Trail Cameras

I run a dozen cams from various manufacturers for about 8 months per year and 4 cams across the winter . The 4 are Spypoints with one being Wifi . Over the last 6 years a couple of cams have died and replaced but i only had one problem with one Spypoint as it needed a firmware update because it was always flipping dates and times . I had another problem with a Spypoint but don't recall what it was but i sent it back to them and they sent me a new one . I have one cheap Bushnel that has 6 years on it . I use lithium batteries in all of them and just swapped out the batteries in the Spypoints that last had fresh batteries about the first of December . The Wifi cam is watching the gate in plain view for all to see about 10 feet high on a pipe . A hidden cam watches that . Over the next couple of weeks all of the cams will go out over the food plots and trails . I have one Browning also and it's 3 or 4 years old .
 
Not sure if anyone mentioned it but they folks I know who run and myself have found battery quality and not checking them in the rain important for extending their life. If I want to check the camera on a wet day I pull the entire camera back to my vehicle and check it where I can keep it dry. Swapping SD cards seemed to let a little moisture in and the next run of freezing temperatures would degrade camera performance and it would just gradually worsen until a total failure, sometimes quickly sometimes over a period of months.
Cheap batteries are more likely to leak, don't seem to hold power as long and just always give general headaches.
 
In our camp we are running more than 30 cameras, all Brownings. We've had very few issues with them over the years and any problems we have had Browning Customer Service has been very helpful. One cam I sent back to them for repair was off warranty, they couldn't fix it but offered me a new camera at a great discount. In another instance a bear chewed the end off the chord end on 1 of my auxillary battery packs. I asked customer service where I could get a new plug and they sent me a whole new battery pac, no charge. The best cam for the money in my fleet is probably the Command Ops Pro,BTC-P-16. Day video quality is pretty good, a little grainy, but the night vids are excellent. It works better on trails than on open fields because it has a shorter detection range. Battery life is excellent, even in cold conditions. It does not have a viewing screen. I've found a few on ebay for around 150 bucks delivered.
 
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I bought 2 of the 12mp wild game innovations cams that CT puts on for $50 bucks. Wasn't expecting much from previous experience with the brand but so far, all is good. They've been out all winter and have taken hundreds of pics each. I've had a few cams and they've all crapped out well before I thought the should have. Only exception being a little 4mp tasco or Simmons my wife bought me at Sears about 10 years ago. You wouldn't put the pics on a calendar but they are good enough to show you what's around.
 
I have a friend who had an expensive camera set up to keep an eye on his camp just south of North Bay. He had it equipped with top of the line lithium batteries and a big SD card.
He went to check it and it was gone. Needless to say it peed him off. He replaced it with another but not as elaborate and hid another cheap one in an evergreen to watch the camera.
The thief must have had a lot of balls as he took them both.
My friend gave up!
 
I've been using SPYPOINT's for the past 5 years and found them to be reliable. A friend left one out at camp (North Bay) and it was still taking pics in March after putting it out in November. Well over 1000 pics mostly of trees swaying but many with moose, deer and bear. I have 5 now and used them a LOT in the last 2 years. They have EACH taken 1000's of pics. 3 issues with them.
1--- Although batteries will last quite some time USE A GOOD QUALITY BATTERY. MOST of our problems are battery related. If you're checking your cam and it says 1/2 battery life left....... SWAP OUT THE BATTERIES NOW. Once they start to drain, they drain fast. EVERY time I've had a problem with a cam not taking pics, I installed GOOD batteries and the problem was solved.
2---Picture quality is GOOD..... NOT GREAT. But I don't care, I just want to see if a deer has been using my site. We've caught deer, bear, marten, fox and (unfortunately) LOTS of coyotes..... one with my brothers cat in its mouth. My IRON 10(?) is just as good today as 5 years ago. My other 4 cams are FORCE-S's.
3--- Trigger distance is only about 20 metres, MAX. We always do a TEST when we setup at any location and we've found 20 metres is about the most we can get reliable pics.
4--- Only once did I have to call customer service and the guy on the phone was great. Helped me solve a problem quickly.
I've only tried 1 other brand with poor results, though it was a very cheap model. My brother has tried 3-4 others and they're all gone. I know they won't last forever but for the price, if you get them on SALE (2-3 times a year) they've been good for me.
 
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