TrailCam.com | Trail Camera, Trail Camera Reviews, Scouting Camera, Game Scouting Camera

Cuddeback Capture: First Look

Justin_Zarr — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:33:00 GMT

Several months ago reports started popping up that Cuddeback was set to release a new trail camera for this fall, called the Capture. As one of the more widely recognized names in the industry needless to say we were excited to see what these new cameras would offer. This past week our first Capture arrived at the office. Here are our first impressions.

There are two models of the new Capture available, one with standard flash and one with an IR flash. Both cameras are 3.0 megapixels in both day and night, and are priced very reasonably. The standard Capture retails for $199.99 and the IR version for $229.99. To date only the standard-flash cameras have shipped out so that’s what we’ve had the chance to test.

If you’ve seen any of the new print or TV ads for this product you’ll notice that the main feature Cuddeback is trying to push is the ease of use. A lot of cameras we’ve tested have settings that are buried several levels deep into the menus and can be somewhat cumbersome to figure out at first. Let’s face it, none of us want to sit around and read a 20 page manual and spend an hour trying to figure out how to use our trail cameras. We want to open them up, put batteries in them, strap them on a tree, and be on our way. With the Cuddeback Capture, you can do just that.

Both Capture units feature a new rotating dial system for controlling the camera settings and arming the camera in the field. There are only two push buttons, which are only used for your initial time/date/year setup. Once you take care of those, which takes less than a minute, you don’t have to use them again. Once your camera is set up and in position you simply rotate the dial to the time delay you want (30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes), close the cover and walk away. It truly is a very user-friendly interface.

Like the older Cuddeback cameras the new Capture also uses 4 D-Cell batteries for power. Although unlike my C2000 Excite the battery system is much easier to use. The batteries actually slide into the case underneath the main cover and aren’t held in by that cheesy metal plate that I always had problems with in the past.
Also new with the Capture units is the switch from Compact Flash (CF) cards over to the more industry-standard SD cards found in most other manufacturer’s units. This is great for those of us who have a bunch of cameras and have been managing different types of cards. Not to mention SD cards are more readily available and cheaper than CF cards. A big thumbs up to Cuddeback for finally making the switch.

My one complaint on this camera is the fact that they did away with the screw-in fastening system found on my older units. I really liked this method as it added one small measure of security for my cameras. I could screw them in, fasten the face plate, then put a small padlock on it that made it more difficult for thieves to run off with. The new Capture units no longer have this option and instead come with a more traditional strap system. It works fine for what it is, but now there is no easy option for locking the Capture unit to the tree. Even if you put a padlock on the door that only prevents someone from opening it, not from removing the strap from the tree and taking the whole unit. Definitely a step backwards in my opinion.

My new Cuddeback Capture went out to the field last night and I plan on checking it next Saturday to see how the trigger speed, flash range, and image quality is. I tested it inside my house a few times before putting it out and the trigger speed looks like it’s on par with my older Cuddeback units, and image quality definitely appears to be higher than my C2000 Excite. As soon as I have an update, you’ll be the first to know!

If you'd like to purchase a new Cuddeback Capture digital trail camera we have them in stock and ready to ship right here at TrailCam.com! Retail cost is $199.99 and you can purcahse your new Cuddeback Capture by clicking here.

About The Trailcam.com Staff

Justin_Zarr — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:05:00 GMT

Have you ever tried to contact the customer service department of an online store and had to speak to someone in another country who had no idea what they were talking about? I most certainly have, and I know it can be frustrating! Have you ever sat back and wondered who the real people behind the scenes of your favorite website were? If you have ever wondered who is behind the scenes here at Trailcam.com, look no further!

Todd Graf is the founder and President of Hunting Network LLC, which owns and operates Trailcam.com. As a successful businessman and serial entrepreneur Todd has developed numerous hunting-related websites, most notably HuntingNet.com. As the Internet's largest hunting community HuntingNet.com has been around since 1995 and currently reaches over 3.5 million unique visitors each year. With the sale of HuntingNet.com in 2007 Todd has shifted his focus towards creating a large network of individually focused websites, beginning here at Trailcam.com and expanding during the fall of 2008 to Bowhunting.com. Todd's passion for hunting as well as technology naturally lead him to take up an interest in trail cameras. A self-admitted trail camera junky, Todd has owned just about every make and model of trail camera on the market and relies heavily on his cameras not only to keep him busy during the off-season, but for inventorying the bucks in and around his hunting areas as well.

I met Todd for the first time in the spring of 2004 and began working for him at his IT Consulting business later that summer. As someone who grew up chasing whitetails around the woodlots of Northern Illinois having the opportunity to be a part of HuntingNet.com was a dream come true. I had some exposure to trail cameras via my dad who had two older 35 mm units, but my real exposure didn't come until Todd gave me my first CamTrakker unit. Since then I've been hooked on trying to get as many photos of big bucks as possible. And while I may not always be successful at getting pictures of them, or killing them for that matter, I sure have a good time trying! I current 4-5 run different trail cameras during the summer and fall months, while testing and writing reviews for as many more here at trailcam.com.

Our goal for Trailcam.com is to provide a resource for hunters and other trail camera enthusiasts to share information and read real-life reviews about products that we all use. We are not sponsored by any trail camera companies and our opinions are completely unbiased and based on our own personal observations, or those of our staff. We believe that the power of the Internet is in the facts and real-life experiences that we all have. If you are having problems with a camera or accessory, tell us about it. If you have been pleasantly surprised with the performance of a camera or accessory, we want to know about that too. Keeping people informed about our experiences will help others avoid the mistakes we have made, and make more informed purchasing decisions. We encourage everyone who visits the site to participate in the forums, leave feedback and comments in the blog, or send us an e-mail. If you have a crazy photo you want to share, or an experience you want people to know about, let us know! We built this site for you, so let us know what we can do to improve on it.

If you are looking for a product that you don't see in our cart, or have a question about the ones you do see, feel free to e-mail us (justin@bowhunting.com or tgraf@bowhunting.com) or call our office at 847-659-8200. We might not have the answer to all your questions, but we will certainly do our very best to find them out. We are here Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Central Time. And if you call during the fall and we're not here, chances are we're out in a treestand somewhere!

PS - Right now we're offering free UPS ground shipping on all orders through July 25th. So if you're looking to pick up a camera and get some photos of velvet-clad bucks now is certainly the time! Check out the great deals we have on trail cameras and accessories from Moultrie, Stealth Cam, Cuddeback, Pine Ridge Archery, Trail-Pod, and more in our online store.

