Okay boys and girls.......... would like some input. Are there any GOOD trail cameras? My wife and I have been buying and using trail cameras for a few years now and all I can say is......... What a pile of crap!!!!!

We have tried various models from several of the big name companies and the number that fail to work properly in short order is staggering. Easily half of the ones we buy do not even make a season before they start acting glitchy and failing to work properly for one reason or another.

Price also has nothing to do with it, it would seem, as some of the most expensive we have tried did not last any longer than the cheap ones.......... and they are all made in China........ even Leupold's.

If you know of a particular model that has been outstanding I would sure like to hear about it.

Thanks.

I have had four Reconyx cameras for 3-5 years, bought them in intervals. They have worked flawlessly from summer to -20 degrees.
They aren't cheap, believe these were $450 each. I also went down the money wasting road with cheaper cameras.
Get lithium AA batteries and they will last 1000s of pics and close to a year.

Yes we always use good batteries, learned that years ago. WE have looked at Reconyx but at $450 to $550 per camera, plus a security cage, taxes, shipping, we would be into it for $700 per camera. We need to run about a dozen at one time........ our pockets are not deep enough for that.

Surely there is something out there that reliably takes pictures day and night for a reasonable price. I don't need high MP rating, don't need video, do not need 75% of the BS they put on them to keep tech people happy.

Just reliable day and night IR pictures.

My experiences with trail cameras mirror yours. That is one reason I always say that I don't buy scopes from camera companies, and don't buy cameras from scope companies (Leupold's trail cam -- uggh!)

I've had by far the best luck with Cuddeback. Simple controls, a fairly quick trigger, and we own several that are on their fifth or sixth (or more, time flies) season. Had a software glitch on a couple of them, but the company supported them with a downloadable free fix. The ones I bought last fall for under $90 include a video feature, but you can turn it off.

We left one in place for several months into the spring and found that it had continued to take pictures sporadically despite the fact that we had mistakenly only put four, instead of the required eight, AA batteries into it! How it was able to do that is beyond me.

I had this same question a few years back, and I noticed my PH in Zimbabwe was using Bushnell HD cameras for getting photos of leopards on bait and getting photos at small waterholes. He swore by these cameras, so I bought 3 for my personal use in deer hunting. They are not expensive, use AA batteries which seem to last a longtime, they take great photos, and they are very easy to set up - the menu is very intuitive,and I do not have re-read the setup instructions each season before I get them ready to go. There are a lot more expensive trail cameras out there, but the Bushnell HD have done everything I have needed them to do. They also took great photos of the leopard I shot in Zimbabwe a few years back. Here is an example:

trailcampro.com ,reviews

Thanks for the information guys, will check into the suggestions.

Hope you all have a good fall. It is time for me to take a good long hiatus from here.

Cheers!