Which Trail Cam is the best

HUNTINFORLIFE · Mar 12, 2007

I have finally talked my wife in to letting me buy some trail cams i am looking to stay some were around at most $250 any suggestions would be great. I had a friend that bought a stealth cam and it cost him some were around 350 and it was always behind the deer Ive figured out infrared is much better then motion activated.

Whats every one else think.

DallanC · Mar 12, 2007

I've spent *ALOT* of time researching this and following cam models, features ... problems, customer support etc etc and I think hands down the best cams out there are the home brews. People buy sony P40/32/41's etc off ebay sometimes for $20, then they go buy a kit that comes with case, circuit board etc and they build the camera themselves. They work AWSOME and take incredible pictures.

But if you want factory cameras, I seriously suggest you wait until the first part of June. Several cam mfgs are rolling out some sweet new cameras, with some snazzy new features.

Bottom line, right now there are *NO* cams that offer Fast trigger time, Strong Flash, Great Battery life, Great picture quality and Cheap Price. Currently a camera will have good battery life, poor flash or good flash, good battery life, poor picture quality etc etc.

Will your camera be over a food or water source or over a trail? Camera reaction time is a big deal on a trail, will you get more day pictures or night pictures? This affects flash strength and battery life.

I highly suggest you hit up www.chasingame.com and watch their forums. Its a great trailcamera site with gobs of info & reviews and even cam mfgs posting / reading it.

-DallanC

>I have finally talked my wife
>in to letting me buy
>some trail cams i am
>looking to stay some were
>around at most $250 any
>suggestions would be great. I
>had a friend that bought
>a stealth cam and it
>cost him some were around
>350 and it was always
>behind the deer Ive figured
>out infrared is much better
>then motion activated.
>
>Whats every one else think.

slider · Mar 12, 2007

I would look on E-Bay for a new 2005 model year 3 Mega-Pixel Cuddeback!!! Should go for 250- 275? LONG battery life and excellent flash. In your price point. An EXCELLENT Camera!!! 1/2 Second trigger speed,it will catch an animal that runs by!!! Good Luck

MikeB · Mar 12, 2007

I researched it last year and bought two Moultrie on ebay for about $250 each, a bit more expensive but I like the convenience of the features, just have to make them as secure as possible but they can always get ripped off. Only challenge is the distance they take a pic is only about 20 yards but I understand thats normal. Good luck.

REDDOG · Mar 12, 2007

like mikeb said theft would play a big role on how much money was spent.

flyingbrass · Mar 13, 2007

Cuddeback no flash.
Really the only camera on the market that I would own. Infared flash so it doesn't spook game and thieves can't see it.

cold dead hands

DallanC · Mar 13, 2007

2 Notes:

First off infared has been proven to be visible to game, they see it, it spooks them. This is extremely obvious when setting the camera to movie mode. I've watched alot of movies of deer walking up, then seeing the IR camera as it takes a picture, then bolting off in panic.

2ndly, If you can find a Cuddeback 3.0 buy it. If not, good luck... watch the forums of trail camera sites and you'll see them called "Cruddyback" very often. They have all kinds of issues and crappy Customer support. It seems cudde has the 2nd worst cameras out there, just behind Moultrie.

Again, in June is the roll-out of new camera models with some snazzy new features and new technology.

-DallanC

DallanC · Mar 13, 2007

bingo. Cudde 3.0 work great... its sad its the only model they make that seems problem free. The price is actually going up on them though as people search for them.

-DallanC

drahthaar · Mar 13, 2007

What do you know about these new features they are coming out with? Anything specific? I wonder if they are going to have snazzy new high prices too.
I currently build my own, but I would think at some point the commercial builders will finally get it all together with a good price and good features and make it not worth building my own.

I looked and hmmed and hawwwd for about 3 months trying to decide on which to buy. I finally got the nerve to open up a cam myself and now I am addicted. I have built three cams exactly like the Penns Woods Digital Trail Scout and spent far less than $599.00 a piece.

DallanC · Mar 13, 2007

MM is a good site for hunting info, but you need to hit up the trailcam sites for detailed info on trailcams. Heres an overall link to alot of new model trailcamera stuff:

http://www.chasingame.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2644

The new $100 moultrie looks very interesting. 4 megapixel, sub second reaction time, 2 month battery life ... and they all come with Articulating camera heads. Thats way cool instead of having to shim your camera to get it pointing the right way.

Like I said lots of mfgs are coming out with very cool cameras this year, some at the same prices as last years models. Its like a new generation of techology is releasing.

-DallanC

>What do you know about these
>new features they are coming
>out with? Anything specific?
> I wonder if they
>are going to have snazzy
>new high prices too.
>I currently build my own, but
>I would think at some
>point the commercial builders will
>finally get it all together
>with a good price and
>good features and make it
>not worth building my own.
>
>
>I looked and hmmed and hawwwd
>for about 3 months trying
>to decide on which to
>buy. I finally got
>the nerve to open up
>a cam myself and now
>I am addicted. I
>have built three cams exactly
>like the Penns Woods Digital
>Trail Scout and spent far
>less than $599.00 a piece.