Trail cameras

N

NHSHOOTER

New member
I guess this is the right place for this question. I got a cuddeback trail camera for xmas and I dont care for it, just wondering what you all think work the best for under 100 bucks..
 
That's a pretty open question. I was using a Moultrie a5 two years ago and it was working decent but I didn't like it because the colder it got the more likely it didn't take pictures. This year in an odd gamble I bought two Tasco 6mp cameras for $25 a piece at walmart and I was pretty impressed. In one week the one took 5400 photos and I saw a lot of deer I wish I saw in person.

What ever you do right now is the time to buy.
 
About the only features I'd fail a trailcam on would be too much flash or noise when taking a pic. Those things will spook older bucks out of their travel patterns.
We've got a couple of cheap WildGame Nation cams that are sort of slow and grainy but they're quiet and don't spook critters. I have night pics of deer nosing the camera so obviously, the IR illumination doesn't scare them.
 
I've owned every brand of camera but Reconyx over the last fifteen+ years. Expensive and inexpensive. Of all I've owned (and that's a lot of cameras) I rate the Cuddebacks at the top for performance and price.....especially performance. What model Cuddeback do you have? I don't think it would be hard to get rid of if it's in good condition. FWIW, Cuddeback's have the best warranty of any brand of camera....in certain models. So far I've never had to send one back and I'm using nine of them.
 
I have a Wild game innovations and it has been god to me for 3 seasons. Good clear pictures, day or nigyt, all weather. That said people hate them. I must have gotten lucky.
 
NoSecondBest , I have the cuddeback digital, have set it up over some bait for coyotes and even though I see dog tracks in the snow I dont get pictures. I put the bait up close maybe 10 feet from the camera and I did get some pictures. Funny thing, I checked camera and it read card full and it only had 12 pictures. My friend has a cheaper camera and he gets pictures of crows, bear..etc..I get no pictures of crows even though I know they are at the bait also..Want my cuddeback..I will sell it cheap.
 
For 100.00 camera its pretty much pick your choice as there are many to choose from and nearly identical in features. The only thing that separates the Run of the mill from High end is >Mega Pixel's and additional (friendly) technology. Otherwise owning a Cuddeback. _ IT is a decent trail camera so I was informed by my friend and co-worked once upon a time. As told. He has them all hanging behind his place. Browning Moultrie and Cuddeback.

If I had the same problem OP I would send my cuddeback trail back to its repair facility. Then again I don't nor do I use a trail camera product. I prefer to be surprised what comes into view. ~~claim it as _"Luck of the Irish."
 
NoSecondBest , I have the cuddeback digital, have set it up over some bait for coyotes and even though I see dog tracks in the snow I dont get pictures. I put the bait up close maybe 10 feet from the camera and I did get some pictures. Funny thing, I checked camera and it read card full and it only had 12 pictures. My friend has a cheaper camera and he gets pictures of crows, bear..etc..I get no pictures of crows even though I know they are at the bait also..Want my cuddeback..I will sell it cheap.
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Sending you a PM
 
Sure Shot Mc Gee, I have always been the same as you, whatever shows shows..surprise. I got this camera at the company xmas party "free"..
 
I think you just take your chances on which one you buy.Sometimes I think there is a bigger difference between manufacturers models then different brands.
 
The only thing that separates the Run of the mill from High end is >Mega Pixel's and additional (friendly) technology.
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Totally wrong. The better cameras have much, much faster trigger speed, much longer battery life (months as opposed to weeks), better software to differentiate between day and night, programmable delay time, etc, etc, etc. The single biggest difference between good and bad cameras is having plated circuits inside. The cheap ones fail in far less time due to the fact that they simply aren't built to last. The circuits corrode and the cameras fail much quicker than the better ones. You need to learn more about cameras before making statements like this. There are huge differences between them. The Cuddeback being talked about has a full two year warranty and an additional three years at 50%. Almost every other camera I've bought over the years had none of these good features. They had short battery life, missed well over half the pictures (I've put them up right next to the Cuddeback to compare them), the failed within a year most of the time, and the batteries lasted a few weeks, not months. There is a HUGE difference between cameras and you need to know what to look for. I learned the hard way and there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Marketing sells a lot of junk cameras.
 
i have 4 bushnell trophy cams on my property,,,i check the cards 4 times a year,,change the batteries 1 time a year,,,,they stay out year around,,,always taking picks,,,,they have caught deer fighting,,,breading,,babies suckling and all kinds of other stuff,,,the ones i have are the hd version,,,they are 3 years old,,,,take great color pics in the daytime,,,they are infired ( no big flash )so the night pics are black and white,,,they have a fast trigger and a lot of other things they do,,,including video,,,,it is nothing to have 1000 plus pics,,,lot are junk pics,,,squirrel,,coons,,,although i have started hunting them too,,birds that fly in,,,coyotes,,,i like to keep track of them,,,,and anything else that gets in front of them

i think i gave right around $100 or so for them,,,they work great take nice pics,,,and battery life is awesome

my .02

ocharry
 
I also use the wild game camera, very happy with it never fails it has been a great tool in the deer woods !!!
 
I used to have great luck with moultries ... now its a crap shoot wether it will last a yr or not.
I have 15 of the primos truth cam 02 ... field and stream had them a few weeks ago for $69 and get a $30 rebate.
So far in 2 years I have only had one to quit on me and it was right over 2 years old.
 
I buy the cheap tasco trail cameras from Walmart and haven’t had any problems out of them but the moultrie A-5 is also a good camera. But over the years I’ve learned that I don’t need to spend a butt load of money on trail cameras because they all do the same thing and that’s take pictures and record videos and I’ve never had a problem with picture quality nor video quality out of the cheap trail cameras.
 
I've found...and it was a long learning curve....that some problems can be related to your sd cards. I have learned to turn the camera power off before changing sd cards, and I always erase the images by formatting the card. I never did the formatting thing when I first started using the cameras about 10 yrs. ago, and sometimes I would have no images appear.
 
I have a Moultrie MGC 13067 and am happy with the pictures and function. I think it cost me about $90, on-sale at Dick's, but it's been a while.
 
For those who think their cheaper camera is doing great, try this test (I have). Mount the cheaper camera and the better camera on the same spot and see if they get the same amount of pictures. I've done that with my Cuddebacks and compared them to Wild Game, Primos, Stealth, and a couple of others, and there's no comparison. In some cases I'd have sixty or seventy pictures in a couple of days on the Cuddeback and have two or three on the other camera. FWIW, I've never sent a Cuddeback back for repair/replacement or had one fail. I've never had any other brand last more than a year and a half. To be fair, I keep them out almost year round so they do get a lot of use. Some of the lesser priced cameras are now claiming longer battery life, quicker trigger times, and longer range. I think the pressure is on now that cameras have become so popular. The cheap junk imported from China is now being required to have plated circuits and better sensors in order to stay in the market. Some of the Moultries are starting to look pretty decent lately. There are two websites that do camera reviews and can provide a wealth of info to new users. There's a lot more to it than just hanging it on a tree.
 
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