I'm seeing evidence to support this once again, with some quality game cameras showing up on this list, but also some discounts that range between 38% - 50% off the retail price.  And one of my personal favorite game cameras took the number one position with a whopping 50% discount.

Please note though that the discounts vary as the sale periods may discontinue after a period of time.  The prices listed below are accurate as of today's date.  So let's take a look at the list.

#1 - Bushnell Trophy Cam 8MP - Model 119436C

It is no secret that the Bushnell Trophy Cam is one of my favorite cameras on the market today.  So I was pleased to see this one take the number one position.  I personally own this game camera, and would highly recommend it.  This is a small infrared digital game camera that measures 3.5 inches wide x 5.5 inches tall.  It has 32 LEDs that are capable of illuminating your game out to 45 feet.  The 1 second trigger speed isn't the fastest on the market, but it puts it in a range that beats many comparably priced trail cameras.

One thing I really like about this game camera is the video capability.  You can get widescreen videos of up to 60 seconds with audio.  The video has always been a consistent performer.  Video allows you to study your game from multiple angles as they are moving, instead of just looking at a single picture.  Video also lets you capture images of all the deer that may be traveling in a group after the initial activation of the sensor.  With the delay settings on a lot of cameras, you can often miss these trailing animals.

The battery life on this scouting camera is also incredible.  You can get up to 1 year of operation on a set of 8 AA batteries.  That lowers your total cost of ownership over time, because you need to purchase replacement batteries less frequently.

Currently offered at $147.59, you can get the Bushnell model 119436C at over $145 off of the list price.  That is a 50% cost savings.  Check out the specs on this one.

#2 - The Primos Truth Cam 35

This is the entry level game camera offered by the Primos company, who is still kind of the 'new kid on the block' of game camera manufacturers.  Primos has been manufacturing outdoor gear for many years, and they have always offered quality merchandise.  They have upheld their quality standards with their Truth Cam line of scouting cameras.

I don't currently own the Truth Cam 35, but I have owned and personally tested one in the past.  I do still have their Truth Cam 46 in my game camera arsenal, and have been very pleased with both of them.  It is currently available for $78.03, which is almost $42.00 off of the retail price for a savings of 35%.

So what is so great about the Truth Cam 35?  Well, it is an inexpensive game camera, that is just simple to use.  It comes pre-setup to use its 35 LEDs to capture infrared pictures and videos of your game out to a distance of 40 feet.  The trigger speed on this model is about 1.5 seconds when coming out of sleep mode, but only .3 seconds when not in sleep mode. The battery life from the 4 D cell batteries was decent for a camera of this price.

The image and video quality is decent at 3 megapixels.  It can be set to capture images in bursts of 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 images with each activation of the passive infrared sensor.  It will take up to an 8 GB memory card, and will stamp each image with the date, time, temperature, and moon phase info.

I really like the fact that Primos has included a molded security cable hole through the body of this camera for added security.  You can use a Masterlock Python security cable to prevent theft.

You can see the Truth Cam 35 Specs here.

# 3 - The Wild Game Innovations 6.0MP

Back at the end of 2011, you could have picked up this game camera for $50.00.  I was highly recommending that people pick up this camera then.  That sale is done and gone for now, but you can still get this scouting camera for about $92.00, which is 38% off of the retail price.  I still think this is a good camera for the money, but at $92.00, I wouldn't recommend it as highly as some of the other models that are currently on sale.

The main thing that really stands out for me on this model W6X, is the crisp infrared images.  I still own this game cameras, and I occasionally pick up a little blur on some moving game.  But the other images are sharp, and the 6.0 MP offers excellent detail.  The 30 high intensity LEDs have a flash range of 50 feet, and you can capture 640x480 video clips at 30 frames per second, in addition to the video clips.

A couple of things that I don't like about this game camera is the battery life, and the lack of physical security.  There is no good way to lock this game camera to prevent theft, so you need to pick up a security lock box if you are going to purchase this game camera.  I was getting about 45 days on a single set of 8 AA batteries.  While that isn't horrible, there are a lot of other game cameras on the market that easily beat that battery life.  Since buying batteries increases your cost of ownership of a game camera, you need to take the battery life into consideration before purchasing.

You can read more about the W6X and read its 3.8 out of 5 star reviews by clicking here.

