Best Trail Cameras for Deer Hunting

Hunting and watching wildlife is a really tough task because animals and birds are most sensitive to sound, hence a slight change in your movement or sudden sound can spook or send them away. However, with the timely introduction of trail cameras, the issue of spooking off animals and birds with slight movement has been solved. They work discreetly and are triggered by motion or the deer’s body heat but the question often arises: what is the best trail camera for deer hunting?

The best trail camera for deer hunting is the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 24MP Low-Glow trail camera.

Putting up trail cameras around your hunting area or property is necessary if you want to monitor, study, and hunt down deer that lurk around your premises. The trail camera helps you narrow down areas that you can divert your focus to in order to capture the deer. In this article, we will be providing you with interesting and important information about the best trail cameras for deer hunting; let’s delve in!

Best Trail cameras for Deer Hunting

When hunting for deer, you require some of the most stealthily operated trail cameras. This is because they increase your chances of success. The favorite part of hunting is the excitement that comes with the chase and if you wish to be successful, you should use a trail camera.

However, there have been conflicting opinions as to what are the best trail cameras to use when hunting.

In this section of this article, we shall be reviewing the best 5 trail cameras for deer hunting, and for those on a budget, don’t worry, we have something for you too!

Best overall – Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor

The best trail camera for deer hunting is the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 24MP Low-Glow trail camera.

This camera is known for its outstanding night vision capability that captures quality images at night and low light conditions. Also, it produces quality and clear images because it is equipped with a 24-megapixel resolution camera which will enable you to get a clear vision of any deer lurking around your property.

The camera of the Bushnell trophy has a remarkable 0.2 seconds trigger speed, making it one of the fastest cameras out in the market. In simpler terms, this camera captures images almost immediately it detects any motion within its sight range. It also has a recovery rate of 0.5 seconds. This enables the camera to take pictures of a deer moving past its sight, in rapid succession.

You do not have to worry about your camera getting discovered because this camera has a camouflage body which makes it difficult to see. It also has a low light LED and that makes it very difficult for hunters and animals to spot it.

The LED lights also possess a reduced flash signature, this reduces the chances of the camera spooking deer even if they are walking nearby. More so, this trail camera is capable of capturing a 60-second video clip with an HD resolution of 1920x1080p and a 32GB memory SD card space to store enough images and videos.

Specifications:

Camera resolution: 24 megapixels

Detection range: 100ft.

Video resolution: 1280×720 pixels

Storage data: SD or SDHC card (up to 32GB)

Length of video: 60 seconds

Night vision: YES. Additional night vision flash with up to 30m range.

Audio recording: YES.

LCD screen: 2.4-inch color LCD

Battery: 8x AA batteries.

You can check out the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 24MP Low-Glow trail camera on Amazon.

Best on a Budget – Foxelli Trail 14MP

Most times, the best trail cameras on sale that you want aren’t always affordable. It is in cases like this that budget cameras come in handy. They’re specially designed to meet your needs with some standout abilities common in more expensive versions; only that now, they provide you quality at an affordable price.

The best budget trail camera for deer hunting is the Foxelli Trail 14MP camera.

This is a solid low-budget trail camera that delivers an amazing result when hunting for deer. This camera brand might seem new to you but the manufacturers of this quality camera is an outdoor gear company known for specialist equipment. Although this is the first trail camera from this company, it still makes the list as the best budget camera out there. This camera has gathered quite a large fan base because of its qualities.

The Foxelli trail camera comes with an amazing 14MP image sensor that produces outstanding pictures and videos, all in full HD. This is a big feature for a camera of such a price.

The night pictures produced by this camera are lightened by 42 Low Glow IR LEDs. This means that deer and other animals, humans too, won’t be able to detect the camera by its glow when it’s dark. This passes the test for whether the camera is good for not creating unwanted attention.

The camera is equipped with other amazing features. It comes with a 2.4-inches color viewing screen to allow you to see your captured photos and videos clearly.

The standout feature of this camera is its ultra-wide-angle camera lens. The FOV (field of view) comes at an impressive 120 degrees, making it a great option for covering a wide range of land or property.

