By Nathan Davis –
20 April 2023 –
While working on a recent project I came across some interesting information about the history of trail camera photography. Despite Cuddeback releasing the first commercially available hunting game camera in the late 1980s, the first automated wildlife photography was actually captured nearly 100 years prior in the late 1800s. These trail cameras, or perhaps more appropriately referred to as camera traps, used the latest technology at the time to take photographs like no one had seen before. What makes it even more fascinating is that despite being so long ago, even the pictures taken at night were absolutely stunning.
The OG
It was 1878 when the idea for a camera trap was born. Eadweard Muybridge set up a dozen cameras in California with strings that would trigger the shutters. He then had a horse gallop past in an attempt to get a picture where the horse had all four feet off the ground. This would be an important step in the development of motion picture film.
George Shiras III of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, a pioneer when it comes to wildlife photography and responsible for what can be considered the first wild game camera photographs, was also coined “the father of wildlife photography” by National Geographic. He was a passionate photographer, an avid hunter, and a lawyer professionally. Shiras’ early methods of camera traps in the 1890s involved strings as a series of trip wires and triggers to remotely set off both a camera as well as a flash. Given the technology at the time, the flash consisted of an eruption of magnesium powder that would explode in the dark of night. Sure to spook off wildlife, this contraption was far from stealthy but provided surprisingly good results.
These night time animal photographs earned him a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition and led to National Geographic publishing his works on numerous occasions. He also published Hunting Wild Life with Camera and Flashlight which consists of 2 volumes and over 960 wildlife photographs of 19+ different species, including many captured using his flash camera trap.
The idea of camera traps continued on into the 20th century. Typically one-off versions of cameras were created for research purposes, and with great success. These generally took very similar forms from one iteration to the next, slowly evolving with the improvement in technology. By the 1950s cameras had become significantly smaller. Camera trap users were now innovating using video cameras that operated with a single frame at a time allowing the user to take hundreds of photos rather than just one. Additional innovations also included having thermometers and clocks within the camera’s frame so that one could know the time and temperature when the photo was taken; light beam sensors that when interrupted would capture a photo; addition of car batteries to allow for longer operation. All the while cameras were getting smaller and lighter to the point of using Polaroids in the 1980s.
A New Dawn
Despite the concept having been in use since the late 1800s, game cameras did not gain traction as a hunting tool until the 1980s and 90s when commercial products began to hit the market. A few products came before we began to see the modern concept of a trail camera take place.
Initially there were products like the Trailmaster 1500 which was a 2 piece infrared sensor that could be hooked up to a camera to take remote pictures; or the inexpensive Trail Timer which used a piece of string tied across a game trail that would trigger a clock and tell you the date, time and direction of travel but no picture. These technologies were eventually combined with a camera and placed in a housing to be sold commercially as game cameras.
Cuddeback was the first to market with a hunting game camera in 1989 and took the industry by storm. Original cameras had large D cell batteries and 35mm cameras with film that the user would need to develop. As other companies entered the market, the camera technology quickly evolved and digital options took over in the late 1990s. This allowed cameras to stay out longer and take more pictures. Moultrie, a big name in the hunting feeder also made an early entrance into the trail camera market and produced their first camera in 1998. It didn’t take long for the industry to take notice and other companies followed suit. Game cameras at this time still consisted of components pieced together into a product used by hunters. Stealth Cam marked their entrance to the market in 2000 with the first game camera that was built from the ground up as a complete product.
Since the year 2000, game camera technology has improved exponentially year after year. Many firsts are claimed by companies across the industry; the first digital user friendly switch interface by Stealth Cam in 2004; the first cellular capable game camera by Moultrie in 2007; the first high definition trail camera by Stealth Cam in 2009; the first camera capable of capturing picture, video, and timelapse by Stealth Cam in 2010; and the list goes on.
Today’s Camera Trap
It goes without saying that many of the initial designs and products were quite expensive. With the improvement in technology has come competition and affordability. Some cameras now capture HD photos and footage, have cellular capability, can fit in your pocket, and cost less than $200. The options are endless while the quality of content we are getting from the woods these days is getting better on a yearly basis. It leaves little to the imagination as to what is out there in the wild, but a lot of wonder about what next year’s technology might bring.
With the uptick in game camera use, along with it comes the fair chase debate. As an avid game camera user myself, I am not going to get into it here, but we are already well into an era of scrutiny when it comes to using these cameras in the woods. Regardless of what side of the argument you are on, it is fair to say that we haven’t seen the last of regulation changes surrounding their use. British Columbia has already outlawed the use of wireless trail cameras during hunting seasons and many states in the US are making similar changes.
If you aren’t currently using trail cameras you are definitely part of a shrinking segment of the hunting community. With access to this technology now easier than it has ever been it can nearly be regarded as a must have piece of kit. Whether you use one or not, you cannot deny that their presence has forever changed the forests and wild lands of North America.
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