II have three trailcams from Bushnell, two earlier models and this new one. This one is the 2011 model that has audio (not really important), a timer to take a picture (field scan), and can handle 32GB memory cards.
I also own three other trail cams from Moultrie a M-60, I-40 and a D-50. I had a cuddleback two years ago, and it worked fine, but it got destroyed (tree fell on it). I do not own the new Moultrie M-100, which seems very similar to this Bushnell, but this is the first year for the M-100 and I bet they will have software issues. This is the 3rd year for Bushnell and they have this camera dialed-in very well.
The biggest issue with my older Moultrie cams is battery life. They need feed 6 D cells about once a month. The price of the batteries start to add up, but mostly the issue is going out to a dead trailcam and wondering what pictures you missed. A battery life of 1-year for just 8 AA is great.
Aside from battery life, all these trailcams seem to do the work well. Basically I want to take a picture of game when it walks by and they all do that. I'm not going to publish my pictures in National Geographic, I mostly want to count horns and find patterns. All do that just fine for me.
I've stuck different models of trail cams on the same tree and compared results. It's weird, sometimes the Bushnell shoots and sometimes the Moultrie shoots but most of the time they both shoot when game walks by.
I like the 2 year warranty from Bushnell and have used it. The first year model had issues, and I returned it- they then sent me a new current year model. I had issues with a Moltrie cam once and tried to get warranty work, but they did not honor the warranty and returned my camera. I bought from an on-line dealer they did not like. ( I will only buy from major retailers now)
I do like the nighttime flash color pictures from my Moultrie D-50, as it is nice to see in color. All nighttime trailcams that use IR flash come out in black and white. Flash vs IR is a personal thing, but in the end I'm counting horns and B&W is fine for my needs.
The biggest thing I hate about the I-40 &M-60 Moultrie is the fact that it is not easy to swap the SD card. I sometimes like to check my cams every day and it's a real pain to swap SD cards. On the Bushnell it's a piece of cake.
The biggest thing I hate about the Bushnell is that programming in the field under low light conditions is difficult. The screen is hard to read and the buttons are impossible. I find I need a small flashlight unless it is a bright sunny day.
Some trailcams come with a `viewer'. Personally I think it is a waste, save your money. If you need to view pics in the field, most all cameras (the cameras you use to take pictures of the kids) that use a SD chip will display trailcams pics, and so do smartphones. In my trailcams I use microSD with an adaptor and then plug the microSD into my blackberry for field viewing (If I can't wait to get back to the house).
Summary, I've been real happy with my Bushnell trailcam. I buy one new cam every year and for 2011 bought this one. I did look at the Moultrie M-100 and I think it would have worked fine for my needs, but it was a bit more $$ than the Bushnell and the fact that the Moultrie is a first year model made me stay with the Bushnell this year. Bushnell 8MP Trophy Cam Brown Night Vision Trail Camera
I received this product and am very pleased. I've had a lot of luck with these small Bushnell cameras. Battery life is great and trigger speed is also quite good. For clarification, this IS the 2011 model with the field scan. Up to 8 Meg images. My only semi negative feedback would be that with field scan you can only set one time period, so if you are going to take images during the morning and evening periods you basically have to include the entire day or the entire night. The entire night would definitely wear down the batteries (IR flash). I imagine it is a simple software fix that Bushnell will put out in the future. I own Moultries at the same price point and far prefer my Bushnells. I simply can't choke out the cash for the Reconyx cameras. They are entirely too pricey to have a sufficient quantity of them to try to understand the deer herd on the size property where I hunt. I can get five Bushnells for the price of two Reconyx. My Bushnell from last season stood the outdoor life well here in East TX (heat, rain, heat, rain...).
I also bought the python lock and metal outside case... they're kind of a pain in the rear to deal with (I'm a low irritant tolerant guy) and nothing a bolt cutter wouldn't make quick work of. Probably not worth it unless hunting public land.
Finally I searched the web pretty heavily and found the price at Amazon was the best I could do. If you can beat it though, congrats, then I'm the chump.
Regardless, I'm happy you're reading this because it means you're also excited about deer season. God blessed this great land and you too, be safe and happy scouting!
SGB
I have owned several diffferent trail cams over the past 5 years. Some good, some just fair, some bad. The battery life and the fire up response time to take a picture is very important. I recently purchased 2 of these bushnell trail cams. Both the battery life and the response time for the Bushnell are excellent. Battery life is awesome, and the trigger time is so quick I rarely miss a picture. I can honestly say this is the best trail cam I have ever owned.
This is the 4th bushnell trohpy cam I own. I will continue to purchase them over and over.
Pros:
Fantastic Battery Life - I use Energizer ultimate lithium batteries with these cameras. I am able to get tens of thousands of pictures on a single set (somewhere between 15k and 20k)
Captures all game - Its IR sensor is actually set wider than the camera lens. Because of this the camera seems to capture most game. This has one negative though, it can produce a few blank pictures. Digital pictures are almost free though (battery life I guess costs), so who cares?
Warranty - 2 Years, find another camera that does this. I had ants get into one of my cameras via the battery cable slot. They made it inoperable. I sent the camera in to be repaired. 22 days after sending it in, I received a brand new camera. The camera was the newer model.
Cons:
Have to tape the battery cable cover shut so ants do not get in.
Blurred pictures - I have found that some of the pictures are blurred. I am on the latest software update. - Wildlife Camera - Wildlife - 8gb Sdhc - Security Camera'
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