Game Camera Photo Logbook

Bobcat at ground level

2009-10-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had placed a second photo of this cat on an earlier post, mainly because I liked the bobcat looking away into the swamp with a little haze in the air. This was the first picture as it walked into the camera, because it was close I was able to identify this same bobcat on a different location months later. Since then I have seen otter tracks as well as mink, raccoon on the edge of the pond and it's a good deer and elk crossing.

Tip for game cameras when changing locations

2009-10-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Lot's of things to remember when moving your trail cameras to a new location and for different animals. I made a mistake of not checking the settings on a camera that was set for frogs (very close focus, low flash and ISO at 100) and setting the camera up for deer and elk on a trail. Very dark night photos and some just showing eyes in the dark. It's also nice to plug the camera into the board, place batteries into the camera, make sure the camera is in picture mode and not movie or review mode and to turn the camera on when leaving. I've done all of these at one time or another and most likely will continue.

Bull elk lurking a couple miles from my house

2009-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

This was a suprise to me, had been getting some elk photos in this area and even a few bulls, but this a first for this bull. Wish it would have been closer to the middle of the picture but at least it's during the day. Really a good brush bull with dark antlers.

Aiming a trail camera for small and large animals

2009-10-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes on a new trail you need to set the game camera up for predators and larger animals such as deer and elk. It's nice to get close enough for a bobcat and still get the entire deer in the photo, this can be done if you keep the camera low, about 2 feet off the ground and aimed a little above level and still keep the bottom of the trail in the field of view. It also helps to set the camera above the trail on uneven ground.

Here's a porcupine and a deer on this location and the deer worked out fine.

This Olympus 380 was set above and four feet from the trail for bobcats but still wanted to see if many deer used this trail next to a swamp. I like to use the 380 when testing new trails because it's fast and and has a good field of view. If I'm pleased with the different animals and the background I will move in a Sony 41 for better quality pictures, this saves a lot of time for a high quality camera to set for weeks and even months waiting for an animal to use the trail.

I also had a bobcat during the day but the flash went off and had some eye glare.

This particular trail showed good promise during the first week, so I will swap the 380 with a 41 on the next checking.

Turkey on same trail as the porky

2009-10-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

Finally getting some action on the predator trail, the same place as the porky photo. While hiking in to the trail I found where a coyote had killed a turkey about 100 yards down the trail from my camera, so I was sure I had either a yote or a turkey photo. No yote but a couple of turkeys. Wasn't pleased with background on the photo so I moved it across the trail and will see what happens.

Porcupine rushing past the camera

2009-09-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well maybe not rushing, but fast for a porky. I've been trying to get a photo of one up a tree eating bark and will try again next spring.

On another note, I have been searching for a large ant hill to place a long term camera to find out the types of animals that dig the ant hill apart. Found a nice one but it had been torn up in the middle recently, plus it's out in the open and can be seen easily, so it's out of the question. Need one that's out of the way from humans if I'm going to leave a camera on it for months at a time.

One of the first digital trail cameras is still a workhorse

2009-09-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

I still use the Olympus 380 in a few of my game cameras, it was one of the first digital cameras that replaced the 35mm film cameras. Only 2 megs but if you set it close you can get some very nice photos. Not the best flash but it is very quick to take a picture. I set them less than 6 feet from the trails and works great for predators.

This beaver runway is well used so I wanted to test out a long term camera to see how the external batteries and camera worked up close. I have a little flash bleed, but it is very quick and and the batteries worked great.

Trail cameras during hunting season

2009-09-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I set out several cameras for predators during bow season and will leave them out clear through winter. I'm not worried about the hunters in this area, most know I have game cameras set out and just walk on past if they find them, but on occasions I have them hid well enough to give them a good flash. This leads to several more pictures as they look for the camera.

Couple more bull elk

2009-09-08T10:35:00.000-07:00

I finally pulled all my elk cameras and will clean them up before setting them out for different animals. I have been busy cutting firewood, canning and getting ready for the fall rains and winter. Seems the end of summer is the busiest time of the year.

I set this camera by a spring and small pond during the hot weather of August, being the only water in the area the elk had been making regular trips during the day. No photos of large bulls, but some nice pictures of 5 or so different bulls.

Here are two of them: the first is of a nice bull feeding and then at night one came in and bedded down in front of the camera for several photos. I set the cam up for daytime pictures by placing the camera farther from the target area than I normally would but that leaves the flash weak for a night photo as shown in the bedded elk.

Long hot hike for this bull elk photo

2009-08-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Got a late start into the high country so it was getting hot by the time I checked the first camera. When I reached the last camera I was out of water and still had to climb back out of this hell hole. Had several nice bull elk photos, so all wasn't lost, will leave them out for another week before pulling all the cameras in this area. The weather can change very fast and I just wanted some nice bull elk photos anyway.

Looks like some old scaring on the hind quarters from another elk, I've seen the same on horses where they grew back white hair on a bad injury that took a while to heal.

Tagged and collared cow elk

2009-08-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken a month ago when I went into the high country for bull elk in velvet. With the help of a friend on a game forum I found out the cow in the closeup showing the ear tag number was one of 55 elk tagged in the Mt. Margaret Unit during February of this year. The second photo of a cow about a mile down hill from the first wasn't close enough to identify if it was the same elk or not.

Black bear vs Trail camera

2009-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

This bear normally doesn't bother my cameras, so I set them close and low to the trails and often aimed at stumps where it digs for ants. But lately it has came right up to the camera and given me some nice photos of its snout and belly, almost like a pose. Had a few slobbers on the lens but no damage to either cameras.

Lowland bull elk

2009-08-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Finally got a photo of a loan bull elk in the brushy jack firs about 3 miles from the house. Had to fight the heat and mosquitoes, plus a long walk and that was the only pictures on several cameras so I pulled all of them and will move to a different location.

