10 Best Wildlife Trail Cameras
Trail cameras are triggered by targets’ motion or body temperature and they have proved to be effective for both security and wildlife watching or hunting.
Particular emphasis has been placed on their use for wildlife watching and hunting of deer and other animals since they are particularly suited for outdoor use. So, the question before us is: what is the best wildlife trail camera?
The best wildlife trail camera is the Reconyx UltraFire Xr6 covert IR camera. It is a next-gen camera packed with lots of impressive features that wildlife professionals find quite useful.
It is essential to note that since wildlife trail cameras are used outdoors and under harsh weather and environmental conditions, they must be equipped with features that enable them to function optimally under these conditions. Reading the rest of this article will give you useful insights about the best wildlife trail cameras and what you should look out for before buying one. So sit tight and read on!
What should I look for when buying a wildlife camera?
Today, trail cameras come in different specifications and features. So you will need to be sure which of them will suit your purpose ad which will give you the best user-friendly.
Below are some factors or features that you should look out for when buying a wildlife trail camera:
Resolution
In today’s world, we are constantly surrounded by high-quality videography and photography that it has become the norm to always have pristine outputs from different types of cameras including trail cameras. The higher the resolution is, the better the quality of the picture or video. However, you should note that the maximum resolution listed for a trail camera is an upgrade of the significantly lower ‘traditional’ resolutions. Even the traditional resolutions are usually good enough to capture nice and clear pictures, and videos and they are small in size, so they do not take so much space on your memory card. So with modern wildlife trail cameras, these features are made even better.
The standard definition of the resolution of a modern wildlife trail camera is 640×480, while 1080p or 720p is a high definition or HD resolution. The fact is that most medium or high-end wildlife trail cameras on the market have high definitions. Very few trail cameras come with 4k resolution which is considered the best resolution available at least for now.
Audio Output
Depending on the kind of wildlife activity that you intend to use the trail camera for, audio can be an important feature to look out for as not all trail cameras have audio capability. However, sound may not be necessary if you would be using the trail camera for hunting purposes. It would only be essential if you are studying wildlife for research purposes where you need to understate the intricate mannerisms and characteristics of wildlife.
Flash
Trail cameras require artificial light, especially during night-time. Thus, it is crucial to choose the right type of flash depending on the type of wildlife activity that you want to use the trail camera for.
There are three types of flashes for trail cameras. They include the white flash, low glow, and no glow.
The white flash trail cameras make use of bright white light to illuminate an animal. When used for wildlife photography, they tend to spook or scare any wildlife that has triggered the motion sensor. White flash is not so common anymore as it is not so effective since it scares off subjects, thereby compromising its location and camouflage in the process.
Low glow is also referred to as infrared or red glow. This type of flash produces a dim but still-visible glow when taking night-time videos or photos. While the white flash produces pictures with colors, the low glow only produces black and white night-time photos. This is the most common type of flash found in most modern wildlife trail cameras.
No glow is also called black flash or black infrared. This flash emits no visible light. The advantage of this is that the camera cannot be easily detected and this eliminates the chances of scaring any wildlife away. No glow flash is visible to some animals including deer but because the intensity of the flash is highly minimized, they will often ignore it and go about their business. That way, your camera will be able to record lots of images and videos of them.
When considering the type of flash you should get, you should also consider the flash range, especially if you are going for white flash because of its illumination and color. The flash range determines how far away a subject can be and still be illuminated by the flash. Higher flash ranges can give you more scouting information. Consider this if you intend to mount your trail camera somewhere high or far from the pathway of your intended subjects.
Storage Capacity
Virtually all trail cameras make use of SD cards to store videos and pictures, and they often come in various storage capacities.
Depending on the settings of your camera and the capacity, an SD card can hold thousands of photos. So you may be wondering what SD card memory space that will be best for you.
It depends on several factors. High megapixels pictures are large, so they tend to take up more storage space. For instance, a 32GB SD card can hold more than 11,800 8MP pictures but can only hold about 4,000 22MP pictures.
Additionally, if you are going to be using time-lap or burst mode frequently, your pictures can add up pretty fast.
Videos are another thing to consider as they take a lot of storage space. Also, be sure to check what storage capacities your wildlife trail camera is compatible with. Some trail cameras are compatible with SD cards up to 64GB and will not recognize larger sizes like 128GB.
