Go Solar & Cellular

The progression of trail camera technology is nothing short of remarkable. Innovation has been exceptional, from bright-flashing and loud-winding film cameras to infrared and no-flash digital models to the current cellular camera revolution.Moultrie is one of the top trail camera manufacturers that is always pushing the pace and always looking ahead, driving trail camera technology via relentless innovation. This drive and passion for helping hunters and land managers keeps Moultrie at the top of the trail camera chain.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that consumers can count on good things when a manufacturer launches a new product and names it after its predecessor.

If a manufacturer lays an egg, or produces a “dud” product, the last thing they want to do is name a new product after that egg! However, when a manufacturer hits a home run, they want to keep that product’s name at the forefront of consumers’ lips as the product continues to receive upgrades.

That’s the case with Moultrie’s Edge series. Moultrie hit a home run! From the original Edge Pro to the Edge 2 Pro to the all-new Edge Pro 3, you want to jump on this cellular trail camera train.

Why Go Cellular?

I still own a pile of Moultrie’s digital cameras. Cellular cameras are legal in Colorado, but there’s a 48-hour rule: You cannot hunt or attempt to hunt on the same day or the next day after receiving real-time data from a trail camera.

Several of my buddies, those who haven’t experienced the second-to-none benefits of cellular cameras, regularly ask me: Why not just use digital cameras? Why switch back and forth?

My answer is simple: The right-now intel and no- human-footprint intrusion cell cams provide before the season, after tagging out, and during the post-season are invaluable.

Take Moultrie’s Edge 2 Pro, for example. I’ve been using this camera for months now and am highly impressed. The setup is hassle-free. Download the Moultrie App and let it walk you through the setup process. You can choose a plan suited to your budget and get pictures within minutes of camera deployment.

Rapid trigger speed (.30 seconds) centers the animal in the frame to ensure you don’t get the butt of a buck you’ve been waiting on all summer to show up. I highly recommend setting your camera to photo and video mode.

This way, you get a high-quality still image with the ability to request a video. You’ll glean more intel from watching a video. Not only will you likely see what direction the animal came from, but you can also observe its attitude while the camera is recording and typically see how the animal exits the area.

Other features of the Edge 2 Pro that you’ll cheer include auto connection to all four major networks to maximize cellular coverage — no more fighting with SIM cards or trying to figure out what to do when you change carriers.

Plus, you can’t beat the built-in memory, which replaces SD cards. Not only does this save you some pennies, but it also reduces setup time!

Moultrie brands the no-glow flash as capturing in complete darkness to 100 feet. I’ve tested this multiple times, and Moultrie is underplaying the camera’s reach-out and grab-a-picture/video ability. I’ve triggered the camera to 110 feet, but I recommend staying with the manufacturer’s recommendation. Photo and video quality is second to none.

Wait, There’s More

At $119.99, you can’t beat the Edge 2 Pro’s price. Not to mention, Moultrie offers the Edge 2 ($79.99). I’ve used this camera with excellent results.

Perhaps even better than the cameras is Moultrie’s industry-leading app. While we will delve deeper into the app’s features in another article included in this magazine, prospective Moultrie cell cam users need to know some app innovation basics.

For starters, I love the free unlimited cloud storage. You keep the storage even if you cancel your plan. Activity charting tells you what cameras are capturing the most images, so you know exactly when and where to hunt based on camera activity.

This past deer season, I pulled my Moultrie Edge 2 Pro two days before the end of Colorado’s early plains rifle season. In Colorado, bowhunters can’t hunt during rifle season, even wearing blaze orange. This gave me time to get my cameras out and gain accurate intel.

Activity charting and Species Recognition (Smart Tag A.I. tags images for bucks, does, etc.) told me the stand I call my “Super Stand” was the place to be on the November 6 bow opener.

At 8:46 a.m., even with cell cams removed for more than 48 hours, I sent carbon through the lungs of a solid Pope & Young buck from the Super Stand. Before pulling the cellular camera, this buck was through the area, often multiple times per day, when a north wind blew, checking the downwind side of a doe bedding area. When you put the Edge 2 Pro to work and take advantage of all the features the Moultrie App offers, you’re giving yourself a distinct advantage.

