Running cams year round vs hunting season...

[megalomaniac]

Normally, I've always put cameras out in August, pull in January. After pulling, remove batteries, wipe SD card, then store for 8 months.

My rationale... im saving life on the cameras... the $$$ is save on batteries is negligible in the grand scheme of things...

It 'seems' like cameras are lasting longer than they used to....

Starting to consider leaving cams out year round... not as much for deer, but activity in general (coyotes, bobcats, turkeys, etc).

Do you guys think only running cams 4m out of the year makes them last longer?

 

[JCDEERMAN]

We do similar, but start about mid July (10 cams) and starting about October 1st, all 37 cameras are out until New Years and brought in at that time. Then again March and April about 10 cams go out for turkeys. We basically see 8 months of cams in the woods but different number of cams during those times.

 

[TheLBLman]

Do you guys think only running cams 4m out of the year makes them last longer?

Probably.
But I value year-round observation at many locations.
Today's cams are less expensive than in the past,
and battery life is longer.

Some cams are more for security, some are more to see what bucks survived deer season, some are more to evaluate turkey populations, and see how many longbeards may have survived turkey season. And, yes, also to get a better handle on other things like coyote activity, trespassers, etc.

That means running most cams most of the year.

I'm running about 1/3 of my cams 24/7 365 days a year.

The other 2/3 still mostly running August thru May.
So only 2 or 3 months all working cams not running.

All those cams are still less expensive (and often as or more effective) than "boots on the ground". Cams save me a lot of time, and time is money, not to mention gasoline savings.

 

[Crappieaddict]

I run mine year around.

 

[Ski]

For me it's depends on the camera location. I leave certain ones running year round. From this i get to see a lot of rut activity post season, new bucks showing up or old bucks coming home, which bucks survived, which ones have injuries, and then get to see when and to some extent where they shed. I've found more than one shed from trail cam data.

But I also have cams that are seasonal. I put them out starting around now and will continue to deploy and/or move them throughout the season. Sometimes I'm trying to get a macro view of what's going on with the property year round year after year, and sometimes it's micro focus on a single buck trying to pin down where and when to hunt. Basically for me the answer is D, all the above.

 

[Andy S.]

I run a portion of my cell cameras year round and have since 2020. I run balance of cell cams and additional trail cameras July 15 - Jan 15, or thereabouts. I'm afraid to type this, but my cell cameras that have been out year round since 2020 have never hiccuped. Ofc, I update firmware, keep batteries changed and clean them up when changing batteries. I've had others in the business suggest running a cell camera year round is the best way to minimize technical glitches and increase likelihood of continuous flawless operation. That's been my experience to date. I do keep my cell cams in metal security boxes which may provide some benefit to longevity. YMMV

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I run my Spartans year round, they just don't tear up unless a bear destroys them.

 

[Andy S.]

I run my Spartans year round, they just don't tear up unless a bear destroys them.

Been my experience too. My buddy has not been as fortunate, but he's had more good luck than bad with Spartan cell cams.

 

[BSK]

I can see where running them sporadically may actually place more wear on them: power up and down. But I still believe that having them exposed to the weather longer shortens their life. So I'll keep using mine seasonally.

Eight go out on my salt licks late July. Four more go on food plots late July. The final 8 go out early to mid-September, as well as the 8 on salt licks get rearranged to other locations at the same time. I usually keep 8 on food plots (and some of those will be pointed across traditional scrapes into the plot). The rest go on roads, trails, terrain features and scrapes.

Take them all down early to mid-January.

 

[megalomaniac]

Impossible to know for sure... but it seems like most cameras that fail were defective at first deployment.

I've got perfectly working cameras that are 7/8 years old, but it does seem like after 2 or 3 years, you get a random one here and there to fail. (Often those relying on a rubber seal to keep moisure away from electronic components) The question is... would the failure rate be higher and earlier if I had left them out year round?

 

[themanpcl]

Normally, I've always put cameras out in August, pull in January. After pulling, remove batteries, wipe SD card, then store for 8 months.

My rationale... im saving life on the cameras... the $$$ is save on batteries is negligible in the grand scheme of things...

It 'seems' like cameras are lasting longer than they used to....

Starting to consider leaving cams out year round... not as much for deer, but activity in general (coyotes, bobcats, turkeys, etc).

Do you guys think only running cams 4m out of the year makes them last longer?

