Cell trail cam recommendations

[SuperDUECE22]

I’ve run the Spypoints Link Dark for years and have had only minor issues. Was looking into buying a couple more cell cams and after researching looks like the Tactacam Reveals are very popular these days.

Tactacam are very popular these days because of price point & marketing but once tested side by side against the competitors they leave a lot to be desired. When mounted side by side with the competition they miss a ton of photos, trigger time isn't very good, recovery time is worse and battery life is below average. Here are some better options if you're interested:
Reconyx
Spartan
Exodus
Covert
StealthCam
Browning

 

[silasbowhunter]

Tactacam are very popular these days because of price point & marketing but once tested side by side against the competitors they leave a lot to be desired. When mounted side by side with the competition they miss a ton of photos, trigger time isn't very good, recovery time is worse and battery life is below average. Here are some better options if you're interested:
Reconyx
Spartan
Exodus
Covert
StealthCam
Browning

I agree with this a lot. Put up an 8 year old browning (non cell cam) on the same tree and found out my Tactacam was missing 40% of animals. And only actually sent me about 50% of the pictures it took. I realize that’s dependent on the cell camera mechanisms and my service.. but Tactacam sent em back to me and said they working at 100%…


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[SuperDUECE22]

I agree with this a lot. Put up an 8 year old browning (non cell cam) on the same tree and found out my Tactacam was missing 40% of animals. And only actually sent me about 50% of the pictures it took. I realize that’s dependent on the cell camera mechanisms and my service.. but Tactacam sent em back to me and said they working at 100%…


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Yep, most tactacam fans won't admit it because they don't know any better or just because they don't like people talking down about "their" brand. But we have tested these side by side with the same settings on the same camera post and the results were quite alarming for the reveal's compared to the other brands i listed. Would also like to note that the latest models may be better or worse but we have not purchased any new 2023 models from any MFG.

 

[DanimalW]

Definitely Tactacam over cuddeback.

 

[6.5 Sweedaddict]

I'm a big fan of the Tactacam Reveal X-Pro; Excellent picture quality, great speed and sensitivity. Plus the app and camera are both so easy to use. Reveal X-Pro gives you a choice of what cell service to use Verizon or ATT. Camera runs about $140 dollars and you can get an unlimited picture package for around $120 a year. So far both of my cameras have withstood the Texas winter, Texas heat and cows rubbing against them. I get great game pictures even have caught a dove in mid air flying about 10 feet in front of my camera. That's pretty fast.

 

[6.5 Sweedaddict]

I've tried Moultrie, Spycam and Tactacam. All three the battery life has been good and the apps are very easy to use. I have three Moultrie cams. One died in about a month. The seal leaked and it filled up with water. The other two I've been running since August. Pictures and reception are really good. Cameras are cheap. If I buy any more I will buy Moultrie. I have one Tactacam. The camera cost about 50% more than the Moultrie. This camera has the best picture quality of the three. I don't think it's worth 50% more. My dad gave me two Spycam cameras. One never worked out of the box. I need to call customer service and see if they can do something. It seems like it's working but never sends the photos. The second one works great. Picture quality is not amazing but good enough. This model uses a micro sd which is annoying but the camera is tiny and easy to hide. Reception is good and you can actually run the camera for free. I think you get 100 pics a month if I remember right.

On our lease the guys running Tactacam Reveal X-Pro cameras including myself are getting way more pictures on our cameras, better quality and just seem to work better all around. The other hunters have a bunch of Moultrie cameras and other brands. They are all asking us what kind of camera's are we using to get so many clear pictures... We tell them Tactacam Reveal X-Pro's. That's just our limited experience in the Texas heat and cold...

 

[6.5 Sweedaddict]

I do very much appreciate the responses. As with anything else with hunting this is another rabbit hole for sure.

A lot of great recommendations, any brands to absolutely steer clear of?

I'm not a fan of the Moultrie's just based upon the experiences of my friends. I don't own one but a lot of guys are on our lease do and they complain about the picture quality and slow/sensitivity of the camera to pick up game.