#4 - Primos Truth Cam 46

Well, Primos has landed another of the top 5 best selling spots with the Truth Cam 46.  This camera got an average customer rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.  I personally own this camera as well, and would tend to agree with the rating.  It isn't the best camera on the market by any means, but for the current price of $99.00, it is tough to beat.  That is a 38% discount from the list price, giving you $60.99 in savings.

Just like the Truth Cam 35, the Truth Cam 46 has the molded security cable hole through the camera housing.  I really like this for security.  Primos has amped this camera up with 46 infrared LEDs, which give you a range of 50 feet.  It has the same 1.5 second trigger when coming out of sleep mode, and .3 seconds when not in sleep mode.  This game camera can do everything that the Truth Cam 35 can do, but it can capture images at 5.0 MP instead of the Truth Cam 35's 3.0 MP.

You can read more about the Truth Cam 46 and see the customer reviews by clicking here.

#5 - Moultrie Gamespy D-50

I was actually surprised to see the D-50 in the list.  This is a strobe flash-based game camera, where all the others in the top 5 best sellers were infrared game cameras.  With an average 3.6 out of 5 star customer review, I think that the Moultrie D-50's current low cost of $65.33 has pushed it up on the list.  That is still a $24.66 discount, or a 27% cost savings off of the list price.

The D-50 is capable of capturing videos during the daytime, but it is limited to 10 second clips.  On the other hand though, you do get color images by day an night since this is a flash-based camera.  The infrared cameras only give you black and white images at night.  The flash can reach out to 45 feet, and it has the capability of taking up to 3 pictures with each activation of the infrared sensor.

I don't personally own this game camera, so I can't offer a recommendation on it.  I will tell you that the last Moultrie game cameras that I owned had some pretty slow triggers on them, and they weren't all that great on battery life.  In my experience, they were better as feeder cams than trail cams.  So I'll let you be the judge on this one.  You can see the Moultrie D-50 specs and user reviews here.

I personally own one of these. While I may not recommend you pay full price for this camera, I would definitely recommend it considering the $50.00 price.
This is the new Micro line of game cameras that WGI has apparently released as a replacement for the popular X6C. It is a 6.0 MP infrared digital game camera, that will give you pictures or videos during the daytime or at night with no white flash. It has 30 infrared emitters and has a flash range of 50 feet.
It uses an LCD display that is 2 inches by .7 inches, that can be viewed from the front of the camera. The buttons for programming the camera are located within a trap door on the bottom of the camera. I found it a little awkward to change the camera settings, as you need to remove the camera from the tree in order to access the buttons while still being able to view the front facing LCD screen while programming. This is something I can live with though, because I typically will program the camera before hanging it and don't typically change the configuration once it is set up.
The trigger isn't bad. It beats most Stealth Cams, but doesn't come anywhere close to the Cuddebacks. The videos are 640x480 at 30 frames per second, and you get the time, date, and moon phase stamped on each of your images. It runs on 8 AA batteries, and I get about 4-5 weeks of operation off of a single set of batteries. I think the battery life could be a bit better, but it will accept an external rechargeable battery. It will also accept up to a 16 GB SDRAM card, which I definitely like because I tend to run this in video mode and the video files are larger than the image files.
The other thing that I like about this camera, is that it is small. It is approximately 6 inches tall, by 3.5 inches wide, by 2.25 inches deep. The thing I don't like about this camera, is that there is no integrated lock hole that would allow you to secure the camera with a padlock. You will need to get a security lock box for it, if you are concerned about game camera theft in your area. But for fifty bucks, I'd roll the dice.

W6X Image Sample

Wildgame Innovations Micro 6 Red

We just posted up a review on the Wildgame Innovations Micro 6 Red infrared digital game camera here ... Wildgame Innovations Micro 6 Red. We have some sample daytime and infrared images, and a YouTube video in the review that will show you some samples of day and night videos. There are a couple of bucks in the videos, but no bruisers to brag about.
All in all, this was a pretty decent scouting camera. I have to give Wildgame Innovations a little slack on a few issues, when I consider the low cost associated with this game cam. There are some deals online for the Micro 6 Red, and you can pick this scouting camera up now for well under $100.00 and get FREE SHIPPING on it.
The one thing that you will want to take into consideration if you look at this game camera, is that there is no integrated physical security features. There is no padlock hole or cable channel for a Python cable. So if you plan to use the W6X anywhere that you would be concerned about theft, then you will want to make sure that you use a security lock box for it.
The CamLockBox company is making some of the best security lock boxes for the new small form factor game cameras.
You can see their lock box for the Micro 6 Red below:

When you think of Leupold & Stevens, their high quality rifle optics or their Leupold Vendetta probably comes to mind. Well, the Beaverton Oregon company has recently entered the trail camera industry with their innovative RCX Trail Camera System. Their initial offering isn’t bringing just a basic trail camera to the market. On the contrary, they have introduced a trail camera system that is packed with features and some very innovative technology.