Cuddeback Excite 2.0 Megapixel Digital Trail Camera

Justin_Zarr — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:52:00 GMT

Two summers ago I was in the market for a new trail camera, my first digital model to be exact. Up until that point I only had experience with my 35 mm CamTrakker units which worked great but I was eager to get into the digital world and stop paying those film development costs. So I did a little bit of research to see what was available in my price range with the features I was lookign for and settled on the Cuddeback Excite 2.0 megapixel digital trail camera. The unit was fairly compact in size with a reported excellent trigger speed, battery life, and traditional flash for night photos.

With a retail prce of around $300 (which has since falling to under $250) it was one of the more affordable digital trail cameras on the market, and I had heard a lot of good things about Cuddeback units in general so I placed my order. Several days later a nice new trail camera showed up at my office. I was eager to use the camera so of course the first thing I did was take it out of the package and start figuring out how to use it.

My first complaint was that the camera didn't come with a flash card or have any internal memory, which meant I had to go buy a flash card somewhere. While this is fairly common for most trail cameras, it still frustrutes me none the less. Would it really be THAT hard to bundle the cameras with a flash card? I'm sure most consumers would be willing to pay a few extra bucks to avoid that trip to the electronics store when they'd rather be in the field using their new trial camera. In any case, off I went to my local Best Buy to pick up a compact Flash card, which set me back another $40 or so. I also picked up 4 "D" cell batteries while I was out, and I was finally ready to go.

When inserting the batteries into the camera I then became frustrated by the metal plate that holds the batteries in place. I couldn't seem to get it to stay put properly and the batteries kept falling out every time I turned the camera on it's end. However, after a few minutes of tinkering with it I finally figured out the trick and got everything in place. A word of advice - make sure the little plastic lever behind the battery cover is pulled out and to the side when inserting the batteries, then push it back in place once you've inserted the cover. It took me a few tries to figure out how to work the battery cover properly, but once I figured it out I haven't had a problem since.

My next step was turning the trail camera on and figuring out how to take photos. After a minute or two of running through the instructions I managed to set the date, time, and camera settings without too much effort. The menus are fairly simple to understand and easy enough to set properly, which I really liked. The buttons that control the camera are big enough that they're easily depressed, and there's not so many of them that you can't figure out what they all do. The on/off switch is also good size and right in your face, which is a plus. Like many other cameras I've played with in the past with my Cuddeback Excite you have to remember to set it to "live" mode once you turn it on or you won't capture any photos. Just because it's on doesn't mean it's actually taking photos, remember that! A few pushes of a button once you turn the switch on and you're ready to go. Additionally, there is an easy to adjust hi/low sensitivity setting which allows you to adjust how sensitive your camera is to motion in case you have the camera in a high-traffic area and don't want to capture every photo of every raccoon, squirrel, or bird that comes by.

Once I was ready to hit the woods with my new Cuddeback Excite I had to figure out how to attach it to the tree where I wanted it set up. I couldn't figure out the eyelet that comes attached to the back of the camera, I'm assuming you're supposed to use some sort of strap through the eyelet but that seemed like too much of a pain for me, so I opted to go with the torx-head screw that is included. This is a nice little feature that allows you to screw the camera directly into the tree for a nice solid attachment, then the cover goes over the screw head and can be locked for an additional measure of security. Just make sure you've got a torx-head wrench with you when you want to move your camera. I forgot mine in the truck once after a long walk and I was none too happy when I had to turn around and go back to get it!

A week or so after I set my camera out I came back to check on things and was amazed to find out that even though the camera showed a bunch of activity, there were no photos on the compact flash card. Dejected and pissed off I took the camera home to do some testing. I tried several CF cards and numerous setting changes with the same results - the camera would activate and say it was taking a photo, it would even flash in low light, but there were no photos on the card. Eventually I gave up and the camera sat on my desk for a few months without moving. By the time I got around to figuring out what was wrong the season was over and my camera hadn't taken a single photo of a deer.

After deciding I must have had a defective camera I went on the Cuddeback website in hopes of finding a number to call for some help. What I found instead was an FAQ area that walked me through some simple troubleshooting before deciding that my camera was indeed defective and needed to be sent back. An online RMA process gave me all the info I needed so I packed my camera up and shipped it back to Cuddeback. I was very impressed with their online system for returns and repairs.

About two weeks later my repaired camera showed up at the office and it was time to start over. Kudos to Cuddeback customer service, this was a very painless process and I had my camera back in my hands with a new set of instructions and a repair sheet to tell me what had be done. (If I recall correctly I believe they replaced the actual circuitboard inside the camera). So I threw some batteries in, put my CF card in, configured all my settings and put it up on my desk. After a few test shots I tested the camera and bingo! I had plenty of good photos on the card this time. At last, I was ready to put it out in the woods for a real test.

That weekend I took a trip down to Pike County, IL with Craig Neace from BowhuntingWhitetails.com. I decided to see how the Excite would do on the farm we would be hunting later that fall. Craig and I located a suitable spot for the camera, screwed it on the tree, turned it on, and off we went. I knew I wasn't going to be back down to this spot for at least 4-6 weeks so I hoped the batteries would hold up and I would have some good photos to show for it.

Early September arrived and it was time to go hang treestands in preparation for the October 1 opener, and check my Cuddeback Excite while I was at it. Much to my surprise the camera still had plenty of battery life in it after 6 weeks in the field, and it had taken nearly 100 photos without a hiccup. Now it was time to see what type of photos we had.

Overall my impression of the photos taken by my Excite is so-so. This is a middle-of-the-road camera so I didn't expect the best photos in the world, which is what I got. The 2.0 megapixel images are plenty large to view fullsize and see pretty good detail, but a lot of the photos are blurry, especially if the deer is moving at anything more than a slow walk. I'm no expert but it seems that the problem is caused by a shutter speed that is a bit too long during daylight hours, trying to gather additional light without using the flash. It can be frustrating at times as about one third of my photos are pretty blurry. (click the photo on the right to see it full sized for an example) However, the rest of them are pretty crisp so I can't complain too much. (click the photo below to view larger version) Trigger speed appears to be great as I didn't have very many butt shots, and sensitivity appears to be pretty good as well as I didn't have many empty shots either. All in all, I was very happy with the results of my first real test in the field.

I set the camera back up with some fresh batteries and didn't check it again until the 20th of October and the same as last time I had a lot of photos, some good, some blurry, and plenty of battery life remaining. Once again the Cuddeback Excite did it's job and I was happy.

My next test and last of the year came during the late season here in Illinois when I set the camera up near a hay field that the deer were hitting hard on a nightly basis. Unfortunately something must have been blowing in front of the camera because it took one photo every minute for 800 minutes in a row until it ran out of battery life. A week later when I came back I was disappointed to find 800 images of the forest, and only a few chance shots of a few does that wandered in front of the camera near dark. Since the hunting season was over and it was brutally cold and snowy outside I took the camera home and did some more testing, which showed it was working alright, before putting it up for the year. Next time it goes out in the field (in about a month) I'm going to try the sensitivity setting on low to see how it performs.

