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Trail Camera Brands
In this list I have included 9 of the most popular trail camera brands currently in existence. The list is by no means fully comprehensive as there are many other known lesser brands out there.
If you were to poll a number of people who use trail cameras I’m sure most would have heard of at least two thirds of the names on this list, possibly more.
As time goes on I will add further names to the list as some of the lesser known companies introduce additional models to their trail camera range and in doing so increase their market share.
The list is only my humble opinion of who I think are the most influential in terms of trail camera development, history and technology. Plus the size and variety of models in their catalogue of trail game cameras at the time of writing is also an added factor.
Browning
If you run your eye down this list of trail camera manufacturers, Browning is most likely to be the one brand that almost everyone’s heard of before.
Most famous for making firearms, John and Matthew Browning founded the company back in Ogden, Utah in 1878.
Browning today is a fully owned subsidiary of FN Herstal [1]. Hertsal is a Belgium company who acquired Browning Arms Company in 1970.
The Brand has factories in Belgium, Portugal and Japan. It still has a strong presence in Utah and Arnold, Missouri as their primary research and development division. A more comprehensive read of their manufacturing facilities can be found here [2].
According to the listing by year [3] on the Browning website, the first trail camera model to hit the shelves was the Range Ops BTC-1 back in 2013.
For its time the Range Ops was a well specced camera. It had a 6 megapixel sensor, HD video and a flash range of 50 around feet. Pretty impressive for 2013 if you ask me.
Lead forward to the current catalogue of trail cameras and there are 10 different models available. They range from cellular game cameras to 4K resolution trail cameras.
Browning does make some of the best performing trail cameras today, there’s no doubt. Have a read of this article if you’d like more information on the latest Browning trail cameras.
Bushnell
Founded in 1948 by David P. Bushnell, the company has specialised in optics for a variety of outdoor pursuits over the years. It is based in Overland park, Kansas.
The company history involves quite a number of different owners, with the latest parent company being Vista Outdoor [4].
When it comes to trail cameras one of the first Bushnell models was the Trail Scout back in 2008. This thing was the size of a “truck” with a white flash and power coming from D cell batteries no less. Take a look at the video below to watch their advert for the camera, circa 2008.
Bushnell have kept up with the latest innovations in trail cam technology, offering cellular game cameras, along with no glow illumination and 30 megapixel image sensors. Check out their website [5].
Campark
Campark is the newest company on this list. Founded in 2008, the company produces action cameras, dash cams as well as trail cameras.
They are based in Hong Kong but have a reasonable presence online with an online shop on their company website [6], plus they sell across various E-commerce websites such as Amazon.
Their trail cameras are more in the budget price bracket compared to some of the more established manufacturers out there.
Don’t let that put you off, they’re cameras are well made and have specifications to match trail cameras from other brands that cost twice as much.
The T80 trail camera is one such camera that has WiFi, full HD video recording and great battery performance.
I’d suggest taking a look at some of Camparks models if you’re on a budget and looking to buy game cameras in bulk to keep costs down.
Cuddeback Scouting Cameras
One of the oldest trail camera manufacturers in the world. Cuddeback started making commercial trail cameras in 1989 [7].
They are based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and are proud to announce their designs are developed by people who use their cameras for their intended purpose.
Cuddeback are real innovators in technology, with quite a number of patents filed covering their unique technological approach to scouting game animals.
A major speciality of Cuddeback is in the area of cellular wireless game cameras. Cuddelink is a proprietary wireless mesh network of cameras that operate in a chain sending images back to a home image collection camera.
If you’re interested in setting up a network of up to 15 wireless trail cameras over 100s of acres of land, Cuddeback are the company to talk to in this field of expertise.
Exodus Outdoor Gear
Exodus builds elite products as they call them, with backup like no other. They are a North American company based in Warren, Ohio.
They’re a fairly small company with around 29 employees according to the LLC directory. This scale of business really does have an advantage when it comes to customer care and after sales support.
In terms of trail camera models Exodus [8] don’t have a huge range of cameras to choose from, with only a handful of models available.
These are premium trail cameras aimed at serious users for scouting game animals. The Exodus Render 4G cellular trail camera being one of their premium models.
I’d suggest taking a look at their YouTube channel to find out more. It’s one of my favourite channels packed with information on trail cameras and scouting.
Moultrie
Moultrie was founded by Dan Moultrie back in 1981 [9]. They were primarily game feeder manufacturers. They are still based in Birmingham, Alabama to this day.
In 2003 Moultrie Feeders were bought by EBSCO industries who own other well known outdoor gear and brands.
Dan was one of the early pioneers in trail cameras, building a “home brew” style camera using 35mm film encased in a large plastic housing.
Things progressed quickly and Moultrie became the first company to produce the cellular trail camera, bringing one of the biggest innovations we’ve seen in game cameras in the last 20 years.
Today, Moultrie offers a large range of trail cameras to their customers. They include base cameras like the massively popular A-30 right up to the X7000 cellular camera.
Spypoint
Flying the flag for Canada, Spypoint is based in Victoriaville, Quebec. Founded in 2004 they have built their company up to over 100 full time staff, selling overseas to over 45 countries.
Spypoint is all about cellular trail cameras. They offer some of the most advanced cellular trail cameras on the market at premium prices.
A stand out feature of a Spypoint is its physical size. The Link-S is arguably one of the smallest, most powerful cellular trail cameras on the market.
The cameras also have a strong smartphone app development to allow for complete management of pictures, data usage and camera settings inside the app.
It’s definitely worth subscribing to their newsletter [10] to keep up to date with hats going on in the trail camera and scouting world for sure.
Stealth Cam
Stealth Cam [11] is the trail camera arm of GSM Outdoors. GSM Outdoors have a whole load of outdoor brands under their roof. They were founded back in 1999 and operate out of Grand Prairie, Texas.
If you take a look at their catalogue of trail cameras you’ll see a broad range of cameras available to buy.
The G series and in particular the G42NG is one of the most popular trail cameras to have existed. I personally love my G42NG and still have it to this day.
What is most noticeable about a Stealth Cam is the ease of set up. They have installed a basic system to set the camera up quickly using their preset settings. It works very well in practice.
For those who want a no nonsense, high performance trail camera that’s quick and easy to set up and with the flexibility of custom settings then Stealth Cam are worth considering.
Wildgame Innovations
Officially founded in 2002, Wildgame [12] are currently based in Louisiana. They have grown as a company from producing feeders to game cameras for scouting.
Currently they have a reasonable range of trail cameras on the market, the latest being the Switch Cam. They also make a 360 degree camera for scouting that’s unique as far as I’m aware.
As the name suggests, Wildgame is about innovation. Their trail cameras may not be for some peoples tastes but they are always pushing the boundaries of what a trail camera should be, and for that I applaud them.
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