The Invaluable Trail Camera

Later, in the early 90’s I used small single-event string timers to help determine when and where game animals traveled. These string timers are still available today. They are light, small, simple to set up, and best of all, inexpensive. Although these simple devices are handy they leave much to the imagination. Was it a bear, deer or coyote? A buck or doe – who knows?

In recent years the market has been flooded with a variety of commercially manufactured trail cameras aimed specifically for hunting purposes. I’m not going to get into a buyer’s guide here because that would be a huge undertaking. Instead, I will share some information, tips, and considerations gained over the past several years while deploying several trail cameras year-round.

Often you hear the word “addicting” associated with trail cameras, and for good reason. With each new set-up the waiting and anticipation can be maddening, especially when you’ve set up on a hot wallow, churned up trail, or a tucked away feed area.  It’s exciting and for many hunters it’s a way to keep your head in the game all year long.

But before you run out and buy a trail or game camera, as they are commonly called, you need to decide what your budget is and what level of performance you’re after. For example, do you want five inexpensive cameras out there capturing low-resolution photos of game simply to inform your hunting strategies or do you want one camera that shoots high-resolution photos and video with exquisite clarity and detail? Do you have $100 or $500 to spend? Infrared or white flash? Answering these questions ahead of time will help you narrow the field of choices.

A great resource in researching the variety of makes and models is provided by Trailcampro.com. See the 2009 Trailcam Shootout. Trailcampro.com has tested a selection of cameras every year since 2006 for performance metrics of image quality, trigger speed, motion sensor detection, and other notable features. You can view the results for all previous years as well. It’s worth your time to review their data before purchasing any trail camera, new or used.

As I mentioned above, I am not going to explore the myriad of commercial offerings here. I will say there are many great units available covering a wide range of price and performance preferences. Several companies offer systems that send photos directly to your cell phone as they are captured in the woods, such as the SmartScouter™ Cellular Surveillance System. Talk about instant gratification!

There are dozens of web sites dedicated to the design and construction of homebrew trail cameras, and several sites offering turn-key circuit boards, controller boards, and other specialized components ready for you to assemble. Most require that you purchase a digital camera but they do provide schematics and instructions on performing the wiring modifications needed for each camera supported by their circuit boards.

In short, if you are mechanically inclined and have a steady hand to perform minimal intricate soldering, you can build a high-quality 8.0 MP trail camera for around $150. If you’re interested to learn more or take on a new project, here are a few notable sites worth checking out:

Hag’s House

Many people claim that the br
ight white flash from a trailcam is enough to run a reclusive buck out of the area. So, they opt for an infrared (IR) unit instead. I have used both extensively and can say with 100% certainty based on my experience that the white flash has little to no effect on deer behavior, or any animal for that matter. I have discussed this topic with many veteran trailcam fanatics and they all report the same conclusion. When choosing a camera, rest assured that you can light up the eyeballs on a Booner buck repeatedly without worry of spooking him. Deer and elk rely largely on their sense of smell to determine danger, so while the bright flash may be annoying, it’s not viewed as a threat to their safety. I have thousands of photos of bears, deer, and elk at point blank range to back up my claim.

Heading out into the woods with your trailcam is always fun and filled with anticipation. But before you hastily strap your camera to a tree and walk away, there are some key considerations to address.

I chose this lumpy maple to disguise my camera. Unless you are looking for it, it blends in pretty well.

Security – The first and most important factor in where you set up is security. Never assume “nobody will go into this hole” because they will, and they do. And it’s quite possible that the next time you return to check your camera, it will be gone. It happens every day, and when it happened to me – on private land no less – I was ‘road-rage’ angry. My homebrew IR camera was full of bull elk photos because I didn’t swap the memory card during the previous check. Not only did I lose my camera but I was robbed of all my scouting effort which was much more valuable than the replacement cost of the trail camera itself.

I can’t stress enough the importance of hiding your cameras well and avoiding easy view or physically access locations. They will be found and stolen. It’s sad, but it’s a fact you need to deal with.

I always secure my cameras to trees with Master Python locks because they are simple to use and difficult to cut. I hang my cameras on large diameter trees only and cover with them moss or other vegetation to hide them well. There are after-market lock-boxes out there but most are made of thin-gauge sheetmetal that aren’t worth a hoot, in my opinion. I know a guy who is building some nice heavy-duty boxes for the Moultrie D40 and Game Spy 5.0 models. For around $50, they are a great buy.

The Sun – Bright sunlight can cause false triggers and fill up memory cards with white over-exposed photos. It’s a real let-down after a three week soak in the woods to discover a card full of white photos.

When choosing a tree to hang my camera I always look up to evaluate the sun’s trajectory across the sky and aim my camera north to northeast with plenty of shade trees around. Regardless of the time of year, you need to avoid prolonged periods of direct sunlight on your trail camera. If you do this, you’ll never get false triggers from the sun.

Weather – Extreme cold or heat can cause performance issues with some trail cameras. I have had my homebrews (Sony cameras) out in 15-30 degree weather for weeks and never experienced a performance issue. My commercial models don’t perform as well. My guess is the camera unit itself isn’t as high-quality as the Sony consumer-grade cameras I have in my homebrews.

So be aware of the weather forecast and decide if you want your camera to tough it out or take a break until milder weather returns. I’ve never had an issue with rain with any of my cameras. The homebrews are built inside Pelican waterproof cases, and they are very dependable if you do your part to seal the modifications well.

Positioning – I try to hang my cameras between three and four feet from the ground and roughly 10’ from where I expect the camera to be triggered by an animal. I look closely at the angle of the camera as it’s cinched up against the tree trunk and shim it as needed with small sticks to ensure it’s aimed correctly. I also set up at 30-45 degree angle from the trail so the motion sensor picks up movement in time for the camera to snap the photo. My homebrew cameras have exceptional timing but I’ve found that setting up 90 degrees to a trail often results in tail or rump photos unless you set up further away. By setting up at an angle, you increase your odds for some great full frame photos.

Settings – Most all cameras have settings for multiple shots, delays, video or still photos, etc. Again, it all depends on what you want with your set up. If you’re set up on a feed area and you can’t check your camera for a full month or more, you’re better off setting your camera on a 3-5 minute delay so you don’t fill up your memory card with the same doe and fawns feeding along. However, if you are able to check your cameras weekly or even bi-weekly, you can be more liberal in your settings provided you have a large memory card. I typically use 512MB or 1GB in my 3.2 MP homebrew, 2GB in my 4.0MP cameras, and a 4GB in my 8.0 MP camera. With the cost of flash memory on the steady decline, you can pick up memory cards pretty inexpensively. I often buy from Surplus Computers and have found their prices to be exceptionally low. Their customer service is great too.