Choosing the Right Trail Camera
Brian Grossman
Over the last five years, probably no other "gadget" has changed the way we scout more than the trail camera. For many of us, running trail cameras is a hobby in itself, and can bring a whole new excitement to your deer hunting efforts. As the popularity of these scouting tools has grown, so has the number of companies offering their own line of cameras. The availability of features on these cameras covers such a wide spectrum that choosing the right one for you can be a daunting and sometimes confusing task. While this article isn’t meant to tell you WHICH camera to buy, it IS meant to help you sort through some of the most common differences among the various trail cameras to help you narrow down your search.
RESOLUTION
The resolution of a trail camera is a measure of the image size that the camera creates. So a 5.0 megapixal trail camera will give you a much larger image
– and therefore more detail – than one with 3.0 megapixals. Which resolution you choose really depends on how important it is to have a large, crisp image. If you are only concerned with having a general idea of what deer are in the area and when they are traveling through, then about any resolution offered on today’s cameras will suffice. If you want a larger, more detailed image to print off for your friends, then you may want to shoot for something with at least 3.0 megapixels.BATTERY TYPE & LIFE
In my mind, this is one of the most important considerations when choosing a trail camera, as it will have a huge effect on the cost of maintaining the camera. I have seen some "cheap" trail cameras that burn through six C-sized batteries in a week, and that can get VERY expensive! Others claim to operate up to a year on eight AA batteries. So before you go buying a camera just because its "cheap", keep in mind the battery life, as it may be the most expensive choice you could make in the long run.
TRIGGER SPEED
Another important feature is the trigger speed of the camera, which is simply how long it takes the trail camera to shoot a picture once something has "triggered" the motion sensor. A faster trigger speed can be the difference between having a great shot of that trophy buck or just having a picture of a deer’s butt as it walks out of the frame. If you plan on placing your trail cameras over feeders or a mineral lick, then trigger speed will not be as much of an issue as it would if hung along a trail.
FLASH TYPE & RANGE
Most trail cameras today have gone to infrared flash, which is less likely than a traditional flash to spook deer, uses less battery life, and is less likely to be detected by other humans. While I’ve gotten plenty of pictures of big, mature whitetails with an incandescent flash trail camera, there is no doubt that some animals are spooked by the bright flash. If you can afford the infrared flash, the benefits will certainly make it worthwhile.
OTHER FEATURES
While we have covered some of the most important features to consider when buying a new trail camera, there are many more options that could impact your decision. One of these options is the size of the unit. Size varies greatly amongst trail cameras, and some companies are now producing models that are as small as your hand. Other models go as far as being able to send the pictures it takes directly to your email or cell phone, so the only time you have to check them is when the batteries need replacing. How’s that for convenience?
Before you head out to buy your next trail camera, take a minute to think about how it will be used and what features are most important to you. This will make the task of narrowing down your choices much easier when you start the shopping process.
