Bushnell Trophy Cam HD Aggressor Low Glow Review

Bushnell Aggressor Low Glow Review

The Aggressor Low Glow continues to be a top pick of the wildlife research community and outdoor enthusiasts alike. The camera is insanely fast, durable, and dependable. The picture quality is frustrating, though. - TCP Staff

Model #11-9874C

Trophy Cam HD FAQ's

11-9874c Owner's Manual

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• 8.1-month battery life in picture mode
• Unbelievably fast detection circuit
• 80 ft. detection range
• Strong, durable case design

• Inconsistent picture quality
• Max of 15-second night videos

The Bushnell Aggressors have been one of the most popular game cameras for hunters, researchers, and wildlife observers for several years now. The 2017 Aggressor Low Glow is a red glow trail camera perfect for any outdoor wildlife use.

Picture Quality:

Photo resolution: 20 mpxl (interpolated)

Video resolution: 1920x1080 w/ audio

Flash Type: Red Glow IR

Day pictures haven't changed at all from last year. The picture quality is way too inconsistent and varies by the amount of sunlight present. When the lighting is good, the pictures are nearly perfect. Great color, depth, focus, and clarity. It checks all the boxes. In low light conditions, the pictures are dark. In bright sunlight, the pictures overexpose. This is exactly what we have seen in previous years and frustrates the heck out of us.

Night pictures look to be average. The night pictures can be adjusted in the Bushnell Trophy Cam HD 20mp Aggressor Low Glow camera's settings, however, the night flash isn't as bright as we would like. We have also seen some white-out photos, but they only appear to happen when the camera is set to the fastest recovery setting (0.6 seconds). When set to anything longer, the pictures are much better on close-up animals.

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Video quality is good during the day. The high-resolution HD videos offer good but inconsistent color, fluid motion, and above-average clarity. Audio seems to be realistic.

Night videos have noticeably brighter flash than the pictures. They do white-out up close when set to recover in 0.6 seconds. Outside of that, the night videos are top-notch.

Megapixel Ratings:

In the past, many people get confused with the megapixel rating trail camera manufacturers advertise. Companies inflate the mpxl rating to attract eyes to their products. They do this through interpolation, which digitally adds megapixels to a photo without actually improving the picture.

The best way to judge picture quality is to look at actual pictures. You will notice this the most when you zoom in on a full-size image that a camera has taken. The details of the photo will appear hazy or even digitized. This is normal, and to be expected.

Battery Life:

Picture & Video Resting Power (on): 0.84 mW

Picture Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 5.01 Ws | 5.68 Ws

Video Daytime/Nighttime Power Consumption: 25.48 Ws | 131.42 Ws

Picture power consumption is very efficient. Video power consumption could use improvements.

The Aggressor does not work with rechargeable batteries (the rechargeable batteries operate too close to the cutoff voltage).

Picture Mode

If this camera were to take 35-day and 35-night pictures every 24 hours, the Trophy Cam Low Glow would last 8.1 months in the field on a set of 8 AA Lithium Batteries. This is very solid battery life.

Video Mode

If this camera were to take 15-day and 15-night videos (10-second videos) every 24 hours, it would last 1.5 months in the field on a set of lithium batteries. This is below average.

Detection Circuit:

Picture Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.15 s. / 0.98 s. *

Video Trigger & Recovery Speed: 0.73 s. / 1.8 s.

Detection Range & Angle: 80 ft. | 43.9° (35° F.O.V)

Trigger speed for both picture and video mode are outstanding. Very fast and easily captures speedy animals.

* Recovery time in picture mode is a bit quirky. When the camera is set to recover at its lowest setting (0.6 seconds), the recovery time fluctuates and is not consistent.

• 1.200 s.
• 1.131 s.
• 0.735 s.
• 0.666 s.
• 1.335 s.
• 0.597 s.
• 1.434 s.
• 0.768 s.
• 0.66 s.
• 1.292 s.

Is this a big deal? No. We just want to point this out to make you aware of it. We have made Bushnell aware of this and at this time, they do not have plans on correcting this.

