A lot of people today love to explore the outdoors. Whether you love observing animals or you love to hunt, there are many things that you can do in the wild. Because of this, a lot of people have invested in trail cameras.
Trail cameras can do wonders in documenting animals in the wild. This type of device is known for its sturdy design and ability to adapt to both day and night conditions.
Knowing where to place the trail camera and having the ability to place the camera in the right spot can mean the difference between great images, videos, and lost opportunities. There is no question that this can be considered trial and error.
However, it is also possible to minimize the mistake and give you the best shots that your camera can actually take.
Taking photos and videos of deer is usually the most common use of game cameras. However, keep in mind that strategies differ depending on the time of the year. By having the right strategy, you exponentially increase the chances of capturing a buck or doe on camera.
If you are a bit lost when it comes to how you should approach trail camera placement, here are some tips and strategies that you can use. We made this trail camera placement guide easy to understand in order to allow even beginners to get the results that they wanted to have.
We will be breaking down different strategies based on different conditions. Some of these have been used by seasoned hunters and biologists observing deer population within a particular area.
If you are a bit lost when it comes to how you should approach trail camera placement, here are some tips and strategies that you can use. We made this trail camera placement guide easy to understand in order to allow even beginners to get the results that they wanted to have.
We will be breaking down different strategies based on different conditions. Some of these have been used by seasoned hunters and biologists observing deer population within a particular area.
Summer Strategies
One of the things that you will need to understand is that summer is an ideal season setting up your camera and observing animals on trails. One of the best ways on how you can get the best results is to make use of food. During summer, the primary concern of a deer is to feed. If you plan on getting them on camera, be sure to stick to having a bait to get their attention.
You can make use of food but don’t forget to take a closer look at the regulations in a particular area. It is possible that some places won’t allow the use of bait since it could potentially disrupt animal movement.
If you suspect an area to have some deer traffic, you can pour in half of an ice cream pail of stock salt. Make sure to spade it into the loosened soil.
For setting up the camera, you want to make use of trees. In addition to this, the distance should be at least 10 feet away from the lick.
It is also a good idea to consider a water source to spot animals, especially at night. A lot of outdoor enthusiasts, unfortunately, miss out this detail. What you can do is to check potential areas where animals usually stay. And most likely, it is either for food or for water.
You also want to track the trail in advance and see where the best place is to set up your camera. Consider planning the best vantage point where you can get the best angle.
Early Spring
During early spring, salt is still the name of the game to attract dear to go to the route you are setting up. Aside from minerals, you can also make introduce an intruder into an area in order to get the attention of bucks. You can be done by using some licking branch along with natural pre-orbital gland secretions.
You can also check the doe bedding areas and start mineral sites in these areas. Pinch points, as well as funnels that lead the deer towards the salt block, should also be considered. Field edges can also be a potentially great place to start if you are located in an agricultural area.
Early Fall /Fall
If you are going to observe the movement of a deer during early fall or during fall, keep in mind that there is already a difference on how these animals choose to move in the wild. If you think of setting up the camera in the same areas as the ones you used during the summer, then you won’t get the same results.
Keep in mind that there will already be changes in animal behavior at this point. And it is mainly due to the location of food and water in the wild. As leaves are falling, deer make use of acorn as an alternative source of food.
In addition to this, you can also expect deer to have an increased testosterone level. It ultimately means that there will be changes in the movement of the animal.
As rule of thumb, be sure that you are going to be familiar with the different food types that are going to appear on the trail. Check the travel routes and staging areas in order to see deer movement. Expect as well that there is a lot of movement in the dark from this kind of animal.
Rut/Pre-rut
During the mating and pre-mating season of deer, sheep, camels, and other ruminant animals, it is important that you take a closer look at how they move and how they change in behavior. A buck will most likely try to find a suitable mate. In fact, expect that a buck is going to show signs of aggression.
You can expect more movement in secluded areas of the woods given the reality that they want to avoid the pressure from other bucks that are considered competitors. One rule in trail camera placement during this season is to set up on your entry and exit route. This way, you can always check the footages and decide if the area is actually worth checking or not.
Also, remember that the one that you want to check is buck movement during mating season. You may want to set up the camera 45 degrees looking into the trail. You have to expect that the bucks move quickly through the funnels. You also want to check the camera if it really traces the movement from the angle that you have set up.
Winter
During winter or post-run season, expect that the urge of deer is more likely over and their focus goes back to searching for food. It is a good idea to go back to old trails wherein food is usually found. However, it also doesn’t hurt if you could still set up a few cameras on areas where you saw a concentration of deer population during the mating season. In fact, there might still be some buck with increased testosterone level looking for a mate even during this time. Be sure to observe the footages that you see every now and then in order to confirm if the area during the rut can still be useful.
During this time of the year, you also want to check areas such as clear-cuts and grain fields since these are common areas where the animals are usually going for food. Place the camera within 30 feet of the heaviest traffic area. You also want to make sure that you load fresh batteries especially if you are going to work in a very cold area.
If you are going to observe these animals during the summer, it is also a good idea to be observant to what your camera is going to pick up. This can tell you more about the deer population as well as other animals in the area. You will also see their ratio. All this can be sued especially during summer.
It helps if you are going to bring a tripod if you decide to set up the camera in a bushy area. You also want to camouflage the camera in order to avoid it from getting noticed by animals. You also want to set up and check the camera during midday in order to avoid any possibility of spooking the animals feeding on the trail.
Final words
Getting the best results on trail camera can be frustrating at times. In reality, there are really no fixed strategies that you can use in order to capture a deer on your camera. However, this guide can help increase your chances of getting a photo of a deer based on their attitude depending on the season. Understanding their behavior is part of what makes it possible for you to get the best shots.
You also have to bring a decent number of reliable game cameras if you want to get the best results. There are multiple trails that you might encounter when you go outdoors. And in order to determine the best route, you might want to simultaneously set up on different trails to make sure that you capture their movement wherever the deer decides to move.
You will also need to be prepared to have some accessories that go with your camera. Be sure to bring straps and even a tripod to make sure that you can set the camera on a tree or on bushes. And of course, don’t forget to bring batteries to power all the cameras to make sure that everything is going to be running smoothly.
