Whereas path cameras are nice instruments for patterning whitetails and finding turkeys, many hunters don’t understand how efficient these gadgets are for western massive recreation scouting. And I don’t simply imply setting cams over watering holes and wallows to seize photos of elk, pronghorn, and muleys. There are many different methods for snapping pics of huge bulls and getting a bead on native herds. You simply have to know the way and the place to put your path cameras within the backcountry.
For starters, western path cam ways differ from setting cams within the East and Midwest on account of rugged terrain, restricted service, and expansive landscapes. Most western hunters chase elk, muleys, speedgoats, bears, and lions on monumental tracks of public land that require lengthy hikes to succeed in. This implies prolonged intervals of time in between checking cameras and relying in your gear to work correctly with out upkeep for weeks to months on finish.
I’ve been setting path cameras within the Colorado backcountry for years, and the next eight ideas have helped me be extra profitable at patterning numerous massive recreation species. Observe the following tips, and also you’ll fill extra tags this fall.
1. Set Your Cameras North or South Dealing with Over Water
Water reigns supreme on the western prairies, rolling hills, and cedar-dotted canyonlands. Late in the summertime, when scouting for pronghorn, I put a number of cameras on prairie ponds, inventory tanks, and is derived. My go-to methodology is to drive a T-post into the bottom and fasten my digital camera with the strap on to the submit or use Browning Path Digital camera’s T-Publish Mount. The T-Publish mount is sturdy, and the rotating ball head permits you to angle the digital camera completely.
I found that generally, relying on the path digital camera mannequin, the rising and setting solar can set off false photos. For that reason, I face my cameras north or south to keep away from clean photographs. Additionally, relying on the dimensions of the water supply, discover the heaviest concentrations of tracks and put the digital camera there. You must run your cameras on video mode, too. Movies offer you extra intel about the place bucks method a water supply from and permit you to higher consider trophy potential.
2. Use Lithium Batteries and Outsized SD Playing cards
I like taking a summer time scouting mission, getting off the overwhelmed path, and hanging elk cameras over wallows and at well-used path intersections. After setting my cams, I don’t return to examine them for at the least three to 4 months. For that reason, I load my cameras with high-capacity SD playing cards and energy them with Lithium batteries.
One 12 months, I forgot about one in every of my elk cams. The HuntStand app finally jogged my memory it was nonetheless there, and after I returned the next summer time to retrieve it, the cam nonetheless had 60 % battery life. Solely lithium batteries can final that lengthy. Additionally, when hanging cams in far-flung areas, I sometimes set the seize mode to a three-photo burst or a five-second video at most. Nothing is worse than displaying as much as your hunt to seek out that your SD card stuffed up every week earlier than.
3. Cling Your Cams Excessive for Tree Units
You need to get inventive when hanging cameras on public land for 2 causes: To assist stop theft and to guard the cameras from being destroyed by bears. I take advantage of tree mounts and path digital camera holders to boost my cams off the bottom. Angle your digital camera in direction of the bottom to the place you count on recreation to stroll by. Then, crouch to the peak of an animal and transfer across the space. Lastly, pull the cardboard and use an SD reader to view the pictures and make sure you’re centered within the body.
4. Use a Bear Proof Container
In states like Idaho, the place bear baiting is authorized, a path digital camera is value its weight in gold. Not solely are you able to sample bears, however you’ll additionally know what number of bears are hitting the bait and when. Plus, you’ll have the ability to consider the dimensions of varied boars. The dangerous information is that bears like to boost hell on path cams. I misplaced six earlier than I woke as much as bear habits. Bears chew cameras to items, knock them off bushes, stomp them, and twist and switch them in the other way you need the digital camera to face. All my bear cameras go in bear-proof path cam containers. Belief me, they’re well worth the funding.
5. Don’t Overlook Floor Units
Too usually, I’ve returned to seek out path cameras out of batteries, SD playing cards full, and, usually, spun round a tree. Elk and deer are curious critters. They are going to lick path cameras to demise, placing a nasty movie over the lens, kick them, and spin them with their antlers. For that reason, I usually use a floor set.
Verify state rules earlier than chopping down any reside brush, but when authorized in your space or in the event you’re looking on personal floor, carry a hefty knife. I like Benchmade’s Bushcrafter. My go-to floor set is to seek out a big boulder or log. For boulders, place the digital camera on high and use one other sizeable rock behind it to maintain the cam upright. Wrap the strap across the rock after which create a wooden base across the digital camera with sticks. Angle it, and use leaves, moss, and many others., to make it disappear.
Nevertheless, my favourite ground-setting method is putting cameras beneath a log. I carry a small backyard spade in my backpack, dig the bottom beneath the log, and conceal the digital camera. Take your time when digging your gap beneath the log. I pile free grime behind the digital camera after which tilt the digital camera again into the free grime to present it the precise angle. This helps conceal the cam from animals and thefts.
6. Mark Each Cam
It’s straightforward to neglect the place you set a digital camera when looking on a pair hundred thousand acres of public land. It will get much more difficult when in the event you set out a number of cameras. To stop shedding them, I mark all of my path digital camera areas on my HuntStand app. If you understand you’ll be in an space with out mobile service, obtain your offline maps beforehand, and also you’ll be prepared. HuntStand and different mapping apps provide a path digital camera icon that means that you can pin every digital camera and retailer photographs from that particular cam. It’s a cool function that may prevent cash and complications.
7. Use Conventional Non-Mobile Path Cameras
Mobile cameras are stylish, and it is sensible, particularly for waterfowl hunters. These high-tech gadgets ship real-time photos and video to your smartphone. Nevertheless, not solely are cell cameras unlawful in some states, however additionally they don’t work in most backcountry areas. For these causes, western massive recreation hunters ought to persist with conventional non-cellular path cams. In the event you’re assured the cell service in your space is nice, by all means, set a cell-cam. However you must at all times put a non-cellular cam close by as a backup. This fashion, if the realm loses service, you’ll be able to nonetheless retrieve photographs.
8. Construct a Path Cam Equipment
Among the finest issues I ever did was construct a path cam equipment. Cameras, batteries, SD playing cards, straps, and equipment are troublesome to trace. I’ve misplaced cameras, misplaced straps, and arrived at a deployment location solely to comprehend two of my cameras didn’t have batteries. So I created a one-stop place for all my path digital camera gear and equipment.
I take advantage of Yeti’s GoBox 30 and GoBox 60 waterproof circumstances. Once I arrive at my path cam vacation spot, I switch the cameras I wish to take, further batteries, straps, SD playing cards, and any digital camera equipment into my backpack. The containers function a detachable divider that separates the underside right into a pair of compartments excellent for stacking cameras and organizing straps and different gear. The detachable trays are nice for batteries and SD playing cards.
I additionally suggest buying an SD card holder and having circumstances for empty playing cards and playing cards that should be reviewed. Three years in the past, after pulling path digital camera playing cards from a first-rate elk unit in Colorado, I obtained in a rush and put three playing cards in my pocket. Once I obtained again to camp, I had no playing cards to evaluation. Take time and keep organized along with your path cameras within the backcountry. In spite of everything, retrieving cams within the mountains is rather a lot totally different than strolling out again to the meals plot. Plan forward and be organized when working path cameras within the West.
