Trap camera placement

[JFoy]

The wife and I have been using trap cameras to see various wildlife around the property lately. I have two spots I've been watching. The first is my patio and the feral cats that come eat our scraps. I set the camera on the patio floor which puts it in the same horizontal plane as the feeding bowl. It's about 5 ft. back from the bowl. We get excellent shots of all the kitties at night.

The second location is the backyard. I have an old dog bowl back there where we put the bigger things like ham bones. The camera is placed on a pallet which is roughly in the same horizontal plane about about 10ft back. Twice now, something eats the ham bone but nothing shows up on the trap cam. I know the distance shouldn't be an issue as we hung them in trees in a field and get shots of animals 30ft away easily.

What do you guys find is the best angle and distance for your trap cams?

JFoy

 

[Thomas]

I use 4 game cams and the angle I found head high 20+ feel away slight tip downwards.

Does your camera flash or red sensor light come on if so might be and issue,critters a lot smarter than we give the credit for.

 

[/pine]

...In North Carolina and across the United States, the domestic animal that is most commonly infected with rabies is the cat. Cats that are kept outside unsupervised may prey on wildlife that are infected with rabies.

Depending on local laws feeding feral cats can find you both legally and financially responsible...
Feral cats are the scourge of native wildlife...they should be humanely euthanized...

NC DPH: Rabies Control in North Carolina

 

[deanocraft]

I had a hole under my porch in a weekend place we had. The house was in a rural location and there was lots of wildlife around, so we were not sure what might be living under the porch... I set up my game cam and got about a hundred photos of sunlight heating the side of the place and wind moving a branch. That combo would set off the camera. I never got a picture of the critter. One day we saw a gopher tortoise right outside of the hole and the mystery was solved!

It seems like you may have a problem with the sensor on that camera. I'd check it for some trash stuck to the lens first. You never know, though, maybe bigfoot is cold blooded!

 

[cqaigy2]

Depending on local laws feeding feral cats can find you both legally and financially responsible...
Feral cats are the scourge of native wildlife...they should be humanely euthanized...

NC DPH: Rabies Control in North Carolina

Cats really are hard on the wildlife.

We put a game cam in our garden at the end of the gardening season. Mounted low on the fence, about 4 inches above ground. We had opened up the gates so anything could get in and out. Pretty cools shots, i might try it again, if i get that camera back from nephew.

 

[JFoy]

I use 4 game cams and the angle I found head high 20+ feel away slight tip downwards.

Thanks for the comment. I'll change mine approach and see what happens.

 

[JFoy]

Cats really are hard on the wildlife. We put a game cam in our garden at the end of the gardening season.

We have a 3 acre spot that we have been cleaning up now for over a year. Lots of deer, turkeys, etc. It has been a lot of fun to see what walks through the area at night. Even got to watch two fawns mature throughout the year.

 

[TractorGuy]

Mine are mounted a little over waste high and I set them from flat to slightly downward. The infrared lights have a constant glow after dark. The deer often walk up and look into the cameras. I guess they are intrigued by the dim glow of the lights or just curious about the whole setup.