The influx of JUNK trail cameras...

[livetohunt]

Pay the extra and get a Reconyx. You should get at least 10 years out of it. Mine keep going year after year with no problems. I do have other cameras like Moultrie, Bushnell, and Browning. They seem ok, but usually last 1-3 years.

 

[ThatredneckguyJamie]

My batteries seem to last forever in my stealthcam...of course the reason why is because the deer have to right on top of it for it to take a picture....I've had good luck with the Moultries, horrible luck with the Primos truth 35...that has to be the worst design ever

 

[NCHillbilly]

Pay the extra and get a Reconyx. You should get at least 10 years out of it. Mine keep going year after year with no problems. I do have other cameras like Moultrie, Bushnell, and Browning. They seem ok, but usually last 1-3 years.

Except that I can buy 10-12 other cams that do all I need them to for what one Reconyx costs. If they last 1-3 years, that's fine with me. Plus, I've had enough cameras stolen that I am not hanging $600 cams out there for methhead Billy to tote off.

 

[mallardsx2]

The real underlying problem is reliability and not so much price.

Paying 4X the cost for a camera that isnt going to fail you unknowingly is worth the cost.

For those with leases who can only go there every other weekend, we cannot afford to have a camera fail and loose out on valuable data during a time when we need it most.

 

[GADawg08]

Except that I can buy 10-12 other cams that do all I need them to for what one Reconyx costs. If they last 1-3 years, that's fine with me. Plus, I've had enough cameras stolen that I am not hanging $600 cams out there for methhead Billy to tote off.

exactly!!...not knocking the guys at all that wanna spend that kind of cheddar on trail cams, but they just aren't for me

 

[Dallen92]

WGI terra 6s are the best bang for your buck camera we have found. Bought over 20 of them at dicks for $35 each. Have only had 2 quit working and one of those was due to a bear. As long as you hang on to your receipts WGI will take care of you and get the problem ones replaced. Even if one of these cams does quit and WGI doesn't take it back you can just trade it in at dicks when they do trade in program and get $30 credit. I will say we have had good luck with the terra 10 as well so far this year.

 

[hoythunter1861]

Wildgame gave me nothing but problems when I had one about 5 years ago, haven't bought one since. I feel like moultries have been going downhill. I've noticed my new ones that night pics almost look like something covering it up, so can't see much distance. Love the night pics on my Bushnell E3, and will definitely be enjoying the sale that Dicks has each year. My one stealthcam I picked up 4 years ago is still trucking. I do have problems with certain sD cards. But checked this past weekend and had 2000 pics on it. Want to get another one at some point.

 

[RABJR]

Wildgame is trash. If someone gave me a new one for free I would still be skeptical and I wouldn't hang it where I thought a good spot was or where I was trying to capture a known hit list buck for concern of the camera failing.

 

[joepuppy]

David, I agree with you too. It baffles me as well as I have 37 cameras in the woods 24/7/365 for over 6 years now and EVERY one of them are WildGame Cameras. I have an assortment of models in the woods too. I actually own a total of 62 WGI cameras and I will use the rest of these as spares in placing them in future various locations etc. I really don't want any other brand as these have been the best deal for the money and have given me some awesome photos along the way.

I have viewed some really great photos of yours over the years as you put in the effort to achieve that kind of success. I have spent so much time in my woods over these years and I have learned so much about trail cameras and how small changes in the settings can change a mediocre photo into a fantastic one. I have posted hundreds and hundreds of photo here on GON and every one of them has been an excellent photo as well. I just hate it that Photobucket screwed all of us over by changing their rules without an warning and wanting $400 per year to host our photos. They caused all of our photos to be lost as such over all of these years. I actually still have all of my photos that I have ever posted BUT I can't find a way to match them up with the original stories and photos that I had posted as it would be a miracle to go back and accomplish that.

I have kept very detailed records on every one of my cameras over this entire time and I NEVER have any kinds of problems with my cameras such as what I hear from others etc. I am surely willing to have anybody contact me about any problems that they are having with their trailcams and I will do my best to help them possibly correct some of the problems as well. I have gained probably more experience with trail cameras during these years than most anyone around in my opinion.

I blame all of this on my late Father because he always taught me to take the time and do things right the first time and anytime that I was involved in a project, make sure to document all of the details to gauge just how much improvement that you will make from year to year etc. I always put in close to 8-10 hours on most every weekend in making sure to catalog every photo on every camera so that I have a chronological order of every photo on every camera location since day one. I average around 10-12,000 photos per month...well up until I hurt my knee back on July 8th and I will be having surgery on Thursday of this week for that.

