Trail Camera’s

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

Sound like a good candidate for these batteries.

They plug into the auxiliary power plug on most cameras and they come with their own charger.

I have four of them. On my cameras they last about 18 months.

Thanks, Keg! Will check them out.

[eric2381]

I like the sound of these Amazon cameras. And of the battery pack Keg showed. My cameras right now are a mix of a bunch of different kinds

[Frost Fighter]

Started out with Stealth cams. Batteries didn’t last very long and sent two back for warranty. Shopped on Amazon and purchased Apeman cameras. Long battery life, LED screen and much easier to set up. Price was right. Also have a Browning ,takes the best quality picture but the LED screen doesn’t work and can’t change any settings.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Stinky Buffalo

Thanks, Keg! Will check them out.

I hang them off of the camera mount that I make. But a small nail or branch would do as well.

All I did was bend a copper wire from scrap house wiring into a S shape and tape it to the battery. The second bend was to give the tape more to grip.

Then I painted the whole battery with light camo spray so it wouldn't draw attention to the camera.

[Kiff]

I have one Campark I bought off Amazon and love it. I also picked up 3 Apeman cameras direct off their website on a 40% off sale last year around this time. Great quality photos and videos (with audio). Highly recommend those Apeman's.

[Demonical]

Save your money on batteries!

Get those blue el-cheapo batteries from Walmart. They last just as long as any of the name brand batteries but cost 1/3 of the name brand.

I've been running them 2 years, I'll never waste $$ on the expensive brand names again.

[Sitkaspruce]

I have gone this way for 4 of my Browning cams this year and so far, all are still running at 100% power after taking between 3000-3500 10 sec videos in November.





I am into each set up; battery, case and cord, minus the camera, for about $90. I figure I would have used at least 60-70 Lithiums this November at ~$2.35/battery so I figure they will pay for themselves in 3 years.

Not having to worry about the batteries dying in the middle of the season is what I like the best.

Curious Keg if those blue batteries can handle the cold and cameras that run video, which will eat batteries.

Cheers

SS

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Sitkaspruce

Curious Keg if those blue batteries can handle the cold and cameras that run video, which will eat batteries.

Cheers

SS

Your battery should last 10 times longer then mine, and handle the cold better.
Both are Lithium Ion but yours are LiFePO4 which is better in the cold then my LiPo batteries.

My batteries drop off below -30 and don't come back online until it goes back up to at least -28
Where yours should be good down to -40

The only advantage mine has over yours is size and weight.

Mine are old technology, your is the latest technology

Oh yeah, one other possible advantage. Mine come with chargers.
I believe yours require separate purchase of a special charger do they not?
I've been told the charger can cost as much as the battery.

[Frank_NK28]

I'm into my third season with Moultrie A series and Stealthcam Reactor Cel cams and not an issue to date. I had a couple Spypoint Micro Link cel cameras and returned them after a few weeks. Pure garbage. I run lithium batteries in my cameras. Well worth the extra $. I get a full year out of the ones left out year round.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Originally Posted by Demonical

Save your money on batteries!

Get those blue el-cheapo batteries from Walmart. They last just as long as any of the name brand batteries but cost 1/3 of the name brand.

I've been running them 2 years, I'll never waste $$ on the expensive brand names again.

Doubtful. Cheap batts get smoked in cold weather.

[Demonical]

I used to drop $$ on the Lithium batteries, but since I switched to the Great Value batteries I have had no issues. I just run my cams spring to end of November. And in those months there's no need for the high $$ batteries.

I am well aware that in extreme cold the Lithium batteries will out-perform the cheap blue batteries, but I quit running my cams through the winter.

After years of winter cams I just came to realize there was no value in that (for my purposes).

And I've saved a lot of money on batteries.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Demonical

I used to drop $$ on the Lithium batteries, but since I switched to the Great Value batteries I have had no issues. I just run my cams spring to end of November. And in those months there's no need for the high $$ batteries.

