A cell camera has really helped me stay on top of things. I run a bait site for coyotes and used to have to drive a mile to the farm to check cameras every day come rain or snow. In snowy conditions I wouldn’t always be able to drive to the site, and had to walk the 300 yards or so. During the daytime, buzzards and crows would many times get the bait, so I began rebaiting and checking cameras late in the evening shortly before dark. I would have to pull SD cards and check the videos on my home computer to determine if a coyote was on the bait the night before. If there was, I would have to gather my gear quickly and return to the farm to stay at the hunting shack and get settled in before dark. Now the cell camera keeps me notified, thus allowing me to plan for the following night’s hunt. It also helps me to better judge when I might need to rebait.
As to the camera itself (Moultie Delta), it is somewhat less than ideal. Some photos are very bright (at night) and others are too dark to tell what critter is there. As well, I get a lot of blank photos, mainly in daytime, but some at night too. It appears that the camera lens is not in sync with the motion sensor, more narrow it seems, so an animal can trip the camera on the outer edge but not appear in the photo. As well, the camera was advertised as being no-glow, but there is a glow more like a low-glow. My Son has two Delta’s and they give similar results as mine. Still, for the money, the Delta is helping me, but it should perform better. Hopefully Moultrie will improve the cameras.
Last year I used a Moultrie device which attached to my regular Moultrie A40i camera which turned it into a cell camera. Overall it worked better, but had too many devices, wires and connections when attaching an auxillary battery. I like the idea of a simple self-contained camera. Moultrie’s AT&T monthly service fee is $17 for unlimited photos. There are cheaper plans available but with a maximum number of photos allowed. Due to all the blank photos I am getting, the unlimited plan was the only real choice for me. The good thing is that I can disable the service during the summer months when I don’t hunt, and easily resume service in the fall.
Having said all this, I can’t imagine not using a cell camera now that I see the benefits of it, though I keep hoping for a more reliable, and affordable one. Like you, I have read so many reviews of various cameras. It’s hard to know which one to get - reasonably priced that is.