Specification:

Camera resolution: 14 megapixels

Trigger speed: 0.5 seconds

Storage data: Micro SD up to 32GB

Night vision: YES.

Video recording: YES

Detection range: 65ft.

LCD screen: 2.4-inch colour LCD

Battery: 8x AA batteries.

You can check out the Foxelli Trail 14MP camera on Amazon.

5 Best Trail cameras for Deer Hunting

We’ll be taking a look at the best five deer hunting trail cameras out there. The cameras that make our list include:

Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 24MP

We have earlier talked about this impressive camera as our overall best.

The Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor 24MP low-glow trail camera as the name implies is known for its ruggedness.

This camera comes with one of the best image resolutions you will ever find on a trail camera. This makes it arguably, the best trail camera ever.

The 24 megapixels camera feature enables you to identify small markings on deer. The high-quality resolution of this camera is not the only thing talked about when discussing its quality. It is also capable of shooting high-quality HD videos in a short burst time of 0.2 seconds making it one of the cameras with the fastest trigger speed.

With the Bushnell Trophy Cam, you are sure not to miss any shot because the 0.2 seconds trigger speed means it captures a photo almost immediately it detects movement and in the next 0.5 seconds, it’s ready to take another and that’s a really fast recovery time.

This feature makes this camera the best for those who enjoy deer hunting and love to take multiple images at a time.

Another great feature of this camera is the Low-glow LED IR flash that increases its flash distance.

It also has an easy-to-use menu choice. It has 5 programming buttons which are all backlit for a simple low light view.

Lastly, it has a 1-year battery life capacity when programmed properly.

Its specification are as follows:

Camera resolution: 24 megapixels

Detection range: 100ft.

Video resolution: 1280×720 pixels

Storage data: SD or SDHC card (up to 32GB)

Length of video: 60 seconds

Night vision: YES. Additional night vision flash with up to 30m range.

Audio recording: YES.

LCD screen: 2.4-inch color LCD

Battery: 8x AA batteries.

Browning Strike Force Extreme 16MP

The Browning strike force trail camera comes with an incredible 80 feet detection range. This means that whenever a deer comes within this range and triggers the camera, it will start taking images of everything within its field of view. This camera is popularly used by deer hunters because of this feature.

At night, the camera possesses an infrared LED illumination that provides a clear display of pictures captured without giving off a bright light that will most certainly spook deer.

It has a 16-megapixel resolution that makes its pictures of high quality. It also comes with a 0.4 seconds trigger speed and a recovery rate of 0.6 seconds, making it adequate for deer hunting.

This camera, apart from its image quality, can take HD video clips for up to two minutes with a resolution of 1280x720p. It also has the ability to record sounds in videos which is vital for detecting deer and knowing if there are more lurking around the area that is not visible to the camera.

The Browning Strike Force trail camera also has a social feature; it is able to capture images and videos with date, time, temperature, moon phase and camera ID stamp so that you are equipped with enough necessary information ahead of your next deer hunt.

Its specifications are as follows:

Camera resolution: 16 megapixels

Trigger speed: 0.4 seconds

Recovery rate: 0.6 seconds

Night vision: YES. Infrared low light display.

Video recording: YES.

Recording time: up to two minutes

Detection range: 80ft.

Video resolution: 1280x720p

Sound detection: YES

You can check out the Browning Strike Force Extreme 16MP trail camera on Amazon.

Bushnell Core DS No Glow

This is another one from the Bushnell company. This trail camera is tagged by many as the camera to use if you want to avoid spooking deer and wildlife in the dark, with LED lights.

This trail camera comes with an uncommon feature which makes it stand out; a two image sensor. The first one is optimized for daylight function, producing sharp and brilliant pictures. The second is optimized for night mode, boasting a high contrast clarity image within 80ft in its sight.

The DS (dual sensor) feature uses the ‘No Glow’ LED lights that are described to be almost invisible, making it an ideal choice for deer hunting and also for security.

The camera comes with a full HD video capture feature with up to 60fps and audio too. It also sports a huge 30MP color camera in a 0.2 seconds trigger speed.

