Trail Cameras for Predators

A concerned landowner recently called, asking if I’d help him with a cougar issue. I set out multiple trail cameras and five days later, checked them. The next morning, I shared several video clips with him.

Caught on camera were four cougars—a female with three young—a pack of four coyotes and other single sightings, loads of gray fox, a bobcat, two skunks, three raccoons and a small black bear. The landowner had trouble believing all those predators were on his ranch, and in such a brief time. The neighbors sorted out the cougars that started killing domestic goats; I helped with the coyotes.

For years I’ve run trail cameras for predators. What I would have given to have such tools when I was a kid, running my own trapline in the 1970s, and 20 years later when I lived in Alaska.

Go Low & Video

When setting trail cameras for predators I hang them lower than for big game and always run them on video mode. Being a former high school science teacher with a biology degree, I’m eager to learn all I can about wildlife. A 10-second video clip reveals a great deal more information than a single photo, or series of photos. The predator interactions, sounds and behaviors you capture on video will greatly surpass what you’ll see when in the woods. Predators are secretive animals, and trail cameras are a great silent eye.

I hang trail cameras one to two feet off the ground and point them straight down trails. This allows extended videos to be captured that reveal the exact direction animals are moving, how fast they’re traveling, how many there are and what demeanor they’re exhibiting. Avoid pointing cameras into trails at a 90º angle because quick-moving predators can be missed.

Trail Camera Placement

I’ll also position trail cameras on the ground beneath logs, smack in the middle of a trail, and capture animals jumping over the log. I’ll set cameras pointing down the length of fallen trees and catch predators traveling atop it. On one log I’ve caught multiple cougars, gray fox, bobcats, raccoons, even a coyote that sought refuge on it while being chased around by an irate doe protecting its fawn.

If two trails intersect, hang two cameras on one tree, each pointing down a trail. Predators often travel in straight lines, so positioning one camera pointing down a game trail, the other down a fence line or timbered-edge trail, will ensure you don’t miss anything.

Transmit It

If immediate predator control is the goal, consider using transmitting trail cameras that send a photo directly to your cell phone in real time. If looking to call in a cougar or pack of coyotes, this allows you to head afield as soon as possible, increasing the odds of success.

I run over two dozen trail cameras—year-round—and what I learn from the hours of footage captured has made me a more effective predator hunter. It’s also elevated my level of understanding and appreciation for predator-prey relationships in the wild.

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