I am well aware that in extreme cold the Lithium batteries will out-perform the cheap blue batteries, but I quit running my cams through the winter.

After years of winter cams I just came to realize there was no value in that (for my purposes).

And I've saved a lot of money on batteries.

I am a sport and up for giving them a try in a few cams next season. I run my cams for roughly the same time period

Just so I get the correct ones the are great value brand?

If anyone else has recommendations I would like to here

Right now I find depending on how active the cam is I can usually get say June-December out of my cams running Duracell. But in an active location and cold snaps they may even die mid November. I even noticed during real cold snaps some cameras will read dead but if you warm them up battery life returns(my stealth cam fusions are horrible for this).

Some cams just don’t function correctly depending on location

Honestly there is tons of quirks with trail cams and most don’t even realize

[Smoky buck]

One thing I have started to realize is how important low glow or no glow is. This is more of an issue I find when using them up close on communal scrapes

Over the last few years I started thinking about the amount of deer that at night we’re always staring at the cam almost stunted looking. I also noticed that it seemed some mature bucks seemed to disappear after a few checks especially if they were visiting the scrap at night.

This seems to be the case if the cam is up close getting frontal pics in situations the deer is stopped in front of the cam. If the cam is farther back and taking broad side or rear pic it’s less of an issue. Daylight no issues at all

So added a few low glow/no glow cams this season and ran a test. I set up 2 new cameras and 2 old cameras up close on scrapes

Old cams there were bucks definitely taking note of the cam. I did notice as I did in the past some bucks stopped visiting or visited less after multiple night time pics. I also noticed scrape activity slowed overall

New low glow/no glow cams the deer ignored except for the odd sniff because of scent on the cam. Activity at these scrapes stayed steady. The mature buck activity stayed relatively constant for bush bucks. Some will always be randoms

Overall I seen a noticeable difference and will slowly be switching to all low glow/no glow cams

The cams that do glow seem to be less of to almost no issues if they are used on trails to catch deer passing through walking. Or kept out of direct line of sight at a little distance

Glowing cams set on video seem to be the worst up close

I am not putting this up for debate but instead passing on my findings from actual putting this to the test and observing the reactions. Some might find this useful in there future choice in cams

Oh so it is known all my cams are set around 3 1/2 - 4ft off the ground so this can be a factor as they are within the deers line of sight

[58thecat]

Well what is really cool now is how small the cameras are, was looking at a few a few weeks ago and was impressed tossing in their capabilities once mine start cropping out I am going hog wild on new set ups

[Phil McCracken]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

One thing I have started to realize is how important low glow or no glow is. This is more of an issue I find when using them up close on communal scrapes

Over the last few years I started thinking about the amount of deer that at night we’re always staring at the cam almost stunted looking. I also noticed that it seemed some mature bucks seemed to disappear after a few checks especially if they were visiting the scrap at night.

This seems to be the case if the cam is up close getting frontal pics in situations the deer is stopped in front of the cam. If the cam is farther back and taking broad side or rear pic it’s less of an issue. Daylight no issues at all

So added a few low glow/no glow cams this season and ran a test. I set up 2 new cameras and 2 old cameras up close on scrapes

Old cams there were bucks definitely taking note of the cam. I did notice as I did in the past some bucks stopped visiting or visited less after multiple night time pics. I also noticed scrape activity slowed overall

New low glow/no glow cams the deer ignored except for the odd sniff because of scent on the cam. Activity at these scrapes stayed steady. The mature buck activity stayed relatively constant for bush bucks. Some will always be randoms

Overall I seen a noticeable difference and will slowly be switching to all low glow/no glow cams

The cams that do glow seem to be less of to almost no issues if they are used on trails to catch deer passing through walking. Or kept out of direct line of sight at a little distance

Glowing cams set on video seem to be the worst up close

I am not putting this up for debate but instead passing on my findings from actual putting this to the test and observing the reactions. Some might find this useful in there future choice in cams

Oh so it is known all my cams are set around 3 1/2 - 4ft off the ground so this can be a factor as they are within the deers line of sight

Some great tips there Smoky!
Demonical: I also run my cams during the same time frames. Will try the cheaper batteries next season for giggles.

