Beginner Hunters: Can a Really Cheap Trail Cam Get the Job Done?

The takeaway: Trail cams range in price from about the cost of a pizza to about the cost of a new laptop. If you’re a beginner hunter, will a cheap one work for you? You might be surprised at the answer.

Beginning hunters looking to up their game often wisely turn to trail cams, which provide an on-the-ground glimpse into wildlife and their behaviors. While more experienced hunters have used trail cams for years, the market recently has become flooded with extremely cheap trail cams.

The question is a good one: If you’re just starting out as a hunter, are these ultra-cheap cams worth the price? After all, if you’re just getting into hunting, there are lots of other things to spend money on that are calling your name, from clothing to ammo to camp whisky.

What You Get With a More Expensive Trail Cam

You generally get what you pay for, and in the case of mid-tier and premium trail cams, you get a lot, and what you get can help you whether you are a first-time hunter or a professional guide.

• Remote access and real-time monitoring: Snapping a picture is the minimum any trail cam should do–what you want is the ability to see what images were captured by your cam when you want from your phone or–better yet–the ability to drop into the cam and see what is happening in real time. Why it’s worth it: This helps you detect deer patterns, check if a deer came by, and more, all without setting a foot near the camera.

• Less disturbance and fewer site visits: Because you are not visiting as often to change SD cards or swap batters, you disturb the area less. Why it’s worth it: Less human scent and fewer chances of missing a shot.

• Better build, features, and durability: Better cams have better flashes, better trigger speeds, better cellular connectivity, longer detection ranges, and overall better build quality. Why it’s worth it: These features help your cam perform better, yielding clearer shots, fewer missed opportunities, less downtime, and overall money savings.

• Analytics and insight: As with many things today, you’re not just buying a camera here–you’re getting access to an app. Why it’s worth it: The best trail cam makers have apps packed with features that enhance scouting, including wind direction, moon phases, barometric pressure rating and more. The REVEAL App even includes Hunt Radar, which digests billions of deer photos to predict peak activity up to 10 days out by zip code. REVEAL also has mapping tools with integrated property boundaries, custom gallery creation, and more.
  
  

Trail Cam Features Beginners Should Focus On

There are lots of bells and whistles out there you can pay for on a trail cam. They are great, bug beginners should focus on these features first:

• Good trigger speed–so you get images of deer in front of your camera, not after they’ve passed through

• Good photo quality–so you can see the body, antlers, and movement clearly

• Long detection range–so you cover the approach path, not just the area a few feet in front of the camera

• Trail cams with long battery life–so you don’t need to swap batteries every few weeks

• Strong design–so your camera can weather everything from dust and wind to ice, rain, and curious critters

• Advanced apps that are powerful but easy to use–so you can gather more site information, easily change settings, view camera health, organize image galleries, and more

• Manufacturers with excellent after-sale support–because inevitably you will have questions about the cameras and how to use them, meaning that a U.S.-based support team who has extensive experience hunting at all skill levels will be there for you.

With these features covered, you can better see what you get when you move up the trail cam price ladder:

• REVEAL X 3.0: Entry-level camera with premium-level features like superior image sensors, on-demand video, live aiming, and low-glow IR flash.

• REVEAL Pro 3.0: Mid-premium camera with more advanced features like no-glow IR flash, 5-phot burst mode, and a built-in LCD screen.

• REVEAL Ultra: Premium-tier camera with professional-grade features such as live streaming ability and active GPS with battery backup.
  
  

Trail Cam Recommendations for a Beginner Hunter

• If your budget is tight, go with an entry-level premium camera like the X 3.0 and place an emphasis on learning tools like optimal placement, sign reading, and wind direction. If you can stretch your budget a little, having two or more cameras in the field can vastly increase your scouting.

• If you have a good hunting spot that you plan to visit often, upgrade to a mid-tier camera like the Pro 3.0. The extra use will easily justify the extra expense.

• If you want to seriously up your scouting game, a premium-featured camera like the REVEAL Ultra will reward you with advanced features like live streaming.

• For any of the cameras, accessories like a rechargeable lithium battery, solar panel, folding solar panel, and battery belt will keep your camera working in the field with minimum downtime and little need for site visits.
  
  

Are Ultra Cheap Trail Cams Worth It?

Short answer–no. It’s common now to see trail cameras that cost about as much as a craft cocktail. Steer clear of these as you will face significant trade-offs, including blurry photos, very slow shutter speeds, batteries that quickly drain, limited cellular connections, and build quality that barely stands up to a passing shower.

• Slow trigger speeds mean you will miss more animals than you catch, or see just their tails. Slow recovery time means that the camera takes so long between images that you may be lucky if you get one good snap.

• Poor flash and night vision quality means you won’t get clear pictures at night, and may not get anything at all–a huge miss since a lot of animal activity takes place in low-light or nighttime situations.

• Poor build quality means cheaper weather sealing, weaker housing, and fewer protections against moisture, dust, and other common field conditions.

• Poor network reliability means that your camera may not connect to any service at all if you are away from highly populated areas.

• Poor support means that when you inevitably run into an issue with an off-brand camera, there will be no one to help you figure it out–you’ll be out of luck and on your own.
  
  

The Bottom Line for Beginners and Trail Cams

Entry-level scouting may be oriented to just seeing what’s going on, but very cheap trail cams will ultimately hold you back and may even harm your hunt. Affordable trail cams that are still packed with features will greatly expand and improve the field intelligence you can gather.

Learn more about Tactacam REVEAL cellular trail cams here.