With this summer comes a new test of the camera entering it's 3rd season. I'm hoping to take advantage of the extended battery life during the warm summer months so I don't have to check the camera very often, thus minimizing my scent in the areas I'll be hunting come fall. I hope to put the camera out sometime in July at our new hunting spot in Brown County, IL and leave it up for a month or so before returning to check on things in August. Overall I have been pleased with the performance of this trail camera. With prices dropping to the $230 range (you can buy one here) this is an excellent option for people who want a digital trail camera with good trigger speed and decent photo quality. It may not by an infrared camera, but the standard flash does a good job at night with the pictures turning out pretty good. Nighttime photos are a little grainy at times, but they are good enough to get the job done.

Overall I'd give the Cuddeback Excite 2.0 megapixel Digital Trail Camera a 3 out of 5 rating.

For more photo examples from my Cuddeback Excite click here.

To purchase a Cuddeback Excite 2.0 Megapixel Trail Camera click here.

Moultrie Game Spy 4.1 MP Digital Trail Camera

Trailcam — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:40:00 GMT

The Moultrie Game Spy 4.1 MP trail camera is packed full of features at an affordable price.

It's just as exciting as finding a big shed antler or laying eyes on a big buck feeding in a field before opening day. What's just as exciting, you ask? Checking your game camera. There is a feeling like a child waiting for Christmas when you're looking through your photos waiting to see if the next photo could be the buck of your dreams. Now with the modern digital age you can see your photos at the base of your tree, or e-mail the photos to your hunting buddies. You're just as proud of that photo as if you harvested that animal.

I feel that the invention of game cameras is one of the best products invented to help land owners manage deer herds on their property. It also helps hunters better understand deer behavior at all times of the year and what caliber of bucks you have on your property. I have learned more than I ever thought by the use of a game camera. I've placed cameras on food plots, rub lines, scrape lines, and game trails. Not only can you tell what kind of animal you have coming through your property but you can tell what time deer are traveling through at. On some models you can tell the temperature and moon phase it was when the picture was taken.

I have used several different company's game cameras and different models. I have also used thirty five millimeter and digital. In this review I am going to be talking about the Moultrie Game Spy Cameras, both the 3.1 and the 4.1 megapixel and both of them are traditional flash models.

The Moultrie 3.1 and the 4.1 I have are both powered by the 6 volt rechargeable batteries. I start placing my cameras in the woods around mid June. At this time the battery will usually last until mid to late September before they need to be recharged. I feel that during the summer months and throughout the hunting season, the battery life on the Moultrie cameras using the 6 volt battery is something to brag about. The great thing about this is that I have to clear my memory cards and move the cameras more times than I have to recharge the batteries. Moultrie also has adaptable 6 volt solar panels that can attach to the camera using a set of alligator clips to extend the battery life of rechargeable batteries.

Now when the temperature up here in central Wisconsin drops, I notice I get much less battery life. Both models work great when the daytime temperature is in the mid thirties to the high twenties. The battery life will last for about a month even in these colder temperatures. However, once the temperature gets colder than this during the day, the whole camera seems to slow down. That includes the trigger speed from when the deer passes within the sensor to the time the picture is actually taken. The new models that Moultrie has come out with recently have switched from the 6 volt battery power to using six D-cell batteries. I could not tell you if this is a better switch for Moultrie simply because I have not tried them yet.

The easy-to-use inner workings of my Moultrie Game Spy trail camera.

The trigger speed on both the 3.1 and the 4.1 is very good. Very seldom do I have pictures without deer in them. I have used other companies game cameras that the trigger speed is so slow and poor that you would have to place the camera facing down the game trail in order to get a deer in the picture. The Moultrie Game Spy 3.1 and 4.1 are both good at taking a photo when the deer walks in front of the camera. Now the trigger speed is not perfect. To be perfect, the camera would have to take the picture the exact time the deer trips the sensor. Moultrie's trigger speed will work great for most applications, however, I will tell you that if a deer is running by the camera or on a fast walk you may get a picture showing a part of the deer, usually the rump (the end we see too much of in a season). As I mentioned earlier the trigger speed will also slow down when the day time temperature drops below freezing. This is something to keep in mind when positioning your camera for optimal performance.

When choosing a game camera you need to look at what you plan on doing with it and where you plan on placing it. I hunt a lot of public land and some private land. The price range on game cameras can vary from fifty dollars to eight hundred dollars. With that being said, I'm not going to be putting a four hundred dollar game camera on public land only to have it stolen. That is one reason I like the Moultrie Game Cameras. They are reasonably priced and work great for their cost. Now I'm not saying I want my game cameras stolen but if one does get stolen, I would rather it be a hundred dollar camera versus a four hundred dollar camera.

One thing I would like to see Moultrie improving on their game cameras are the security functions. All they have is a small round slot to place a padlock to prevent a thief from opening the camera. For a thief to get past this feature all they would have to do is break off the plastic padlock tab with a hammer and the camera could still be removed from the tree and still work just fine without the locking tab. This winter I will be welding up lock boxes for my cameras to deter thievery in the woods until Moultrie comes out with a better way to secure the camera.

These elastic straps work to secure my Game Spy to the tree, but they certainly could be improved upon.

Since we are on the topics of securing the camera, the other thing I would like to mention is that the Game Spy's are held to a tree by two small elastic cords. I wish they would improve this method because the common problem I have is finding the perfect tree to attach my cameras to. Often I find myself tying knots in the elastic cord to shorten it up to fit a smaller tree or wrapping the cords around the tree several times to tighten up the slack to hold the camera in place. To improve this Moultrie should use a nylon strap that is adjustable and synchs to adjust for the tree's diameter. If they can't come up with a better mounting system, I may just look into getting an AT-5 from Pine Ridge Archery to solve this pesky issue.

For those of you that don't have the electronic skill and know how (myself included), the Moultrie Game Spy is very easy to use and set up. With easy to follow directions and ease of use, you will have your camera up and running in no time. On the face of the camera there is a display that tells you how many photos taken, how many more photos you can take and how much battery power you have left. A great feature on Moultrie cameras is they have laser aiming. What this means is that with a flip of a switch, a laser will shoot out from the camera and a red dot will show you what height and what angle you need to move your camera to get that photo of a lifetime. I like to hang my camera and step back to the deer trail or scrape that I have my camera facing and use my body as a canvas to see what height I have the camera set for. I like to have the laser aiming just above my knee, approximately three to four feet off the ground, when I'm standing on the deer trail looking back at the camera. At this height I seem to get the best pictures with the deer centered in the photo. Other game cameras that don't have this feature may be set too high or too low by the user.

