Trail Camera Placement Tips

[MRockwell]

I got a couple trail cameras, first time using them.

I was wondering if any of you who have been using them for awhile could give some tips on placement.

What height is best to catch four-legged, as well as two-legged critters?
I have them set for 3-burst shots with 15 second refresh rate. Will that work well?
How far apart should I mount the cameras from each other? NOTE: one of my main uses right now is to monitor if trespasser is coming onto the property.
I am using 32GB memory cards, which should be sufficient for now.

Any other tips would be helpful.
Thanks

 

[bocefus78]

2 legged critters who tresspass only see the camera once then the camera disappears. For this reason they need to be mounted above 10 feet pointed down to stay away from eye level. Use a stick to prop the top of camera away from trunk of tree to adjust your downward angle. If they aren't black flash cams (invisible flash) turn off the flash as your trespassing neighbor will see the flash.

For general placement, I prefer pointing the cam North if possible to avoid any washout from the sun...cam lens gets least amount of sun this way.

The cams click so don't be surprised if deer are spooked by it...your mature deer won't tolerate this for long and will avoid the location. Another reason I like higher location for mounting...keeps the click away from ear level.

I like to have a no tresspass sign or other visual distraction/ object in view of and in pics of said camera to do two things:

Gives trespassers something to look at besides your cam
Shows property line or location on pictures to prove people are over the line.

Get creative...a certain pile of sticks. A rock. A pink toilet. Anything works

Make sure field of view is cleared of small branches and whatnot that the wind will make trigger your cam.

.

 

[trailrider]

I recommend lock boxes if you suspect trespassers. Nothing worse than a stolen trail cam to confirm suspicions of trespassers.

 

[MRockwell]

Thanks bocefus78. The cameras I got are G42NG, no visible flash and I cannot hear shutter click(played with them last night to see how the night shots are).

Thanks for the tip on branches and height. I bought a masterlock python, but as we know locks only keep honest folks honest.


*edit: I picked up some blaze orange no tresspassing/no hunting signs from Menards(50 pack on clearance!) and plan on putting one right in front of the blind that is sitting on the property line. This should be attention enough.

 

[455 Beretta]

Set out a dummy camera (broken) in easy view, and set the real camera up high aimed at the dummy cam.

As for wildlife, lower is better than higher. Also, if aimed at a trail, aim it downtrail or at a 30-45 degree angle, because perpendicular may trigger a missed shot.

Also, even if you only have one cam, number it clearly on the exterior so the theif assumes there are others that caught a pic.

 

[trailrider]

Thanks bocefus78. The cameras I got are G42NG, no visible flash and I cannot hear shutter click(played with them last night to see how the night shots are).

Thanks for the tip on branches and height. I bought a masterlock python, but as we know locks only keep honest folks honest.


*edit: I picked up some blaze orange no tresspassing/no hunting signs from Menards(50 pack on clearance!) and plan on putting one right in front of the blind that is sitting on the property line. This should be attention enough.

You're getting good advice on here. Nothing more frustrating than sorting through dozens of pics of branches/weeds blowing in the wind. Locks are much harder to cut than cable. I went with steel lock boxes a few years ago. Cables will certainly help. Good luck and enjoy checking your cameras!

 

[phylodog]

Not much else to add to the conversation here, great advice thus far. We typically try to put cameras where deer trails intersect to maximize the possibility of getting pics of the deer.

 

[MRockwell]

Set out a dummy camera (broken) in easy view, and set the real camera up high aimed at the dummy cam.

As for wildlife, lower is better than higher. Also, if aimed at a trail, aim it downtrail or at a 30-45 degree angle, because perpendicular may trigger a missed shot.

Also, even if you only have one cam, number it clearly on the exterior so the theif assumes there are others that caught a pic.

Unfortunately, don't have a dummy camera, but that sounds like a good distractor.
I have been playing with the camera in the house, pointed into the dining room from the kitchen. My Vizsla is only in the pictures where she is away from the cam. And even then she is blurry, LOL Vizsla owners will understand.

I did number each camera, and put my initials on them...on the back, and on the inside.

 

[Leadeye]

All good advice. I place a camera off trail where I put my mineral supplement blocks. It's away from everything and gives you a pretty good idea of any deer in the local area as they will all use the block.

 

[MRockwell]

You're getting good advice on here. Nothing more frustrating than sorting through dozens of pics of branches/weeds blowing in the wind. Locks are much harder to cut than cable. I went with steel lock boxes a few years ago. Cables will certainly help. Good luck and enjoy checking your cameras!

Yes, I appreciate all the advice. I go through the Trail Camera Favorites thread, and have gleaned some knowledge as to how the cams are taking the pictures(direction pointed, etc.).

I did a search and couldn't find any other threads, so figured starting one could help others in my situation. Gotta love INGO!

 

[MRockwell]

Not much else to add to the conversation here, great advice thus far. We typically try to put cameras where deer trails intersect to maximize the possibility of getting pics of the deer.

The small woods where I hunt doesn't have much traffic through the woods, but I see plenty of tracks in the field around it. I am hoping next year I will have a place to hunt that has a lot more traffic, thus another "reason" to get game cameras.

All good advice. I place a camera off trail where I put my mineral supplement blocks. It's away from everything and gives you a pretty good idea of any deer in the local area as they will all use the block.