This trail camera system strips some of the electronics out of the camera itself, and moves those features over to their RCX Controller. This controller consists of a 3 inch TFT display and a series of buttons. You can configure any number of RCX-1 or RCX-2 trail cameras using a single controller. It also allows you to view your pictures and videos in the field, download pictures from your cameras to the controller’s memory card, and even get a real time view of what your camera sees. This is a great option when setting your camera up, to ensure you have it positioned just right.

The RCX cameras are sold separately, or in a kit which included an RCX Controller. A controller is required to set up and manage your cameras, so it is recommended that you start off by purchasing an RCX camera kit. Then you can just purchase individual trail cameras as you expand your game camera arsenal.

For more details about their trail cameras, you can read the Leupold RCX-1 and Leupold RCX-2 reviews, but in the meantime I’d like to touch on a few of the new innovative features that Leupold is offering in their trail cameras.

The RCX Controller
As mentioned above, this device is used to set up and manage your RCX cameras. It allows you to view your pictures and videos, and also to consolidate all of your camera images to its memory card. This is a great option for visiting your game cameras and collecting all your images. In addition, this device serves as a picture viewer for other brands of scouting cameras that you may own.

You can insert their SD card into the controller and view their pictures on the spot. With its USB cable, you can also attach this device to your computer and it will serve as a card reader.

Preset Modes
The set up of these cameras is a breeze if you use one of their preset modes. You can choose from one of these four settings depending upon your needs or the conditions, and your camera will automatically have a variety of settings configured to meet those needs.
The Best Picture Mode will capture the highest quality images. For the RCX-1, the images are at 8 MP. For the RCX-2, the images are at 10 MP.
The Most Picture Mode will set the camera to high sensitivity mode and shoot 3 pictures per activation. The quality is reduced to 3 MP.
The Power Saver Mode takes 3 MP images, incorporates a 5 minute delay between activations, and only uses 36 of the 48 LEDs to conserve power.
The Normal Video Mode captures 640x480 videos at 30 frames per second, in lengths of 5 seconds. It incorporates a 5 minute delay between activations, and uses 36 LEDs.

You have the option of overriding any of these settings and configuring the options to any setting that you wish by doing a custom camera configuration.

Dual Sensor Technology
The RCX-1 comes with a wide 45 degree sensor and the RCX-2 has both the wide 45 degree sensor and a narrow 10 degree sensor. The 45 degree sensor has a range of 45 feet. The 10 degree sensor has a range of 90 feet. You can configure the RCX-2 camera to use either sensor depending upon what your needs are. The RCX-2 camera also has the ability to have both of these sensors active at the same time, which really extends the detection capability of this trail camera.

Auto Sensitivity Adjustment
The sensitivity of the cameras will automatically be adjusted depending upon the surrounding air temperature. It hot weather, it is more difficult to detect the heat emitted from passing game. So in higher temperatures, the camera automatically adjusts to a higher sensitivity. In cold weather, the sensitivity is automatically set lower to avoid having the camera be triggered by small game animals such as squirrels.

Time Lapse Mode
The time lapse video feature lets the camera automatically take a picture at intervals you define. This can allow you to capture images of game that is beyond the range of the sensor. This option is great for food plots or covering large fields.

External Power Sources
Many game cameras allow you to use an external power source, but Leupold has done this while offering you a lot of flexibility. The battery cable (which is included in the camera kits) can be used to connect to any 12 volt car or motorcycle battery. You do not need to purchase an external battery directly from the manufacturer, like with other game cameras on the market. You have the flexibility to choose the brand and type of battery that you will use.

Leupold & Stevens has really aimed to impress with their RCX line of game cameras. They are highly configurable and offer many more features than what I have touched on here. For more information, read the individual reviews.
I am happy to see other companies entering the trail camera industry and push the envelope of innovation. I suspect that the Leupold RCX is here to stay.