The photo quality of the Moultrie Game Spy depends on several factors which all work together. With digital cameras the more megapixels the larger your photo will be, which is nice when increasing the photo size to see the finer details of a buck's rack. Both the 3.1 and the 4.1 megapixel versions take great photos and I don't notice that much difference in quality between the two. When deciding on how many megapixels to get you first have to ask yourself what you plan on doing with the picture once you get home. If you plan on printing your pictures and cropping or zooming in on that big buck, you may want to go to a higher megapixel like the 4.1 versus the 3.1. If you just plan on printing the photo as it is the 3.1 will work just fine. The only negative I have about Moultrie's picture quality is that at night time the flash will give the deer a "deer in the headlights" look (I know it sounds cheesy but its true). The deer's eyes have a large glow to them giving your dream buck a buggy eyed look.

The powerful flash of the Moultrie Game Spy has a tendency to give that "deer in the headlights" look.

Now if you are as impatient as I am, you just can't wait to see what you have for photos (I can't wait long enough to make it back to the truck). What I like about the Game Spy is that it can take the SD card for memory. The amount of memory or the number of photos you can take depends on how large of a SD card you use in your camera. What I like about the SD card is that I use my photo digital camera (the one used to take photos of your dead dream buck) to read the SD card taken from my Moultrie and this allows me to view the photos right at the base of the tree. I can delete the ones I don't like and keep the ones I do. When I'm done I just put the SD card back into the Moultrie, activate the game camera and you're good to take more pictures. If you don't have a digital camera to view your SD card, you can also buy a card viewer to look at your pictures out in the field. Some of the new Moultrie cameras come with a small LCD monitor to view your photos right on the game camera itself.

The Moultrie Game Spy cameras that I have can take both photos day and night and video during the day and photos at night. The problem I have with the video is that the video quality is very poor and very grainy. So much so that I don't even use the video feature. Now I will say that the 4.1 takes better video than the 3.1, however, the video is still poor and I would rather just take a good clear photo that I can actually count the points on.

Overall, I am very happy with my Moultrie game cameras and I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of them. They take good photos, good trigger speed, and very easy to use. With the price being very reasonable for the quality of the camera, an average hard working man or woman on a tight budget can afford one or more cameras. Now, I know in this article I mentioned things I don't like or things that could be improved on them. I'm just mentioning things that you too will notice about the camera to better help you make the call on what camera you want to get and what feature you may be looking for. Don't let the little things like the elastic straps to attach the camera to the tree or the locking system on the camera deter you on your decision making. These are things that with a little ingenuity and time you can come up with a way to secure the camera or make your own lock boxes. Overall, I feel that this is a great camera and worth your time to take a look at. I have taken more photos of "shooter bucks" with Moultrie cameras than with any other game cameras that I have used. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rank The Moultrie Game Spy 3.1 a seven and the 4.1 an eight.

Why Use Trail Cameras?

Trailcam — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The ability to determine which trails a buck is using, and where his core area is located pays big dividends come hunting season. This in an actual trail camera photo of a buck that was later killed by a hunter.

The excitement that comes with checking a trail camera after a long absence is nearly as acute as a child waiting for Santa Claus. You never know what you will find. You may find photos of a rare animal such as bobcat, see strange behavior among more common animals or even catch a trespasser. I know many deer hunters, for example, that have photographed deer that they didn’t even know lived in their hunting area – big deer. It is like spying on wildlife – seeing them in their environment under relaxed conditions.

Trail cameras also allow you to get to know the animals (especially deer) that live in your hunting area more intimately than you could by any other means. You will not only learn where the biggest deer live, but you can enjoy the opportunity to document the growth of particular deer from year to year. It is great fun to compare pictures of the same deer from one year to the next as they grow larger antlers.

Trail cameras are one of the best ways to scout for deer. Some deer hunters have turned the use of trail cameras into both a science and an art. As a result, they are patterning bucks faster and shooting more big deer than ever before.

There are many things you can learn from the photos you get from your trail cameras, but rather than me going into a long, boring dissertation on the subject, I’ll use two high profile success stories to reveal all the whys and hows of trail camera scouting.

Success Stories

Believe it or not, this is an actual trail camera photo of the Lovstuen Buck hunter shot world record during the summer before Tony Lovstuen shot the deer. Can you imagine finding this on your trail camera?

The world record: One amazing aspect of the hunt for the world record hunter-shot non-typical Lovstuen Buck (shot in 2003 by Tony Lovstuen) is the overwhelming number of photos the three men who hunted the deer the hardest were able to get with their trail cameras. Doug Lovstuen (Tony’s father), Mark Murphy and Steve Angran used trail cameras to take literally hundreds of photos of the buck. Never has one big buck been documented or followed like this one – not even close.

In Iowa, where Tony shot the buck, it is legal to bait deer as long as you don’t hunt over it. Pouring a pail of corn ten feet in front of an infrared triggered camera is the easiest way to get photos of nearly every deer in your hunting area. Many of the photos will come at night, but still you can find out what is there.

The three cousins have a huge library of images taken of the buck over corn piles, but that didn’t necessarily help them to hunt the buck. Just because they could pull him to a certain spot to feed didn’t mean they knew the buck’s patterns. What would happen when they stopped baiting him leading up to the season? To learn that, they would need to remove the bait and start trying to catch the buck’s natural movements.

“We were getting pretty close to patterning him in 2002,” Doug said. “We could find him by camera almost any time we wanted.”

Tony Lovstuen with his world record deer that was shot from a ground blind on a trail that cousin Mark Murphy scouted out using trail cameras. It is questionable whether Tony ever would have gotten a shot at this buck without the effort that Mark Murphy put in pattering the buck with cameras.

“We left him alone more that year,” Steve Angran added. “As we got to know his area and where he lived we pretty much left him untouched. He was spending most of his time in a side hill draw with CRP on both sides. There were just two draws and two little hills where he liked to live.”

“By the end of 2002, we pretty well knew these locations,” said Doug. “I could have taken you to either one of those two draws and we’s push him out of one or the other – almost any day. The buck wasn’t hunted hard that year. He didn’t seem to travel far, so we were really starting to nail his pattern down. We left him alone as much as we could.

“His range shrunk more and more each year that we hunted him,” agreed Steve. “The first year I hunted him he was ranging pretty wide, but then it got smaller and smaller.”

