How do you set up your trail cams?

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How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by DaveZ » 11 Mar 2021, 6:51 pm

I've been setting up a trail cam recently to try to capture small critters, foxes, cats etc, and while I am able to get decent night pics of roos, and even a couple day shots of bomb diving crows, I struggle with the amount of false triggers I get. I assume it's grass moving, maybe tree branches. If I set the camera up fairly high, I don't get so many, but feel I'll miss the low down action. If I mount it where I think I'll catch the critters, I then have to sift through 200+ false triggers per day.

So how do you set your cams up? Do you whipper snip the area? Stomp it down? Or just put up with going crosseyed trying to spot the local stray cat?

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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Oldbloke » 11 Mar 2021, 7:01 pm

In my very limited experience its pretty normal to get a lot of pics of just scenery. You can reduce the sensitivity of the movement sensor. But might miss a bit of long range action. Its a compromise.

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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Blr243 » 11 Mar 2021, 7:37 pm

This might seem odd but I nearly lost mine twice in two days by setting up too close to rivers or in rivers when they released water from a dam. And then I lost it from being washed away in a big storm when I did not stake it down firm enough. I get tons of false pics too ... I tend to set up on animal drinking spots rather than game trails
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by animalpest » 11 Mar 2021, 7:41 pm

False triggers on cameras are the norm. Actually, no triggers also happen a lot depending on camera. Reducing the sensitivity will reduce false triggers but can mean you will miss animals moving past the camera.

Always try to set the camera at the height of what you want to capture. Check for branches and leaves that may move in front of the camera.

I use a couple of dozen cameras every week and it's not unusual to check thousands of photos.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by DaveZ » 11 Mar 2021, 7:42 pm

Thanks guys. I am hesitant to disturb the area too much as surely that would have an impact on the animals wanting to come through the area. It's on my own property, away from water ways, not that we have any water here these days, I think I bought a desert. I may or may not have laid out some fresh road kill in the field of view of the camera. I'm not home now for 8 days so gee I'm going to have some sifting to do when I get home if it keeps taking 800 shots a day.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by on_one_wheel » 11 Mar 2021, 11:25 pm

I get countless faulse triggers on most of my trail cams, especially one that's mounted 30' up a gum tree, its field of view is massive. Its worst on windy days when it triggers constantly from either the tree swaying or a near by branch that moves. Its painful wading through the pics but that one is set up for security, when something happens I only need to check the last day or two worth.
My best camera location is on another sight near by, it's mounted at 6' and there's very little movement in view other than genuine targets.

Movement can be reduced by choosing a spot focused on only a small area such as an animal trail, feeding station or watering point.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by wanneroo » 12 Mar 2021, 12:31 pm

I deal a lot with trail cameras and I've yet to find bulletproof tech where I am satisfied 100%.

Sometimes you have to play with the sensitivity settings on the camera or sometimes like with one brand I have bright sunlight sends it into a fit where it takes a bazillion pics. Also I just do away with any annoying vegetation that flaps in the breeze and triggers the camera.

I have not found any issues with scaring off animals of any kind, if anything they are attracted to the cameras and I have plenty of instances with bears and deer licking them and also bears attacking them.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Oldbloke » 12 Mar 2021, 3:30 pm

The Aldi cameras are great value. About to come on sale.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by DaveZ » 12 Mar 2021, 8:38 pm

Thanks guys. The one I'm using at the moment is a Browning I bought for the Mrs, but have temporarily commandeered. I think what I am getting is just par for the course when it's windy and I have long grass/saplings around. I still manage to capture animals so it's just a matter of patience. I might try knocking down some grass though to see if I can lessen the false triggers.

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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by DaveZ » 15 Mar 2021, 12:12 pm

Not too many false triggers to sort through this week, but now I need to work out to lure this bugger back out in daylight so I can get a shot at him. More practice with the whistle I think.

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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Oldbloke » 15 Mar 2021, 4:56 pm

Button or Tenterfield whistle.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by DaveZ » 15 Mar 2021, 4:59 pm

Oldbloke wrote:Button or Tenterfield whistle.


