Trail Cams – WildGame Innovations

Guys, after some searching, I’m having trouble finding a reason NOT to buy the WildGame Innovations 5.0 W5E camera.

I was planning on spending up to $150, but from online reveiws on multiple sites, I’m now not seeing any advantage in going nearly that high.

My requirements:

– I like the compact AA battery powered units as I just think these will be easier to carry and mount. I also have rechargeable batteries already for these units.

– The WildGame seems to have good trigger speed and night flash range.

– I don’t need food plot time lapse mode or other higher end features. This camera is strictly for trails and watching stand sites.

Anyone with experience with this camera/brand, other thoughts or camears I should look at?

Grouse

Chad up at Pasha is running a bunch of Wildgame cameras. Send him a PM for specific models.

I don’t have any experience with that camera line. I’m running a couple Bushnell’s, a Cudde, a Primos and a DLC Covert this year. These cameras are all the “entry level” model.

My take on the above cameras:

Best daylight pictures – The DLC by a slight margin, very close race.
Best night pics – Cudde and DLC(flash cameras).
Best video – Haven’t tested all cameras yet. No opinion.
Best sensor – Bushnell and Cudde have the least false triggers.

In my very humble opinion, there are SO many good cameras on the market now days for less than $150.00. Stay away from the real low end stuff and I think you’ll be happy.

I have been using there cameras for a few years-and from everything I have seen they are number one on my list for the money. Good picture quality, battery life and trigger speed. Stellar video quality and customer service! Although I do put my DLC Covert mp6 above these cams….

Tips I would suggest however-
-Never point into an area that gets a lot of sun in the day/pointing into a sunset (hundreds of false pics).
-If there is a PIR strength setting, set it to medium. If there is ANY branch or grass movement and it is set on high, the camera will take a pic.
-Video quality is stellar-I put most of mine over scrapes in October its unreal!

Appreciate the comments so far.

Buckdown, do your WG cameras have that tripod mount threaded hole on the camera? They don’t say anything about it, but I have to think. . .

On some public land where I intend to use the camera, I was thiking of double protection by using a lock and then mounting the camera up in tree out of sight line. I have a small portable ladder that I can use to get it up where it would be very difficult to get down and even if someone does climb up there, they’d still have to contend with the lock.

Grouse

mine are the older x6c’s and the IR4. No tripod mount

I’ve got a Wildgame Innovations cam and i’m about 60/40 on it….The day pictures are great….as shown…but the night pictures seem to side on the blurry side more times then not….It gets the job done, and I’m just too cheap to spend 2-300 on superior cams…

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I’ve got a Wildgame Innovations cam and i’m about 60/40 on it….The day pictures are great….as shown…but the night pictures seem to side on the blurry side more times then not….It gets the job done, and I’m just too cheap to spend 2-300 on superior cams…

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I’m finding the same as Slop with all of mine. I have from the 3.0’s to the IR6. The IR6 is very good at night as long as they as well within 30′. I’ve also used them with trapping and getting shots of fox, coon, skunks…coming out from beneath buildings and heavy brush. Not bad for the price, but the lower end cameras leave a lot of be desired for night use.

I have 3 Wildgame Innovations, 1 Moultrie and 1 Cuddeback. So I don’t have that many cameras nor do I use them extensively like some of these other guys do. With that said the 3 Wildgame Innovation cameras that I have are not nearly as good as my Moultrie and Cuddeback. I have 2 big complaints about them. 1) The trigger speed is so slow that I miss a lot of deer. I have watched deer walk by it and when I check the camera there is no picture of it. I have set the Cuddeback and the Wildgame Innovation on the exact same post and I got twice as many deer pictures on the Cuddeback. And the Cuddeback is an older one. My other complaint about the Wildgame Innovation cameras is that they just don’t last. I started out with 3 of them and within 2 years two of them quit and I can’t even get them to turn on.

They are inexpensive but I think you get what you pay for. I’ll never own another one.

Man, this is tough to figure out what to do.

I started looking at Primos, but the current generation are attracting some very negative reveiws with battery boxes that short out and melt the camera. And it isn’t just 1 or 2, there is one camera with 5 revierers in a row having the same issue.