“I’m not sure if it was because he got older and changed or if it was the hunting pressure on the other farms,” offered Doug. “Because as everyone started coming in all around us trying to get a crack at the deer, we started backing out. We checked cameras at the same time every day. That was the only pressure he had except when we were hunting, and even then we were very careful how we went in and where we hunted. I don’t think he intended to stay close to one spot. I think people forced him to use a smaller range.

“We had to stop baiting because we weren’t patterning the deer. Instead, we were bringing him to us. That wasn’t teaching us anything about where he traveled. Instead, we started to put our cameras on trails. Sometimes we would just drive a fence post in the ground in an open field and slap a camera on it. We were starting to catch him on trails in the summer of 2002, but it was spotty then. We got a lot better at it in 2003. We used our cameras better and learned which trails he liked and when.”

Trail camera photos eventually led directly to the spot where Tony shot the buck. In fact, Mark Murphy had the buck pegged by late September of 2003, a drought year. The buck was working toward water most evenings after rising from his bed, and Mark knew which trails he used most often. Tony shot the buck along one of these routes on the fifth evening of hunting him.

The Drury way: Mark and Terry Drury are another great example of the many reasons that you should consider trail cameras to complement your scouting efforts.

During the 2004 and 2005 seasons Mark has taken back-to-back bucks with scores that gross over 190 inches while Terry took his biggest ever just last season, a buck that grossed nearly 180 inches. They both credit the use of trail cameras for teaching volumes about the normally reclusive lives of mature bucks and for helping them put together the patterns of these three huge bucks.

Mark Drury shot this buck during the 2004 season after patterning him using trail cameras and video trail cameras.

Terry Drury shot this giant buck during the 2004 season after seeing him on a trail camera in the same area the day before. He moved a stand in and shot the buck over the same scrape the next day.

The Drury way includes a lot of conventional hunting strategy, but the truly unique aspects of their method involve the creative and aggressive use of trail monitor cameras. By the time the season opens each year, Mark and Terry know at least 80% of the bucks using their hunting area – all because of trail camera photos. This kind of intimate knowledge with each buck not only helps them determine which ones they would like to shoot, but also where to hunt them and in some cases, even how to hunt them.

“The first thing we want to find out each year is what kinds of bucks we have to hunt,” said Mark Drury. “We do this by placing game monitor cameras on high activity crossings near feeding areas. We start on July 4 and keep the cameras running right on through the summer and fall. We’ve learned that the very best time for shots of mature bucks is the first two weeks of August. For some reason, every buck on the farm comes out to feed at that time - often during full daylight.

“This inventory helps us keep track of individual deer. I realize some people don’t have the opportunity to watch certain bucks for more than one year before someone shoots the deer, but we make every effort to let the bucks we hunt reach 4 1/2 years old before we try to shoot them. Being able to age the deer we hunt is important and the game monitoring systems make that possible.

“I always figure that we won’t kill many of the mature bucks we find on the farm so the only trophies we will have from them is the trail camera photos - or maybe a shed antler or two. We just like to get any piece of these special deer that we possibly can.

After Mark and Terry have picked out several mature bucks that are candidates for the fall hunting season, it is time to try to pattern those specific bucks more closely. This occurs from late August through October and is a work in progress. Mark calls it MRI or Most Recent Information. That’s what he wants going into the season and all season long – the most recent possible sightings and camera hits.

“Our camera monitoring efforts really get serious in late October,” Mark said. “Earlier in the month, we switch our cameras to scrapes. We are trying to relocate the bucks we photographed during the summer. The scrape activity really takes off on October 25 each year with bucks of all ages hitting them.

“The night shots we get from cameras located at the scrapes are the key to being in the right place at the right time when those same bucks start moving more during the day. When we find evidence of a shooter buck in a certain area we shift to that area and start hunting him immediately. There is no better time to hunt the buck than as soon as you know he is there. We don’t actually hunt over the scrapes, though. We try to determine where the buck might be moving farther back in the cover, and then we hunt stands in those places. Usually, we look for thick cover because we notice that bucks work those thickets looking for does like a beagle looking for a rabbit.

“We also learn a lot about buck personalities from the footage on the cameras. We’ve had some bucks on the farm that are very visible and have small home ranges. These are by far the easiest to kill, but there aren’t many bucks like this in the herd. It is the exception rather than the rule. For example, we had a buck once that had four different core areas in four years. He was hard to follow. Each year he moved to a new area. Other bucks have been very secretive and nocturnal as youngsters only to become much more active during the day as they gained dominance status later in life. It is a real pleasure to learn the individual personalities of the bucks we hunt. We feel like we have gotten to know them.”

Basic film scouting cameras are very affordable. However, you will have to pay for film and processing so the total cost increases over time.

Understanding Trail Cameras

I always said that when I could check my cameras using a small PDA device from an open window of my truck, I would have them all over the place. That day is very close to reality. There are all kinds of trail cameras on the market from the simplest film camera devices to the most sophisticated digital cameras with wireless transmitters to upload the images through computers and ultimately to a website so you can view them from anywhere on earth. The technology in this marketplace is changing and evolving so fast that it is very hard to keep up with it. If you can dream it, you can probably buy it – if you can afford it.

You can break trail cameras down into three categories: film (with flash), digital with non-game spooking infrared or invisible LED flash and standard digital with flash. Some heavy camera users don’t like to use a flash trail camera because they believe the flash will spook the deer from using a certain area. Mark Drury is in that camp. Also, the flash can reveal the location of the camera to other hunters (if you hunt in fairly open areas), giving away your best locations. I would be less worried about that than I would be about the flash spooking the deer.

I recently read a piece in the Quality Deer Management Association magazine (called Quality Whitetails) that documented several cases of flash fright. However, I have also seen photos of the same bucks on feed stations night after night without showing any sign of fright. I believe it depends on the personality of the individual deer.

Digital cameras work off a flash memory card that is stored in the camera. In most cases, you have to walk to the camera to retrieve the memory card for viewing. Most camera users will carry a blank card and swap them out, taking the card from the camera home so they can download the images onto their computer.

Obviously, film cameras require you to remove the roll of film, replace it with a fresh roll and then have the roll processed to see what kind of animals were in front of the camera. You give up convenience and you pay more (in the long run, when you factor in the cost of film and developing) but you get a quality hard copy of the image that is nice and portable to carry around and show your friends. However, if you hunt in an area with lots of does, you are going to spend a fortune in processing roll after roll of doe photos just to get a few buck photos. It is better, in most cases, to opt for digital right away. You can always print out the few “keeper” shots that you want to show your buddies.

Trail cameras are a great way to extend your hunting in a direction that not only is very fun, but also will make you a better informed, more effective hunter. Patterning game with trail cameras is the wave of the future. It is just getting started. Ever-evolving trail camera technology will someday completely revolutionize the way you think of deer scouting.

