Trusted Review™ Scorecard
For the past five years I’ve seen the trail camera industry quickly and dramatically evolve. New features like infrared flash, multi shot and video have now become almost standard. Heck, now you can even view your trail camera photos from your home without stepping foot in woods. Overall, the trail camera industry has come a long way and hunters are reaping all the benefits. Today I’m going to share with you my review of the Wildgame Innovations IR4 Scouting Camera.
Disclaimer – I am not sponsored by Wildgame Innovations nor have they provided this camera for me to use and review. I bought this camera at a local retail store for $99.99.
Now a days the trail camera industry is much like the compound bow industry, in that each year someone has to make it bigger, better, faster, stronger or cheaper than the other guy. They even have to top what they offered last year. However, the great part about trail cameras is that consumers keep getting better features at lower prices, not to mention that, unlike a bow, it’s easy to convince yourself you need more than one trail camera. A few months ago I stood in front of the trail camera aisle for almost 20 minutes before even touching one of the packages. Pretty packages and lots of fancy words almost had me nervous. Finally, I came to the decision that $100 for a trail camera was probably about the price point where I should start to look.
I then started to think about what features I wanted. Do I want one with Flash or infrared? Do I want my trail camera to take video? How do I look at my trail camera pictures, digitally or on film? Yes, film: the ol’ boy who ran the store had some older inventory sitting around. Finally, do I need camo or will black do?
In the end I decided that I would buy a Wildgame Innovations IR4 Scouting Camera. I did so because I liked how clear and simple the information was conveyed on the package and the price seemed right. I’m really a sucker for good marketing. The final reason I bought this one was because I wanted to test video captures against still photos over my salt lick this summer.
After buying a 2 gigabyte SD Card and a package of C-Batteries I quickly went home to play with my new toy. To test it out, I set it up in my pitch black office and attached it to the back of a chair, then I sent my trusty hound dog in for a test run. I got 1 video and 7 photos of a good-looking dog. The next day finally came and I installed the Wildgame IR4 camera over my turkey blind and then after my spring hunting season I put it over my deer mineral lick.
Wildgame Innovations IR4, Turkey
The following sections will outline my complete unbiased review of the Wildgame IR4 Scouting Camera as I tested throughout the spring and summer on turkey and deer.
Before I get started here is a features list for this Wildgame IR4 trail camera:
- 4 megapixel resolution
- infrared Flash up to 40 feet
- Sensor is infrared with a 40 feet range
- 64 megabytes of memory onboard, not including an additional SD memory card
- Shoots Digital Still Pictures
- Shoots Digital Film
- Can accommodate a removal SD memory card up to 8 gigabytes
- USB port
- External battery port
- Runs on 4 C batteries
- Can be set for day, night or both
- Comes with bungee cords
Quality
After picking up the product and examining the packaging I felt like this camera had what I needed and was going to be a good buy. The information about features and usage was clearly marked on the package.
After I got home from the store I managed to adjust the camera settings in less than 5 minutes, the directions for doing so were very easy to follow. This kept my perception about the quality of this trail camera high. Once I got to the field I noticed the bungee cord mounting system. This system allows you to mount the camera securely and quickly to a tree while keeping the camera door clear for easy opening. However, if you’re planning on sticking this camera on a large tree it is important to note that you will need additional bungee cords. Lucky for me I picked up a few more small black cords at the store before hitting the woods.
After using the IR4 for a few months I noticed that the Wildgame IR4 camera continues to operate even through rainy season hail storms. All moving parts continue to work well as does the display and the buttons. The only thing I have had to adjust has been the batteries. The camera itself proves not to drain batteries but I recommend using high quality brands, such as Energizer Lithium batteries.
The photo quality is quite good being only 4 megapixels. I keep getting clear photos day in and day out. The range for the photo and the IR flash is good, but just like anything else I wish it would better. Overall the quality of this product is great.
What would I change to improve the quality of this camera? Well, I would only ask that there be a mounting strap bracket placed on the back so I could secure the camera better on larger trees. Finally, besides having time and date I would like to see this camera show temp and moon phase.
Of course I would also like for this trail camera it to make sure a 150 inch whitetail was standing in front of my stand on opening morning.
Reliability
The Wildgame Innovations IR4 is a reliable trail camera. I have seen it take golf ball size hail and hot summer sun. This product continues to have good photos every time I go to check the memory card. I expect this trail camera to keep on ticking all summer and fall. I can't think of a reason why this product wouldn't last a couple of years.
Haven’t had reasons to doubt the marketing/advertising around this product. It would shock me and disappoint me if I went to the woods tomorrow and noticed the product wasn't working correctly. As far as I’m concerned this little $100 trail camera is really reliable product.
Price/Value
Are there cheaper trail cameras out there? Yes, there are other brands that a hunter can pick from for as little as $50. However, I believe there is a fine balance between too cheap and too expensive. I know there are better cameras out there. Heck, Wildgame Innovations makes more expensive cameras, but for the guy who needs a bunch of cameras or is hunting on public land, this trail camera is the ticket.
After testing the Wildgame Innovations IR4, I would say this product is well priced at $99.99 but worth around $125. Would I buy the product again? Yes, I would buy it again and I already have.
Referability
I have referred this product to my hunting buddies at least 20+ times. For the price and the quality you just can't go wrong. Sure I have also referred a few other trail cameras in my day, but the Wildgame IR4 is pretty good for just about anyone. I would also buy this as a gift for someone knowing that it will perform.
Although I would refer this product to a friend I would feel need to let them know that there isn't a strap mount on the back and that the camera only shows date and time (not moon phase and temp).
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