game cams, which one ?

[Glass eye]

I've never used a game cam before but I'm looking to buy one.
I don't want to spend a fortune just to have some low-life steal it, as I've heard too many stories.
What's the best and worst (stay away from) models that are around $100 ?

 

[ltdann]

Breck,

Don't know much about them, but I did buy one those $100 wal-mart ones. My complaint about it is the slow activation speed. From the time it senses something and takes the picture, its 15 secs. I get alot of photos of empty trails. Also seems to take alot of pics of leaves blowing and limbs swaying.

Quite frankly, I'm hoping to learn from your question and hope to see the responses.

 

[JNDEER]

Stealth Cam's work well for me and I have been using them for 8 years!

35mm - very, very cheap, but slow trigger speed and sometimes you get a lemon. They don't do well in very cold climates.

i390 - great camera and it uses the 6volt rechargeable battery (just like the 35mm). great camera and I can keep it up for a few months then check on it. won't break the bank and you can pick them up for a decent price on ebay from time to time.

 

[mike_cook82]

your best bet is to grab one off of ebay. im trying to bid on one right now for 24 bucks! theyre relatively cheap and can pay off great dividends in the end. good luck!

 

[bobby7321]

I used to have a cuddeback 3.0. Don't think they make them anymore, but it worked pretty well. the user interface was probably the worst thing i've ever seen, but after you figured it out it was ok. pictures were very good quality.
it got stolen, so I said screw buying anything over $100.
so I bought 3 of these, when they were on sale for $99.

Outfitter™ Cam by Moultrie Feeders - 5.0 megapixles : Cabela's

photos aren't as crisp as the cuddeback. takes 6 D batteries instead of 4 (and eats them up faster too)

but overall worth the $100 I paid. I wouldnt buy anything more fancy unless I was 99% sure it wouldnt be messed with.

 

[PaPaBob]

I have made a ton of Homebrew cams for guys over the years and the newer ones now are 12 mp with all the bells and whistles and are a bit pricey . . . but, I have a outfitter that I made a bunch of digital units for a few years back and he has since had me upgrade all of his units for a higher class of camera and better boards. . . so I just made him new ones and took the old ones back in on trade. I have these used cameras available at a good price and would be willing to check them all out and sell them for $225 TYD each. Here's the specs and a picture. . .

Olympus D380 camera, Pixcontroller control board, 4xAA battery pack for the board with external switch, 2 4xAA battery packs wired in parallel to supply additional power for the camera for more time in the field. This will give you 3 times the normal camera life in the field. All this mounted in a Pelican 1060 case with 3D camo on the outside and security D-bolts on the side for a Python security cable. Even tho this camera unit is an older model it is the fastest of all the cameras available in the homebrew market. 2 seconds or less.

A few pics from these cameras . . .

Send me a PM and we can get you hooked up with a nice digital unit.

 

[Sumpnneedskillin]

I have a bushnell trophy cam that I did a lot of shopping and got for about $170 about a year ago. I just looked and the going price is down near that now so you may be able to find one around 150. I also spent the 30 bucks and got the lock box for it. I already had some python locks so I was set.

It's fast, it has IR and it's small. It uses 8 AA batteries and it does a good job of conserving them. I had a Moultrie that ate 4 D batteries like they were free after dinner mints. You need a tree or something large to lock it to.

Now that I'm up here in wheat country I'm trying to figure out how to do some scouting other than sitting a glassing.

 

[Sumpnneedskillin]

MT BANS GAME CAMS DURING SEASON!!

Just read about this on another site. Here's the info right out of the MT regs.

Motion-Tracking Devices and/or
Camera Devices​

It is illegal for a person to possess or
use in the field any electronic or camera
device who’s purpose is to scout the
location of game animals or relay the
information on a game animal’s location
or movement during any Commissionadopted​

hunting season.

 

[Glass eye]

Just read about this on another site. Here's the info right out of the MT regs.

Motion-Tracking Devices and/or
Camera Devices
It is illegal for a person to possess or
use in the field any electronic or camera
device who’s purpose is to scout the
location of game animals or relay the
information on a game animal’s location
or movement during any Commissionadopted​

hunting season.

That's too bad. I'm sure other states will follow.
At least they can still use them prior to opener.

 

[JNDEER]

Just read about this on another site. Here's the info right out of the MT regs.

Motion-Tracking Devices and/or
Camera Devices
It is illegal for a person to possess or
use in the field any electronic or camera
device who’s purpose is to scout the
location of game animals or relay the
information on a game animal’s location
or movement during any Commissionadopted​

hunting season.

dang, i was afraid that would happen sooner or later!! I know CA was waiting to another state to get it in the regs' cause they were thinking of doing it themselves!!

 

[Bencoyote]

Glass Eye.... I have several game camera's and use models from 100.00 to 600.00. To be honest my 100.00 camera's take better picture's than my 600.00. I recommend the Moultrie D-40, it costs 99.00 and you can pick one a bit cheaper thru ebay at around 89.00. Its a great starter camera and I like that it has a lazer light source so you can see what angle and height that your camera will take pictures at. Many camera's on the market today and some great ones at that, but for the price and function, you cant beat it. Trigger speed, battery life, detection zone are all things to consider when buying a game camera but if you are just starting out, I recommend to stay away from the high dollar camera's for now. Even the thought of someone ripping off my 100.00 camera's would make me mad but its better than 600.00. One tip I have once you get a camera is to look up when there is a full moon. I pay attention to the full moon cycle. The week of a full moon phase seems to add in animal activity and thus you will get more picture's even during the day! Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[Vermonster]

Just read about this on another site. Here's the info right out of the MT regs.

Motion-Tracking Devices and/or
Camera Devices
It is illegal for a person to possess or
use in the field any electronic or camera
device who’s purpose is to scout the
location of game animals or relay the
information on a game animal’s location
or movement during any Commissionadopted​

hunting season.

The way I read that is that you just can't use them during the season, correct? doesn't seem to affect the pre season scouting.