Trail Camera Setup Tips

[student]

I have been struggling to get good pictures with my trail camera. Either the sun blurs out the picture or the wind triggers the camera. What are some of your setup techniques for getting good pictures from a trail camera. I am using a Wildgame Innovations IR4C. Thanks.

[mnguy152]

First off have it pointing down a trail. Next have the camera facing north. And avoid having it east or west becuse the morning or eveing sun will trigger it to. and also having a salt bock at the spot helps too. but rember no baiting like corn beans or something else like that

[sticknstring]

Like mentioned, avoid sunrise/sunset directions. Make sure vegetation that can move in the wind is removed in front of the sensor. You'll get some false triggers and whiteouts from time to time. It's normal and happens with most models on occasion.

[PerchJerker]

I agree on not having pointing into the sunrise or sunset, it will be hard to see the photos and the heat from the sun could trigger the camera.

Also, make sure you're mounting the camera on a big enough tree that it won't blow in the wind, and make sure you prune away any surrounding branches that could blow in front of the camera and trigger it.

And, make sure you're set up so the deer will be close enough to the camera. I like putting them on trails or narrow funnel areas, trying to get the deer 10-20 feet away from the camera. I don't usually put my cameras over deer blocks or mineral sites, but you can and it's a good way to get a lot of photos.

[hockeybc69]

My primary is mineral sites.

The deer stay for a while so you get multiple pics/angles.

With that said, I do also put some on trails, but I do that as fall gets closer.

Over the summer I am not too concerned how they are getting area to area. Just more interested in whats around, and mineral sites are great for lots of pics.

Fall comes, and I move off some mineral sites and go to trails. Point the cam at a 30 to45 degree angle down the trail. Gives the cam time to sense movement, and take a pic.

If you point it straight down the trail, you might end up with pics of a deer too far away at night to see much of anything. Pointing it directly across the trail for a broadside view, a lot of cameras might not get the deer in the full frame due to camera warm up and time to snap the pic.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I just put in my order for 4 Moultrie D50's and should have them on Thursday. This has been a great post so far. Could I get some more of the basic tips everyone has learned, so that I can "skip" the learning curve, so to speak.

[sticknstring]

Get a bunch of memory cards and a viewer/reader and be prepared for the addiction of waiting to check your trail cameras. My hands start shaking if I go more than 5 days before checking cards. Is that bad?

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I picked up 8 4gb cards thinking that 2 per camera would be nice and convenient.

What are people doing for batteries? Cheapies, Duracells, or rechargeables?

[tunrevir]

I use rechargeables at home here but retro fitted some of my cameras with gel cell batteries at the cabin which seems to work out well but it is a bit of monkeying around to get them set up right.

Tunrevir~

[Boar]

I go with coppertops an get quite few days outa them

[mabr]

Get a bunch of memory cards and a viewer/reader and be prepared for the addiction of waiting to check your trail cameras. My hands start shaking if I go more than 5 days before checking cards. Is that bad?

Wow does that sound familiar. Ive got one right now IM DYING to check. But 2 more days.

Its like Christmas everytime.

[mnhunter79]

I use a 12 volt vexilar style battery with the power cord and waterproof box. lasts for a long time.

[Random guy]

I picked up 8 4gb cards thinking that 2 per camera would be nice and convenient.

What are people doing for batteries? Cheapies, Duracells, or rechargeables?

I am on my second season with Duracells in the Moultries! All new batteries last year (126 of them) that ran for six weeks before I pulled them and stored them inside. Last week my first camera died after four & half weeks this season; can't complain about that. BUT I replaced those batteries with cheapo Everereadys and it lasted four days...guess you get what you pay for in batteries.

[BLACKJACK]

Get a bunch of memory cards and a viewer/reader and be prepared for the addiction of waiting to check your trail cameras. My hands start shaking if I go more than 5 days before checking cards. Is that bad?

It is addicting, I have four cameras and was wondering what my wife will say when I say I want to stop by Fleet Farm on the way thru St. Cloud this weekend to buy another one. And it just like opening Christmas presents everytime I go thru my cards.

[BLACKJACK]

I picked up 8 4gb cards thinking that 2 per camera would be nice and convenient.

What are people doing for batteries? Cheapies, Duracells, or rechargeables?

Buy batteries in bulk on sale. I have a couple older Moultries that take the 6 volt batteries, I bought re-chargeables and just swap them out every week or so. Thats one of the things that I like about the Moultries, it tells you exactly what the battery strength is. My new Moultries have an external port on them, its supposed to be for hooking up to a solar panel but I bought a plug online and hooked it up to a small 12 volt.

If you're going to be leaving your camera out for a few weeks consider an IR camera over flash, not as nice a pictures but longer battery life.

Another tip is to make yourself a portable stand for your camera, that comes in handy when you want to place it over a gut pile or scrape when you have no trees around. I just take a four foot piece of 4x4, cut four two foot 2x4's and screw them into each flat side on one end of the 4x4, tack a small piece of 2x4 on the top so your camera won't slide down. Gut piles pics are fun, you never know what you'll get - fox, coyotes, cats, hawks, the neighbors dog, I even got an eagle one time.

I just convinced myself, I need another 'spare' camera just for special spots!!!

[BLACKJACK]

I use a 12 volt vexilar style battery with the power cord and waterproof box. lasts for a long time.

Do you think the waterproof box is necessary? If you just leave your battery exposed to the weather will it short out or deteriorate in the weather?? Right now I just have my external battery sitting on the ground....

[96trigger]

I always set the camera for the most pictures and the highest quality. 3 shot bursts, every 30 seconds, whatever the setting might be, its different for different cameras. I don't ever want to miss a picture of a deer because I had the delay set. With the size of the SD cards, there is no reason not to try and get as many pics as you can. I have never had a card fill before. Even the last one had 3,000 pictures of moving weeds.

[hockeybc69]

I have never boxed my 12v gel cells. They are tough little batteries.