One important thing to note is that getting an SD card with a large storage capacity reduces the frequency at which you go and visit the trail camera wherever it is.
Irrespective of the type of SD card you are going for, make sure it is a class 10 SD card to ensure optimum performance and prevent technical issues.
Trigger Speed and Recovery Time
Trigger speed and recovery time are essential features that are often ignored and overlooked. They both work hand in hand to ensure that the wildlife trail camera can take a bunch of photos within a particular time frame without missing any action.
Trigger speed is described as how fast a camera takes a picture the moment it detects motion. The faster the trigger speed, the better. The result of slow trigger speeds is incomplete photos like a picture of only the top part of an animal passing by. High-ranked wildlife trail cameras often boast of trigger speeds less than half a second. The fact is, while some trigger speeds are indeed very fast, the wake-up time of the camera is also essential. A trail camera with a slow wake-up time and a fast trigger speed would sometimes result in an incomplete image of the intended subject.
On the other hand, recovery time is the amount of time that a trail camera needs to reset itself for it to be able to take another shot after it has taken one or photo burst. The thing about recovery time is that they can be extremely slow, like either within a minute or blazingly fast. The effect of slower recovery times is that the trail camera can miss snapshots of bucks trailing a doe, for instance, making them ineffective for hunting purposes. This doesn’t make them useless; slower recovery times can work well for wildlife watching and research purposes.
Power Capacity
Wildlife trail cameras need to have good and long-lasting batteries or other power options. Most trail cameras come with alkaline and lithium batteries. While these are good enough depending on the power consumption of the particular camera, having an extra power jack for Direct Current (DC) or solar power will make a wildlife trail camera very desirable as the frequency of visits to change batteries will be minimized.
The features and capabilities highlighted above are the basic ones. Other considerations especially for modern, high-end trail cameras will include cellular, and Wi-Fi.
10 best wildlife trail cameras
Reconyx UltraFire Xr6 covert IR camera – Overall Best
The Reconyx Ultrafire Covert IR camera is a next-gen camera offering top quality features for professionals. This trail camera is the best on our list. It was made by Reconyx, who has been designing cameras since 2002, which means that they have a lot of experience under their belt.
This wildlife trail camera features a dynamic video. With dynamic video, you can save a lot of memory space and battery life. It functions by pausing the video after 3 seconds of inactivity. The camera then saves the video after no movement is detected after 27 seconds, thereby recording essential information, unlike standard trail cameras.
The Ultrafire covert camera records clear 1080 HD videos at a frame of 30 seconds. The video also includes stereo audio, which is digitally enhanced with wind noise reduction. All these features increase the quality of videos. It can capture images in 3.4, 5, and 8 megapixels. It also has a TFT display, which will show you playbacks of your video and images with sound. With its user-friendly user interface (UI), you can easily navigate through the settings with ease.
The trail camera is equipped with two lenses; one for taking daytime pictures and another for taking clear and bright night images without using a mechanical infrared filter that scares animals away.
It also has an infrared night vision flash with a range of up to 80 feet for taking clear pictures at night. If you don’t want to use the TFT display, you can play the videos directly to you HD Television or transfer it to your computer through the Micro HDMI and USB.
You can check out the Reconyx UltraFire Xr6 covert IR camera on Amazon
Campark Mini trail game camera – Best on a budget
The Campark Mini trail game camera is one of the smallest cameras available in the market. It has a size of 70 x105 x 40mm, which is quite similar to that of an iPhone X. The small size makes it easy to install almost anywhere without looking conspicuous. It also has a 2-inches LCD for playing videos and viewing images that have been recorded by the camera.
This trail camera is waterproof with a rating of IP56. This is due to its tough protective case that can also protect the camera from dust, snow, and rain. It can operate in almost any harsh weather. It has a fast trigger speed of 0.5 seconds, allowing it to take pictures quickly when an animal enters its 65 feet detection range.
The Campark Mini trail game camera has a 16MP camera sensor that records 1080p HD videos and captures crisp images. The sensor can take night pictures in black and white and can also take colored daytime pictures. You can change the photo resolution to 8MP and 5MP. It can accept memory cards up to 32GB. Campark offers a 21 months’ warranty giving time to return the camera if there is any defect found after buying it.
