High country or tree line year-round trail cam use

[Salvelinus]

I have never used trail cams before, but I'm thinking of catching some off-season sales and incorporating them into my hunting and scouting for next season and have been putting some thought into how to go about it. I have been concentrating most of my efforts the last few years around tree line or alpine, and it would be really nice to see the seasonal patterns of use for critters in the high country, especially in pinch points and trails that look like they are seasonal highways for game, or else around high use/feeding areas or good game trails to these during hunting season. I could take a pre-season trip into these spots early in the season, then check them in the hunting season and potentially battery swap so they last through the following year and can see the following spring just how late the deer and elk are up in the high country before moving down.

Any tips for set up or cameras that work well for this application?

Particularly, some things have come to mind:

- Since it's around tree line where the snowpack is huge, I'm assuming that there's a good chance they'd get buried in snow over winter, esp. if all that's around are larches where you don't get a tree well. Will getting buried in snow kill the camera? Would a lockbox weatherproof it some more? Seems like a good idea anyways to deter theft or a grizz knocking it down. Easy to pack a cordless drill in and hardware too. What's about the highest you can get away with mounting on a tree?
- Battery life and durability are probably the most important things to consider since I'd potentially check only once a year in the really remote spots. Solar might help, but seems like there are cameras out there that will easily run over a year anyways (trailcampro tests) so not sure if needed.
- Ideas of good sites so it gets animals migrating in and out of the high country. Some areas I hunt seem obvious, with heavy trails moving into and out of tree line but any tips for site selection or any success with getting animals that are on the move between summer and winter range?
- Timing also important if trying to get out there before the game move up. I was thinking of basically being on the heels of the snow line in late spring/early summer. Mostly elk (subalpine) and mulies where I'm hunting, but possibilities of goat or sheep as well.
- Getting your camera set up to get the best pictures.
- There are some spots I can think of that are above tree line that might work well. Anyone anchor lock boxes into rock to set up a camera, or have any other suggestions for setting up something where there are no trees?

[Seeker]

In my opinion, unless you are just setting up a camera for shits and giggles, early spring(chasing the snow pack) at high elevations is a waste of your time. Come fall when hunting season approaches the animals are likely not to be on the migration routes you describe. There is a possibility of interception late season I guess. The best bet is to place your cameras where you intend to hunt both spatially and temporally. The exception can be low elevation where you will always have some non migratory animals through out the year, and a higher concentration later in the fall and winter. See Ourea's "Some big whities thread" as an example. Pinch points are always a great location for cameras. You may also want to consider placing salts or minerals in order to get an idea of the animals in the area as once they have found it, they tend to seek it out throughout the season. Even mulie bucks will frequent a lick.

As for positioning, if on a trail, it helps to direct the cameras field of view either up or down the trail as the animal will be in the field of view for longer allowing you to assess it more thoroughly. Try to prevent a camera pointing Perpendicular to a trail as they can quickly cross the field of view and give you a great ass shot(missed the head as it has already passed out of camera range). A perpendicular angle can be used, but place the camera further away from the point of interest in order to maximize the time that the animal will be in the field of view. Try to prevent pointing the camera south. Sun exposure kills day time shots; particularly morning and evening. Point camera north if possible. I prefer to use video as provides more information about the animal. Security boxes are great for weather protection and theft protection ( from either man or critter)They never hurt. As for snow, I have never left cameras that high over winter, but you may want to rig a small piece of plywood over the camera with a screw to the tree(keep it out of the filed of view). That would also help keep off rain and snow and help snow from accumulating on the little edge by the lens.

I would try the Sub alpine first. The vegetation provides a lot more options in term of camera sites. I have placed cameras in the alpine with limited success. First hard to "focus" animals in an area that truly tells you the inventory, ie no pinch points. Sun is hard to avoid throughout the day. Nothing to mount the camera onto. And the biggest one is that there is often a lot of wind up high that blows either the vegetation in the cameras field of view or the tree to which the camera is mounted. Both produce a LOT of camera triggers of nothing but a windy scene. If you do palce one in such a location, turn down the sensitivity to reduce your false triggers.

Either way, trail cameras are good fun. I love mine. I just wish I had more time to tend to them. Another point to remember, is if you intend on placing them a long way from your vehicle, the time to maintain them(re-salt, battery and card replacement) increases the further you are away from your rig. If you only have a few cameras, not a big deal, but if you get beyond two cameras(which is easy to do), time becomes a factor. In the summer a set of normal batteries will only last around 3-4 weeks, so they will need replacing. If you buy Lithium($$$) then you can stretch that out quite a bit, but regardless I like to see what is on the camera , so I have stayed with generic alkaline and change them out with the cards.

[Salvelinus]

That's some great info, thanks for the response. In the alpine I was thinking of pinch points (cols/saddles) that funnel game in between peaks or ridges or where game trails can funnel up bowls to gain the ridge or backside of the mountain. Not especially common, but I know of a few spots like this which look like they have millennia of hoof prints etched into the ground from heavy use. Might try talking to some rock climbing friends to find out what hardware works to anchor into rock if there is a good spot to mount.

[twoSevenO]

Nice thread. This is something i'm debating about this year as well ... and as mentioned already the biggest bi**h of it all is the distance from the vehicle. Long ways to go .... but at the end of every season i always say "should've scouted more" so maybe it's time to just commit to it.

Here's an example of one of the trails i've found this year. Deer tracks were seen around. This was at 6200 ft, right at the tree line. I don't suppose does go up that high in the summer, but it seems too well used to be only a buck trail. Thoughts? Also, what would be the best approach to setting up cams in this area? At the edge of the trail looking into the trees, or from the trees looking into the opening? Where would one put a salt lick for best results? Thanks!

http://i.imgur.com/S6Ict2L.png

[twoSevenO]

bump ... :D ... who's set up cams or licks in the alpine. Quite a ways to haul the stuff up there. Have you had good success? or would you not bother again given the effort it takes.

[Clint_S]

Great advice seeker! I would add to consider overhanging branches which may droop and obscure the camera with any snow load. As far as mounting a camera without any trees you might want to try building a rock cairn and mounting the camera inside of that. Won't work with any amount of snow but it should be good for summer and fall.
As for watching that Trail I think a plot watcher type of camera would work better, one that takes a picture in set intervals rather than waiting for a trigger.