Trail camera settings

[Bourbon Outdoorsman]

I just bought my first 2 trail camera's, and was curious what everyone preference for fall scouting? I've read a few different reviews and suggestions but can't decide whats best.

I plan to leave the camera out for 1-2 weeks at a time. I will be using a 32gb cards with the picture and video setting maxed out.

[Birchcraft]

No need to max out resolutions cause all cameras use small sensors (max 5mp according to trailcampro.com) and any no higher than that is just pixel extrapolation via software, which consumes more power and trigger time. I never do more than a 2 shot multishot or else you'll get thousands of empty or repetitive pictures. I always set the delay for the shortest possible. Don't be shy to check them often, the animals won't be bothered. Always good to angle the camera down slightly with a stick or something wedged behind the top.

[58thecat]

I hang mine high if I can, angled down, 3 shots, 5 second delay, not set at highest quality, check every two weeks ish, hang near sign, travel areas etc
From July on into Jan.

[DRhunter]

I always try to point mine north as much as possible. Reduces your number of false triggers as they are heat sensitive, with a camera that looks towards the direction of the sun, you get a lot more false triggers.
Good luck!

[KegRiver]

I have three cameras out right now.

My best advice, get rid of those straps. Use hay wire if you have nothing else.
I use my own mounts. I build and sell trail camera mounts.

I treat each setup individually. Some I set high, as far up as I can reach comfortably. others are set low, below the normal line of vision.

The main thing about positioning is to think about where animals and camera thieves will be looking as they approach your setup. Do it right and they will never see it.

Here is one of my cameras I set out last week.
Do you see straps?







I checked them two days later. This is a local trail that a lot of hunters use daily during hunting season. I had a lot of photos of pickups, cars and SUVs, and one Moose.






This camera is faulty. It won't take burst shots properly so I set it to single shot and a 10 second delay.

My other two cameras are set to three shot bursts and a ten second delay.

For me the three second burst works well. I usually get a photo of the animal as it enters the cameras field of vision, one centered and one as it leaves the frame.

Running animals are usually caught with the third shot.

Like the guys said, aim north or north east as much as possible. Sun flair is a major issue if you aim south, east, or west.

I would add, if you can, set to one side of a trail, if you are setting on a trail. As much as possible, avoid putting the camera where it will be in line with the trail.

You want camera out of the line of vision as much as possible.

In the photos I just posted, I placed the camera to one side of that road and close to the ground.
In that situation the people driving past are looking down the road, looking for something moving, so they don't see the camera right in front of them.

Now if I hung that camera with straps I wouldn't dare place it there. It would be gone in a few hours.

[58thecat]

Keg your a master of deception, camouflage and spy like skills....

I like the strapless method, the leaves in front are a concern as wind moves then and sets the cameras off...I bet you the camera you speak off being faulty is an early version of the bushnell cameras, I got one left that is wonky so I set it up not to take multiple shots or it goes off like a machine gun.

Forgot to mention to but it was spoken of point them north if you can or south to avoid direct sunlight some go off like crazy.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

Keg your a master of deception, camouflage and spy like skills....

I like the strapless method, the leaves in front are a concern as wind moves then and sets the cameras off...I bet you the camera you speak off being faulty is an early version of the bushnell cameras, I got one left that is wonky so I set it up not to take multiple shots or it goes off like a machine gun.

Forgot to mention to but it was spoken of point them north if you can or south to avoid direct sunlight some go off like crazy.

These days one has to have a bit of spy skills to keep thieves from stealing cameras.

No doubt about it, strapless is the way to go. A good after market mount saves so much time, allows so much more flexibility in mounting locations and reduces theft to a fraction of what it is with straps.

I can even set my cameras out away from any trees, by installing one of my mounts in a length of wood dowel and driving that dowel onto the ground where I want my camera. You have to be extra cautious if you do this. It's a lot harder to hide a camera in the wide open.

Thanks for mentioning the wind. Wind can be a real problem. If it moves anything in the camera's field of vision, the results could be hundreds of photos of nothing but trees.

The faulty camera I mentioned is a Uway and it's the one that took the photos I posted. As you can see it works fine in single shot mode but when I set it to multiple it does strange things to the colors.
I'll get one all pink photo, one black and white, then one all green and if I set it to four, the forth will be divided into four sections and the sections will be scrambled. IE the upper right will be in the lower left ext.

Uway offered to exchange it but since I bought it for the purpose of developing an adapter so cameras without a tripod mount could be used with my mounts, and because it does work in single shot mode, I opted to keep it as is. It has done what I intended, as you can see. I am using it on one of my mounts.

Uway is one of only two brands I know of that do not have a tripod mount.
Most after market mounts use the tripod mount as their attachment point.

[Bourbon Outdoorsman]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

I have three cameras out right now.

My best advice, get rid of those straps. Use hay wire if you have nothing else.
I use my own mounts. I build and sell trail camera mounts.

I treat each setup individually. Some I set high, as far up as I can reach comfortably. others are set low, below the normal line of vision.

The main thing about positioning is to think about where animals and camera thieves will be looking as they approach your setup. Do it right and they will never see it.

Here is one of my cameras I set out last week.
Do you see straps?







I checked them two days later. This is a local trail that a lot of hunters use daily during hunting season. I had a lot of photos of pickups, cars and SUVs, and one Moose.






This camera is faulty. It won't take burst shots properly so I set it to single shot and a 10 second delay.

My other two cameras are set to three shot bursts and a ten second delay.

For me the three second burst works well. I usually get a photo of the animal as it enters the cameras field of vision, one centered and one as it leaves the frame.

Running animals are usually caught with the third shot.

Like the guys said, aim north or north east as much as possible. Sun flair is a major issue if you aim south, east, or west.

I would add, if you can, set to one side of a trail, if you are setting on a trail. As much as possible, avoid putting the camera where it will be in line with the trail.

You want camera out of the line of vision as much as possible.

In the photos I just posted, I placed the camera to one side of that road and close to the ground.
In that situation the people driving past are looking down the road, looking for something moving, so they don't see the camera right in front of them.

Now if I hung that camera with straps I wouldn't dare place it there. It would be gone in a few hours.

Wow thanks for the adcice, i bought 3 camera's and will try different settings on them dependong where i place them.

[35 whelen]

Between me and my son we're running about 14 cameras I like to put them where nobody will ever find them I haven't had any stolen for a few years try to face some North and looking straight onto the trail so you get them coming and going not walking past

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