USING GAME CAMERAS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR HUNTING EXPERIENCE

You can be more efficient in figuring out what critters are up to by patterning them with trail cams, but there are a few setup tricks to know so you don't waste time.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY NICK PERNA

Time is a fleeting commodity. No one has enough time to do everything they want to do. As hunters, we all wish we had the time to scout out properties to their fullest extent – watching trails, looking for animal sign (prints and scat), and taking note of the times of day, week, month and year when they are most active. In earlier times, man depended much more on subsistence hunting for food, so scouting was necessary to locate and take game. Today most hunters like to take game but don’t necessarily survive on what they can take. To get the meat we need, we use money earned from jobs, which take up most of the time our forefathers would have used to scout for game.

Enter the game camera. With a minimal investment and an equally minimal amount of time, a hunter can use these electronic scouts to gather accurate, timely data about when and where game can be located and harvested.

Types

There are two primary types of game cameras: those you can access remotely and those you can’t (models with memory cards).

Remote-access models can be monitored via an app on a smartphone, tablet or laptop. They are very handy for far away or hard-to-access areas. If you need current, up-to-the-minute data, this is the way to go. They cost between $100 to $400 apiece. These models also require a SIM card, and cellular data/service fees apply.

Memory-card models require the owner to go to the camera’s location to remove the SIM card. They are cheaper, between $50 to $100. Make sure to use the largest memory cards accepted by your camera model. With the lower price point, you can purchase more of them and they are better for covering a large area.

The ability to take images at night is essential. Most game cams have this function, but make sure you check. Look into rechargeable batteries if your camera isn’t solar-powered.

Considerations

When placing game cameras, there are many things to consider.

Location Check frequently after initial deployment to determine if it is a worthwhile location. More often than not, the initial spot you choose will not ultimately be where you decide to leave it for extended periods of time.

Make sure there is a good field of view. It’s not enough to pick a spot where game sign has been located. You also need to be able to position the camera in a way that it can actually capture images or video. In certain instances, I’ve used a wood or metal stake with a game cam mounted to it to get the best images.

Either mark your camera points on a paper map (old school) or pinpoint them on a mapping application. Those little camouflage boxes are hard to spot when you go out to download or retrieve them! Take a photo of the location so it helps refresh your memory.

Trigger warning Look out for branches, tall grass, windy areas and areas with heavy vehicle traffic. This is arguably the most frustrating thing about game cams. Depending on the settings, they can be triggered by very little movement. I recently pulled a game cam’s memory card that had 15,000 images taken in a period of less than a day! It was placed in an area with some high grass. During a windy day, the camera took pics of the grass every couple of seconds. On another occasion I mounted a camera facing a road. All I got was images of cars passing by. (If you have a remotely accessed camera that sends notifications every time it takes a photo, this can drive you crazy.)

Bring something to cut down grass, branches and other things that will ruin your shot. A pair of garden shears or a knife will usually suffice.

Security (aka thieves) Game cameras are easily stolen, especially if mounted on public land. If the game camera has a strap on it to hold it in place when attached to a tree, make sure you camouflage it. That’s about the only thing a would-be cam thief is most likely going to see.

Apply gathered intel Keep a journal of times, types of game, etc. This will allow you to optimize your hunting time and increase the chance of locating and taking the game you seek. Be prepared to move cameras that are not capturing any relevant images. Utilize a mapping app to show not only locations of cameras but game as well. Apps like onX Hunt allow you to easily geotag locations on maps.

Bottom line: Use game cameras to hunt smarter, not harder.

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