I made a big push this year to try out a few different trail cameras to test out. Pending results I plan on buying a bunch of the best one in bulk for my properties in NY and our family’s outfitting business, Blue Walleye Outpost in Quebec, Canada. I already have a few of the older Wildgame Innovations models and have a neutral opinion on them. Trail cameras dramatically increase your chances on taking a nice animal and allow you to pattern appropriately. This year, I bought the new Wildgame Innovations Cloak, Wildgame innovations Razor 8x Lightsout and the Bushnell Trophy Cam 8mp. Earlier in the year, the Chronicles crew planted a few small food plots on one of our pieces of land in the Southern Tier of New York. I placed the Cloak camera on a small tree towards the top of an overgrown field, that overlooks our test plot.
I was somewhat skeptical of this camera’s placement, but was hoping to get intel on bucks running the edge of the field and or deer coming into the plot. Only after a few weeks, the results were awesome. The photo on the right is of a nice 9pt cruising the top of the field near the food plot. We have him in many other pictures, typically at night and alone. The cloak also captured some turkeys, bunch of other smaller bucks and two wily coyotes. Here are my thoughts on this camera:
Functionality: 5/5 stars. The cloak is extremely easy to set up and is compact to fit in tight spots. It’s made of a durable plastic material that is waterproof.
Setup: 5/5 stars. I am a little old school and prefer to not waste time messing around with different settings and shooting modes. I like it simple, quick and reliable. The Cloak is really easy to use. Put in the correct date/time and your’e basically done. There are a few different options, but it does not get confusing like other, more complex cameras. Set, point and shoot.
Camera quality: 3.8/5 stars. The 4 megapixel lens is nothing to get to jacked up about, but the quality of the images are far better than $100-200 cameras that were available years ago. My dad always said that you get what you pay for and if you are expecting superior images, then you will be disappointed. The pictures are good and there will have no issues determining the size and quality of the animals that get captured.
Features: 4/5 stars. The cloak offers a fast one second trigger speed, 50-ft detection range, 18-LED infrared flash bulbs and up to 30 second capture video clips. If you want something fancy, then you will not fall in love with these features. As I mentioned above, they are perfect for me and other hunters who want a simple option.
Price: 4.5/5 stars. The cloak is not to expensive and competes with cameras above $100. They retail for about $69.99 and can be found at almost any outdoor shop. If you are looking to buy a handful of the same camera’s, the Cloak won’t break the bank and will give you a solid product.
Battery: 3.8/5 stars. Wildgame promotes this camera as one to take up to 10,000 pictures on a full battery. I don’t have 10,000 pictures yet, but I have changed the batteries once about 3.5 months after I put it up. This summer has been extremely hot and I know that can affect the power output, but be prepared to check camera often and change batteries accordingly.
Overall I rate this camera 4.38 stars. I like it and plan on buying more. Super simple, easy to set up and the trigger speed captures some great pictures. It gets the job done for what I need. I would definitely recommenced this camera if you want to spend under 100 bucks and get something reliable. If you have any questions about this post, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures. Thanks for reading.
-Michael
Green Lake Chronicles 