If you had $200 to buy a trail cam what would you get?

I am a convert to the IR so I guess the Scout Guard is my camera for now. Sounds like the Bushnell is essentially the same camera. In researching these cameras it sounds like the '07 models were good which is what my first one was. Then in '08 they tried some upgrades that were not working well and have since refined the problems. Sounds like the same manufacturer in China is making these smaller cameras. I just got some more that are not in the field yet but I hope to have good luck with them.

 

Siman what model of cuddeback is yours? those are great pics! so what is the deffernece between a flash and an ir camera?

 

That is the Cuddeback Capture flash.

A flash camera takes a picture like a conventional camera, it has a white flash. Some hunters believe this scares deer. Sometimes it does, most of the time it doesn't. It all depends on the deer.

IR cameras are cameras that use infrared light to take pictures at night. It is completely invisible, save for a red glow on the camera. These can only black and white pictures.

I prefer the full color white flash cameras.

 

As do I. I am not sold on the IR craze. I have had more deer looking at and get spooked by my IR cameras than I have with the flash models. Most of the cameras I will buy from here on out will be flash models.

 

Good man Dan..

Bill Brasky and Freak Daddy look better in color

 

If I had to go back to a mid to lower price game camera unit, I would definetly be leaning towards the Bushnell Trophy Cam.... the Cuddeback Captures have some good reviews, but I have had too many problems with the previous (more expensive) Cudde's.... 2-C3000's and 1-Expert that crapped out. Everything I have heard about the Bushnell has been very good, not to mention it is small and draws less attention. With that said... I will stick with my Reconyx.

 

The new Cuddebacks are totally redesigned. Nothing like the old ones, i was a critic of the old ones too.

 

I hear ya Caleb, its just one of those things where the company leaves a bad taste in your mouth... you just can't be "sold" all over again. I am that way with Stealth, TrailMac, and Moultrie as well, the Moultrie being the absolute worst. I am not sure how 3 Moultries (2-I40's and 1-I60) can entirely crap out within a month with one crapping out within a week of purchasing it. I would definetly use CamTrakkers or SwampGhosts again though.

 

Yes they do. The flash scared the hell out of him so bad, that he hung around for 5 pics and even came back.....can't say the same about the IR cameras we had out down there.

 

I have noticed over the past three years, with bucks that I pictured early, when they were young, they really do tolerate the cameras year after year... all of mine are IR so I dont want to change anything up on them.. I will stay with IRs and probably the bushnells irs, they have been really good to me thus far..

bill brasky needs an arrow in him.. but omg imagine what hes gonna look like next year.. if you dont ...

 

These belong to FREEMAN,

But you get the point:

 

that velvet shed pix is sweet !

 

One thing.....I think it also depends greatly where you place the camera. I believe mature deer are much more tolerable of cameras over food, minerals and scrapes and much less tolerable of them on travel routes.

 

Bingo! :D

 

my philosophy is now.. run as many as I can year around and condition them from when they are young to realize they mean no harm..the biggest factor for me.. hanging them following all the scent precautions I use while hunting.. not cutting corners.. jm2c

 

I also agree with this 100%.

The one problem I have with this is being able to do it. I live far from the properties I can hunt in the fall, so I am limited to only having cameras out when I am hunting. For this reason, I will never place a camera on a travel route or trail.

 

Disagree

I have 6 D40's and 1 Trophy Cam. Your logic is pretty off if you ask me.

You can get a deal on D40's for $80 with two 2GB cards right now. Deals exist on this camera over and over.

Moultrie D40 = $80
Bushnell = $200
Difference of $120

I'll go with averages here.

D cell battery = $1 a piece
AA battery = $1 (they are actually a little bit more expensive, like $1.10)

Bushnell would cost $128 to buy and run for a year, supposedly anyway. Mine appears to support the claim from the mnanufacturer.

My Moultries last about 6 weeks on a set of 6 D Cell batteries (without the solar charger, which I have for 2 of them). So you will have to change them 8.6 times in a year. 8.6 x $6 = 51.6 + $80 = 131.60

In a years time you could have bought a Bushnell and started saving money on batteries after that year was up.

 

You putting them on travel routes Troy?

 

Yeah I have a couple set up on intersections of old logging skid trails and 1 smack dab in the middle of a huge bedding thicket on the side of a mountain ..its set up on a wagon wheel of trails intersecting.. Been lucky with them so far, lots of pix of bucks walking by, same bucks over and over.