This camera is great for outdoor usage as it is built to survive some of the most extreme weather conditions through its waterproof construction.

Its specifications are as follows:

Cam resolution (megapixels): 30MP

Video resolution quality: 1080p at 60fps

Length of video: 60 seconds

Storage capacity: SD or SDHC card, 32GB max.

Night vision: Yes

Night vision distance: up to 80ft

Audio recording: Yes

LCD: Yes

Power source: 8x AA batteries

You can check out the Bushnell DS core no glow trail camera on Amazon.

Spypoint Solar Dark

The Skypoint Solar Dark trail camera as the name implies stands for the fact that it harnesses power from the sun. It is solar-powered. This feature makes it long-lasting and you do not have to worry about its battery as long as the sun comes up.

Like many other types of trail cameras, its range is among its core features. It has a 0.07 seconds ultra-fast trigger speed, making it the fastest trail camera available in the market.

It also features a 42 low-glow LED, a modest and perfect 12MP, and a flash range of 90ft.

It also has an internal battery and can be powered by six AA batteries just in case the sun doesn’t come up.

It has the ability to detect moving subjects from up to 110ft afar. Featuring time-lapse movies, 720p video with a sound plus feature, it is built with blur reduction technology and a 2-inch screen tick box.

Its specifications are as follows:

Cam resolution (megapixels): 12MP

Video resolution quality: 1280×720 pixels

Detection range: 110ft.

Storage space: SD or SDHC card, 32GB max

Night vision: Yes, via infrared

Audio recording: Yes

LCD: 2-inch color LCD

Battery power: Solar and 8x AA batteries.

You can check out the Spypoint Solar Dark trail camera on Amazon.

Foxelli Trail 14MP camera

We have earlier highlighted this trail camera as our winner for the best trail camera on a budget for hunting deer.

This camera comes with a remarkable 14MP photosensor that produces outstanding pictures and videos, all in full HD. This is a big feature for a camera of such a low price.

The night pictures produced by this camera are lightened by 42 Low Glow IR LEDs which means that deer won’t be able to spot the camera by its glow at night.

Its specifications are as follows:

Camera resolution: 14 megapixels

Trigger speed: 0.5 seconds

Storage data: Micro SD up to 32GB

Night vision: YES.

Video recording: YES

Detection range: 65ft.

LCD screen: 2.4-inch color LCD

Battery: 8x AA batteries.

How do trail cameras attract deer?

Naturally, trail cameras do not attract deer on their own, but with a little help and experience from the hunter, the deer is sure to come in close range to the camera.

Hence, the easiest way for a trail camera to attract deer is through the use of scrapes.

Scrapes are kinds of deer sign which contains two units – a branch which hangs over at nose level of the deer which is called a licking branch and an area on the ground which is scuffed beneath.

Deer create and make use of these scrapes as a signpost for communicating. They leave a chemical signature by urinating on the ground below the branches where they rub their foreheads. Scrapes are mostly used and seen during the fall season. However, seasoned deer hunters believe that they go out of their comfort to check scrapes even when it’s not a fall season.

What makes this more useful is the fact that mock scrapes; a human-made type of scrape is an effective means of attracting deer visitation like the natural scrape. Placing a mock scrape in any area of your choice is an ideal strategy for trail cameras to attract deer

Natural Scrapes: In order for your trail camera to attract deer, one of the options to consider is a scrape which already pre-exists. Normally, you may want to put your trail camera on a scrape that is often used, usually evidenced by a big, bowled scrape on the floor which is made better if the scrape appears at the same place the next year.

This is an amazing way to attract deer to your trail camera only if you can find any of those good and quality scrapes that are located in an area where deer use them easily. Also, you have to be careful when setting your trail camera to make as little noise as possible.

Mock Scrapes: This is the second option, and it involves choosing an area that would be easily accessible for you without spooking off the deer, then creating a scrape there.

You can make a mock scrape with several procedures. But all must include a branch that is overhanging or something similar and packed oval dirt beneath.

In order to attract deer to your trail camera and capture a high number of deer images, putting a mock scrape in an area that is easily visible is better. For example, the edge of a field or the middle of an opening.

