Bernie Barringer is an avid big game hunter, and his YouTube channel Bowhunting Road is filled with solid how-to information for targeting whitetails, black bears and more. Barringer recently posted a 6-minute video explaining how he chooses the best batteries for trail cameras.

Like Barringer, I’ve been running trail cams for decades, and while I haven’t bit the bullet and purchased expensive lithium batteries for my trail cams, I always purchased name-brand alkaline AAs such as Duracell Coppertops. I figured “you get what you pay for,” so every year I fill my cameras with Coppertops. According to Barringer, however, I’ve been fooled.

Spoiler alert: In the video below, Barringer claims that the only difference between Duracell Coppertops and Costco Kirkland Signature AA alkaline batteries is product labeling and price. I immediately hit the internet to research and confirm his claim, and best I can tell, he’s correct.

In an interview, Costco CEO Craig Jelinek revealed that his company’s Kirkland Signature AA batteries are made by Duracell. Now, that doesn’t automatically mean the two alkaline batteries are identical. There’s a chance Duracell is building a lesser-quality battery for Costco. However, the king in non-biased product reporting and testing, Consumer Reports, has published studies showing Kirkland Signature AA batteries have performed just as well as Duracell Coppertops and other well-known brands, for far less money.

How much less? A quick visit to Costco’s website shows that a 48-pack of AA Kirkland Signature batteries is $16.99 (or 35 cents a battery), whereas a 40 pack of AA Duracell Coppertops is $17.99 (or 45 cents a battery). I’ll do the math for you: Coppertops are costing you — and me! — nearly 29 percent more.

If you run trail cams for turkeys, you might want to consider filling those cameras with Kirkland Signature AAs this spring instead of the more expensive Duracell Coppertops. This summer and fall, I plan to make that change when scouting for whitetails.