every year i have to replace mine.what gives

what brand camera's are you using ?
I normally get several yrs out of mine

next question is, HOW are you transporting them to and from places you install them
as I do know folks that have had issue's with letting then ride in /on atv's and UTV's and the vibrations have beat them up!

next is, whwn you check camera's do you swap SD cards, or reuse the same one over and over!
I have had issue's yrs back with camera's going goofy, after NOT using the same SD card/s , it seems to screw with them for some reason
so, I now keep 2 sd cards for each cam and number them, and ONLY use the same two cards in each camera
been running cams since the late 90's, this has been my experience, but I always get more than a few yrs out of my camera's now!
I even have some super cheap Tasco's (25 bucks each) that are going on a second yr running 24 7
and still working great! easy 25,000 pic's off the one so far too !

What are the symptoms?

Wont Power On ?
Won't save photos to SD card ?

What happens with a new SD card and new batteries when you switch to SET up mode ?

I wrap mine in towel when I ride out and with clothes when driving distances.

1 year is junk unless you are hard on them.
I have Moultrie and wild game. One of my wild game seems to be eating batteries.

Keep the sun (shrinks gasket), rain and snow off the camera body, especially entry-level cameras, moisture wreaks havoc on the electronics. Try covering the camera to shed water away from the front crevices and gasket area. Lubricate the gasket with some Vaseline, check the gasket is sealing properly. Put desiccant pack inside the battery area.

Not saying those are not good to do. But I strap mine to trees and leave for months.

As for earlir post, and SD cards. I have twice as many SD cards as cameras. I do not keep track of which uses what. What every card I grab first goes in whatever camera I am at.