Welcome to Trailcam.com

Trailcam — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:54:00 GMT

Welcome to the all-new Trailcam.com, your #1 source for trail camera news, information, and reviews. This site was started with one goal in mind, and that is to provide the most accurate and up to date information about trail cameras in order for you, the consumer, to make more informed purchasing decisions. Our team of real life hunters spends as much time in the woods and fields each year as any other group of hunters in the nation and we demand the most from our equipment, and especially from our trail cameras.

As one of the most useful scouting tools available to today's hunter it is imperative that we get the best bang for our buck. There are a lot of cameras to choose from, each offering a different set of features over a wide range of prices. With the wide variations in trigger speed, photo quality, flash type, battery life, and a multitude of other factors it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine which camera is right for your application and which are nothing more than clever marketing. Our trail camera reviews, photo examples, and forum will provide all of the real life information and interaction that you need to make the proper decision for your application.

Along with our forum and trail camera reviews you will also find plenty of trail camera photos to look through as well. From the monster whitetails of the Midwest to the bugling bull elk of the West we've got the photos that trail camera enthusiasts live for. If you're looking for a place to share your photos with other trail camera enthusiasts, you've come to the right place.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the all-new TrailCam.com. We welcome all comments and feedback that can be sent to info@trailcam.com

~The TrailCam.com Staff

Moultrie Game Spy I-40 Infrared Digital Trail Camera

Trailcam — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:23:00 GMT

I wanted a camera that didn’t produce a visible flash. I have read many of the debates online about whether the visible flash spooks deer and I have talked to many friends who use flash cameras. Many of them feel the visible flash does spook deer. I reasoned that if the IR mode helped me photograph even one more buck on my farm that otherwise might have melted into the woodwork at the sight of the distant flash, it was worth the price.

I selected the Moultrie Game Spy I-40 Infrared unit primarily because it is affordable (around $230 - $240) and has a nice four mega-pixel camera. It takes regular photos during the day and IR flash photos at night. Moultrie advertised some other neat features that I wanted, such as long battery life, quick trigger time and a laser aim that makes aligning the camera a snap.

I ran six I-40s on my land for three months last fall and got many images of great bucks. This review will detail what I learned.

SPECIFICATIONS

The camera has many very useful features. First, as mentioned, it has an infrared flash. The camera still has to produce a flash, but the flash is infrared, not visible white light.

It has an infrared sensor that detects changes in temperature in order to trigger the shot. It is not supposed to trigger on branch or grass movement. I got a lot of images of grass, but it is possible that the way I had the cameras set up there was a temperature gradient between sun and shadow and that was causing the extraneous shots. Either way, it was a bit annoying but not a major issue.

Moultrie advertises a 150-day battery life on these cameras and I can’t dispute that number. I had them out for 90 days and all of the cameras still show roughly 75% battery charge.

The I-40 has a 50-foot flash rating. Again, I would have to say their number is conservative. I have shots of deer that are at least 50 feet away. The camera didn’t seem to trigger on these long range deer, but they certainly appeared in the shot when the camera triggered on closer deer. I am not sure from looking at my photos what the maximum sensor distance is for the camera to trigger, but I don’t see any that were much beyond about 15 to 20 feet.

The camera accepts SD cards and as inexpensive as these have become, the SD is definitely the route to go.

The I-40 has a cool feature in which it prints the date, temperature, time and moon phase on the images. This offers a great way to monitor activity versus these factors. I felt like the temperature reading was at least somewhat accurate. The rest, or course, were simply a function of your initial settings.

It has a video mode that I did not test.
The software is upgradeable and that fact proved to be beneficial later.
The camera is weather-resistant and airtight. I had no problems in this regard.
Operates on 6 D-cell batteries

NOTICEABLE GAME SPOOKING

I could tell from some of the photos I got that the sound of the shutter opening and closing was enough to alarm some of the deer. I got tons of photos of deer staring at the camera, so they must have heard something.

In a few cases, they looked noticeably tense, back on their heals, while in others they merely seem curious. Typically, the tense ones appeared to be older deer and even then, it was only a few. Overall, I would say that deer were not excessively alarmed by the camera. Most got used to the sound of the shutter quickly enough. In fact, I generally got multiple pictures of each buck on the corn pile even though I had the camera set for a one-minute delay. They may have been startled enough to look up, but most weren’t startled enough to leave.

THE QUALITY OF THE IMAGES

The daylight images look great, as you will see from some of the samples. In the Low Quality mode, you don’t degrade the image; you simply reduce its resolution. They still appear clear but you can’t enlarge them to look more closely at a sticker point, for example. That is why, if you are going to check the camera often, you should use the Enhanced or High Quality modes. On the upside, I was able to get huge numbers of these low-resolution images on a single 1 GB SD card, a tremendous advantage given the fact that I only checked the cameras every two weeks.

WHAT I LIKED

I liked the long battery life, and overall, I liked the quality of the photos. I am not a huge fan of the way the infrared flash images look because they appear washed out in many cases. Basically, they are black and white photos. Standard flash photos look much better but then you have the flash. If you like to blow up the photos from your trail camera and put them in a scrapbook or on your wall, you definitely don’t want infrared (unless you like black and white photos).

However, the overall clarity and sharpness of these images is definitely impressive enough to justify printing them out on paper. The daylight shots are gorgeous. Moultrie makes a conventional flash version of this camera, as well, for those who prefer the look of that format. Moultrie also makes a six mega-pixel version that would likely produce fantastic enlargements, suitable for poster size around the hunting camp.

I was set up to photograph over corn piles in order to better control the position of the deer so I never severely tested the camera’s quick trigger time, but I did test the battery life. During those three months, I never replaced a single battery. In fact, pulling all the units out of the box I keep them in, they are still showing roughly 75% battery charge. That is very impressive given how many photos of crows, deer, raccoons, cattle, ATV riders and turkeys I took. In fact, more than once I arrived to harvest my SD cards and had nearly 1,500 images on each.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE

The infrared I-40 took fine, useable pictures once it decided which mode to be in. Unfortunately, it had a hard time deciding that important status. At daybreak and dusk, presumably when the camera had to decide how to react to the light conditions, it produced unusable images. Very disappointing.

The I-40 has a standard photo mode for daylight images and an infrared flash for nighttime images. When it tries to take infrared flash photos during low light daytime conditions the images are completely blown out. They are pure white. Entirely overexposed. It leaves you wondering what deer came in at these prime times and left before the I-40 got a readable photo of the animal.