While in the woods, the mosquitoes had a feast on me.  We had a really wet Spring and they must have been on a breeding frenzy, because I was covered up.  I typically don't like to use bug sprays when I head into the woods to hunt or hang cameras.  I'd prefer not to foul my camera locations with the smell of Deep Woods Off, and I learned real quick that I could use a good bug suit.

To make matters a bit worse, I got into a mess of chiggers.  I'll take a mosquito bite over a chigger bite any day.  I got chewed up so bad that I think I would crawl out of my skin if I could at this point.  So this post will be a bit brief so I can get to the drug store to pick up some Chigerid.

My mission was accomplished, even though I carry a few battle scars from it.  I got a Cuddeback Capture, a Wildgame Innovations X6C, a Bushnell Trophy Cam, and my new cheap little Tasco 3MP digital game cameras all hung.  I'll hopefully have some new pictures and videos available soon.  You will be able to see them all on my Scouting Cameras YouTube Channel.

Until next time, watch out for those biting bugs and I hope you capture some good images of that big buck you'll be chasing this fall!

I think the color and clarity is good, and the time and date stamping is very readable.

Now the night time images may leave a little to be desired.  Some of the images were pretty dark, from activations by game near the end of the flash range.  Other images of game close up look pretty decent.

I may have discovered a potential issue with video mode, but more to come.  I need to do a little more testing.  I also need to move this game camera to another location.  The does have really been coming in and pawing at the dirt around this stump, trying to get the remnants of last year's salt block.  They have already chewed every bit of bark of that stump, get those minerals.  If you don't have salt or mineral out, get them out now.  The deer are craving them this time of year.

I'll be writing up a full Tasco 3MP review in the near future.  More to come on it.

• The molded security hole through the chassis that accepts a Python lock for theft prevention.
• The ability to do photos and video, and support an 8 GB memory card.
• The 40 foot infrared night range.
• A 1.5 second trigger speed.

#2 - Wildgame Innovations X6C
The Wildgame Innovations X6C infrared digital scouting camera was a close second to the Truth Cam 35.  This is another trail camera that I have personally tested, and still have in the woods.  The consumers have rated this game camera a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  I am definitely impressed by the clarity and sharpness of the infrared images, but that quality does tend to fade a bit as the batteries weaken.  You will get approximately 4 weeks on 8 x AA batteries.  The menu system for configuring this trail cam is easy to use, which is a major plus.  As of today, the X6C can be picked up for just over $100.00.

A few of the features that really attract me to the Wildgame Innovations X6C are:

• 6 megapixel resolution.
• Great camouflage design on the camera housing.
• 40 foot infrared flash and sensor range.
• The ability to capture images and videos and the support for up to an 8 GB memory card.
• Very helpful Wildgame Innovations support staff.  I spoke to them a couple of times and they always left me satisfied.

#3 - Stealth Cam Unit
The Unit is the first of the small form factor game cameras offered by Stealth Cam.  The STC-U840IR measures just 6" x 4" x 3".  Stealth Cam really stepped up their game with the Unit by adding some cutting edge features.  It captures both pictures and videos, but the 640 x 480 digital videos also record the surrounding audio.  This infrared digital game camera will accept up to a 16 GB memory card, which is good because it allows you to record videos of up to 3 minutes in length.  With a 4 out of 5 star rating, and a price tag under $120.00, it is time to give Stealth Cam another look.
A few of the features of this infrared digital game camera that make it stand out are:

• 8 megapixel resolution.
• 640 x 480 digital videos with audio, from 10 seconds to 3 minutes in length.
• Burst mode for 1 - 9 images in succession.
• 2X or 4X digital zoom.
• Infrared for night time images and videos.

#4 - Moultrie Gamespy I-40
I was a little surprised to see the Moultrie Gamespy I-40 sitting in the #4 position.  Surprised because I would have expected to see the new M-80 and M-100 models beating it.  This 3.5 out of 5 star rated infrared game camera is under $120.00, which is approximately $100.00 off of the retail price.  The I-40 has gained a reputation for being a solid performer.  The 150 day battery life makes it an economical camera to operate.
A few features to take note of on this scouting camera are:

• A 40 foot infrared flash range.
• The ability to capture images and videos, during the daytime or night.
• 150 day battery life.

