Our Tips and Tricks to Get the Most from your Wildlife Trail Camera
Some of these tips have been sent in by visitors to this website, and others we've discovered ourselves by trial and error.
The site exists as a place to showcase our own and other trail camera users best wildlife footage.
We'll keep adding to this page. If you have something you think other trail cam users would benefit from, use the form at the bottom of the page to let us know, and we'll add it here.
We're gradually building a collection of tips and tricks to help get the most from the camera's and also help capture the best images.
The first round of tips include advice on how to secure your trail camera, how to maximise action on the camera, and camouflage tricks.
Some of the best tips here have been provided by our readers, and we welcome your contributions. Use the form at the bottom of every page, or email us.
Securing your Trail Camera
You've paid good money for your camera. Be very aware that whether you use it on your own property, or in areas that the public can access, if it is visible and insecure it will almost certainly get stolen. So always conceal it well, and never deploy it without locking it.
Most scouting cameras have a locking hole as part of the design. We use a steel cable lock with a padlock. Oviously, even the most cleverly concealed camera will be revealed by a steel cable and padlock, so these need to discreet.
The base of all our camouflage projects is Camouflage Webbing Tape. We cut it into strips and apply it to the padlock and the steel cable. We always lock the camera to a tree. The main loop is usually at the base of the tree. Although it's camouflaged, we use leaves to completely conceal the cable at ground level. We use ivy to disguise the cable higher up.
If we're deploying the camera on any path or trail where even one person passes daily, we deploy at dusk and remove at first light to be safe.
Maximising the Action
There are two secrets to reveal here. The first is that identifying and using using paths regularly used by animals will usually capture footage of animals walking by.
The second part to this is to hold the attention of the animal in front of the camera. Our secret weapon here is very effective for many creatures, and works particularly well for badgers, foxes and squirrels.
We use peanuts. Not the salted variety we humans eat, but the peanuts sold as wild bird food. Sprinkle a small handful or two in an area at the centre of the camera view. Ideally this is in low vegetation or leaves. Bury some by kicking soil or leaves over.
If you try this, we'd love to hear your results and publish your thoughts, and footage.
Camouflage Tricks
The human mind is tuned to spot things that are out of place. In a natural environment, colour, shape and texture need to match the surroundings. This includes the full set up including the camera, the strap used to keep it in position, and any locking mechanism.
As a base, use camouflage webbing tape to cover locks, steel cable etc. Then use the background of where you are placing the camera.
When we deployed against a birch tree, we peeled some bark from an old fallen birch tree and took it home. We constructed a small camera hide, and also bark strap covers. When deployed the camera was almost invisible even up close. We love to deploy against ivy covered trees as camouflage is really easy.
Use the natural tree features to avoid seeing a rectangular shape when viewed from the side.
Check back soon to see our Trail Camera Camouflage page which is currently being written and photographed.
We'd particularly like to share your videos and pictures here. CLICK HERE if you want to share pictures or video.