Other notable features of the Moultrie App that will keep your butcher busy include the free weather forecast and the ability to map out your hunting property. Using the free interactive maps, you can choose from 20-plus pins to mark stand sites, food plots, blinds, bedding areas, and the like.

The Biggest Cell Cam Advantage

The most significant advantage of cellular cameras for those who can run them all year or must pick times to stay within game laws is the reduction of the number one game-spooker of all time: the human footprint.

Using standard digital cameras requires you to pull SD cards regularly. The more you traipse through your deer dirt; the more opportunities you create to educate deer negatively. And it’s not only swapping cards. It’s also changing modes, delays, etc. You must visit the camera if you want to change a setting with a standard digital camera.

Cell cameras like the Edge Pro Series drastically reduce your human footprint. Once you set the cameras, images and videos are delivered to your smartphone. There are no checking SD cards. Plus, because you can control your camera settings via the Moultrie App, there is no reason to visit your cameras to change settings.

If I want to manage settings on any of my Edge 2 Pro cameras, I click the image labeled “Devices” inside the app, select the camera, click the “Settings” tab, and go to work. The process is straightforward.

I have only made an in-the-woods cell camera visit to swap out batteries. My go-to for batteries is Moultrie’s Edge Series Power Mag Plus. This high-capacity rechargeable lithium battery pack comes charged to 99 percent and replaces the battery tray.

The most significant advantage of the Power Mag Plus is its rapid one-hour charge time. It drastically outperforms the life of 16 AA batteries, especially when temperatures dip. Though an upfront expense, these battery packs pay for themselves in the first six months.

Recently, though, I made another switch and love it. I switched all my Edge 2 Pro cameras to solar to reduce my human footprint and limit intrusion.

The best $59.99 I’ve ever spent is Moultrie’s 3.4WS Solar Power Pack, which is compatible with all Edge Series cameras, USB-C devices, and other major camera brands. Generating more than three times the power of a standard solar panel, the 3.4W Solar Power Pack features a built-in power bank that stores energy for cloudy days. A full charge will keep your Edge camera up and running for at least nine days, and all it takes is a single hour of full sun, and your camera will be back to a 100 percent charge.

I started using Moultrie’s solar power in early March. Spring in Colorado is dreary, and it was an excellent test for the power pack. During one five-day period, the sun came out for only three hours. The rest of the time was cloudy, rainy, hailing, and windy.

The hail did no damage to the panel. I credit this to the panel’s IP65 water-resistant housing. The cables are also varmint-proof. On day six, after a full hour of sun, my Moultrie App told me all of my cameras running on the Solar Power Pack were charged full.

Each 3.4W Solar Power Pack has a USB-C barrel jack and cable, an angled mount for precise sun exposure, and an adjustable strap.

Before using the solar power pack in the field, charge the solar pack using the USB-C charger. Charge time using the USB-C charger is right at an hour. Then, when you get to the field, you have some options. First, attach the included mounting bracket and then use the camera strap. In my neck of the woods, though, there never seems to be a tree where I want to hang my camera. For this reason, I use Moultrie’s Edge Series Camera Stand, which is fully adjustable and easily handles an Edge Series Camera and a 3.4W Solar Power Pack.

Pick an area where the panel will receive ideal sunlight, and make sure the thumb tab is pointing up. After clearing any sticks, limbs, and foliage away from the power pack, plug the USB-C end of the cable into the power pack and the jack into your Edge Series Camera. Should you choose, you won’t have to wander back into your deer woods for any reason other than to hunt.

Final Thoughts

So far, I’ve had zero issues with any of Moultrie’s Edge Series Cameras or camera accessories. I did have a question about the app, and Moultrie’s 7-days-a-week customer service team helped me. I spoke to a live human, not a robot, and less than two minutes later, my question was answered.

I’ve never known more about my deer herd and the turkeys that dwell on my property each spring than I do now. Nothing trumps right-now intel, and because each image promises undeniable quality and is stamped with time, temperature, and moon phase, my intel continues to grow.

If you’ve yet to try an Edge Series Camera or any of Moultrie’s Edge Series Camera accessories, you owe it to yourself to do so. I can’t recommend these products highly enough.

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