Every hunter must be aware of how critical a good trail camera is to their success in viewing and locating wildlife. A hunting camera is a motion-activated camera specially designed to capture photos and record videos of wildlife. It is a useful tool for hunters as it helps one to identify the movement patterns of wildlife. Most game cameras can record short videos as well as capture photos.
A game camera mainly comprises a digital camera and a motion detector. The latter makes use of passive infrared technology to sense movement and trigger the camera. The camera will then begin to record videos or capture a photo. During the night, the cameras use infrared LEDs to obtain black-and-white night-vision photos.
These cameras are commonly referred to as trail cameras. They usually come in rectangular plastic housing, typically less than six inches tall and also less than six inches wide. In most cases, hunters prefer to strap the camera onto a tree using the ubiquitous nylon tree strap that comes with any game camera. However, you can opt to purchase specially designed tripods if you wish to place your camera in the field.
Trail cameras tend to vary in price, ranging from $60 to approximately $600. The most expensive models make use of a cellular data connection and email you the photos. Usually, they require a monthly data subscription, which also varies in price. You probably know that game cameras do have different strengths as well as weaknesses. If you want to buy a quality game camera, you need to know the features, pros, cons, customer reviews, etc. So, we have combined all those in one place for you.
Top Hunting Camera Reviews
We’ve compiled a list of the top hunting camera reviews to ensure that you obtain great value for your money. After reading the guide, you’ll have all information you need to choose the perfect trail camera for hunting that matches your budget, which will make you confident it’s the right investment. By clicking on the title link, you will find the camera reviews in detail.
Wild Game Innovations 360 Camera, Bark
The Wild Game Innovations 360 Camera is a popular trail/hunting camera currently available for purchase.
It comes with a number of very important features such as 12 Megapixels, a 360-degree image/video capturing ability, a 1.5-second Trigger Speed, a long Battery Life, a T-post mounting bracket, among several others.
The camera is capable of capturing 360° Images and Videos because it features a rotating lens, a 360° detection area ability and an excellent infrared flash system. With this 360 Cam, there are basically no blind spots.
The 360 Cam can capture video and images at both daytime and nighttime. The camera is capable of doing this mainly because of its 36-LED infrared flash that has the ability to illuminate animals that are as far away as 70 ft.
The camera can capture a photo or video after it senses motion, and with a 1.5-second Trigger Speed, the 360 Cam is renowned for having one of the fastest trigger speeds in the industry. In addition to being a very effective game camera, the 360 Camera is also a very effective security camera that can help you to catch burglars, trespassers, and vandals.
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Features at a Glance
- 12 megapixels (4 resolution)
- HD 720p Videos
- Durable and Water Resistant
- 360-degree Image/Video Capture
- 1.5 second trigger speed
- Long battery life
- External battery port
- Mounting strap
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Stealth Cam G42 No-Glo Trail Game-Camera STC-G42NG
The Stealth Cam series of trail cameras were launched in 2000 by GSM Outdoors. In fact, they can be rightfully considered the brand that made trail cams mainstream. They’re among the most popular hunting cam developers in today’s market. The G42 No Glo game camera is one of the best-selling models by Stealth Cam.
It’s a 10MP hunting camera, able to record up to 180-second HD-video clips with sound. It allows you to choose your desired image resolution from 4 different options: 2MP, 4MP, 8MP and 10MP. Having a big SD card to use with the 10MP option is necessary given that images produced with this full resolution are quite outstanding. There are also two options for its video resolution: 720 * 480 and 1280 * 720.
The flash of Stealth Cam G42NG Game Camera is inarguably a beast, as the 42 no-glow IR emitters can provide a 100-feet range. You’ll find this flash to be too powerful on some occasions, leading to some white-out on close objects. The night-time shots are exceptionally great for a no-glo camera. It allows for plenty of illumination, with minimal blur or graininess in night-time shots.
The G42NG is an excellent trail camera, offering excellent images and videos, and numerous features to play with. In fact, this camera is among the few select models you should consider if you’re seeking an enhanced yet exciting hunting experience.
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Features at a Glance
- 10.0 megapixel (4 resolution), HD video recording 5 to 180 seconds.
- 42 “BLACK” IR Emitters/100ft range with reflex trigger – .5 seconds.
- Per triggering 1-9 images in burst mode.
- Built in SD card slot, up to 32GB.