FWIW: When I lost my lease in Dec 2024 I pulled all my cell cams. I redeployed them on a property in Aug 2025. All 5 of the Stealth cell cams (4 different models) had some issues and would not work correctly. I never had those issues when I kept them out year round for the prior 4 yrs.

 

[Andy S.]

FWIW: When I lost my lease in Dec 2024 I pulled all my cell cams. I redeployed them on a property in Aug 2025. All 5 of the Stealth cell cams (4 different models) had some issues and would not work correctly. I never had those issues when I kept them out year round for the prior 4 yrs.

Although anecdotal at best, I have heard this scenario play out a few times from different end users. At least a few of my closest hunting buds believe this to be true, across varying makes/models, generally speaking.

 

[BSK]

A chance that's not a coincidence. Turning off electronics for a long time can be really hard on them.

 

[TheLBLman]

I've had others in the business suggest running a cell camera year round is the best way to minimize technical glitches and increase likelihood of continuous flawless operation. That's been my experience to date.

My experiences can neither confirm nor deny this.

I do keep my cell cams in metal security boxes which may provide some benefit to longevity. YMMV

IMO, the metal security boxes DO PROVIDE a great benefit in terms of longevity.
Most of my cams get a metal security box. This prevents much of the damaged caused by direct sunlight, which damages the waterproofing seals.

Security boxes also make it less likely a cam walks off, or gets damaged by things like bears, raccoons, falling limbs, etc. You can glue artificial leaves to the box, and make them less or no more noticeable than not using a security box. Mine are typically less noticeable to humans.

. . . . it does seem like after 2 or 3 years, you get a random one here and there to fail. (Often those relying on a rubber seal to keep moisture away from electronic components) The question is... would the failure rate be higher and earlier if I had left them out year round?

Security boxes do increase the longevity of those rubber seals.
I otherwise don't know if leaving out continuously is better or worse for longivity.

... but it seems like most cameras that fail were defective at first deployment.

Agree that "most" that fail in the first couple years failed or didn't work properly at first deployment. But have had plenty of exceptions to this, too.

 

[easy45]

I run mine all year but I just enjoy getting pics of various types of wildlife. I do move them around throughout the year to "deer spots" or "turkey spots".

 

[themanpcl]

Although anecdotal at best, I have heard this scenario play out a few times from different end users. At least a few of my closest hunting buds believe this to be true, across varying makes/models, generally speaking.

IMHO Stealth cams are not well built cams. All of my non cell cams still performed admirably after a year of sitting for a year and most of them are 6+ yrs old.

 

[deerhunter10]

I only run my cell cameras from sometime in September to mid January. I have a few that run year round on gates and a few other areas. And and I have some tactacams that are going on year 6. I run sd cameras on salt locks starting around July 4th then move them around until early to mid February and I have some browning cameras that are 11 years old. The only issues ive has with cell cameras have been Bushnell they only lasted a season and moultries imo they are just junk. Otherwise ive had good luck doing that method.

 

[redblood]

Mine go out on fourth of huly. I agree about saving on batteries and canera life- but also less intrusion into core areas.

 

[UT-longbeard]

I run mine year round. I've had great success with Tactacam.

 

[Shed Hunter]

I'm not sure why but if I leave a camera sitting in the woods with dead batteries they will corrode more often than if it was running. Overall I've had less issues with the cameras that I run more but they are usually my nicer cameras

 

[usanglure]

I ran spy point for about 4 years and kept having firmware issues, and when one was stolen i called to track it and they said i needed a police report to find its location. I told them not to worry about it, i shut others down cancelled remaining months and got a small refund. i replaced them with Moultries and have had some of them 6 years with solar panels and only replace batteries once a year. They stay out all year. I have been moving to newer models with instant video, especially at Duck lease to see if ducks on water, they have audio too. Solar panels was the big key to not having to go check on batteries.

 

[Joe2Kool]

I run about 12 all year, none of them are cell cams. In January/February, I often get good pics of survivors. I used to run Moultries, but after several failed after just a few months, I started looking for a different brand. I use Muddy and StealthCams now. I've got some that are easily 5+ years old and even have one WildGame that is 10+ years old.

I usually lose about one a year to bears.

 

[redblood]

I run mine year round. I've had great success with Tactacam.

They are tough and dependable. Average pic quality and so so triggers, but they have served me well and most of mine are from 2021/2022 and still going