I called Moultrie to report the problem and to test their customer service. It was a Monday morning and they reported that they receive high call volumes on Mondays. The recording advised me to call back mid-week. I didn’t need the information in two days, I needed it at that time. I guess I would simply shuffle someone else into that position as needed to keep the wait time low. So I waited. I spent one about 7 minutes on hold before I got the technician, not at all out of line given I have spent 40 minutes before trying to get the right technician at AT&T. No wonder I changed my long distance service. Anyway, back to the I-40.

After explaining the problem, the very polite technician directed me to their website where I found and downloaded the necessary firmware updates. She assured me that the software update would fix that problem 99% of the time. The process was simple. I went to the page displaying the I-40, clicked on the software update link and then followed the directions.

After erasing the SD card in the camera, I connected a USB cord between the camera and my computer so I could copy the files (you must upgrade two files) to the camera’s SD card. It is a simple drag and drop process. After placing the files on the card, I then went through the menu and updated the software as detailed on the website. It is a painless and well-explained process.

Of course, the big question is whether this fixed the problem. I have not had the opportunity to get the cameras back in action but from the assurances of the technician it sounds like they are well aware of this problem and have addressed it with the software upgrade.

CONCLUSIONS

For the price, I think this is a great camera. I don’t need to see beautiful photos so I am fine with the infrared mode, I just want to know what is living on my farm and where, so I know where to concentrate my efforts and this camera will give me everything I need along those lines. It has a huge battery life, plenty of juice to last me an entire season, so I see no reason (assuming the over-exposure problem is solved) not to buy this camera. I give it a big thumbs up.

Pine Ridge Archery AT-5 Trail Camera Support

Justin_Zarr — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 01:59:00 GMT

One of the biggest chores when it comes to properly and effectively using your trail cameras is mounting them not only in the proper location, but in the proper direction to capture the most and best photos possible. After all, having your trail camera in a hot doe bedding area during the first two weeks of November won't do you any good if it's not pointing towards an actively used trail. With that need to locate and position your camera in a great spot comes the dilemma that we've all faced - finding a suitable tree to put it on. It never fails, you find the hottest scrape for the best trail in the woods and there isn't a straight tree bigger than your thumb for miles. With the advent of the Pine Ridge Archery AT-5 trail camera support that problem is over.

The AT-5 is a rather unique mounting system in that it has been designed to work both on trees as well as metal "T" shaped fence posts that can be found at most local farming and building supply stores, and also scattered about woodlots and fencerows all over the world. This feature allows you to use the AT-5 in any location under a variety of conditions unlike other mounting systems which either require a tree to be screwed into, or a particular post to be mounted on. Others require expensive tripods to be purchased which can potentially be knocked or blown over.

Included with the AT-5 are two nylon straps with adjustable buckles. One for securing your trail camera to the unit itself, and the other for use when attaching the AT-5 to a tree or round fencepost. The detachable base makes it extremely easy to strap onto a tree as you don't have the added weight of the camera to hold up while attempting to get the strap in place and secure. This is especially helpful when using the device on larger trees when you often need both hands to reach all the way around the trunk. I don't know how many times I've dropped my StealthCam while attempting to do this with the ridiculously long strap that is included with their units. Once you have the base attached to the tree you simply slide the other half of the unit into the mounting holes and you're ready to go. No more bringing your cordless drill into the woods to screw your Cuddeback camera into the tree, and no more fumbling around with bungee cords that are barely able to hold the weight of your trail camera to the tree.

When using the AT-5 on a fencepost you simply attach the back half of the mounting bracket to the base with the 4 included bolts and wing nuts, slide it down the post to the desired height, tighten the screws, attach the rest of the unit, and once again you're up and running in no time. This particular feature is great for use in areas that don't have many, or any, suitable trees nearby. This includes marshes, small brushy areas, CRP fields, any agricultural field, and especially food plots. Considering that each metal fence post only costs a couple dollars and are relatively easy to install this is a great option for people who like to set up cameras in these great areas that traditionally aren't conducive to having good mounting spots nearby. With the popularity of food plots for attracting wildlife this is product is much overdue in today's marketplace.

The last great feature of the AT-5 is it's adjustability. A virtually unlimted vertical range is secured by a locking hinge and allows you to compensate for those trees or posts that may be leaning a little too far in one direction for a traditional mount. This great vertical adjustability also allows you the freedom to mount your trail camera much higher than usual with a downward angle to capture images from above, cutting down on the chance your expensive camera could be spotted by either game or potentail thieves. It also eliminates having to jam sticks, rocks, twigs, and other assorted items behind your camera to get it at just the right angle. The side-to-side adjustability is decent, but not great. Three locked adjustments are secure, but do prevent those fine adjustments to get things just right. Although in the big scheme of things, this minor con is far outweighed by the numerous pros.

The AT-5 works with most trail camera brands including the popular Cuddeback, StealthCam, Bushnell, and Moultrie models. Seen here is the AT-5 with my Cuddeback Excite mounted on it. The included mounting strap is easy to secure and can be adjusted vertically using the provided slots on the back of the mounting plate.

In my opinion the AT-5 from Pine Ridge Archery is a great investment for anyone who is even slightly interested in capturing the best images possible with their game cameras. It helps eliminate the struggle of finding a place to mount your camera when you've found that perfect spot, and it greatly increases the flexibility of where you can use your trail cameras. This truly is one trail camera accessory that can be used in any terrain and at any time. Used in conjunction with the EZ Scent Strip available from Hunting Science (it can help get those big bucks to stop in front of your cam for a great shot) and your favorite scouting camera this is one great combination.

This product retails for $24.99 and can be purchased by clicking this link.

Predator Evolution Digital Trail Camera

Trailcam — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:35:00 GMT

With the advent of digital cameras and their increase in popularity it wasn’t long before the first digital trail cameras hit the market. Over the past several few years we’ve seen and used a lot of trail cameras that weren’t worth the packaging they were shipped in. At one time it basically got to the point where we had so many problems and issues with trail cameras that we nearly stopped using them altogether. We’ve had constant battery issues, confusing set-ups, and countless wasted trips into the field to retrieve cameras that hadn’t even been working. Anyone who has been through this painstaking process can surely relate.

When we first heard about the Predator Evolution camera the touch screen user interface was what caught our eye. While we work in front of computers and use technology on a daily if not hourly basis when it comes to trail cameras and anything we bring into the field; simplicity is king. We don’t want to read a complicated instruction manual in order to use a trail camera. In the past, some of us had actually written cheat sheets to use in the field when trying to set up certain cameras. This isn't exactly fun.

We’ve now been using our Predator Evolution cameras for the past few months and will give you the straight forward product review that you deserve. After all, that is what Trailcam.com is all about. Providing straight forward, unbiased opinions of trail cameras and trail camera accesssories to help you, the consumer, make better purchasing decisions.