I have seen your pictures in the Trail Camera Favorites thread, as well as some of the trespassers in other threads. I have studied your pics to get an idea of how they are set to get the best pictures. Thanks.

 

[mom45]

If your goal is to capture images of trespassers, I would suggest upping the photo burst to 7 or 9. It won't impact your battery life and you have a much better chance of getting more/clearer photos.

 

[Restroyer]

The cams click so don't be surprised if deer are spooked by it...your mature deer won't tolerate this for long and will avoid the location. Another reason I like higher location for mounting...keeps the click away from ear level.

.

Thanks bocefus78. The cameras I got are G42NG, no visible flash and I cannot hear shutter click(played with them last night to see how the night shots are).


I have that same camera as well as a lot of Bushnells. That clicking sound will NOT scare deer away. I use videos on mine and check them weekly and I have the same deer week after week for the past several years. They actually get used to the cameras. Probably once a week their will be a closeup of the deer licking the camera or smelling it. The camera you have is somewhat detectable by deer at night but they will typically just stare at it. The Bushnells that I have are not detectable at night except for coyotes tend to see them and seem to be the only critter that is scared when they turn on.

 

[two70]

The human scent left on and around trail cameras is more likely to alarm the deer than anything to do with the camera itself.

 

[mom45]

I think the deer here are intrigued by our scent. They walk up to the cameras and sniff them and lick them and don't seem bothered at all by it.

 

[two70]

I think the deer here are intrigued by our scent. They walk up to the cameras and sniff them and lick them and don't seem bothered at all by it.

Deer often seem to be pretty curious, especially where scent is concerned. In your yard where they regularly encounter human scent and have probably learned to associate it with food, I'm sure they are much more intrigued than alarmed by it. In the woods, where they infrequently encounter human scent the response can be different, especially where the hunting pressure is significant. I run trail cameras in two different areas, one where the hunting pressure is intense and another where it is much less so. In the heavily hunted area, I rarely see deer sniffing/licking cameras and even when it does happen it is almost never during hunting season. On the less pressured area sniffing/licking cameras is fairly common even during hunting season, though it seems to be exclusively does and young bucks.

 

[Restroyer]

Deer often seem to be pretty curious, especially where scent is concerned. In your yard where they regularly encounter human scent and have probably learned to associate it with food, I'm sure they are much more intrigued than alarmed by it. In the woods, where they infrequently encounter human scent the response can be different, especially where the hunting pressure is significant. I run trail cameras in two different areas, one where the hunting pressure is intense and another where it is much less so. In the heavily hunted area, I rarely see deer sniffing/licking cameras and even when it does happen it is almost never during hunting season. On the less pressured area sniffing/licking cameras is fairly common even during hunting season, though it seems to be exclusively does and young bucks.

Our wooded acreage and the surrounding land is heavily hunted area and the deer are not turned off by our cameras or the scent on them. Now scent control for hunting and collecting photos from trail cameras are two different things. Scent control for hunting is important because our scent is more intense, present, and immediate and obviously will scare deer. Scent control on trail cameras is older and not as intense and the deer as you say are curious.

 

[Restroyer]

If your goal is to capture images of trespassers, I would suggest upping the photo burst to 7 or 9. It won't impact your battery life and you have a much better chance of getting more/clearer photos.

Definitely agree - good advice. When I moved to my current residence 4 years ago we put trail cameras several acres deep in the woods because we wanted to see what kind of wildlife we had. One of the first photos I got was of a woman carrying a baby deep in the woods. She had flip flops on with mud up to her ankles, a long leg tatoo with daisy duke shorts and a white blouse. She was carrying a baby with only a diaper on during an extremely hot September day. Her face happened to be turned the other way so we could only tell she had blonde hair. She had no idea she was on camera. Being new on the road I asked a few of the neighbors who had lived here for years if they knew her but no one recognized her. She had to cross a boggy swampy area to get there (I found her tracks) but then they disappeared on the dry ground. Very weird and kind of creepy. I have never seen her since on my cameras but I wished I had it on burst photo then instead of single so I could have gotten a better pic of her face. We now have our cameras on video and have gotten other trespassers on it but not her.

 

[Restroyer]

Few pics of animals this year who either like my cameras or do not notice them:

 

[mom45]

Deer often seem to be pretty curious, especially where scent is concerned. In your yard where they regularly encounter human scent and have probably learned to associate it with food, I'm sure they are much more intrigued than alarmed by it. In the woods, where they infrequently encounter human scent the response can be different, especially where the hunting pressure is significant. I run trail cameras in two different areas, one where the hunting pressure is intense and another where it is much less so. In the heavily hunted area, I rarely see deer sniffing/licking cameras and even when it does happen it is almost never during hunting season. On the less pressured area sniffing/licking cameras is fairly common even during hunting season, though it seems to be exclusively does and young bucks.

I've observed the same behaviors at least a half mile from where I feed the deer. We don't hunt the deer on our property at this point due to the numbers being so much lower than they used to be. We actively hunt coyotes instead for now.

I have cameras all over our 95 acres and move them around as needed when they are not picking up any activity. I check the ones close to the house far more often than the ones that are placed farther out.

Maybe the deer are just very accustomed to human scent because so many houses have invaded their habitat. I see them in people's yards all the time. We've had them walk up the steps to our deck and walking up the sidewalk to the house in the past. They haven't learned to ring the doorbell or yell at the door to be fed like the cats at least.