Budget Trail Cameras that work

[doverpack12]

I bought to of the $40 GardePros and they have been working very well

 

[White Falcon]

" Moultrie A series cams. 8 AA batteries last forever, takes good enough pictures for me, they flat out work, they’re tiny, and they’re cheap. "
Mine is over ofer 14 yrs old and going strong. I also have a Moultrie.
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=dc85...0cHM6Ly93d3cubW91bHRyaWVtb2JpbGUuY29tLw&ntb=1

 

[Brooks]

I bought a stealth cam and it worked for a couple months then it quit working. After a bunch of phone calls I finally got some kind of answering service they said someone would contact me, after waiting another month I got a hold of someone who said they needed the receipt from where I bought it and some pics. A month later a new camera arrived.
Next camera I bought was not a Stealth Cam.

 

[Honyock]

Moultrie Edge have worked great for me. You can pick them up relatively cheap and they will run a year on 8 lithium batteries. No SD cards so you never have to go to the camera but once a year to change out batteries. Probably the best app there is for cell cams.

 

[Beagle1]

Gardepro. Get any model on sale for $39 at Amazon.

 

[huntngolf]

Ive been a fan of Stealth cams for a long time.
This past week one of my old ones died, so I contacted them and they gave me a 30% discount code.

I picked up a 2 pack for $55 with the discount code

I've also had really good luck with stealth cams

 

[KNZ]

Keep checking Amazon for sales on the GardePro cameras at $39. They are all I buy now. Great cameras for the money.

How many seasons are you getting off these?

 

[Beagle1]

Going on my third season with no problems.

 

[andrewstclair]

i lucked into some muddy cameras for 25 each on sale in a 4 pack. they are not bad and at that price I'm not worried about if they go missing

 

[IRH1997]

I see some older threads for budget type trail cameras that work but nothing recent.

I would like to add a few cameras this year.
My most reliable are some cheap Bushnell I got off Midway 5-6 years ago for $15 or something. They just work period.
I have Browning from 6-7 years ago that I like but they were $100 then and I’ve had 2 stolen that were in boxes, locked and lag bolted to the tree.
Used a couple Spypoint Micro Link LTE last year but seems they are real hit or miss for people. These two work well although photo quality is lower.

Camojojo is high on the list if I add cell cams $130 regular price or can get a 2 pack of Spypoint Link LTE for $115.

I would like to find a regular trail cam that just works in the $30 range for risky spots.

What is out there and working well?

Watch campfire for sales on cameras too

 

[Huntnnw]

I have had amazing luck with Wildgame Innovations cams. I can usually find them for under $50 ** Disclaimer - I haven't had to buy any for several years, because they keep working.)

edit - They have some great sales on their website right now. Buy One, get one, two, or three free depending on cam.

I have lots of them and all perform. I also bought some wildview 12mp and 14 mp 3-4 years ago to test.To this day they all still work and some are left in the mountains 365 days a year and still taking pics every spring. Not bad for $30

 

[blumountain]

A trail cam would definitely be a good investment. Cuddeback Cuddelink Cell. Up to 24 cameras on ONE cell plan. Nobody has a better system or more durable cameras.

 

[WestTexas]

Spypoint's durability was disappointing to experience. I had one camera that an antenna broke off from a white-tail and another that just randomly stopped working. Didn't expect to get a refund or help from customer service. Call it bad luck but those both took place during the season. Didn't get to have them for a year.

Switched to tactacam and haven't had any issues so far and I'm in year three. No issues with wildlife and they'e endured high winds and made it through several heavy storms.

 

[MD97756]

Stealth cam’s have treated me well for the last 3 years or so.

 

[brancher147]

IMO the problem with cheap cams is there is no consistency in quality. Within the same brand and model some work and some don’t.

Few years ago I bought 5 cheap cams (can’t even remember what brand probably bushnell) and set them all up side by side to test them. 2 worked well 3 did not so I sent the 3 back for exchange. Of the new 3 only 2 worked so I sent the other back for a refund. All 4 cams worked good for a while then all started messing up the second year.

So you might get a good one and you might not and it probably won’t last long. But with a decent camera in the $100 range like a Browning it seems like you can get consistent quality that lasts. That’s been my experience anyway. But I don’t use cameras near as much as I used to so maybe cheap cams have gotten better the last couple years IDK

 

[AkRyan]

Moultrie edge are hit and miss, I have one at home that picks up everything and 2 others that miss 75% of the animals. I recommend everyone put a traditional trail cam by there cell cam to see what your missing.

 

[danarnold]

I bought two of the Camojojo cameras, pretty cheap, the plan on the website isn't the same one that you can purchase on the mobile app, only the premium plan for over $100 is available on the app.
Both cameras worked nice in the beginning and they both took a crap. Just got a reply from the company this morning.
By the way I'm in Missouri my cameras are in Colorado

Dear customer,

We have received feedback indicating the camera not sending pictures after 14th.
We've found the cause is related to the sim card. We would like to express our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. Our team is currently working diligently to investigate and resolve the reported problems. we're communicating the supplier of SIM card to resolve it. We have prioritized this issue, soon it'll be solved

 

[eyeguy]

Poorest luck for me wild game. primos truth have been good. A few models over the years of the bushnell have been good. Cuddie link with the solar panel are my favorite but not budget. but not high dollars either.

 

[Panhandler80]

After quite a bit of research today, I just pulled the trigger on some GardePro E5S cameras for $49. Pretty good reviews and they check a lot of boxes... for me anyway. I've bought from $40 to $350 cameras and best I can tell, you're lucky if you get 3 seasons out of them. Sounds like some of yall have also had some good luck with the GardePro.

We'll see.

 

[100rollie]

After reading this , I just purchased a GardePro E5S. It was less than half the cost of my Brownings, so i am excited to see how they compare.