Best Trail Camera Under 100 Dollars for Scouting Deer and Other Game
Hunting is very popular for many people and serves as a pastime that has been passed down from generation to generation in some families. It involves fun, thrill, possibility of living outside in the wild for a few days, and much more. There was a time when hunters used to go out to hunt wild animals just with a few varieties of guns and bullets.
However, things have changes a lot in recent times. In this modern era, hunters seek help from advanced technologies in order to simplify their hunting expeditions and give them a better chance at success. Along with different types of gadgets used by modern day hunters, one common thing is a trail camera or a game camera as some might call it. It looks just like any other wooden or metallic box. However, this box comes with a built-in camera and several flash lights. In this guide we take a look at the Best Trail Camera Under 100 for those on a specific budget.
Top 5 Trail Cameras Under $100
| ① Moultrie M-Series Game Camera - TOP PICK |  |
| ② Browning Command Ops Trail Camera |  |
| ③ Stealth Cam G42 No-Glo Trail Camera |  |
| ④ Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Essential E3 Trail Camera |  |
| ⑤ Moultrie A-Series Game Camera |  |
What Is a Trail Camera?
Most of you must have heard about trail or game cameras. But how many of you know what these cameras actually are in real life? A trail camera or a game camera is the same thing. It is basically a device to record either still images or videos and gets activated once it detects a motion within its range. These scouting cameras are designed to be rugged and weatherproof and to be easily used in unmanned outdoor territories. The images or videos captured by these cameras are used by hunters as game surveillance to find out habits of the wildlife to ensure a successful hunt.
Top 5 Trail Cameras Under $100
| ① Moultrie M-Series Game Camera - TOP PICK | |
| ② Browning Command Ops Trail Camera | |
| ③ Stealth Cam G42 No-Glo Trail Camera | |
| ④ Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Essential E3 Trail Camera | |
| ⑤ Moultrie A-Series Game Camera | |
The market for game scouting cameras is filled with options. If you are not too sure about what to look for in such a camera, then you can easily get confused. However, here are 5 of the best trail cameras, which will serve your purpose and also fit within your budget.
#1 – Moultrie M-Series Game Camera
This masterpiece from Moultrie comes with a detection range of 80 feet along with 32-LED invisible infrared flashes. These flashes can easily extend up to a distance of 80 feet and are undetectable. This game camera can easily produce eye-popping day and nighttime photos, thanks to the 16 MP lens.
It can also record videos at 1080p HD along with sound. The trigger speed of this game camera is an impressive 0.3 seconds and the pine Camo case pattern of the camera helps the device to blend wonderfully with the surrounding trees. There are several image mode options in the camera which can help you click photos as per your needs. You can make the camera click multi-shot photos, as well as, make the camera click motion detect delay images after 5, 15, or 30 seconds.
Pros
- The wide variety of image options makes the camera highly versatile and one of the favorites for hunters.
- The pine Camo pattern of the camera helps it to remain well blended with the surrounding trees.
- The camera comes with 8 AA batteries which can easily capture around 19,000 images at a time making it easier for hunters to concentrate on the wild animals rather than on changing batteries.
Cons
- Night images may not be clear all the time.
- You have to go through several layers of menu in order to erase the memory card.
#2 – Browning Command Ops Trail Camera
This game camera comes with a 14 MP resolution and a detection range of 55 feet. The infrared LED flash can reach up to a distance of 60 feet and the camera itself comes with a trigger speed of 0.67 seconds.
It can accommodate SDHC memory cards up to 32GB and can capture videos at 720p resolution along with audio. The Browning Command Ops Trail Camera can easily capture a maximum of 8 multi shot images, as well as, 4 rapid fire images. The image can also be delayed with a time range of 5 seconds to 60 minutes.
Pros
- This game camera can easily capture clear images with its 14 MP resolution lens.
- It has a long detection range of 55 feet.
- Can easily capture up to 8 multi shot images and 4 rapid fire images.
Cons
- It has a tendency of taking a long time to turn on as it ages.
#3 – Stealth Cam G42 No-Glo Trail Camera
This trail camera comes with a 12 MP resolution lens and has a trigger speed of 0.5 seconds. You can safely use up to a maximum of 32 GB memory card with this camera and it has the capabilities of clicking up to 9 images in burst mode. It can also record HD quality videos for a time span of 5 seconds to 180 seconds along with audio.
Pros
- The trigger speed of 0.5 seconds is rather impressive.
- A large 32 GB memory card will help you store a lot of images and videos at the same time.
- The game camera can click a maximum of 9 images in the burst mode.
Cons
- It is a bit picky when it comes to using memory cards.
- Sometimes the camera may fail to save the settings related to the date and time, as well as, the actual picture settings.
#4- Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Essential E3 Trail Camera
With a highly impressive trigger speed of 0.3 seconds, this camera comes with a 16MP resolution lens. It also has 1 second recovery time to help you click more photos without much blanks. It has a PIR sensor that is motion activated up to a maximum distance of 100 feet.