Detection range is 80 ft. in 2018. Keep in mind, with these speeds, you will get some empty frames as the detection zone is slightly wider than the field of view. This is a small price to pay for an unbelievable detection circuit.

Quality of Design:

Dimensions: 5.75" x 4.25" x 3"

Battery Type: 8 AA Batteries

External Battery Jack: 12-Volt

Case Design

The Aggressor case design is excellent. The latch is big, strong, and works perfectly with cold fingers. The camera feels great in our hands. This is a well-thought-out case design.

There is a python bracket on the back for the popular cable lock and there are two 1/4" x 20 threaded inserts, on the back and bottom, on the camera.

Camera Setup

The camera keeps the popular setting options like AM/PM/24 hr mode, adjustable flash settings, and adjustable sensitivity. Night videos are maxed at 15 seconds.

In 2017, Bushnell added quick-set modes of Feeder, Trail and Food Plot to the setting options. We have always believed preset setting modes are unnecessary.

If programming specific video length times doesn't affect you, the Bushnell Aggressor is easy to setup. Whether you are a first-time trail user or an experienced veteran, you shouldn't have an issue getting the camera up and running.

SD Card Storage Examples

With an 8 Gig SD card and the camera taking 8 mpxl photos (called HD photos in the settings), the Aggressor Low Glow could store 1,711 pictures on the SD card.

With an 8 Gig SD card and the camera taking 1920x1080 videos, the Aggressor could store 571 10-second videos.

From this data, you can extrapolate out storage capacities of different sized SD cards and different resolution settings. We give you an 8 Gig SD card with the purchase of this camera through us. If you need additional or larger SD cards, you can shop all SD card options here.

Durability

Bushnell trail cameras remain one of our more durable brands. As always, we will update this review if any defect becomes a trend.

With high definition videos, incredible speed, and good picture battery life; the Bushnell Aggressor checks nearly every box. However, the inconsistent picture quality is maddening and disappointed us.

Enjoy our reviews? Please consider purchasing your next trail camera from us.

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FAQ's: Bushnell Trophy Cam HD 20 MP Low Glow

Q: How do I view the pictures?

A: There are a number of ways to do this. Pictures/videos are stored on the SD card you place in the camera.

• View pictures on your computer. Plug the SD card in a desktop computer or laptop via the built-in SD card reader or use a USB reader if your computer doesn't have one. This method works for most tablets as well. With this method, we recommend having two SD cards per camera so you can swap them in the field.
• View pictures on your smartphone. Choose between the iOS Reader for iPhones and the Android Reader. Phone readers require an app to access the photos, you can read more about these via the previous links.
• Trail Camera Viewers. While more expensive, handheld viewers are useful if you don't have a smartphone or run multiple trail cameras.

Q: Will this trail camera trigger on small animals (birds, rodents, etc.)?

A: Trail cameras detect on a combination of heat and movement, so, yes, small mammals will trigger the camera. However, if you are going after smaller warm-blooded mammals, we recommend getting the camera closer to your target. For best performance, place the camera in an area that would enable picture detection from 3 - 20 ft.

Q: Can animals see the infrared flash on this camera?

A: Yes. This is a red glow trail camera, meaning it has a faint red glow when taking pictures or videos at night. Humans and animals can see this if looking at the camera. This does not "light up" the woods, though. Bushnell refers to this as "Low Glow."

Q: Where can I purchase this camera?

A: From us! We hope to woo you with our incredible charm, two-year warranty, 90-day returns, free continental U.S. shipping, and technical expertise. If that isn't enough, we give you an 16 Gig SD card with this camera and you can call and talk our ear off anytime.

Seriously, though, we know you have plenty of options of where to spend your hard-earned money. The internet can be the wild, wild, west of too-good-to-be-true deals. If you choose to do business with us, we will go out of our way to make sure you are happy with the camera you select and the service we provide you.

We are passionate about testing and reviewing trail cameras, but most importantly, we are passionate about treating our customers the right way. We do things differently from what you have come to expect from other internet retailers and we hope you give us the opportunity to prove that to you.

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