Best Trail Cameras

The Alpha Dog Advantage

African hunting dogs are peculiar creatures, aren't they? Aside from the unique patterns that make every dog of the pack easier to spot and their powerful bite, the most interesting thing about them is their unique (to canines) social hierarchy. There's quite a lot to it and we definitely recommend reading up on it if that sounds like something that could pique your interest. But, as far as we're concerned, the most fascinating part of their social structure is their voting system. That's right, African hunting dogs (often referred to as African wild dogs) vote. Among other things, they vote to decide whether the pack should go on a hunt or not. That said, they could definitely use a slightly more democratic approach to their voting system. See, the most influential members of the pack (alpha dogs, if you will) need no more than 3 votes to decide the pack's course of action. The lesser members of their little society won't be heard until they garner at least 10 votes, which is just a little bit unfair if you ask us.

The Mightiest of the Bears

Aside from being the mascot to a few dozen schools, grizzly bears usually aren't as fond of the human population as the universities, colleges, and high schools throughout the USA would have to you believe. In fact, they're so respected and feared by the Native American population that no tribe would even consider hunting a grizzly bear without a company of somewhere between 5 and 10 seasoned warriors. On top of that, the hunt would include the same preparations and ceremonials as the intertribal warfare of the time.

Not Bad, Wouldn't You Say?

People like to think that modern-day hunters kill innocent animals for no good reasons and provide no benefit to our planet as we no longer need to hunt to provide for our families. But, more often than not, that couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, some hunters aren't the best of people. But the majority are far less destructive than you'd think. Let's talk about the black rhino, for example. In 2014, Namibian representatives have been able to raise over $350k by auctioning off the right to hunt one endangered black rhino. Doesn't sound like a particularly inspiring story, does it? But wait, there's more to it. The rhino in question was far past the breeding age and actually detrimental to the rest of his herd. The money that was raised was later used to protect a number of endangered animals and even increase the black rhino population.

Hunters are Responsible

It isn't just about the animals and the game. At the end of the day, on average, hunters tend to be far more responsible than those who don't hunt. Because they have to. Among dozens of other reasons and examples, you cannot renew your hunting license in the state of Texas if you do not pay the child support that you owe.

Not PETA Again

We all know that the members of PETA aren't the saints they pretend to be. For example, a couple of their members wrecked into a deer after attending an anti-hunting campaign. Did they take the blame or pay any reparations? Nope. These enterprising gentlemen sued the New Jersey Game Department because, supposedly, it wasn't their own inadequacies but the department's deer management program that lead to this incident. Yeah, that's PETA for you.

Q: I have heard about game cameras. Is there a difference between a game camera and a trail camera?
A: No, these are just two different names for the same type of product that people use interchangeably. These types of cameras are essentially created with the sole purpose of assisting you in capturing the target’s picture and location; which can often present quite a challenge when it comes to determining it in the wilderness. The vast majority of this models generally have a detection field somewhere around 50 feet or higher. After you're done installing it and the whole thing is set up, these devices are capable of sensing movement and will activate the trigger in order to collect useful data for hunting without your presence or involvement.

Q: What things should I keep in mind when it comes to a trail camera?
A: There quite a lot of different things and aspects that you should keep in mind and consider before and after buying a trail camera. The majority of modern trail cameras are capable of supporting night shots. An LED mounted camera can take color pictures in the night but the problem is that their bright white flash can often scare away the animal, not to mention the fact that it can also blind you for a few seconds for a good measure. If one of the most important things to you is the ability to avoid attracting any kind of attention, you should consider a model with Infrared invisible flash. Of course, these types of models have their drawbacks too and IR flash will only support black and white pictures in the night. Just like with any other camera, the clarity of the image will mostly depend on the highest possible resolution the camera is capable of delivering but contrary to the majority of regular cameras, the resolution does not make that big of a difference if you're looking to capture images during the night.

Q: What is trigger time?
A: Trigger time is the time that a camera requires in order to capture the image. This is the most important feature of a trail camera if you have to capture a moving target, which is unlikely to provide you with more than a fraction of seconds. The fastest known trigger speed found in trail cameras is somewhere around 0.14 seconds but anything below an entire second can be acceptable depending on your situation and requirements. The problem with a slow trigger speed is that it will inevitably spoil the picture unless you're trying to capture a target that is standing still. Some models come equipped with multiple shot options, which enable more than 1 picture to be taken at a time. This kind of structure guarantees that at least one of the pictures taken will present an acceptable level of quality.

Q: Is the image quality the same during the night?
A: No, there's a noticeable difference between the day and night shots. That difference will entirely depend upon the functionality and features of the trail camera. The incandescent or LED mounted cameras are capable of taking clearer and colored pictures during the night which is an option that infrared cameras are lacking. But when compared to the day pictures taken by an IR or incandescent camera, the latter one delivers a considerably inferior level of clarity and the colors are far less vivid.