Cheap trail cameras

[Hunter1212]

Figured I start a new thread (sorry) because I'm curious how the battery life is on some of these 50 dollar type trail cameras. I could care less if the image isn't the best or the trigger speed isn't the greatest. All I really care about is if it takes a photo when an animal is in front of it and if the battery will last a couple months. Thanks

 

[pk_]

With Li-ion batteries cheap tasco and muddy ($30) cams will last over 12 months as long as you aren’t getting a million false triggers every day.

This year I used the cheapest batteries possible (Rayovac or Amazon) and cams have lasted 6 months still going…

 

[1231]

With Li-ion batteries cheap tasco and muddy ($30) cams will last over 12 months as long as you aren’t getting a million false triggers every day.

This year I used the cheapest batteries possible (Rayovac or Amazon) and cams have lasted 6 months still going…

I’ve had the same results with a couple tasco’s that I bought and put lithium ion batteries in them.

I was also pleasantly surprised about no false triggers. I put them on trails in CRP ground with tall grass. I figured with the sun and wind blowing the grass would cause a lot of false triggers but it didnt

 

[BJRoth2]

Tasco is your best bet!

I’ve had the same results with a couple tasco’s that I bought and put lithium ion batteries in them.

I was also pleasantly surprised about no false triggers. I put them on trails in CRP ground with tall grass. I figured with the sun and wind blowing the grass would cause a lot of false triggers but it didnt

 

[Jimss]

Each camera is different. Battery life also depends on the temperature. Obviously batteries aren't going to last near as long in super cold conditions compared to summer. It also depends upon how many photos are taken. Night photos also take a lot more juice than day pics.

 

[kkp005]

I’ve had very good luck with the $30 muddy cameras at academy

 

[Silveroddo]

I've been playing around with 4 different cheapies since November, just running Amazon prime alkaline's. The Tasco's and WGI switches have been running flawless with quite a bit of -30 this winter, I've got a bunch of stealthcam browtines which seems to be the same as the cheap muddys, they worked well until about zero, then shut down and don't turn back on by themselves. This is on Alkaline batteries. Turn them off and back on and they're fine, haven't tried lithium's in them to see if that corrects the issue. They worked fine October until the first subzero weather in January.

 

[Eastfork]

tascos are hands down unbelievable. i have ran them year round and they just keep going. they perform better than a lot of cameras 4 times the price!

 

[knale87]

Can not beat the tasco’s for the price and they take good enough pictures.

 

[KYHunting]

Some of the cheaper cameras are simple and last longer. I have a bucket of dead expensive cameras

 

[Zdub02]

I had a couple Muddy MTC100 cams out from October to the end of January. They registered battery life around mid to high 90% when i pulled them. Had a few hundred to a thousand pictures through them. Temps ranged from low teens to 70s and a couple snow and ice storms from what I recall. The picture quality wasn't the best but trigger speed seemed ok and they did the job I expected from them.

 

[DylanE]

+1 for the $30 Muddy MTC100’s. I’ve been running a pair on the same batteries since the beginning of the 2021 deer season and they’ve been fantastic.

 

[Jhy]

I like the Tactacams but you are starting at $120. I liked them better when they were $99…..

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

Me as well on the $29 Muddy from Academy. Best bang for the buck out there in my experience. Battery like with alkalines is ridiculously good.

 

[Voyageur]

Tasco cameras from Walmart for under $30. I've never really paid attention to how long the batteries last (regular alkaline) but it is several months. The key for me is to remove things such as swaying branches, tall grass, etc. that will cause false triggers.
I especially like the cheap Tascos for bear baits because it's not so painful when a bear decides to chomp on one.

 

[CorbLand]

The ~30 dollar muddy cameras are good for the price. Watch odd ball places during the off season. I had a buddy that picked up a bunch of stealth cams for ~30 a piece from Tractor Supply one year.

Watch eBay, you can find some dang good deals on used or refurbished ones. I picked up a 4 pack of used cameras for 60 bucks one time. They were used but I have had zero problems with them in 2 years and at 15 bucks a piece, anything over a year is money ahead.

 

[Hschweers]

I'm new to the trail camera game, and I don't know much about much. The Tasco and Muddy cams obviously are popular for the price. Right now there are good deals on the Stealth Cam QS20 ($41) and Bushnell L20 ($41). Anyone have any experience with either of these to warrant the extra $50 on 5 of em?

 

[Silveroddo]

You'd have to do the homework but if you really dug into it, the stealthcam and the muddy are probably literally the same camera. I don't know anything about the Bushnell. I've been running the Stealthcam and the Tascos, I think the Tasco's might be a touch better reliability wise but they're extremely comparable. I picked up a bunch of the Stealthcams for $88/3. I'd wait for them to come down to $30 each or get the Muddy or Tasco
Hear are some examples of what you can expect from them

 

[Hschweers]

You'd have to do the homework but if you really dug into it, the stealthcam and the muddy are probably literally the same camera. I don't know anything about the Bushnell. I've been running the Stealthcam and the Tascos, I think the Tasco's might be a touch better reliability wise but they're extremely comparable. I picked up a bunch of the Stealthcams for $88/3. I'd wait for them to come down to $30 each or get the Muddy or Tasco
Hear are some examples of what you can expect from them

That's super helpful, thank you! I was trying to find actual pictures taken with the Tasco, so thank you.