The trail camera has a 120-degree wide field of view granting a large shooting scope. It also features an infrared LED for taking night images. The infrared flash range is also 65 feet.
You can check out the Campark Mini trail game camera on Amazon
Browning trail camera Spec ops XR
The Browning trail camera Spec ops XR was made by the Browning company. The trail camera features a 20MP camera sensor for taking crystal clear pictures and 1080p footage with the sound of your game. This resolution allows you to see details without straining your eyes.
The trail camera can also take time-lapse images at a pre-set time intervals of 2.0, 10, 15, or 30 seconds. It can also take 1, 2, or 3 minutes’ interval time-lapse images, letting you see footages worth an entire day in just a few minutes.
It also has a multi-shot mode that can take 1-8 images in succession when the motion detector is activated. The Spec ops can last for about three months with 8 AA batteries.
It has a 4-inches LCD for viewing images and videos taken. You can also change the settings from there and check information like the battery life percentage and delay countdown. The Spec Ops XR has a built-in cable loop for security. It also has a port for connecting it to your television, enabling you to view images and videos. More so, it has a USB port for transferring files to your computer.
The Browning trail camera Spec ops XR has a decent trigger speed of 0.7s. It also has a motion-activated passive infrared (PIR) with a detection range of between 40-45-feet, and an infrared LED flash of a range of over 70 feet. The infrared light is invisible to most animals preventing them from getting spooked. The infrared flash can be adjusted to either long-range or power save. This trail camera is compatible with memory cards up to 32GB.
You can check the Browning trail camera Spec ops XR on Amazon
The Wildgame Innovations Wraith 14MP hunting trail camera
The Wildgame Innovations Wraith 14MP trail camera is an impressive camera which captures bright quality video and pictures. It features a 14MP camera sensor that captures crisp pictures and 720p HD videos. It has a video length of 15 seconds and a reflex trigger speed of fewer than 0.75 seconds. The trail camera is power-efficient, ensuring that the battery life lasts for a long time, thereby reducing the frequency with which you replace the batteries.
It is also equipped with 28 high-intensity infrared LEDs with an illumination range of 75-feet, giving you bright and clear night pictures. It also has a backlit LCD screen, which gives you the ability to check your videos and images conveniently both during the day and at night. The Wraith can also accept memory cards up to 32GB. It has a TruBarkHD texture finish for camouflage, hiding your camera from the eyes of the game and also from potential thieves.
You can check out the Wildgame Innovations Wraith 14MP hunting trail camera on Amazon
Meidase SL122M Trail camera
The Meidase SL122M Trail camera features a 20MP camera sensor that takes clear pictures and full high definition 1080p videos with sound. It also has 36pcs no glow 940nm infrared LEDs for night flash up to 75-feet. It has a colorful 2.4-inches screen for quickly checking videos and images. The user-friendly interface makes it easy to operate and navigate.
Using it three Passive Infrared Sensors, it can detect games between 0.2 – 0.6 seconds up to an incredible range of 82-feet. It has a waterproof case with a rating of IP66, allowing it to withstand almost any harsh weather. The Meidase offers a one-year warranty and 30-day money-back in case of any defect.
You can check out the Meidase SL122M Trail camera on Amazon.
Toguard H70 trail camera
The Toguard H70 trail camera can capture crystal clear 20MP images and can also record FHD 1080p videos with sound at both night-time and daytime. The trail camera features 42 pcs low-glow LEDs for taking bright and crisp pictures at night up to a range of 75-feet. It also has a detecting range of 130-degrees, giving you a broader view of the watched area. The camera has a 2.4-inches LCD, which is different from the normal size.
The Toguard also has three Passive Infra-red Sensors designed to save power and also increase its sensitivity to give you a fast trigger speed of 0.3 seconds. It has a time-lapse mode that automatically takes shots at a pre-set time intervals regardless of whether the camera is triggered or not.
You can check out the Toguard H70 trail camera on Amazon.
Bushnell core DS no glow 30MP trail camera
The Bushnell core DS no glow 30MP trail camera comes with a dual-camera sensor, unlike other cameras. One of the sensors is optimized for taking sharp daytime images while the other one is for taking well-illuminated night pictures and videos.
