Trail Cameras

[Crappyrunner]

New to the Elk 101 site today after listings Corey Jacobson speak today in Boise and very excited for this site. I'm looking to move hunting units from 31 (due to way to many hunters) to McCall/Riggins area to do some back country hunting. I plan on putting out 2 cameras this late spring and would like some tips on how to better locate the camera in the back country. Game trails and water holes is what comes to mind for me. Does anyone else have any thoughts on how they figure where to put them.

Second question what cameras seam to work best for you?

Thanks
Jacob R. 

 

[ribo451]

We use the bushnell trophy cams. They work well and are relatively cheap so if one walks off it's not a huge loss.

I prefer to set my cameras on water holes or wallows. Setting up on trails is ok but I like an area that will attract a lot of animals from all directions. If you set it up on a trail make sure to set it looking up or down the trail. Not across it. You will probably get a lot of photos of animal butts if it's looking straight across.

I like to put my cameras on water with a one minute delay between photos and set it to one exposure per trigger. I used to set it for more but would often end up with lots of photos of the same deer or elk standing in one spot drinking and would fill my camera up quickly.

I once set out a camera and left it for 6 weeks. When I retrieved it it had filled up in the first three days with elk pictures. Now I put in as big of a memory card as my camera will hold and fill it with high quality batteries. If I am going to hike miles back to set up a camera I don't want it filling up too quickly.

I also recommend getting a lock box for your camera. Not just for thieves but also for bears. We put lag screws through the back of our camera boxes and then put on a snake lock and a padlock. If it's hard enough for someone to steal I hope they will go away. The lag screw work well for keeping bears from moving the camera. They seem to like to investigate them. I also spray the camera with scent killer to try to keep animals from knowing it's there.

And the last thing I would recommend is making sure your camera has infrared for night time photos. Most cameras come with that now. I had an older camera that had a traditional flash on it. I was getting a lot of photos of some whitetail bucks on some private property my boss owned. I got one photo of a bucks face right against the camera. The next photo he had backed away from the camera. And that was the last photo I ever got of him. I think the flash spooked him off the property.

 

[montanaelk31]

I put my cams in Aug1 til August 30 (illegal to have cameras out during the season here). I buy $50 Walmart infared Tasco or Bushnell.  Great photos, very reliable, cheap. Large SD cards and 1 exposure every minute.  I put my cameras high enough so the elk wont mess with them much, but they sure are interested in them.  I like waterholes (later on these will be wallows)  and known high traffic elk trails.  Place on the north side of trees to keep the sun from being an issue.  Strap them tight, tight! if the elk see the camera, they are going to mess with them.  My favorite locations are known trails that cross creeks.  Elk almost always stop for a drink then move along quickly. The problem with waterholes is same elk over and over. 
Good Luck

 

[Packn]

I have also had good luck with the Bushnell Tropht Cams. Had 5 of them a couple years ago. Had one fail after about 5 years of use, had a bear put a tooth through a lense on one and lost my first one to a thief this week. They are very easy to work with. I don't like to miss a thing so mine are set to take 3 pics every 6 seconds when triggered. It does mean a lot of sorting but it's part of the fun. I like mine to face north also and try to keep them protected. Very seldom do I put them on a tree or post in the wide open. Busy trails, water holes and saddles are all good.

 

[mandrroofing]

Hey guys,any thoughts on the plotwatcher for meadows?Being able to see a larger area might be a good way to see times and trails and elk in the area.Thoughts?

 

[montanaelk31]

Hey guys,any thoughts on the plotwatcher for meadows?Being able to see a larger area might be a good way to see times and trails and elk in the area.Thoughts?

Only problem I see with this technique is the possibility of multiple exposures of moo cows and deer, a lot of that in my area.