Choosing the Best Trail Cameras for You

No matter which camera you choose, make sure it is one you can count on year in and year out under a variety of weather conditions.

A Word on "Unbiased" Trail Camera Reviews

Please be careful of websites that offer MOULTRIE M-40 GAME CAMERA reviews. Many are Amazon affiliates who are writing reviews specifically for search engine listings. They get a cut from all sales you make at Amazon (even if it's not a trail camera) so if you're reading a review look at the bottom of the page for "Amazon Affiliate". If you see that chances are there's an ulterior motive.

Other sites might get paid to advertise or promote MOULTRIE M-40 GAME CAMERA over another due to special camera manufacturer relationships. Even if the trail camera store isn't getting a cut to promote one camera over another, authors can get cuts without telling others they are sponsored by the camera manufacturer. On a side note I am not getting paid to promote cameras and we are not getting paid to promote cameras.

So where can you get an unbiased review? These Hunting talk forums can be a good source, but be discerning as the source could be paid by the manufacturer. Friends who have actual experience with a particular camera is a no-brainer.

Camera Trigger Speed Can Make a Big Difference

This is an important characteristic that should be based on how and where you intent to use your MOULTRIE M-40 GAME CAMERA. For example, if you’re primarily hanging your camera over a food source then I don’t think camera trigger speed should be the deciding factor when making a purchase. Besides, how fast does a camera have to be to catch a whitetail feeding in a field or over a bait pile? In those instances the deer are most likely going to hang around for a while before easing off into the distance. Hyper-fast trigger speeds aren’t going to benefit you that much.

However, let’s say you’re hanging your camera over a game trail. Trigger speed suddenly becomes much more important. There’s no doubt deer will be more apt to move quickly through the area; especially if you’re talking about a buck following a hot doe. A slow trigger speed might miss that trailing buck whereas a faster trigger will actually capture him in all of his glory. 

So, consider where your camera is going to be placed before paying extra for ultra-fast trigger speed if you don’t really need it. Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.

Did You Even Get the Photo?

Recovery time, the amount of time it takes for a camera to be ready to take another shot after the first photo, is another really important aspect to consider.

Most trail cameras take between 1 and 5 seconds to take that second photo but some take over a minute! Needless to say if you have a camera with a very slow recovery time set up on a trail you're potentially missing out on a lot of photos. I would even say you're probably missing photos of that buck following in the distant.

Battery Life Impacts Time and Overall Camera Cost

Personally, I take battery life very seriously. Most of the places I have cameras hanging are in remote, mountainous terrain and I don’t check them very often. A lot of times I will sacrifice certain features as long as a camera has good battery life. Years ago this was a major issue but manufacturers have really stepped up their game and taken battery life as seriously as we do. Over the years I have had great results from Bushnell, Primos, Browning and Moultrie; just to name a few. 

If easy access to your camera is common and you can get away with it every other month or so, then maybe battery life isn’t nearly as important. However, for someone like me who hangs their camera in early spring and doesn’t check it till late summer, battery life is a big consideration.

Long battery life also means less return visits to replace the dead ones and lower lifelong costs. This leads to less pressure being placed on the local deer herd. In my opinion, return visits are the number one downside to scouting cameras. But that’s another blog.