Overall Design and Impressions

The guts of the Evolution are housed inside of a compact and waterproof polycarbonate case. This is the same material they use to make bullet-proof glass! The case is very similar to many of the high quality camera cases that are used by professional photographers to protect their camera equipment. The Evolution's case is unbreakable and won’t crack like many of the other trail cameras that use a cheaper ABS plastic housing. When you are paying good money for a trail camera the last thing you want is for the case to break or crack, allowing moisture into the unit which can destroy the electronics. Speaking of which, all electronics in the Evolution are tightly packed behind the LCD screen with only a single visible “On-Off” switch visible when the case is open. The entire unit is very small in size, which we love. Big, bulky, heavy cameras are not only a bigger pain to carry around the woods but also present a larger target for deer, and theives, to spot.

The Evolution has one of the most impressive fit and finishes of any camera we’ve seen or used. From the touch screen to the large secure latch this camera has been built right. Our only real complaint is the storage of the batteries. Predator uses a battery pack that holds 10 AA batteries. This is somewhat loose inside of the provided holding area and could be improved, but it works fine as-is.

The user interface of the Predator Evolution is extremely easy to use and well designed. The only problems we encountered were during cold conditions when the screen became slow and at times almost unresponsive.

Setup & Ease of Use

When we first received our Predator Evolution trail camera we opened the owner's manual, and found very little information about how to use the camera. We loaded it with batteries, turned the unit on (with the very simple “on-off” switch), and quickly realized why. It has quite simply some of the easiest and most straight forward controls we’ve ever seen. The first time we had ever seen, used, or turned the camera on we had it completely set up in a matter of 2 minutes. It was beyond simple and actually enjoyable to set up, unlike many of the cameras we've tested over the years.

The huge 3 1/2 inch touch screen does what it was designed to do. It puts all of the information in a very organized list. You can very simply access all the functions and settings by scrolling through the options with the arrows located at the bottom of the screen, and by using “Enter”. Every function and/or setting is very simple to understand and clearly spelled out for the user. Even someone who has never set up a trail camera in their life should be able to figure this camera out in a matter of minutes.

When looking at the ease of use of a camera the most important thing we want to know when we're walking away is that it is working properly and we won’t return to find an empty card. There's not many things in the November woods that can send us off into a furious tyraid than checking a trail camera that we've had over a hot scrape for the past 7 days only to find out it hasn't been working. And believe me, we've had this happen more times than we'd care to admit (and I'm sure we're not the only ones). The Predator Evolution does what it’s supposed to, with very little possibility of not turning it on or not setting it up correctly. When you flip the switch to the "On" position there is no further action needed to make sure this camera is going to take photos. Simply close the case and walk away.

Functionality

The Evolution allows the user to choose between video clips or still photos. The video is a great feature for those who are looking to get the best possible look at an animal from multiple angles. However, beware that this camera is extremely sensitive so you may end up with video clips of birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other small animals as well. Also, if you are going to use this camera in video mode your best success will come in areas where your quarry is in a stationary position for a few moments. Places like food plots, mineral sites, scrapes, and wallows work the best.

Images and video are stored on either a Compact Flash card or mini-USB drive. Both formats work well and for those of you who may have a stash of Compact Flash cards already this shouldn't be a problem. However, we would like to see added functionality for accepting more widely-used memory sticks such as SD in the future. Compact Flash cards seem to be getting harder and harded to come by, and certainly aren't coming down in price. The cheapest card we could find at a local retail store was $45 for a 2.0 GB card, compared to $25 for a 2.0 GB SD card.

The Evolution is an infrared nighttime illuminating camera. This means there is no white flash for your night time photos or video clips which could potentially scare game. We’re not going into any further detail regarding the infrared other than it works great. Distance is good, anything within pretty much 15-20 feet is illuminated very well. Beyond that, like any other camera, it has its limitations.

Picture Quality

The picture quality and video quality of the Predator is probably middle of the road. We’ve seen higher quality photos from different systems, but this isn’t something we always consider a top priority. Generally speaking, we're not blowing our images up and making posters out of them. We are using them to gather information on what types of animals are on a particular piece of ground. The images and video we’ve gotten through our Predator cameras are good, but could certainly be improved on. Infrared images are occassionally washed out and excessively grainy. It would be nice to see this improved in future product releases.

Still photos from the Evolution are 2.0 megapixel color images during the day, and 1.3 megapixel black and white images at night.

Trigger Speed

The trigger speed of the unit is excellent. It’s as fast or faster than any other trail camera we’ve used. Predator advertises a trigger speed .15 of a second and although we have not gotten our stopwatches out and tested this, it certainly seems fast to us. It also has an adjustable sensitivity level from 1 to 9 depending on the size of the game you're after, and the conditions that you're using the camera in. This is a nice feature to have because we have set up cameras in certain areas where a blowing leaf or corn stalk has used up both our memory card and batteries before it could take any real pictures.

Battery Life

Although battery life could certainly be improved upon, the interchangeable battery pack is handy for quick changes in the field. Here you can also see the rubber o-ring on the inside of the case that creates the water tight seal when closed.

Battery life of the unit is OK, but could certainly be improved. Like most of the trail cameras on the market when the cold hits the life of the batteries go downhill fast. In warm weather we have had units last for up to a month. In cold weather the length of operation drops dramatically, sometimes lasting only a few days. The Predator is not nearly as bad as some units we've tested and with the use of rechargeable batteries it’s manageable, however this is one area we would like to see improved in the future. AA batteries are not exactly cheap so if you have multiple units and it gets cold things can get expensive in a hurry. Especially when you're chewing through 10 AA batteries at a time.

Mounting and Security

The Evolution uses a separate mounting bracket that is secured to the tree first and then the camera is placed on the bracket. This is a great little feature that not many other companies have thought of. A heavy duty mounting pin is then put through the rear of the camera unit to mount it onto the bracket. Predator offers additional mounting brackets for additional functionality and versatility.

In order to secure your camera Predator offers a cable locking mechanism and also features a 4 digit security code which makes the camera effectively worthless should anyone steal it. Trail camera theft is an unfortunate reality in today's woods and it's nice to know the guys at Predator are doing their best to help prevent it.

Final Thoughts

Of all the cameras we’ve seen and used, we believe that the user-friendliness of the Predator Evolution makes it an excellent choice for anyone. It has some great features that go beyond many other similarly priced cameras out there and because of the great touch screen interface we believe it is a hard trail camera to beat.

Please keep in mind that the Predator Evolution has many features and benefits that we haven’t even gotten into. This review has been based on the features that are important to us. For additional detailed information regarding the complete functionality of the Predator camera, check out their website: http://www.predatortrailcams.com/