Podcast: This is why your trail cameras aren’t working properly

You’ve finally installed your trail camera the place. Every day or two he’ll send you a photo of a giant old buck, and now all you have to do is wait for the right wind to sneak in and hunt him. And then suddenly the camera cuts out.

It’s a new camera, battery life seemed fine, cell reception was decent… Who cares? Welcome to the often frustrating world of modern trail camera use.

I’ve been testing and using trail cameras year-round for several years now, and in my experience, there is no camera brand that is immune to glitches and malfunctions. But my experience pales in comparison to Rich Howell’s Trail Cam Pro. Howell has been testing and experimenting with trail cameras for over 20 years.

I recently interviewed Howell about the Outdoor living podcast and he shared several reasons why hunters see so many camera glitches in the field. Some of it has to do with the way we use the cameras, and some of it has to do with the way the cameras are made (which is usually pretty cheap). Additionally, Howell outlines where he thinks the future of trail cameras is going, and it’s all about creating a system that’s more affordable and useful for hunters. It’s a conversation worth listening to ahead of hunting season.

In the meantime, here’s why our cameras often fail in the field and what we can do to fix them.

You are using the wrong batteries

Standard alkaline batteries often don’t have the power needed to run a trail camera reliably, Howell says. If you’re taking nice photos during the day but blank, black images at night, this is a good sign that you have a battery problem because there isn’t enough power to fire the camera. This can happen even if the camera shows decent battery life.

More expensive lithium batteries can work well, but they too can have problems. Howell noticed that about 1 in 20 lithium batteries would fail very quickly (such as within days of use) and sometimes this was enough to prevent the camera from working.

Howell now suggests hunters use this rechargeable lithium batteriesthat have proven to be more reliable. Having a pool of these batteries in rotation will help solve many trail camera power issues.

You are not optimizing the settings

When hunters first get into the mobile trail camera game, they often want their photos to be sent immediately. At first it’s nice to get a notification and then immediately get the satisfaction of seeing a deer photo.

But it’s usually more effective to have a batch of mobile cameras sending images every 12 hours or 24 hours. This is an important way to extend battery life, and it’s also a more useful way to analyze camera data.

Personally, I like cameras to be shipped every 24 hours and then I review all cameras every morning in the morning. If I look at all the cameras on site at once, I can identify activity trends.

You rely on solar panels

Howell says that solar panels can certainly power your camera, but problems often arise in the field. First, you want to make sure they face south to catch as much sun as possible. This can be a challenge if you want your camera to face north. And second, squirrels have a tendency to chew through the wires of solar panels. If you set up your camera and panel in the hardwood, there’s a good chance a squirrel will come near it. In other words, solar panels can be a useful tool, but they are not a panacea.

You are not using an aftermarket fitment

If you use the standard camera strap you are just asking for trouble. The ends of these straps always seem to come loose (activating the camera) and they never allow you to position the camera perfectly in the tree. Additionally, other hunters can easily identify the belt, which is an important consideration when hunting on public land. Howell suggests one adjustable tree holder to ensure you can place the camera exactly where it needs to be.
You can find a wealth of camera information on the TrailCam Pro website and by subscribing to their newsletter.