I searched the archives but didn't find any trail camera recommendations for ADC work... anyone have a recommendation?

As far as conventional cameras are concerned, I haven’t found anything I like more than the mid level Browning cameras.

Clear pictures, clear video, crisp audio. Top notch customer service, and reasonably priced, especially when you can find them on sale after season

I agree with wood duck man, the Browning’s are tough to beat for shooting video, which is what I mostly do on ADC jobs. Now that Bushnell allows disabling “active video”, the newest aggressors are good too. Hard to say which is better. Slight edge to aggressor on sensitivity, but browning have some sweeeet crisp clear video, and maybe a bit faster video trigger time. I’d rather have sensitive than perfectly clear though, because water animals, especially beaver, have very little heat signature if they don’t exit the water.

Also, always check trigger times for video mode. It’s getting better now, but for years the cameras with sub second picture time would often take 3 seconds to start shooting video. That’s too long in many cases.

But the workhorses of my camera fleet are the cellulars. I use them to alert me to a catch in sensitive places where a caught beaver can tear up a bank or other places where people might arrive to work in the morning and find a caught animal, etc.
I use them to watch equipment in theft prone areas, and have caught two trap thrives with them - like they got charged and I got my stuff back because in one case they were loading my equipment in the truck when the officer arrived, and the other case they were still piling up my CDR’s to haul them out.
I also use them for home security. Forget regular cams for security- at night pictures aren’t good enough for ID anyway. Knowing someone is there within 30 seconds is flatly a game changer in so many situations and sooooo many ways.
And if someone is dumb enough to steal a cell cam, well if they ever turn it on again, or don’t turn it off, it’s a GPS enabled device, “...here is the location officer...”. If they can locate and access it within 30 seconds though, they might be able to turn it off before it sends. I hear the new Bushnell Impulse will send in like two seconds, so I’m on pre-order for one when they are released, but my current model aggressor wireless cameras seem to be dying after 12-18 months, so hopefully the impulse will do better because that was disappointing to say the least. I like the link-evo for a cheap cell cam, I’m up to three of them now and they are working well since they fixed the software problems they had early-on. 100 free images is nice too, but that’s only 3 a day so they can’t be watching places with pesky squirrels very long unless you buy the unlimited plan.
Lots to consider if you are a trail cam junkie like me....

arlo go

I suppose if you get fancy you could get 1 of those that sends pictures to your smart phone.

Spartan 4G Verizon cellular wireless. Not cheap but its pretty cool to watch the action at trap sites, deer stands, fence lines, gates, etc. from home or anywhere.

Dave

I will join in,

So can you view on the Brownings? Or do you have to carry a reader?

Bushnell Aggressor set up in "hybrid" mode. Takes one photo then goes to video.

On the Trail Cam Pro website (https://www.trailcampro.com/) you can see all of the features and read their reviews of most trail cameras. Lots of good information there. If you purchase from them you get a free two year warranty, free shipping, free SD card to go with your camera, great customer support.. Good folks to deal with.

Dave

Thanks for the link Dave

What kind of ADC work? City or country. City the cell phone kind will save you when you make a catch. Country work I like Enkeeo "Amazon". Under 100.00, great battery life, great pictures day and night and can make all kinds of settings. There not cell cameras.

I have gone to Browning cameras. I really like the black flash models because they don’t spook anything. They have given excellent results in both still and video mode. I use at least one camera on every job. If there is a special need I will use two. The cameras are very helpful and the customers are impressed.

I buy my cameras at trailcampro. Recently an 11 month old camera started performing erratically. I called them on a Thursday and received a return authorization number, on Friday I sent the camera by USPS, the following Wednesday I received a new camera by Federal Express. The entire exchange process took 6 days. The camera that I returned is no longer available so they replaced it with a better model. I am very impressed.

I would like to try the cellular cameras, but around here signal is spotty.

Hmmm. I had never heard of trailcampro, Willy. Thanks.

I'm hoping those cellular ones come down in price.

AJE - I have had great success with trailcampro. There reviews seem to be right on accurate. Be sure to read the details in the review. Some cameras have idiosyncrasies. When you buy a camera you have 90 days to decide if you like it. When I buy a camera from them, the warranty is with them. No searching around to send it somewhere obscure. They double the warranty to 2 years. Sometimes they will be clearing out a model and sell 2 or 4 camera bundles at a big discount.

I absolutely always use a camera at every job. If I have no other reason, I will have it looking at my traps. In neighborhood type settings the homeowner and everyone they know looks at the traps. I tell the landowners in advance to stay away from the traps. I think every one of them has to check out the traps. I tell them that I have 29 photos of them and their friends so how am I going to catch anything.

One time a woman sent me an email saying that 2 cage traps were set off because I did not set them correctly. The next morning I checked the camera and found photos of her giant butt when she was bent over tampering with the traps and set them off. I gathered my gear and told her to find someone else to lie to and accuse of incompetence when she is the vandal.

At a beaver job, I told the landowner that 330s and MB750s are large, powerful, and dangerous. Therefore he must stay away. I showed him the traps and of course he liked seeing the tools of the trade. So, I had photos of him peering into the water trying to see the traps in action. I was glad that he did not slip and fall onto a 330.

Sometimes I even get animal photos that are useful!

That's kinda funny Willy. But your point is well taken. Sometimes the biggest 'culprit' is the landowner themselves.

Ole Willy Firewood is full of good advice.


On more than one occasion while talking with my wife I’ve started a sentence with “I was talking to Willy Firewood....”

Ha!