There are multiple image settings that can help the camera click 1 to 3 images every trigger and 5 seconds to 60 seconds of video at a time. The 16Mp resolution comes with auto day and night sensor to help you enjoy vivid and crisp images of the wild. One set of batteries can easily last for a maximum of 1 year. Thus, all you need to do is setup the camera and it is set to go.
Pros
- It comes with a highly efficient camera that lasts for a maximum of 12 months at a time.
- The 16Mp resolution lens is accompanied by a day and night sensor to help the camera click crystal clear photos.
- It has an impressive trigger speed of 0.3 seconds.
Cons
- It may not save the settings every time.
- The set-up menu is also something many users may not prefer to use.
#5 – Moultrie A-Series Game Camera
From the house of Moultrie comes another precious game camera, the A-Series Game Camera. It is highly affordable and filled with several awesome features which will surely take your breath away. This game camera comes equipped with an innovative invisible infrared LED flash technology that helps to click clear photos without frightening the animals with bring blinding flash light.
There are 32 LED flash lights that can easily throw light up to a maximum distance of 60 feet. It has a trigger seed of 0.7 seconds. This camera has a 12MP image resolution lens to help you view clear photos along with a user-friendly interface to help you navigate through the menu easily. It can easily capture photos with 2 different resolution settings of 1920×1080 and 4608×2592. It requires 8 AA batteries which can easily capture a maximum of 16,000 photos at a time.
Pros
- It can capture photos in 2 different resolutions of 1920×1080 and 4608×2592.
- It comes with 32 flash lights and can easily throw invisible flashes at a distance of 60 feet.
- It comes with a variety of image mode customization options for users.
Cons
- The night time flashes may cease to work after a few months of use.
- At low temperatures the camera may not function properly.
How Does A Game Camera Work?
If you take a look inside any branded trail or game camera, you will come to know that there are multiple parts of such a device. Firstly, there is a detection circuit which helps the camera to detect any type of activity in its vicinity.
Secondly, you will notice infrared emitters which play a vital role when the camera captures images at night. These are basically available in 2 different versions. It may either have a red glow infrared flash or an undetectable version, which is also known as “No Glow”. Lastly, you will also notice a viewing screen on the camera which will help you to setup the camera the right way and also view the images captured by the camera.
What Should You Know About The Picture Quality Of A Game Camera?
Many a times you will be told about the high megapixel counts of a game camera when you decide to buy one. Usually, manufacturers try to trick customers into buying a game camera with a high megapixel count. The fact about such cameras is that they use a low quality lens which tends to lower the picture quality taken by the camera.
The best way to judge whether a specific trail camera is going to fulfill your needs is to go through some of the sample photos clicked by the camera. Make sure that you go through both day and night time photos to get a proper idea about the camera.
What about the Game Camera Detection Circuit?
The part of the game camera which actually detects an animal is known as the detection circuit of the camera. The perfect combination of both motion and heat help the camera to detect movement. The detection circuit of a game camera is judged based on three factors, trigger time, recovery time, and detection zone.
The trigger time of a game camera actually refers to the amount of time lost from the time it detects movement to the time it clicks the first photo. On the other hand, the recovery time is the time taken by a camera to store the first picture and get ready to click the second one. The detection zone of a trail camera is the total area in which the camera can sense movement and click a photo.
How Important Is The Battery Of A Hunting Game Camera?
The battery life of a game camera plays a vital role in making the camera effective while hunting. It is needless to say that a trail camera with a long battery life will help save your hard earned money over the life of the game camera. It is very important that you use rechargeable Nimh batteries for your game camera.
It will save you lots of money in the long run, it will also boost the battery life during the winter months, and using batteries with a long life will mean safer and cleaner environment for your kids. However, it is seen that game camera users prefer to use Lithium batteries due to its longest battery life and high reliability.
Advantages of Using a Game Camera
Most of you may wonder about the benefits of using a game camera while hunting. It is also true that until you try one, you will not understand the benefits. Here are a couple of advantages you can enjoy while using a game camera for your hunting sessions.
- With the help of a good quality game camera, you can easily get a detailed photo of your hunts. As for beginners, game cameras can prove to be a handy device for observing animal movements.
- If you opt for an undetected infrared flash game camera, the animals will not get scared and the camera will do its job with ease. This way you can click real life photos of wild animals without even letting them know about the fact.
Conclusion
Hunting a favorite sport for many people across the world. However, if you can have the right set of equipment and gadgets for your hunting sessions, the experience can easily be enhanced. Amongst the Best Trail Camera Under $100 list discussed above, the topper is surely the Moultrie A-Series Game Camera (CHECK BEST PRICE HERE). When you check the features and then look at the price, you will understand why it is called as an affordable option in the market. It has one of the best coverage distance amongst other trail cameras in the market of 60 feet and can easily click photos in 2 different image resolutions as per your needs.