The camera can capture 30MP pictures and 1080P HD videos at 60 frames per second. The range of the videos is between 5-60 seconds in length. It can also take time-lapse shots.
This trail camera features a 2x field scan that can take time-lapse images for quickly showing you events that it captured throughout the day. It also ensures that the motion trigger is active during the time-lapse mode preventing you from missing anything between those periods. The camera has a field of view of 38-degrees allowing you to capture animals at a wide coverage.
The Bushnell core 30MP camera has a PIR (passive infrared) motion sensor that takes images when it is triggered by games within a range of 100-feet. It has a reflex trigger of 0.2 seconds. The sensitivity of the motion sensor can be adjusted based on the environment. It captures 1 to 5 images when it is triggered in multi-image mode. It is also equipped with no-glow infrared LED that illuminates animals in the night within a range of 100-feet.
The trail camera can accept memory cards up to 32GB. It has an LCD for checking images, navigating through the menu and setting. It can tag the pictures by location, temperature, and moon phasing. This amazing camera comes with a two-year warranty. It boasts of a 1-year battery life, which is dependent on the temperature of the area and the number of pictures taken. The Bushnell core 30MP trail camera is suitable for pros who want to up their game.
You can check out the Bushnell core DS no glow 30MP trail camera on Amazon.
Stealth Cam G42 no-glow trail camera
The Stealth Cam G42 no-glow trail camera is equipped with a 10MP camera sensor that can take clear images. You can choose three other resolutions like 8MP, 4MP, and 2MP. It can also record 480p HD videos of your game with sound. It records 5-180 seconds of HD videos.
The G42 has 42 no glow, black infrared emitters with 100-foot visibility for capturing clear shots at night without spooking out your games.
The trail camera also has a matrix blur reduction which will eventually increase the quality and clarity of your night pictures. It also features retina low-light sensitivity technology that gathers as much light as possible, making night-time images brighter than ever before.
The trail camera is quite durable, as expected of any trail camera. It can handle a couple of drops though not too much. Be aware that the camera is not completely weatherproof; it can take an average amount of extreme temperature. There is a little problem with its protection that might annoy some users, like the difficulty in opening the case. However, this might not be an issue if you get the trick behind opening it.
The Stealth cam G42 no-glow trail camera has a fast trigger speed of fewer than 0.5 seconds. With burst mode, the trail camera can take 1-9 pictures after each trigger. Its recovery time after each shot is between 0-59 seconds or 1-59 minutes. It has an SD card with up to 32GB memory space. The camera has an external LCD displaying for viewing your videos and pictures. It has easily-configurable, preprogrammed, and manual modes. Its multi-zone detection gives more precise coverage.
You can check out the Stealth cam G42 no-Glow trail camera on Amazon.
Moultrie Mobile 7000i Cellular trail camera
The Moultrie Mobile 7000i Cellular trail camera connects to your phone through Verizon’s 4G network. The connections allow you to receive pictures directly to your phone through the Moultrie mobile app (available for both IOS and android). The photos can also be accessed through the website on your computer. The trail camera can capture clear 20MP images and record high-definition videos at 1080P.
The night picture taken by the Moultrie Mobile 7000i is clean and bright due to the innovative ILLUMI Night 2 sensor. The camera has a fast trigger speed of 0.3 seconds. It also has a wide detection of 80-feet. The interval delay mode and burst mode are amazing. This camera also has a memory card slot that can accept up to 32GB.
You can check out the Moultrie Mobile 7000i Cellular trail camera on Amazon.
Apeman Trail H70 camera 30MP
The Apeman Trail Camera 30MP is capable of taking 30MP images and recording super clear 4K video resolution. The quality of the photos and video gives you all the details you will need. The trail camera supports 40PCS low glow black Infra-red LEDs, which can illuminate the area up to 65-feet, taking clear black and white pictures at night without spooking your game. The brightness of the Infra-red flash can be adjusted to adapt well to any environment. It also has a time-lapse mode, which takes shots of wildlife over a particular period.
The Apeman H70 has a 2-inches color LCD for quickly viewing the videos and images taken. The display also allows you to set up your camera with ease. The trail camera has an impressive trigger speed of 0.2 seconds. It is waterproof and can handle bad weather conditions. It was also designed to prevent a misted lens.