- Manual shot capability.
- New intuitive backlit menu programming.
- Secure lock password protection.
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Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam HD Hybrid Camera with Night Vision
This is a micro-sized hunting camera, capable of capturing pictures at 8MP, 5MP and 3MP, so you can select picture quality that matches your installed SD card. It features a .6-second trigger speed, which is notably very fast. This will be helpful while on active trail setups.
The Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam is able to produce images which are rich in both contrast and color. The black-flash is very strong, doing a great job with night-time pictures. With its hybrid option, it will capture an image when triggered before capturing a video. The videos captured are of great quality, suitable for viewing on a computer and sharing with friends.
A feature worth noting is that the cam is conveniently easy to use and it has a simple menu layout. You can easily customize various aspects including video length and quality, picture quality, date and time, as well as hybrid setting.
This little trail cam certainly gets a thumbs-up for its great collection of features such as the fast trigger speed, top picture and video quality, and its rock solid reliability. You can be sure to get what you pay for. It’s specially designed for both professional and amateur hunters.
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Features at a Glance
- 8 megapixel high-quality full-color resolution.
- Per triggering 1-3 images.
- 1280x720p High Definition video with audio recording 1 to 60 seconds.
- Images display date, time, moon phase, temperature and name.
- GPS Geotag automatically embeds GPS coordinates.
- In Hybrid Capture Mode, it simultaneously captures full resolution pictures and video on every trigger.
- Adjustable PIR (Lo/Med/High) or Auto PIR.
- SD card slot up to 32GB.
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Browning Strike Force Sub Micro 10MP Game Camera
This cam is covered in an appealing design that also serves to be effective camouflage. You can capture nature in the purest and most secure form with the Browning 10MP camera, whether it’s videos or images. It accomplishes quite a lot for a modest price.
It produces HD quality videos, ranging from 5 seconds to almost 2 minutes with just a single shoot. The photos are lightning-fast, enabled by the very quick trigger time. The cam features an excellent 100-foot flash range, able to capture up to 10,000 pictures using 6 AA batteries. You can take up to 6 rapid-fire and eight multi-shot images.
The Browning Strike Force Sub Micro 10MP Game Camera is loaded with great features for any application, including hunting. Although some users have reported that its latches do break easily, this is made up for with the numerous capabilities it has.
It’s a great purchase, especially considering the price. Browning has certainly done a fantastic job, providing such an excellent model at an extremely affordable price.
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Features at a Glance
- Lightning fast 0.67 second trigger time.
- Records HD videos with sound of 5 seconds to 120 seconds in length.
- Long-life battery.
- 100 ft flash range.
- Includes Browning Buck Watch time-lapse viewer software.
- Compact size, small enough for easy mounting.
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Stealth Cam STC-P12 6.0 Megapixel Digital Scouting Camera, Tree Bark
The Stealth Cam STC P12 is specially designed for all outdoor and hunting outings. It’s an incredible hunting cam, able to capture excellent pictures of all your surroundings. It can support up to 32GB memory cards, sufficient for storing a lot more than five hundred images. The camera comes incorporated with a mini-USB output, allowing you to download instantly even while in the field.
This Stealth Cam STC-P12 6.0 MP Digital Scouting Camera features a 50-foot range for capturing wildlife activities, allowing for clear images. Its burst rapid-fire mode delivers six images in just a single triggering. This enables you to achieve the full effect of all that’s happening outside as it captures all scenes consecutively. It’s able to capture highly vibrant, realistic images, taking color pictures during the day and infrared shots at night.
It’s among the leading scouting cams, particularly due to its overall high quality, top-notch performance and innovation. Its appearance is highly appealing, and it’s suitably easy to handle and performs efficiently. One of the most attractive points of this camera is that it’s available at an extremely reasonable cost. It’s the perfect purchase if you’re seeking an excellent solution for your outings and hunting at an affordable price.
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Features at a Glance
- 6.0 MP with video recording of 15 sec.
- Images with time, date and moon phase stamp.
- Burst mode captures 1-6 images per triggering featuring a 5-59 sec/1-59 minute recovery time.
- 12 IR emitters/50 foot and EZ Dial Programming with Quick Set.
- Low battery indicator.
- Durable digital 3-D camo housing with external LCD and test mode.
