Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Idiots guide to trail cams, etc?

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,145
178
Mohicanish
Looking to start getting more serious about my hunting. One of the steps is going to be acquiring some trail cams. Can someone give me an idiots guide to them? The pros/cons to some of the features? Pictures to show the difference between features? What features actually matter versus which ones are marketing hype?

thanks in advance
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I could probably write my own mini-book on this topic in order to address the questions you have posed. There are two links below that are great places to start in terms of "Idiots Guide" to trail cam. There is a lot more to those two sites than the pages I linked, so spend some time looking around and you'll find lots of great information.

Chasing Game Trail Cam Tips

Trail Cam Pro 1st Time Buyers Guide

The pros/cons to some of the features?

I'll just throw a couple of quick things out in regards to this questions. The best feature a cam can offer to me is a "Burst Mode" where it takes multiple pictures with each trigger. Over the past decade of running cams, this feature has become my favorite largely because it gives me the best pictures. Often times a deer will trigger the cam, see the IR glow, then stop and the pictures that follow are usually the best ones.

As far as cons, I would never purchase a white flash cam again and I am nearing the point that I would not purchase a red glow IR cam either. Fluteman and I were just talking about getting some black flash cams to see if that solves the issue with some of our mature bucks getting skittish around the cams. If I were in the market for a cam as a first time buyer, I would strongly consider a black flash unit.

Pictures to show the difference between features?

You will find a ton of pictures on both Chasing Game and Trail Cam Pro that come from various units. Sort through those and you'll get a feel for what cams offer what in regards to pictures vs. features.

What features actually matter versus which ones are marketing hype?

For me, it is not the features that matter but dependability. When I buy a cam and put it in the woods, I need to know it will work for me and that I don't have to babysit it. Most cams these days offer features that are useful and IMO, very few cams have features that are waste of time. By and large, the cams on the market today have been streamlined over the past few years and you are getting the best of what they have to offer in terms of features.

DO NOT skimp on purchasing a camera! I know it can be tough to shell out $200 for something you are going to leave in the woods and that might get stolen. But there is nothing worse than spending $100 on a POS that doesn't work and drives you nuts. Do your research and purchase a quality camera. If I were buying a single camera of quality today, it would be a toss up between the Bushnell Trophy Cam Black and a SpyPoint BF-7.