Trail cameras are becoming one of the top scouting tools in the hunting industry and now there are even more options than ever before. There are many different styles and features to choose from. When someone wants to get into using trail cameras they have no idea where to start or what company to look at. The main question that people ask is how do you pick the right one? This question pertains to how he or she plans on using the camera. Depending on the answer, this will determine what features the camera has and overall the perfect camera for the user.

The main use for a trail camera is for scouting game and figuring out where they are bedding, feeding, moving, etc. Cameras can be broken down into two separate types, white flash and infrared, with the white flash giving you color pictures at day/night and the infrared giving you black and white pictures at night and color during the day. Depending on where the camera is being used should be the basis on what type of camera to get. If the spot is visible from a road or another property owner an infrared should be used to insure safety of the camera. White flash cameras should be used more towards areas that only the user and animals will come in contact with.

There is a huge controversy that says a white flash camera will spook deer after a picture is taken. Although, this is potentially true in some instances, most of the time a white flash camera will not bother the animal at all. Some people like getting color pictures at night, so they will stick with flash cameras, and others would rather have the infrared. The main advantage of an infrared camera over a white flash camera is that the battery life is exceptionally better with the infrared. From personal experience an infrared will last a lot longer on the same type of battery. For example, I have a white flash camera that lasts a month after taking 500 pictures. and then I have an infrared, from the same company, that lasts 6 months after taking 2000 plus pictures. Another advantage of the infrared flash is there is no flash what so ever. There is only a slight red glow from the LED bulbs that create the black and white pictures during darker conditions. This in a sense makes this camera undetectable at night unlike a white flash camera that flashes every time a picture is taken during dark conditions.

Now that we’ve gone over the two types of cameras, let’s discuss trigger speed, multi-shot, picture quality, and video. First off trigger speed is when the camera takes a picture after it picks up movement. A slow trigger speed is around three seconds or more, while a fast trigger speed is under 2 seconds. If the camera purchased has a slow trigger speed, then putting it over a trail is not the best option. The butt end of the animal may be the only thing caught in the picture or even nothing at all. If you are placing a camera with a slow trigger speed on a trail, make sure the camera is facing down the trail. This way it has time to detect the animal and also snap a picture before the animal gets past it. The best use for a camera with a slow trigger speed is over a mineral sight, drinking station, or feed station.

A fast trigger speed camera can be placed in any situation. The best is obviously on trails where it can pick up movement and almost instantly take a picture after that. Cameras with fast trigger speed can catch some of the best pictures that normally wouldn’t be captured with a slow trigger speed camera. Many cameras these days have an option of multi-shot. The multi-shot feature allows the camera to take multiple pictures during each interval depending on how far apart each interval is set. The intervals are the amount of times between each picture that is taken. Intervals can be set anywhere from every 30 seconds to 60 minutes, depending on the brand of the camera. Multi-shot is a great feature for facing a camera down a trail or even on a feeder. Multi-shot is usually 2 or 3 pictures taken per interval. Depending on the brand, there may be more pictures taken per interval. An example of using multi-shot would be having a camera set-up on a trail during the Whitetail rut. A doe walks by and there is a buck hot on her trail, and as she gets her picture taken another 2 pictures are taken, and the buck is captured also. If multi-shot was not used, the doe would have been caught, but the buck would have been missed. I like using multi-shot down trails where I know I won’t get as many pictures as a mineral site. This way when a deer does come down the trail, I’ll get plenty of pictures of that deer which can potentially help me identify it a lot better than having one picture.

Picture quality can be an iffy subject depending how the person is using the camera. Some people want the quality to be good enough to identify the animal and that is it. On the other hand some people want to get great pictures to use for showing off and possibly framing or saving for other uses. Of course this is a personal choice, but picture quality does depend on a feature. The best way to determine the quality of your pictures is by how many mega-pixels the camera has. Any camera under 3.0 mega pixels will have mediocre pictures. Any camera at 3.0 or more megapixels will have even better pictures. With most of today’s cameras a 4.0 megapixel is the most commonly used by brands. The 4.0 megapixel feature puts out great picture quality, and game is easily identified. This megapixel can satisfy the people who want good quality photos, and the ones who want to be able to identify their animal.

Video is one of the newest features added to trail cameras, and it is becoming very popular. Nearly every camera that can be purchased today has some kind of video option. Most videos will last up to 30 seconds, and some last even longer. Videos can be used over mineral/bait stations, trails, food plots, scent marking locations, etc. Video can make trail camera usage even more fun and exciting. The only downfall of video is that it can use up a lot of memory and usually isn’t as good of quality as a picture. One thing a user should note if they want a camera for video is that white flash cameras can only take video during the day. Infrared cameras can use video during the day and at night because these cameras can keep the infrared flash on while taking video during dark conditions.

Now that we’ve covered some of the main features of trail cameras, maybe it will be a lot easier to pick one. I know I haven’t answered everything about trail cameras, but there is a lot to know. I felt that by pointing out the main features that can help new users pick the right camera will at least answer most of the questions. If there are any other questions or if some personal opinions would like to be known about certain brands feel free to send me a private message or e-mail on the TalkHunting Forum. I will gladly give up some of my knowledge for another person’s benefit.