By Jeff Johnston, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor
I see two main reasons for investing in a cellular-based trail cam: 1. To discover mature bucks that tend to live out most of their short lives while humans are sleeping. And 2. To protect your shit from meth heads who live out most of their short lives while humans are sleeping. But there’s one main problem with trailcams: Mature bucks have an uncanny ability to skirt around them undetected. I’ve witnessed plenty of times when bucks walked mere feet behind my camera rather than in front of it, and had I not been there to see it, I might have written the spot off and hunted somewhere else. So the problem isn’t so much that the trail cam didn’t record the buck, but that modern hunters tend to overly rely on trail cams and are quick to dismiss a location if no good bucks show up on camera.
With meth heads it’s a little different. While these creatures are legendary for their sheer stupidity, do not underestimate their capability for displaying brief stints of ingenuity when pressed with going back to jail. For example, if they detect a camera guarding a bag of Dewalt power tools in a backyard shed, they’ll often sneak around behind the camera’s field of view to steal the entire camera before stealing the tools. It’s remarkable behavior for a creature who often can’t remember its own birth date.
Alas, Stealth Cam has invented a solution: The Revolver Pro 360. This trail cam’s sensors track movement and guide its cameras with 360 degrees of coverage. While the concept isn’t new—Stealthcam has offered a 360-degree cam for several years—the addition of cellular technology to it is. This way, even if a ne’er-do-well steals the entire camera, you should receive an image or two of him moments before he stuffs it in his backpack and wheels off on his way-too-small BMX bike. What you can do with these photos is up to your sleuthing skills, but at least you’ll have something to go on. If it’s sheer entertainment you desire, consider mounting the camera 10 feet off the ground on a greased pole over a pile of bait such as a Craftsman socket set. For deer hunting, the Revolver Pro is ideal for placing in the middle of a food plot.
Technically, it’s full of features including 40mp resolution, .4 second trigger time, 100-ft. infrared range and integrated GPS, to name a few, but one of its more interesting aspects is that you can remotely choose any or all of its six coverage zones. Considering its versatility, modest price and full 360-degree field of view, it’s very likely the best trail cam going.
Cost: $179
Pros: 360-degree coverage; accepts a solar charger to save $ on batteries
Cons: needs specialized mounting on top of a post or pole. (Stealth Cam offers a specific mount.) Like all cellular-based trailcams, it requires a monthly data plan.