On the lower-end current gen of Moultrie cameras, the thing I don’t like is that they use 6 C-size batteries. Geeze! Why not just attach a freaking deep cycle 120 amp battery and be done with it. The cameras are just so damn big and heavy. Is there some advantage to using those big batteries rather than 8 AAs?

Also, the current Moultrie cams in the sub-$150 price range don’t exactly attract glowing reviews on Cabela’s site.

What to do, what to do?

Grouse

I would NOT get a camera that didn’t run on double A batteries. Definitely a requirement I wouldn’t sacrifice.

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I would NOT get a camera that didn’t run on double A batteries. Definitely a requirement I wouldn’t sacrifice.

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Dang nabbit, Kooty.

I was just freaking thinking to myself, “Well, maybe I’m overthinking this battery thing. Maybe buying 6 C batteries once in a while isn’t all that bad… 6 C vs 8 AA, is there any real difference, etc, etc.”

And I was convinced I was going to buy this camera at Fleet: http://www.fleetfarm.com/mff/detail/moultrie-game-spy-5-mp-game-camera-d55irxt/0000000079753

Arrrrrah! This is soooooo freaking complicated because I don’t want to buy junk or buy something and then think dang, I should have spent an extra $20. . .

Help!

Grouse

Believe me, I get your frustration. Going back to your original statement, max $150.00. I love the pics all my cameras give me at one point or another. For the price I’ve paid, I’m willing to accept their short comings. I’ve yet to try a high end Reconyx which always gets the best reviews.

Don’t fool around with anything under $100.00 retail. I’ve wasted many hours returning stuff because I was trying to get by on the cheap.

You want a flash camera, I’m going DLC Covert. I have the Reveal. The one knock is it takes the remote to program it. Not a big deal if you remember it.

You want infrared, I’m going Bushnell simply because I have no experience with the DLC’s. Maybe Todders will weigh in, I know he runs some.

One last thing to consider, since you are hunting public ground and want to be stealth as possible. Maybe consider the new black flash technology. I have no experience with these nor do I know anyone running them to speak to the quality. You likely won’t find one in your price point either.

I know I’m probably muddying the waters, but I’ve had pretty good luck with all the brands I’ve mentioned. Put a gun to my head and tell me to go spend the $150.00 the wisest. I’m buying this camera:

Bushnell

“I would NOT get a camera that didn’t run on double A batteries. Definitely a requirement I wouldn’t sacrifice.”

Just curious why a camera with double A batteries only? Cost?

Battery life. The AA’s simply out perform the C and D cells. I go through two sets of double AA’s per year with cameras out May – January. In the same time on our Cudde, we buy over a 20 D’s and they don’t last well into the cold like the AA’s will.

I’m pretty sure Bob B told me he gets over 10K of pictures on one set of AA’s in his Covert cameras. On my Reveal, I’m up to approximately 5000 pics this summer on the original set of batteries.

I would say 10K easy on the coverts! I haven’t kept track but I know I am at 7-8K pictures on each of mine this summer and both still show 3/4 battery life.

I did break down and by a cheap Moultrie this summer, requires C batteries. I am at about 3000 pics with that one and its still showing 60%. No doubt its much slower to trigger than the coverts though. No chance this camera would work in any place other than a mineral sight or scrape come fall, way to slow. Quality of pics o.k.

Very impressed with my Coverts so far!

You know, I’d looked at the Bushnell’s originally, and I think I’m going to go with the 5 MP Trophy Cam. Good reviews, runs on AA batteries, comments on trigger speed and range seem to be good, night pics that are posted online seem to be good.

I just wish I could get one locally. Anyone have any ideas in the cities? Besides running out to Cabelas, obviously.

This is really dificult to know what to do.

Grouse

Do you have a Gander or Joe’s over close to you? Hard part might be finding one in a retail outlet since it’s not a current model.

Plus, who doesn’t love a trip to Cabelas!!

FWIW, we have two of those cameras running. Both are 3 years old and still clipping right along.

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I started looking at Primos, but the current generation are attracting some very negative reveiws with battery boxes that short out and melt the camera

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We have all Bushnell cams out and I love them. Got a great price on 3 truth cam 46 ultras and they all got returned. One melted down and the others needed firmware updates just to take pictures. Exchanged for Bushnell Trophy cam HD. I think they were $199. Would have actually saved money by just sticking with bushnells the first time after driving to the woods twice and back to the store