Spring gobbler season is long gone and despite the summer’s heat, many hunters’ thoughts have already turned toward deer season. For the truly serious, scouting has already begun in earnest, and there is no better way to accomplish much of this than through trail cameras.
Acting as a 24-hour sentry in those hot spots on your property when you can’t be out there, trail cams are the best thing to happen to deer hunters since the advent of the bolt-action rifle. Whether buying your first trail camera or looking to expand your current collection in order to cover more places in your absence, here’s a list of some of the hottest models available today.
Bushnell Trophy Cam
Bushnell has created a cool little camera that is as affordable as it is compact. Only six inches tall and four inches wide, the Trophy Cam makes it easy (and relatively affordable) for a hunter to purchase several cameras for multiple sets on their property. For such a small trail unit, the Trophy Cam boasts big camera features doubling to take both stills and video. Stills can be saved at three or five megs and can cycle to shoot again within 10 seconds. Images are saved on an SD card. The Trophy Cam’s detection width is wide, trigger speed is decent and the range stretches out reliably to 45 feet. Powered by eight AA batteries, the unit boasts a battery life of as much as six months. ($200; bushnell.com)
Cuddeback Capture IR
Cuddeback has long been a favorite of many deer hunters. Besides it’s usual high grades for performance, its popularity probably hinges on the fact that it is one of the simplest trail cameras to use. No hard to figure directions, the Capture IR, like all Cuddebacks has a simple, straightforward set-up system that will have you taking images in seconds. The infrared shutter is quick to fire and the 30 second recovery time between triggerings is among the best in its class. Triggering range was reliable on still days out to 40 feet, which is pretty common among most models despite some claims to the contrary. And the battery life is capable of providing up to 2,000 images on a 2G SD card. ($250; cuddeback.com)
Moultrie Game Spy i60
Moultrie’s Game Spy is one appropriately priced, broad-spectrum camera. Just breaking the $300 price point, the Game Spy delivers everything a trail camera should. It pulls double-duty as both a still and video camera and even without an SD card for storing images, possesses 32 megs of internal memory. In video mode, the camera can be set to take 5-, 15- and 30-second clips. And unlike most models where you have to open the body to view the LCD, the Game Spy has one that can be reviewed closed and hanging. The Game Spy can stamp on images standard time, date, temperature, moon phase and barometric pressure, too. Image quality is excellent and both pictures and videos can be viewed in the field on a small internal viewing screen beneath the hood. The Game Spy’s PIR detection system is capable of capturing live subjects out to close to 50 feet though the detection field is somewhat narrow. Adjust the unit to take between one and three images per shuttering. ($310,moultriefeeders.com)
Predator Evolution XR
This infrared camera boasts some pretty cool features chief among them a 3.5-inch touch control screen from which all functions of the unit are set and images and video can both be viewed right in the field. The fiber-filled housing is reputed to be stronger than ABS plastic and the V-Lock design allows for angle adjustments on the all-too-frequent crooked tree. Powered by 10 AA batteries, the camera should run for up to six weeks. Activation delays on the shutter can be set for as low as 30 seconds and the camera is capable of shooting in five bursts in the same amount of seconds. The flash range is 40 feet, while the detection is said to stretch to 80 feet. ($419; predatortrailcams.com)
Recon Outdoors Talon Extreme 5.0
A high-definition 5.0 megapixel camera takes both video and stills with true digital camera quality. The Covert Infrared Illuminator captures multiple pictures of nocturnal deer without spooking them. The overlay stamped on each image includes the camera owner’s name, moon phase, temperature, time and date. A video port allows images to be viewed in the field by hooking a camera up to the unit. Images are captured out to 40 yards. Powered by six D-cell batteries. ($400; reconoutdoors.com)
Reconyx Rapidfire Covert High Output IR
Like its name implies, the Rapidfire is one fast-triggering, fast-shuttering and fast-resetting camera. The shutter fires at a reported 1/5 of a second and can be set to shoot between 1 and 10 shots per triggering, resetting between images instantaneously. The unit requires a larger Compact Flash (CF) memory card, and a 4 GB card can hold as many as 10,000 images. It operates on six C-cell or six AA-lithium batteries. The camera can take full-color daytime images at 1080 p HD or 3.1 megs regular, while clear monochrome images of the same resolution are taken at night. The price is commensurate with the price on the Reconyx, however, as this model doesn’t come cheap. Triggering range is amazing tripping at a tested 100 feet. ($650, reconyx.com)
SmartScouter
SmartScouter will likely emerge as the standard against all other trail cameras will be measured. What makes the SmartScouter so unique—and pricey—is the technology behind it. Utilizing cellular technology, the unit emails captured images to your account on SmartScouter’s Web site where you can check them out from any computer in the world. You will pay a monthly fee for the cell service (about $15 in season) and a per image charge (pennies per image), but when you measure that against cost of gas and your time riding out to your property to check images, it’s a no-brainer for most of us. It also delivers powerful performance triggering on objects as far out as between 90 and sometimes even 100 feet. Powered by a 6-volt rechargeable battery, the unit should last between four to six weeks before requiring a charge. It can also be attached to an external power source. SmartScouter uses a CF card to store up to 2 gigs worth of images. ($600; smartscouter.com)
Stealth Cam STC-DVSIR5 Prowler
Stealth Cam is a familiar name to serious hunters and this latest model, the STC-DVSIR5 Prowler doesn’t disappoint. The flash and shutter are both triggered by the passive infrared (PIR) detection system and is capable of delivering information in stills and video of between 5 and 90 seconds long. The video’s resolution is 640×480 and daytime color stills can be adjusted to capture images from 1.3 megs up to 5 megs. Nighttime black-and-white photos are between .3 to 2 megs. The patented Burst Mode Technology can shutter between one and nine images per triggering. Detection ranges stretched reliably in the realm of 40 feet or less with some shots out to 50 feet possible, but not frequent. The width of the detection field remains narrow but accurate at between 10 and 20 feet. ($400; stealthcam.net)