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Simmons Whitetail Trail Camera with Night Vision (6MP)
While this is just a basic hunting camera, it scores well enough to feature among the top five due to its many capabilities. It’s able to detect movement of large game and humans 45-feet away. It has seven months of battery life, and it can support up to 32GB SD cards, which will store quite a vast number of images and videos.
Having a 6MP sensor, it takes exceptionally great pictures. The day-time pictures are very clear and crisp, with plenty of contrast. The Simmons Whitetail Trail Camera features a 1.2-second trigger time, enabling you to take consecutive images of the game with precise focus. This Whitetail camera has 18 low-glow LEDs, suitable for infrared night vision at an approximate 40-foot range.
You can easily set the image quality to 6MP or 5MP. All images captured are stamped with the time, date and moon phase. At such a budget-friendly cost, you might not expect much from it. But on the contrary you’ll find it offers great value for the price. It’s quite easy to use, yet comes with a well-detailed instruction manual which is notably comprehensive about all its features. It’s a great hunting cam at an incredibly affordable price.
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Features at a Glance
- 5/6 megapixel high-quality full-color resolution; 640×480 video day or night.
- Super smooth LCD screen.
- Infrared night vision LEDs that are virtually invisible to the game; 18 low glow LEDs – 40 ft. range.
- Motion-activated PIR sensor has a range of up to 30 feet.
- Images captured are stamped with the time, date and moon phase.
- Supports up to 32GB SD cards.
- 6-month battery life; requires 4 AA batteries.
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Useful Accessories for Hunting Cameras
When you are out in the field it is very convenient to be able to scan what your trail cameras may or may not have captured on the spot. You no longer have to remove all the SD cards from your cameras and take them to your home to view them your computer.
Please take a look at these 2 products that are guaranteed to help you read your SD Cards out where the cameras are installed:
Stealth Cam SD Card Reader and Viewer with 4.3″ LCD Screen
Trail Cam Tracker Trail Camera SD Card Reader for iPhone & Android
Also if you need need SD Cards for your Trail Cameras you can use one of the Best Sellers:
SanDisk 32GB Ultra Class 10 SDHC UHS-I Memory Card
Things to Consider Before Buying a Hunting Camera
Purchasing a hunting camera can be somewhat intimidating. There are dozens of models to choose from on the shelves in various stores, in archery shops and online. They also all come priced quite differently. There are various factors you must consider to ascertain that you’re purchasing the right model that suits your preferences. Below are some of the factors to consider when choosing a game/trail camera.
Megapixels
It’s a general rule that a camera with more megapixels will give higher resolution photos. You should consider how many megapixels a camera features before purchasing it. However, this shouldn’t be the only determining factor when you’re purchasing a hunting camera.
Trigger Speed
Most buyers tend not to consider the trigger speed and later become frustrated with what they bought. Trigger speed refers to the time between the instant an animal walks into the frame and when the camera takes a photo. Different models have different trigger speeds. A camera with a higher trigger speed is obviously preferable to one with a lower trigger speed.
Photo Settings
This is among the most important considerations for most hunting camera enthusiasts. Some models will capture photos only once triggered by motion, taking a picture every second or two. Other cameras can take several photos in just a single second. The abundance of the captured photos will mean a higher chance of getting at least one perfect shot. Other settings to look at include time-lapse auto modes. These are very handy, especially when you’ve set up your camera in a large field.
Battery Life
This is an important factor. Some cameras will capture 3,000 or 4,000 pictures on one set of batteries while others can take tens of thousands. You should also consider the size of the batteries used. A model using 4 D-batteries to capture 3,000 photos will tend to cost much more than operating one that’s using 4 AA batteries to capture 20,000 photos.
Infrared
This feature enables cameras to capture night-time photos with much less intrusion. However, you should know that not all infrared is the same. There are some which emit a beam of infrared light while others will filter the light. With the latter, it may be completely invisible. Hunting cameras with such technology are referred to as “covert”. The semi-covert ones have some filtering but are not completely invisible.
Final Verdict
Hunting cameras are incredibly complex and each camera is unique in some form. However, you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed when choosing one. With just the above basics, you’ll be able to carefully select which model is suitable for your needs. Considering the top cameras above is a great place to start. You can be assured of getting an excellent camera at an affordable price by choosing a camera based on your preferences. You can also check out How to Use a Game Camera Hunters Trail Camera.
