Bushnell Trophy Cam Review

I received the Bushnell Trophy Cam for testing this past week, and I am honestly kicking myself for not picking this game camera up sooner.  Overall it is a very good camera, with just a few drawbacks.  I'll elaborate on these details, but for a complete review of the Bushnell Trophy Cam, see the link to my YouTube video at the bottom of this post.

I love the compact size, at just over 3" x 5".  I also love the fact that they step right out there with claims of a 1 year battery life.  While this remains to be seen, since I have only had this camera for a short time now, I am excited at the possibility of owning a game camera that doesn't chew through batteries.  One caveat with this battery life though, is that you must use lithium AA batteries to get the one year battery life.  If you use alkaline batteries, the standby operation time drops to 6 months.  That is still a lot longer than any other game camera I have owned recently.

I also like the ease of programming.  One thing that took me by surprise is that the LCD panel and programmable options are very similar to the Scoutguard SG550.  So similar, that I think they are using the same components.  What is different though is the series of buttons on the inside of the game camera's housing used to program the camera.  The Scoutguard requires the use of a programming remote control that you connect to the camera.  Without that remote, you cannot change any of the camera's options.  The Bushnell Trophy Cam has these buttons and LCD embedded in the camera.  The use of the Up/Down, Left/Right, and OK buttons makes this programming a breeze.  The picture quality is decent, and the video quality is acceptable.

A couple of things that I don't like about the Trophy Cam are the lack of added security measures.  The lock hole is small, requiring the use of a small gauge lock.  It is recommended that you pick up a security lock box to protect your Trophy Cam.  I'd also like to see the ability to add a master password and owner identification.  As game cameras become more expensive, theft becomes more of a concern.

I don't like the weak buckle that came with the mounting strap.  I broke mine as I was hanging it, so don't cinch it too tighly to the tree.  This wasn't a big deal for me though, because I have accumulated numerous camouflage straps through years of hunting.  I plan to have a lock box for this game camera soon, so I won't need the strap at that point.

I also thought that the videos appeared to be a bit grainy.  It's too early to tell, and I need to collect a few more samples under different lighting conditions.  Video on game cameras is one of the features that I desire the most, so I may be a little picky when it comes to this.  I get a lot more out of studying an animal via video that I do out of a still pic.  While I say the video was a bit grainy, it wasn't bad enough to where I would complain about it.

After testing the Bushnell Trophy Cam, I can tell you that I'll be keeping this one, and maybe picking up another (to two).  I was a little leary about purchasing the Trophy Cam after hearing about some comrade's past experiences with Bushnell game cameras, but I think that Bushnell hit the mark with this one.

It might be small, but don't let that fool you ...  The Bushnell Trophy Cam has some serious muscle!

Yes, it is small, 6" tall and 4" wide to be exact.  It is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.  But somehow, Bushnell has found a way to pack a ton of great features into this small form factor.

• Resolution and Image Quality
  The Bushnell Trophy Cam 11-9405 is a 5 MP digital game camera.  It will give you full color images by day, and you also have the option of dropping the camera down to 3 MP for reduced image sizes.
• Battery Life
  The battery life is worth putting at the top of the list for this camera.  It runs on AA batteries, and you can get up to Six Months of operation on a single set of batteries.  This makes this camera a great choice for remote areas that you can't get to often.  It is compatible with external power, but with 6 month battery life, who needs external power?
• Infrared Technology
  A collection of 24 LEDs won't spook your game.  The PIR is adjustable, with Low, Medium, and High settings.  This allows you to adjust the sensitivity of the PIR to suit your needs.  For example, you could use a low setting if you have this set on a corn pile that was regularly visited by squirrels and other smaller wildlife.  No more memory cards full of squirrel pictures.
• Range
  With PIR detection up to 45 feet, and infrared night vision LEDs that reach out to 45 feet, the Bushnell 5.0 megapixel Trophy Cam is a step above the others.
• Video
  This camera can be configured to shoot between 1 to 60 seconds of video with each activation of the PIR.  You can get daytime video, as well as night video.  You get quality video at 16 frames per second to up to 20 frames per second.
• Multi-shot mode
  In picture mode, this camera will fire off between 1 to 3 images each time it is triggered.  The delay between subsequent activations can be set between 0 seconds to 60 minutes.

The Trophy Cam has an operating temperature range between -5 degrees F to 140 degrees F.  It also accepts standard SD memory cards.  You can find all this for around $199.00.  Bushnell also offers the Trophy Cam 11-9415, which has an integrated color viewer.  This allows you to look at your pictures directly on your Bushnell Trophy Cam.

Find the best deals on Bushnell Trophy Cams at the following link:  Bushnell Trophy Cam