Trail Camera Placement & Location

There are several things to considering when placing your trail camera.  First, how much did it cost and can you afford to have it stolen off public land?  It unfortunate, but yes, this situation has to be considered.  The most local placement for trail cameras is often at water sources, tanks, drinkers, etc. especially during the dry years.  If having your camera stolen is a concern, then locating it off the water source 50 yards on a well-used path is a great option. In some states, baiting big game is legal.  If you’re fortunate enough to hunt these states a good mineral lick can be fruitful for setting your cameras.  In addition to water sources and mineral licks, there are other natural placements for setting up cameras. Locating Elk and Deer rubs/ scrapes of dominate animals is a treasure find in its own wright. Being able to capture these natural occurrences on camera is as rewarding as it gets. In the flat land county, capturing Antelope on trail camera is a bit more difficult as there aren’t many places to hang cameras.  Once of the most effective ways of capturing Antelope on trail cameras is locating the cameras on the fence, where the crawl beneath.  Not only does this provide an opportunity to observe the species in the areas, but it make for some really cool shots and video.

Regardless of where you decided to place your trail camera, the most important aspect, of the placement, is knowing the mounting height for the game animal in which you want to capture on film.  Setting your cameras two high or low will result in frustration and disappointment.  When in areas of multiple big game species and sizes, I recommend setting your camera back a little further from your intended focal point. This will maximize your opportunity for capturing the most useful information.