The simplest way to achieve this is by bending or better still, tying a branch down to the level of a deer, from a tree that is already at the edge of the field. Next, kick up the floor beneath. This is a common method, but most hunters have discovered that they can make mock scrape trail camera areas more appealing by making use of materials for licking a branch.

Where to set it up for best deer images

If you are like most hunters, your trail camera would be in full swing at this time of the year. The early bow hunting season isn’t that far away anymore, and deer will soon start their exploits. However, during this season, it is essential to know the right place to set up your camera for maximum productivity.

The best place to set up your trail camera for best deer images is on deer scrapes. You can either set it up on a natural scrape or make a mock scrape. This is because, during this time of the year, deer make use of scrapes a lot to communicate their breeding status and this makes it a very good place to set up your trail camera.

However, the above setup position is subject to season. Hence, setting up trail cameras on the stem or branches of trees that are in close proximity to areas where you have earlier detected deer movements is the best strategy.

This method gives the trail camera a wide view of everything within its sight and if there is a deer close by, you’re sure of your trail camera capturing a photo of it.

Also, hanging your trail camera in front of a small heap of corn would be a perfect place to set up your trail camera and you are sure to almost get an SD card full of deer pictures.

However, this practice is no longer common due to increasing rules by states which abolishes the use of baits at the trail camera location.

Whenever a trail camera is being set, the rule of the thumb is that the height should be such that the best images or videos of the target can be captured. If the camera is set too high, the image and video quality may not be clear enough. On the other hand, setting it up too low will increase the chances of the camera being spotted. When deer spot it, they may scamper away to safety and the more curious ones can even destroy it.

However, thanks to the ingenuity of trail camera manufacturers, the casings or housing of most modern trail cameras for hunting deer have camouflage or woody designs that reduce their chance of being spotted.

Can deer see a trail camera flash

The trail camera is a great addition when it comes to scouting deer. It has led to the demise of quite a number of deer in the last decade or so.

There are several ways a trail camera can set off the deer you are chasing, one of them is with its flashlight. Thus, the answer to the question is YES, deer can see the flashlight of trail cameras.

Before setting up your trail cameras on different locations, bear it in mind that the deer can see the flash of the camera and that will most certainly, spook them away. There are lots of factors that go into this, so how much we know matters.

To begin, we will address a common belief that trail cameras scare every deer that passes through its sight or region. This isn’t true. Just like us humans, deer also have several characteristics, different attitudes, concerns, thoughts, temperaments and hence, behave in varying manners as a result of those factors.

Sometimes, a well experienced and careful deer might be lurking around, watching each movement you perform with your camera. The reaction of each deer might be different when they see a flash from your trail camera in their path.

Lately, a majority of trail cameras make use of infrared flash. Normally, the flash produced is either a Red-glow IR or a No-glow IR camera.

An infrared camera has a significantly lesser chance of spooking a deer. The No-glow feature is the best means for a camera to be undetected in low light conditions when it takes a photo of a deer. This gives you the best chance to be undetected. Still, it doesn’t imply that your No-glow camera will not spook deer, it will, only that the possibility will be less when compared to a No-glow camera.

Scientifically, the eyes of deer have rods and cones which make it possible for them to see colors that lean toward the violet end of the color spectrum such as blue lights. Modern trail camera lights are Infra-red lights and they belong to the violet end of the color spectrum which means that deer can see them.

Also, unlike the closely-set eyes of humans, the eyes of deer are set wide apart on the top of their heads and this gives them a wider range of views than humans and increases their chance of seeing almost everything around them including trail cameras flashes.

Understanding the position of your trail camera is also important. Deer are smart animals, so try as much as possible not to place your trail camera directly in their sight. The importance of setting spots varies from high to low when putting cameras at slopes.

Deer have been known to particularly loiter around their feeding areas than even their shelters so it would be best to position your trail cameras near their feeding locations.

However, remember that you may be trying to fool some of the most energetic, smart, and well-adapted deer in the forest, not the small gullible ones you are constantly talking images of, so you have to be on your best game.

Similar Posts