#5 - Wildgame Innovations IR4
Wildgame Innovations also captured the number 5 spot with their IR4, 4.0 megapixel infrared digital game camera.  I have been intending to pick this camera up for a personal test, but have not gotten around to it yet.  I have a few too many tests in the pipeline currently.  Seeing this camera show up in the top 5 best sellers will definitely make me re-evaluate my test schedule though.  The IR4 has an average customer rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, and a current price of under $75.00, both of which I am sure has helped to drive this scouting camera's popularity.

A look at the specs shows the following features to take note of:

• It is a 4 megapixel game camera.
• It captures images and videos in 30 second lengths.
• Takes up to an 8 GB memory card.
• A 40 foot flash and sensor range.
• Has a super simple setup, with 3 fixed settings for easy operation.
• A 4 week battery life from 4 x C cell batteries.

I've seen a lot of action on many of the newer game cameras for 2011 and expect to see them moving into some of the top 5 spots next month.  There have been a lot of new releases from game camera manufacturers this year, which is a trend that we expect to continue seeing.

Once I receive this game camera, I'll get it in the field for some testing and have a personal review up on it soon.
The Tasco 3 MP trail camera operates at two resolutions; 1.3MP low res or 3MP hi res. It is a full color camera that uses a Xenon flash that has a 30 ft range. Not bad for a low cost game cam. The passive infrared sensor has a detection range of up to 30 feet as well.

It has a black and white LCD display, and runs off of 4 D cell batteries. The battery life is 90 days. I can tell you that I have definitely paid more for game cameras with shorter battery life than this. Battery life is one area that I am definitely sensitive to due to the number of scouting cameras I operate. Replacement batteries result in an added expense that I definitely like avoiding with longer life cams.

The Tasco model 119203C will also record AVI videos that are 15 seconds in length. It is good that it accepts a 2 GB SD memory card, so image and video capacity shouldn't be an issue. It will also do the date, time, and moon phase stamping on every image.

Tasco claims this this game camera has a quick trigger, but I'll let my field tests be the judge of that. At this price, even if the trigger is slow and I have to make this a feeder cam, I think I'll still be satisfied with my purchase.
The Tasco 3 MP is rated pretty well by previous customers. Out of 15 reviews, there were two 5 star ratings, six 4 star ratings, five 3 star ratings, a single 2 star rating, and a single 1 star rating. People can be pretty rough on game camera reviews, so to have only 2 out of 15 people giving below average ratings I feel pretty comfortable with my purchase. I'll add my review to the Amazon site once I've had a chance to test it.

If you own this game camera, then I'd like to hear what you think about it below.

Thanks and good luck!

If you are the kind of person that likes to roll the dice, than you can get some great deals on the Predator Trail Cameras that remain on the market.  All companies that carried the Predators are unloading them from their inventory.  You will be rolling the dice, because you won't get any support with them.  I've seen the Predator Evolution XR infrared digital game camera selling for $189.95 (normally $419.99).  You can click on this link to see some of the Predator Closeout Deals.

I for one, am sorry to see Outdoors Extreme Corp and their line of Predator trail cameras go.  I personally think that the more game camera manufacturers there are, the better it is for us - the consumers.  Competition fuels innovation and drives pricing.

This review didn't start off all that great.  After experiencing an issue with dark videos, I had returned the game camera for another one.  I experienced the same issue with the next one, and contacted Wildgame Innovations Support.  I have to say that my call to Wildgame Innovations for help was a pleasant surprise.  I was immediately connected with a support technician, who helped me with my issue.  I can't say that I have ever gotten assistance that quickly when calling other game camera manufacturers.  WGI definitely gets an A+ grade from me when it comes to supporting their products.

The technician gave me a sequence of steps to follow which resolved my issues.  You can read more about those steps here:  X6C Dark Video.

This is an inexpensive game camera, so my expectations were not that high.  I found that the performance to price ratio was very good.  I was pleased with the number of added features that this game camera has.  The battery life could have been a bit better, and I would like to have seen a little faster trigger, but I really can't complain about this much due to the cheap price.  The X6C performs as good or better than comparable game cameras that cost much more.

I am definitely most pleased with the IR image quality.  This 6.0 MP trail cam offers good detail and definition in the images.  You can read more about this small form factor game camera from Wildgame Innovations here:  Wildgame Innovations X6C Review.