I've got a tenterfield so it's just time practicing and patience now to see if I can lure him out. We have a fox trap as well but that doesn't seem like much of a challenge.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Strangedog » 16 Mar 2021, 4:29 pm

I always have great anticipation when I check the card from my trailcams. One day I hope to see the Yowie or Bunyip or at least a wild puma.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Blr243 » 16 Mar 2021, 6:34 pm

Elusive rare don’t wanna be seen type pumas have to drink Just like any animal . ....After Twenty Years of trail cameras set up on waterholes In said puma territory , everybody will have to just bite the bullet and forget about their existence
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Die Judicii » 16 Mar 2021, 7:15 pm

I too get some false triggers, but they are part and parcel of the trail cam world.
My main concern is setting them up so they are all but invisible, due to trespassers/poachers.
Although with the latest innovation by the main property owner,,,, they don't pose much problem any more.

When setting mine up I usually do so in tandem, with them facing each other.
That way if a poacher accidentally finds one and decides to steal it, the other one supplies me with pics of who and when.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Oldbloke » 16 Mar 2021, 7:23 pm

Die Judicii wrote:I too get some false triggers, but they are part and parcel of the trail cam world.
My main concern is setting them up so they are all but invisible, due to trespassers/poachers.
Although with the latest innovation by the main property owner,,,, they don't pose much problem any more.

When setting mine up I usually do so in tandem, with them facing each other.
That way if a poacher accidentally finds one and decides to steal it, the other one supplies me with pics of who and when.


:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


That's smart. I'll remember that.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by wanneroo » 17 Mar 2021, 10:52 am

Die Judicii wrote:I too get some false triggers, but they are part and parcel of the trail cam world.
My main concern is setting them up so they are all but invisible, due to trespassers/poachers.
Although with the latest innovation by the main property owner,,,, they don't pose much problem any more.

When setting mine up I usually do so in tandem, with them facing each other.
That way if a poacher accidentally finds one and decides to steal it, the other one supplies me with pics of who and when.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


I find most people have their head up their bum and the trail cameras usually blend in as long as they aren't too shiny or placed too obvious. But yes in the past I have often placed one recording another.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by animalpest » 17 Mar 2021, 6:58 pm

Caught 2 illegal hunters on my land with a camera set to video.
Hunter 1 - What's that?
Hunter 2 - Its a game camera
Hunter 1 - Shall we steal it?
Hunter 2 - Better not, there are probably more cameras that have caught us.
Busted when video given to the police.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Blr243 » 17 Mar 2021, 7:29 pm

Poaching is so stupid. How could u ever relax and enjoy yourself , I would feel like I was the one being hunted. And it would feel so uncomfortable and distracting
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by Die Judicii » 17 Mar 2021, 10:54 pm

animalpest wrote:Caught 2 illegal hunters on my land with a camera set to video.
Hunter 1 - What's that?
Hunter 2 - Its a game camera
Hunter 1 - Shall we steal it?
Hunter 2 - Better not, there are probably more cameras that have caught us.
Busted when video given to the police.


Yep,, The owner of one of the larger properties I shoot on showed me a pic on his phone that was transmitted by one of his cameras.

The pic showed 3 men and a vehicle (including the rego plate).
One of the men was known by the owner.
The other two were not known, but the pic clearly shows their faces.
They were in the process of carrying a tool box over to where the trail camera was mounted on a tree trunk.

They undid and stole the camera and the solar panel.

But,,,,,,, they obviously didn't realise that the pics had already been transmitted. :problem:

Maybe it is true that the average crim only has a very shallow gene pool and even less brain power.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by wanneroo » 18 Mar 2021, 12:34 am

Blr243 wrote:Poaching is so stupid. How could u ever relax and enjoy yourself , I would feel like I was the one being hunted. And it would feel so uncomfortable and distracting


I think there is a thrill involved, kinda of like hide and seek when you were a kid. A lot of people like that thrill of getting away with something and sneaking around.
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Re: How do you set up your trail cams?

Post by RoginaJack » 10 Apr 2021, 1:08 pm

Yes, false triggers are annoying and time consuming. So, other than very careful site selection, mounting higher up the tree to alter the angle and clear the grass etc. or a whipper snipper.
I cut up a green plastic laundry bottle to fit over the top of the cameras, acts as a fain guard and works alright. ,
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