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Trailcam questions

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,144
178
Mohicanish
So I'm looking to get a few trailcams. I know I can get a deal with Jackalope on the Spypoints but unsure of why one of their models is better than the others.

I like the small size of the tiny's but is it worth the additional price? I don't really have a need for the wireless at this time b/c all the areas I will be putting these at get plenty of human traffic in the area from farming so the deer are pretty used to it. The option for video is nice but not a big deal b/c I'd rather look at pictures. I do want longevity between changing out batteries. I have read on here somewhere that the infrared can make some deer wary so is that why they have the black LEDs?

Thoughts suggestions?
 

Boarhead

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
One thing about trailcams is they will all drive you nuts after awhile.Just wait till they stop working.I have tried several brands and have had problems at one time or another with all of them..I do have a Moultrie black led now that i like just have to see how long it lasts.I have used flash and led and have had some bucks be nervous around them and others dont seem to care.Will say im sold on the black LED cameras.Have had one big buck that i would get one picture of him with a flash camera and then he would leave but when i switched to the Black LED camera i have gotten several hundred pics of him this summer.I dont really care much for the video part as they seem to suck the life out of the batteries alot faster.The Moultrie i990 black takes 8 aa batteries.Use the lithiums and with everything set on the best settings they last me around 3 to 4 months depending on the amount of pics that is taken in that time.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I'm confident of two things after running cameras for 10 years. First, it is an addiction all its own. So be ready to be consumed. And two, all cameras have their issues. There simply isn't a perfect one on the market.

That said if I was going to buy a new camera today, I would consider these the SpyPoint BF-8. My next cams will all be BF as I believe deer see and key in on the regular IR cams. The SP cams have good battery life and have done well for me with a few exceptions. If I was spending more, I would look in to a Bushnell BF cam.

You should also consider the SG550 from HCO Outdoors. Gordo loves them and I've been researching them. The reviews are good. For the $, it is a great camera.

http://www.trailcampro.com/hcoscoutguardsg550.aspx

http://www.opticsplanet.com/reviews/reviews-hco-scout-guard-trail-camera-sg550.html
 

Honestjohn

Junior Member
12
0
Central Pa
I own 12 cameras and agree with bowhunter1023, all have issues - or at least the various models & makes I have owned. I never have spent more than $150 on a camera, so I can't comment on Cuddies or Reconx. I like to keep them under $100 and I like the Wildgame 5.0 W5E from Cabelas, Moultrie D55IR and Primos 35 - all infared and in that order. All simple to use and take good pictures, which I mainly run over baits. Battery life is very good on the Wildgame (8 AA) and Moultrie (6 C) and so far, OK with the Primos (4 D). I have run cams in 6 states in the last 10-12 years and my opinion is that most deer get "used to" the infared as I have had many mature deer come and get picture after picture, day/week/month after.... Some will look at the infared, some won't. However, I am interested in the black technology, which I have yet to try, as I have also had instances of a big buck where I got 1, 2 maybe 3 pictures and then never again. Was it the infared that spooked him? Maybe, but I think that all deer are different, so if the black keeps one of those quick hitters from leaving - I'm interested.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
The deer I am after this year developed an aversion to cameras somewhere along the lines and I have no idea why. Same routines as the summer where I had 10K of him and another buck together. Once that other buck disappeared, he stopped showing up on the cameras despite them being in the same locations as the summer before. Now if he sees a cam, that's the last time I'll get a pic of him there. I believe in this one instance, he associates the red flash with something he doesn't like...