Game camera

[northener]

Looking for advice on purchase

I really do not need first class in fact I would prefer the cheapest one I could buy

Main use would be foe deer on public ground.

Biggest things for me
AA batteries
Ease of use
Trouble free

[Bill Carlsen]

sportsman's guide has rebuilt cameras at very reasonable prices. I like the old cuddebak.

[highlow]

I'm thinking you meant to say "don't need first class" since you definitely won't be getting that with the cheapest you can find. I agree that the rebuilt Cuddebacks are excellent. As for using them on public land, good luck. Better camo them so well that even you might have trouble locating them. Had one stolen on public land and I'm sure there are a lot of others on this site who've experienced the same.

I don't think I've ever seen one that runs on AAA batteries??? Most nowadays are AA.

Bisch

[northener]

Highlow yes I meant to say,  do not need first class. I edited my post

Maybe I should ask what brands should I look for, I believe cuddebacks,moultri,primos have been around for a while now. So one would believe they are solid reliable units.

This will be my first game camera and maybe my last too. More entertainment than hardcore hunting use.

As I typed that I thought to myself maybe I would be better suited with a middle of the road quality. Say something around 100 bucks

Been looking at reviews. Seems IR flash uses less battery and spooks game less with faster recovery time, so that seems the way to go for me.  
Be nice to review pics at camera site but not really necessary as SD cards are cheap and could have couple sets and review pics at home too.

So in the end it seems reliable,easy on batteries,simple functions without a gazillion options weatherproof and easy secure way to fasten would be just the ticket

[Nantahala Nut]

Look for models being discontinued.  I found one at the big box store for $50 and it does well for me.

[northener]

Bisch. Your right. Edited that too. Jeez I,am a bonehead this morning

[Arctic Hunter]

Like my moultries. Not the cheapest, but won't break the bank either. And a set of lithium AA batteries will last an entire deer season.

This is important as I leave one in Kansas from August-November.

[highlow]

Good thing you told me you edited your original post as I thought I had misread it. And at my age it's entirely possible. No, make that probable. I got my Cuddeback from The Sportsmans Guide for about $80.

[fnshtr]

I've got the cheap wild game cams and they work well. However, they use "C" Batteries. I purchased two sets of rechargables and a charger. I also, camoed them with camp tape.

Whatever you decide on, good luck!

Oh yeah, $50 each.

[Mint]

Get yourself a lock box for it and a python cable lock. I like my Bushnells up that way on Long Island and I haven't lost one yet and the people on LI will steal everything.

[elkken]

I have used Bushnells for several years and Moltrie with good results. The bushnells take aa batteries and Moltrie C batteries. You can get Moltrie, model 550 I think for about $60 ... I have seen the Bushnells on sale for $99 but there are many models above that price point. I like the Bushnells because they are small and light. I put mine in lock boxes and up until this elk season that seemed to work OK but I had two stolen this year.

One of the keys to using a lesser quality camera is setting it up to take pictures down a lane of travel rather than a crossing that gives you a quick exposure. I was really surprised at the distance that the Bushnell picked up images.

 

[Jerry Russell]

I run close to 20 cameras for my bear and hog hunting and also for deer. With those numbers I have to get a camera that will provide decent battery life and not break the bank.  I really don't care about picture quality in that I just need to see what is happening and not have a photo to frame. I have had great success with the Moultrie model A-5.

It is a solid performer and I have been running them for two years.  In my experience many game cameras die at the 12-16 month period of service.

I don't have time for complicated set-up and I can fully program the A-5 in under a minute. I keep them in video mode and the A-5 does something that is critically important while in the video mode. It snaps a photo at the start of the video.  This is HUGE when reviewing camera footage on bear and hog baits where there are several hundred video clips per camera. I can do a rapid scan of the photos and decide which videos I need to review. This saves me a tremendous amount of time vs reviewing hundreds of videos.

I buy them in bulk of the big auction site for around $55 each and that includes a 2mp card.  If you can find a place called vminnovations, buy from them as they double the manufacturers warranty.

A quick word about normal I.R. cameras vs. white flash cameras.  I have conducted extensive research on animal reactions to these two types of cameras and I can say without a moments hesitation that white flash cameras are far superior to normal I.R. cameras when it comes to NOT spooking game.  

We run two cameras in many set ups and have this documents more times than I can remember.  The white flash cameras have no impact whatsoever but the normal I.R. can cause explosive reactions from the animals. This is especially true on mature whitetails.

Blackout I.R. would be the first choice in a camera but they are costly

Here is a little video that helps to illustrate the point of white flash impact.

Hope this helped some.

  http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+trail+cam+hog+hunt+russell+outdoor+guides&view=detail&mid=3024B1751CBAA4C9BD103024B1751CBAA4C9BD10&FORM=VIRE1

[drewsbow]

wild game cloak

[Stump73]

I have 2 wildgame blade6 and they seem to do all I need for one to do. Academy sports has had them on sale several times for 49.99. They run off of 8 AA batteries.  
What ever camera you decide on I would buy 2 sd cards for it that way you can just change it out.
Another thing I would try and hide it as good as you can on public ground.

[LC]

Wally world Bushnell (camo version) for $99. I have 4, neighbor has 1, father in law has 3, good buddy has 4. All have worked great, long battery life, very good response time, small and can be hidden easily and meets your requirments. Not had one fail in 3 years of use.

[Fletcher]

I have two Brownings, a Range Ops and a Recon Force.  Both work great.  The Recon takes a wider view pic and has a longer range, but cost more.  Watch sales and you can get a mid range camera at a low range cost.

Jerry has way more experience with cameras than me and I am gonna check out his clips, but I've not had any issue with deer spooking from the IR flash.  Some will look at it, but nothing has ever spooked at all.

One thing is for sure, they are fun!

[Matt Green]

I second the bushnell from wally world - 99 dollars. I think take 4 double a batteries which last a whole season.  I saw them cyber Monday advertised somewhere for 59 - should have gotten another.  
mg

[Hummer3T]

you can buy two pack of simmons for less that $100. good little camera for the money.