The takeaway: Keeping your trail cam running all winter long? You may need to make adjustments.

Year-round and off-season scouting using trail cams is growing in popularity. Keeping your game cams deployed year-round can help provide a more comprehensive understanding of wildlife behavior, showing patterns like antler growth, seasonal movements, and predator activity–all while reducing pressure on hunting grounds.

While off-season monitoring has many benefits, powering your camera through the cold months of winter could mean making some changes to your setup.

Why Cold Weather Impacts Trail Cams

Trail cams run on power–battery or solar–and both are impacted by cold weather. Cold temperatures slow down the chemical reactions necessary for batteries to produce power, which reduces their capacity and ability to deliver power. This effect is not permanent.

Batteries work through electromechanical reactions, which get sluggish in cold weather, and the cold can also cause liquids or solvents in the battery to thicken and increase internal resistance, which slows power.

How Cold Is Cold When Talking About Trail Cam Power Issues?

The temperature at which you are likely to see battery issues depends on the type of battery you are using. Standard alkaline batteries will see a performance dip when the temperature approaches freezing, while lithium batteries don’t see a big performance dip until the temperature is closer to 0F.

Trail cams like those from REVEAL can operate on both standard AA and rechargeable lithium batteries.

Trail Cam Power Tips for Cold Weather Use

Using your trail cam through the winter may require you to adjust your game plan, particularly if you are in an area that consistently sees below-freezing or below-zero temperatures. Here are some tips:

  • Replace AA batteries with a rechargeable lithium battery: Lithium performs better in cold weather.

  • Augment your lithium battery with a battery belt: The REVEAL Battery Belt has three times the capacity of a standard lithium battery pack and is perfect for extended deployments in cold weather. It can be used in conjunction with a rechargeable lithium battery.

Beat Cold Weather Issues With Solar Power

Solar panels can provide a long-term power solution for your trail cams that will help with power delivery when the temperatures drop below freezing for sustained periods of time.

The REVEAL Solar Panel and the REVEAL Folding Solar Panel are small, powerful, and provide much-needed power. Both supply power to your trail cam using an included cable that attaches to a dedicated solar port on the cam. Both can be used in conjunction with a lithium battery, but will not charge normal AA batteries.

Solar Panel Considerations for Winter Use

Keep a couple things in mind when using solar power as a power source for your trail cams in the winter.

  • The sun in the winter is lower in the horizon than in summer, meaning you may need to adjust the angle to capture that lower sun angle.

  • If your camera is in an area that receives snow, consider positioning the solar panel at a steeper angle–up to 60 degrees–to help shed snow and prevent accumulation.

Get more practical Tactacam REVEAL trail cam user tips in our blog.