DECEPTOR MAX

The Stealth Cam Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera is an incredibly versatile option for hunters who are looking to balance value with features.

This year we have made the decision to outfit our 640 Acre hunting lease with all new trail cameras from Stealth Cam. With a full square mile of land, we have always run in to a dilemma regarding where to place our cameras and ultimately how many cameras we should be running throughout the year. Many of these decisions are based on our original observations of animal movement and game trails. As we approach our 4th season on this property, we have learned a great deal and harvested more than 20 whitetail deer that have fed our friends and families.

We’ve selected a handful of different Stealth Cam cellular trail cameras for our property, one of which is the Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera. As the name implies, the Deceptor Max is a cellular enabled camera that is built to withstand the elements while delivering incredibly clear images and video. This camera is a feature rich offering from Stealth Cam that is enhanced by the powerful Stealth Cam Command application which is available for iOS and Android devices. When set up in a well trafficked area, the Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera will give you a glimpse in to animal movement while you are away.

When a new model of any electronic device is released, one of the biggest items users are always looking for is an upgrade to battery capacity. The 2024 Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera now features 16 AA batteries which is double that of the capacity from the previous model’s 8 AA batteries. This upgrade is a huge step towards significantly extending the camera’s operational life in the field. With 16AA batteries, users can monitor wildlife for longer periods without the need for frequent battery replacements. For hunters like us who manage large properties like our 640-acre hunting property, this means more time focused on tracking game and less time on camera upkeep. The increased battery life, paired with the camera’s dual network connectivity and high-resolution images, makes the new Deceptor Max an essential tool for long-term outdoor surveillance. Let’s dive in to the Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera!

Unboxing

First impressions of a new piece of hunting tech are always important. While it may seem trivial, packaging is something that you should not overlook. You want to make sure that the product you are purchasing is going to be functional and ready to deploy right out of the box. The Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera comes inside of a sturdy box with a view through window which allows you to do a cursory inspection of the camera before unboxing. Inside of the box, you have your trail camera, antennae, attachment belt, and instruction manual. You will need to supply your own SD card as well as batteries.

I recommend downloading the Command app prior to setting up your camera. I say this because once you have opened the box, you will be able to begin the pairing process with your Stealth Cam account. The first thing to establish the connection of your camera will be to scan the QR code that is on the inside cover. You’ll do this within the Command app and once scanned, the application will send an activation signal to your camera to allow it to establish a connection with a cell tower. The Deceptor Max like other Stealth Cam products, utilizes dual network technology allowing it to connect to a Verizon or AT&T tower. This is crucial because many hunting properties have weak signal with one carrier the ability to tap in to both means you will have a greater likelihood of speedy upload and download times.

Data Plans

Once you have your camera activated, you’ll insert your SD card and batteries then switch the camera on. The entire process from start to finish took me less than 5 minutes and was incredibly simple. The Command app will walk you through each step making sure you have all of the information you need to get your camera set up. The next step in the process will be deciding on your data plan.

Stealth Cam offers three different data plans that vary based on the volume of images and videos you can receive per month. You always have the option local storage on the SD card which is inside your camera in addition to the cellular transmission of photos and video to the Command app. Below you can see how the plans break out.

Something Stealth Cam has done with their data plans that I found to be a really nice feature is to reduce the price of each camera’s data as you add multiple to your account. The more camera’s you add, the cheaper the data plans will become!

Command Mobile Application

I am admittedly a snob when it comes to mobile applications. In this day and age, developing a stable and well functioning app is something that is an absolute must especially when it is supporting a product like a cellular trail camera. I will come right out and say that I think Stealth Cam hit it out of the park with the Command App. The app not only has a great user experience, it has stable performance and some really nice features that I haven’t seen on other apps. There are a number of great features supported in the Command app including:

• Sharing cameras – A user who has a camera or cameras set up has the ability to grant access to the stream of photos and videos with another Command app user via email. Even if your friends or family do not have cameras set up, they can create an account and see all of the images from your camera.
• On Demand – The Deceptor Max has the ability to send on demand imagery with the push of a button. I’ve noticed near real time speeds when submitting a request for an on demand photo which is very impressive. As I write this I submitted a new on demand request and from submission to photo availability was less than 30 seconds.
• Mapping – When you set a new camera up, you will be able to select the location which is then stored as a lat/long in the camera profile. You can change the location at any time after you set it up, so if you want to move a camera it is not an issue. Once all of your cameras have been placed, you can view a map
• Gallery Filters – There are 15 main categories that you can filter by including species tags, temperature, multiple atmospheric conditions, and media types. What this allows you to do is begin to paint a picture of what, when, and why you are seeing what you are seeing within your app.
• Hunt Stand Integration – As a user of HuntStand, I really love the ability to integrate my cameras within the HuntStand app. I can now import markers, view photos, and my camera status all within the HuntStand mobile app.

These are just some of my favorite features of the Command app, but there are many more that take the user experience to the next level.

Deceptor Max Trail Camera Performance

Overall I have been very happy with the performance of this camera. The Deceptor Max Cellular Trail Camera was placed in a high traffic area we call Gastown. This is a 1 acre semi clear cut that has a natural gas well in the middle. Over the past few years we have harvested multiple whitetail and consistently see the most off season deer movement. Knowing that we see the most deer passing through here we wanted to place a camera that could record both photos and video at an extremely high qualities.

After just a couple of weeks on the property the camera has been sending us a number of great photos to confirm that Gastown is still in the running for potential locations to place a blind this year. You’ll also notice that the grass is very overgrown in this area which was a concern for us. What we were worried about was that the grass could impede the camera’s ability to pick up animals as they moved through the field. I will say that even with the high grasses, detection and photo capture has not been impacted in the slightest. We did set the camera sensitivity to it’s low setting just to try and mitigate the unavoidable moving grass photos you will get with any camera.

Overall, I am extremely please with the Stealth Cam Deceptor Max and think that this is a great option for anyone looking to get a cellular trail camera that is packed with features at a very affordable price. Check out this camera at the Stealth Cam website here, Deceptor Max.

You can also check out our latest photos directly from our Deceptor Max below!