Trail Cameras

[Arrowcraft]

Why do most trail cams suck ? When they are brand new most with a few exceptions work fine but run them for a year and see what happens ! I run trail cams year round , the companies battery claims are also greatly exaggerated , some go as far as to claim a year worth of battery life do not believe it.I have purchased numerous stealth cams, moultries, cuddebacks, penn woods, and now bushnells
trophy cam which are new and thus far produce stunning 12 megapixel images am waiting for them to fail also !All cams i was told bya company that sells various trail cams that most with few exceptions are made in China and you can expect about a year of use from them , i find that sad not to mention a waste of money .I would spend the money for an American made cam such as Reconix but scared of maggots stealing them wich they have done along with tree stands! Any ideas and or experiences with a great trail cam please .

[TooManyHobbies]

I've only used stealth cams. I was sick of buying batts, so I went to Tractor Supply and bought some small 12v rechargeables and cables. But, they didn't seem to last any longer per sit, just that being rechargeable was saving money on the C's or AA's. After a year or so, they don't charge either. I went back to the AA batts and got about 3 weeks out of them (before the cold set in). Good luck, it would be nice to have a functional AND affordable cam.

[Greg_M]

I've got a Bushnell that's been in year round use for 3 years now with no issues. I run it in movie mode. An external 6 v lead acid battery has served me very well.

[Trenton G.]

Have you given Wildgame Innovations a try? I'm running the same three cameras that I've had for 5 years and they still take good pics. I  just checked their website and it doesn't appear as though they are still making the same camera that I have, but maybe their other cameras will perform the same as the older ones for you.

[dnovo]

I have several bushnell trophy cams and I get 6 months or more on average from them on alkaline AA.

[BlacktailBowhunter]

I've got 10 moultrie a5 cams and have been very please with them over the last 4 years. I've had 1 crap out but overall for under 60 bucks they work great

[JakeD]

I agree with the comments about the moultrie a5 cams.  I pretty much use only moultrie and have been very pleased with them.  Good price and decent pics.  Battery life in the A5 is really good as well.  It doesn't produce award winning pics or have a ton of setting options, but it's a good affordable cam.

[J. Cook]

I use the Wildgame Innovations Cameraa - I own 6 of them, and didn't pay more than $50 for any of them.  I've never had a known failure - in fact, they've all worked really well.  You have to be smart in how you set them up... unless you spend major dollars then you can't set them up 15 yards from a walking trail and expect good photos.  They work great when you use them within their constraints.  I've found their battery life to be awesome - 8 AA batteries have lasted nearly a full year in each of them.  And for the price point - if one does get stolen, it's not the end of the world.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Stealth cams have failed on me miserably, but I have been most pleased with the Bushnells. Just my experience.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Also my experience with HCO cameras have been disappointing.

[Vesty]

Yep. Moultrie A5. Four years without a problem and easily 6mos. on batteries.

[Jerry Russell]

I run a huge number of cameras and have had success with the Moultrie A-5 as well. I have several that have lasted a few years but unfortunately they don't make the Gen1any more and have moved to the Gen-2.  The new one claims much better battery life and low glow.

Looking for reviews on the new one as I need about a dozen new cams this year.

If you buy your cameras on-line, look at purchasing from vminnovations as they double the warranty on all cameras sold.

[stagetek]

I've been using the Moultre Gen II cameras. 80i or 800i, can't remember which. Great battery life.

[Hummer3T]

Bushnells seem to be the best for me and I've tried them all.  I have culled my fleet to be mostly these.  I would suggest the use of Lithium batteries and to make sure the camera is set on lithium.  I get 5-8 months out of them in the warmer months(depending on usage). in the winter I usually get a couple months unless real cold.

I have 4 trophy cams, easy to setup, take good images, have good shutter speeds and battery life.

[Basinboy]

I have been using covert mp8's for over 2  years. Battery life is out this world even in the cold weather of north Kansas where I leave a couple that I check once a year when I go up to hunt in November.  
One camera ran a year and nine months on 8 AA Lithium batteries. It took over 12,000 pics on a trail.
Another mp8' I only had 4 AA lithiums in it and it ran a year and 3 months and took over 11,000 pictures on a trail.
I had one with 8-AA alkaline  batteries and it took over 7,000 pictures but only lasted 13 months
not the greatest pictures I've seen but I get to see what happens on that property year round with that kind of battery life and they pay for themselves in the long run

[FlintNSteel]

I had stealth cams and wouldn't own another one of those failing, battery sucking cameras if they were the last one's made!

I have 11 Moultrie M880's...7 are the infrared.  4 are the white flash.  I would never get the white flash again as they just blur all the night time pictures...but the M880i (infrared) work great.  All the function you need, pretty good trigger speed, very clear pics day or night with it's freeze-frame turned on.  Very good battery life.  You can get them in 4-packs from VMI Innovations at around $85 each.  I use Lithium batteries and just keep charging them up.  My cameras are out about 8 months of the year...all 11 still work after 3 years.

I think Browning is made by Moultrie.  At least they used to be.  Have one of those too and it's exactly like my M880i in every way but the bezel.

[DarrinG]

I also like Moultrie stuff. However, this past summer I bought one of the new A-20i model cameras. I like the small size and the programming is user-friendly. However, Id NOT recommend the A-20i to anyone. It takes lots of "ghost" photos (nothing in the picture), fails to take pictures at times too. I have purposefully walked in front of it before pulling the card and no picture. The night photos are only so-so (blurry many times) and the many of the day photos are so bright its hard to see the picture. I'm looking for a new camera soon and it sure will not be another Moultrie A-20i!

[Fletcher]

I've had great luck with a few Brownings and just bought another one.  Also picked up a couple Primos on a black friday special - $30 each.  Will see how they work.

[LC]

Myself, my Father in law and a good friend have 12 Bushnels amongst us. We've not had a single failure. Great little cam for the $99 price from Wal Mart. Is it perfect? Heck no. But I'd buy another in a heart beat. Some of mine are 4 years old and still going strong and other than pulling them in gun season they are out year around.

[Stykbowslim]

Originally posted by Jerry Russell:
I run a huge number of cameras and have had success with the Moultrie A-5 as well. I have several that have lasted a few years but unfortunately they don't make the Gen1any more and have moved to the Gen-2.  The new one claims much better battery life and low glow.

Looking for reviews on the new one as I need about a dozen new cams this year.

If you buy your cameras on-line, look at purchasing from vminnovations as they double the warranty on all cameras sold.

You can find the Moultrie reviews here....  http://www.trailcampro.com/