who uses the family camcorder in his scouting system and brings it in when for special events etc.
I believe over the next few years Video Scouting Systems will become the norm and eventually take the place of trail cameras. From my experience they are easier to use and as I said earlier seeing actual tape footage of a big buck is so much better than the digital images of a trail camera. Our Trail Camera Reviews section only has two reviews of video wildlife systems, but both were excellent and it appears people are very happy with their purchase of the M.A.D. Wildlife Video Systems.
Trail Camera Reviews conclusion
That's it for part one of our special feature Trail Camera Reviews. In part two of Trail Camera Reviews we'll look at some of the other reviews of trail cameras along with examining accessories for trail cameras. Please visit our trail camera reviews area to see firsthand what actual users liked and disliked about their trail cameras.
Return to Part One Of Hunting & Fishing Gear Review's Trail Cameras Buying Guide
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