 

[6.5 Sweedaddict]

I’ve tried spypoints, muddy, covert, stealth, Tactacams and Moultrie’s. Out of all I’ve mentioned, I give the nod to tactacam and coverts. I have several covert blackhawks and quite a few tactacam xb’s. Between those two, I think the blackhawk is a better built camera. My reveal’s definitely miss things. I’ve walked up in front of them several times and never had a pic.

Have you tried the Tactacam Reveal X-Pros? I've had mine catch single doves in mid-flight leaving my deer feeder pens and deer 60' away leaping into the pen. I've very pleased with my 2 X-Pro Cameras

 

[Beagle1]

The Tactacam is a good camera. For a time I thought I was losing lots of pictures then figured out it was mostly due to my cameras being angled too high. Taking a little extra time to set the camera up properly makes a big difference. Just eye balling it won’t cut it.

 

[silasbowhunter]

Have you tried the Tactacam Reveal X-Pros? I've had mine catch single doves in mid-flight leaving my deer feeder pens and deer 60' away leaping into the pen. I've very pleased with my 2 X-Pro Cameras

The XBs are the best cameras Tactacam makes. I had a nice buck walk in front of mine, walk over to me 70 yards away and I shot him with my bow. I got down then walked over to check the camera cause it didn’t send the pictures to my cell phone, I stood in front of the camera for 5 minutes. Didn’t get a picture of myself or the camera even on the SD card.. they miss quite a few pictures. Trigger speed is okay though


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[WitchDoctor10]

Look at blackgate

 

[Felton]

I’m with @WitchDoctor10 I found a couple on sale and have one out for the last 4-5 months. it seems to work as advertised. It uses whatever cell service is best in your area. You do not have to choose a camera dedicated to att or Verizon. The pictures could be a little clearer but overall pretty good. I blew threw a set of aa and switched over to rechargeable batteries and they have been awesome. Where this company really shines is the monthly service fee.

 

[WitchDoctor10]

I’m with @WitchDoctor10 I found a couple on sale and have one out for the last 4-5 months. it seems to work as advertised. It uses whatever cell service is best in your area. You do not have to choose a camera dedicated to att or Verizon. The pictures could be a little clearer but overall pretty good. Where they really shine is the monthly service fee.

The price for the camera data is definitely very reasonable compared to other cameras.

 

[6.5 Sweedaddict]

Tactacam ceased production of the Reveal XB model. You still can find some old inventory in retail. I believe it was replaced by the newer Tactacam Reveal XPro. I'm running two of those cameras and they work great when set up correctly. It helps too if cameras are facing a northern direction with proper height and angle adjusted towards the area to be monitored. Good luck scouting....

The XBs are the best cameras Tactacam makes. I had a nice buck walk in front of mine, walk over to me 70 yards away and I shot him with my bow. I got down then walked over to check the camera cause it didn’t send the pictures to my cell phone, I stood in front of the camera for 5 minutes. Didn’t get a picture of myself or the camera even on the SD card.. they miss quite a few pictures. Trigger speed is okay though


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[6.5 Sweedaddict]

Here are a couple Tactacam Reveal XPro shots on our lease. Note: Cameras are set at only 12 megapixals, have been in the field since February in the freezing temps and now in the Texas 100 + heat. Batteries are still at 100% and I do have a small aftermarket solar panel on each one.

 

[Skeezer69]

I personally use Stealth Cam Reactors & Fusions. But I hear great things about Tactacam’s as well.

 

[Eric Ward]

Spartan, then Tactacam.

 

[Fire power]

I started using the reveal x this year and thought it was great. Quality to price is incredible and the cell plans aren't too expensive either

 

[just.mark]

I used the stealth cams last year and as was previously mentioned as soon as hunting season hit the servers crashed. In Washington Elk season is 2 weeks long and i didn't get a update until the last 3 days, happened again in October as well. I am going to keep one stealth cam and try out the cuddle cams this year.

 

[Profiler]

Moultrie has worked for years for us. Cheap as well.