Mind=Blown. How in the world do you keep up with all that?

 

[NCHillbilly]

Wildgame is trash. If someone gave me a new one for free I would still be skeptical and I wouldn't hang it where I thought a good spot was or where I was trying to capture a known hit list buck for concern of the camera failing.

I have about ten, and I haven't had one fail yet in over three years? And I get thousands of pics of stuff from deer, hogs, trespassers, foxes, bobcats, possums, dillos, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, down to little birds and mice and snakes sometimes. I don't understand the hate for them from people who have never even used one?

 

[Killdee]

I used to homebrew all my cams but after 10-12 years they are wearing out so I bought a couple of the wild game cams and I follow the "directions", don't change cards under power. I also use a piece of step flashing over all my cams to keep the rain off. I have had one of the larger cards fail so I stick with the 8 sd cards. Mine are the cloak black flash and other than some blurry night pics. No problem.

 

[RABJR]

I have about ten, and I haven't had one fail yet in over three years? And I get thousands of pics of stuff from deer, hogs, trespassers, foxes, bobcats, possums, dillos, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, down to little birds and mice and snakes sometimes. I don't understand the hate for them from people who have never even used one?

WGI IR4 was built poorly. The tabs that keep the batteries compressed for contact to power the camera broke, they quit taking pictures, and I had another one that the screen would no longer display. They all "failed" at or before the 2 year period. I had another model since then (don't recall the name) from WGI and it did alright for a while until it decided to quit taking pictures. I sure sound like I know what my problems with them are for not having ever used one.

 

[Beagler282]

Bushnell and Browning have worked best for me. They hold up longer with battery life, give me clear night time pics and give off more background light at a greater distance at night. You can find specials on them during the off season on ebay well under $100.

 

[NCHillbilly]

WGI IR4 was built poorly. The tabs that keep the batteries compressed for contact to power the camera broke, they quit taking pictures, and I had another one that the screen would no longer display. They all "failed" at or before the 2 year period. I had another model since then (don't recall the name) from WGI and it did alright for a while until it decided to quit taking pictures. I sure sound like I know what my problems with them are for not having ever used one.

OK, I can't argue with that. Just saying that myself and many others on here have run lots of them for years, without the first problem. That's why I wouldn't call them "junk," based on my experience. All of mine may quit tomorrow, but I have some that have been in the woods continuously for three years without a hiccup.

 

[Bob Wallace]

Our WGI cams are our best ones. We run Cuddes, Moultries, Brownings. Best pics and videos day or night. I'm really impressed with the Cloak 12 Lightsout cams we got. For the price, hard to beat

 

[furtaker]

Wildgame Innovations used to make pure complete junk. I bought one a few years ago that wouldn't take night pictures. I took it back and swapped it for a different model and that one wouldn't take day or night pictures. These kinds of issues are why so many people speak poorly of them. At one time their reputation was well deserved. That said, they seem to be making better products these days. I recently bought several Terra 10 models and they haven't missed a lick. I've been very pleased with them for $50.

 

[Hiccup]

Reliable trail cams

It’s Covert or Bushnell for me. Very reliable and have been using for 6-8 years.

 

[j_seph]

I bought 3 of these after someone broke into wifes moms old house 1st of the year. Needed something quick and they were cheap enough. Have had great battery life and decent pictures. Only fault is no time day stamp.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bresser-...-Display-includes-RCA-and-USB-Cables/54265514

 

[1gr8bldr]

Bushnell aggressor's , best cams I ever had. I have had about 60 or more cams. These other cams said to last a year on batteries. What you don't realize is that they get 1/3 of the pics by design so that they can advertise this long battery life. I got so tired of sitting in a stand, watching deer in my corn, then taking the card to show someone the nice deer I let walk, only to see he was not there. Then I started paying attention and asking why. The Bushnell Aggressor gets every event. Put it beside a Browning, Primos, etc and it will take 1000 pics to every 50. I eventually put them side by side. Amazing what they were missing. The only camera I would use for security. Too bad I can't find that exact model any longer

 

[rolltidefan]

Except that I can buy 10-12 other cams that do all I need them to for what one Reconyx costs. If they last 1-3 years, that's fine with me. Plus, I've had enough cameras stolen that I am not hanging $600 cams out there for methhead Billy to tote off.

Sounds like you hunt in a bad neighborhood.