Animals had been scarce in this area for almost a month and I believed a cougar was hanging out there for a while. Talked with a property owner last week and was told a female cougar and 2 cubs had been seen close to where my cameras were set. I might move a few cameras back in a couple of months.

Nice trout on water shrew camera

2009-07-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Not sure what really set off the trail camera aimed over the creek for water shrew, but did get a good picture of a trout at night and some water skippers. The camera was set for 7 quick pictures after motion and never did see anything in the first photo that would set off the camera.

I pulled most of my cameras just before all the area was closed for fire danger, it has been dry and temps have been over 100 degrees the last several days and topped at 105. That is just too hot, even living on the river. Did get in some fun going through some rapids on a tube, brings back the old days when I was in my teens.

Coyote by the bee hive

2009-07-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Would have been fun to make a snare out of nylon fishing line and tie it to the limb the hive is on, that would have shown some action. But at night the bees wouldn't bother the coyote as it walks under the nest. At least I had a photo on the camera, but no bear yet and haven't seen any bear sign in the area.

Couple of new trail camera locations

2009-07-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

First one is a new location for the water shrew, a nice small opening with grass on the sides for cover. I set the camera almost in the water and high enough just in case it swims to the bottom to feed. I used a camera set to take 7 fast pictures once the camera is triggered, this might get some nice photos if an elk doesn't stomp the camera to the bottom of the creek.

The second location is on a good elk trail where I almost walked into a hornets nest. I never realized it was there until almost too late, not fun looking into this large of a nest of bald faced hornets. I did notice that the nest had been ripped apart earlier by a bear, so I aimed the camera at the nest wanting to get a photo if the bear comes back.

Mouse on my fastest trail camera

2009-07-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have a game camera setup that I use on those trails where you just can't afford to miss a picture or want more than one photo per motion event. I've tested this setup on many locations and it has never failed to give positive results. From mouse trails up close to otter landings, all you need is a large memory card and let the board do its work.

The board is an XLP from whitetail supply matched with a Sony P41, with the board set on rapid picture mode of 7 quick pictures on every single detection of motion. This board is very sensitive and quick for the first picture and dependable on every location for 4 years.

Bull elk around the mountain

2009-07-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

I took a few cameras into the high country for a some bull elk photos. Turned out to be a good hike on some very steep ground and found some good trails the elk used for traveling the side hills. Lots of bull activity and still another month for their antlers to grow.

Had a couple of nice bull pictures and cows with calves before the cow re-aimed the camera away from the trail, but after that the bulls kept coming and I barely got them in the pictures

Barred Owl feeding along creek

2009-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

More owl photos on another camera that was aimed at a deer and elk crossing farther up the creek. I had not anticapated an owl in these locations and it dashes my confidence on the owl stump camera that has been patiently waiting for 4 years for an owl. I then went out of my way to pull the stump camera and if I would have had a saw I would have cut the stump off at ground level.

New Water Shrew trail camera location

2009-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I hurried and was able to get a camera ready to set out for the water shrew, I was worried it would move on to a different location or became food for another animal. It was a long walk just to check the camera on the creek and set this one upstream about 30 feet aimed over a small pool of deep water. Took over 15 minutes to get everything aimed and the rod holding the camera solid in the ground.

I just shut the camera off that was aimed at the creek and would check it on the way out. After looking at the photos on the camera I wasn't too excited about getting my water shrew photo. All I can hope for now is for a large family of water shrews.

I tried to zoom in on the Barred Owl to make sure it was a shrew and it sure looks like one, there are cuthroat trout in the deeper holes that try and avoid the shallow water but it doesn't look like a trout.

Calf Elk getting a drink

2009-06-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

This calf stopped long enough for a drink and a nice photo. The lighting was good and nice background this time of the year. This is the camera location on the creek where I took the water shrew photos. Always a good place around water with a well used trail.

Next checking I'll take in an Olympus 380 and set it close to the water and try to get some water shrew photos with the trail camera. The 380 is good for close pictures and very fast, so hope the shrew lives long enough for some photos.

Water Shrew, first one I've ever seen

2009-06-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was checking my trail camera where a small creek enters a beaver pond when I heard a small splash like a frog jumped into the creek in the tall grass. Much to my suprise a Water Shrew came swimming down the creek, stopped when it saw me and then started swimming back up the creek. I wasn't sure what it was but knew it was a large shrew of some kind.

I had the camera out of the case and took several photos, one as it was watching me and the other as it was swimming back up stream. Wish I would have had my larger camera with me, the Sony p41 doesn't have a good zoom lens.

Coyote for Father's Day & first day of summer

2009-06-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

Had to go back to October 05 for this coyote photo to place on the blog for the first day of summer. I set this camera up close at 3 feet on a good predator trail and had some good results of porcupines, bobcats, turkeys and the famous coyotes. Never did notice the animals leary of the camera, even though I had it hid quite well the flash didn't seem to bother them either.

Cow elk and small calf

2009-06-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

This cow must have had the calf within the last week and looks to be heading back to the herd. I like to find the trails they use when getting ready to have their calves, they use the same areas to calve each year so it narrows the number of trails I have to cover with my cameras.

Heat produced on new antler growth

2009-06-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

I have several photos of bull elk during the time the antler growth is very rapid. This is the time the blood is flowing and bone is growing in the antlers which produces a lot of heat and will trigger a camera quicker than the animal can get to the center of the picture on game cameras.

Not really a problem unless you set the cameras very close as I do on occasions. I set the camera between two uprooted stumps for a photo of a bull elk either going up or down the trail. I used a camera that is a little slower than my others to give the animal time to center in the picture but sometimes things don't work as planned. At least I got a bull photo as planned.