Thanx for sharing boys and girls...

[Demonical]

Ya fellas they are the blue Great Value batteries, Walmart. I suspect that any other equivalent 'no name' batteries would be just as good.

I find zero difference in performance or longevity vs the brand name batteries, running in May-Nov time period..

But check the price difference, that is huge.

This year I put in fresh batteries in the spring, ran them all year on 1 set of batteries.

The only cam that died mid-season had Energizers in it, but that cam was in a bad (choice) location, way too much grass and stuff would blow and trigger the camera.
It would routinely have 2000 pics on it.

If your cams are shooting 1,000's of pics ya you might burn more sets of batteries, but that would be the case no matter what name is on them.

For the record I was running 9 StealthCam G42NG (G-42 No Glow).

After deer season I pull all my cams, then chuck the batteries.

[dgl1948]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

I am a sport and up for giving them a try in a few cams next season. I run my cams for roughly the same time period

Just so I get the correct ones the are great value brand?

If anyone else has recommendations I would like to here

Right now I find depending on how active the cam is I can usually get say June-December out of my cams running Duracell. But in an active location and cold snaps they may even die mid November. I even noticed during real cold snaps some cameras will read dead but if you warm them up battery life returns(my stealth cam fusions are horrible for this).

Some cams just don’t function correctly depending on location

Honestly there is tons of quirks with trail cams and most don’t even realize

I no longer will use Duracell in anything. I find them the only batteries that leak

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by dgl1948

I no longer will use Duracell in anything. I find them the only batteries that leak

I have only ever had cheapo batteries leak and that was from leaving them in a device well it was stored not being used for an extended period of time

Once all my cams come home they are stored without batteries and get a new set at the start of the season

But maybe I have just been lucky

[Sitkaspruce]

Costco Batteries will leak, not maybe, but will.

I buy the Energizer Max when they are on 50% off, otherwise, I run the CT cheapo's, Wally World cheapo's or the Source cheapo's from spring to mid October, when I switch to video. Then I run lithiums until the first week in December, when I pull most of my cams

I do leave 4 cams out over the winter on trails that have a few decades of use and it is interesting to see what comes through. This year those cams will have the 12v lithiums out just to see how they work in the cold.

Cheers

SS

[Worm]

I've been running these cheap amazon no glow cameras for a few years now. As long as batteries have power they work. Ones battery power goes low though if find pics are missed. For the cost I love them and if I have one stolen no biggie. The brand seems to change from year to year on Amazon but design hasn't changed much. Just picked up 3 more gardepro on black Friday.

I also have an expensive reconyx that works better but also triple the price. This one will capture pics when batteries are low.

Question for the guys running a spypoint cell link, as I want to try one. Do you have to cut a hole in the bottom of the camera door to accommodate that sd card cable? From what I can see thst would be needed.

Sent from my SM-A715W using Tapatalk

[curtis_rak]

Originally Posted by Worm

I've been running these cheap amazon no glow cameras for a few years now. As long as batteries have power they work. Ones battery power goes low though if find pics are missed. For the cost I love them and if I have one stolen no biggie. The brand seems to change from year to year on Amazon but design hasn't changed much. Just picked up 3 more gardepro on black Friday.

I also have an expensive reconyx that works better but also triple the price. This one will capture pics when batteries are low.

Question for the guys running a spypoint cell link, as I want to try one. Do you have to cut a hole in the bottom of the camera door to accommodate that sd card cable? From what I can see thst would be needed.

Sent from my SM-A715W using Tapatalk

On my cell link paired with the Gardepro camera I had to take a pocket knife and shave out a very shallow wedge from the bottom of the door housing for the SD-card cable. It’s been working fine for 2 years.


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