The Best Trail Cams for Spotting Wildlife

A few years ago, I noticed damage to trees deep in the back of our property. Some bark was stripped, branches were broken off, and smaller bushes and trees were trampled. I couldn't figure out what was causing it, so I went online and ordered the least expensive game camera I could find. I popped the batteries in, found a good spot near the damage, and switched on the camera.

A couple of days later, I went out and retrieved the memory card, inserted it into my computer, and was awestruck. Among the random images of me and the dogs, the cam captured blurry photos of rabbits running through, deer jumping the back fence into the forest behind us, the occasional coyote, and—the culprits—a small group of moose, who had taken up residence back there at night. It was a wildlife lover's paradise (and no doubt hunter's dream).

Since then, I've added another cheap cam, but this year, I'm ready to upgrade to a trail camera with better image and video quality and with WiFi capabilities. In my research, I realized the options are endless, which leaves consumers like me scratching their heads, wondering what features are a must-have, and which ones are nice to have.

The fact is, the best trail camera for you depends on several factors, including where, when, and why you use it, and how much you want to spend. To help you choose, we assembled our list based on photo and video quality, trigger speed, detection range, the type of flash, and budget. Whether you're a hunter monitoring game or a recreational wildlife watcher, there's an option for you.

Read the article on Wide Open Spaces.