Choosing the right equipment is one of a hunter’s keys to success. To find the best trail camera for your target is especially important.
The animals hunted or observed are not the same in different parts of the world. However, a trail camera is an amazing help wherever you live.
Whatever their target is, trail cameras help hunters like having extra pairs of eyes. Trackers and conservationists as well benefit from using them. If you haven’t bought a trail camera before, here is some professional advice.
A Good Trail Camera Needn’t Be Expensive
If you need high-quality pictures and video, it isn’t necessary to spend a fortune to find the best trail camera.
There are some very costly cameras out there, but cheaper ones also work well.
Decide what you need, because the way you use them also matters. A medium-priced camera may be enough for you. Look at the plus and minus points of a given make, and your budget.
What Is the Camera’s Recovery Time?
Recovery time makes a difference depending on the movement of the target animal. Do you need just one detailed picture each time the camera is triggered? Or do you want a “photo-burst”, a quick succession of shots?
You may want to capture different little movements. The animal may be running fast, and you would like several photos each time. Recovery time is the gap between taking one photo, recording it, and being ready again.
Be aware that the average trail camera’s recovery time is one to five seconds. Some cheaper, slow cameras wait up to one minute in recovery time. During this interval it cannot take another picture: that’s no good for observing fast animals.
What Is the Trigger Speed?
As with recovery time, a fast trigger speed is good for fast-moving targets. Faster trigger speeds give you clearer images. Once again, ask yourself what you want to see animals doing.
If you monitor a trail where they move quickly, fast trigger speed is a bonus. Or, in mating season bucks chase does, for example. You also need good images to identify species of animals or individuals.
Do you need just pictures of slow animals, or animals eating at a food-source? In this case, spending a lot on a camera with high trigger speed isn’t justified.
Bottom Line When Picking a Trail Camera
Make sure you choose a model that is reliable, robust, and weather-resistant. By the way, don’t forget that good memory-cards speed up your camera’s recovery time.
Think of how you are scouting, and what animal behavior interests you. Fast movement may be more important to capture, or a few crystal-clear images. Then look at the specifications of the cameras on offer.
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