Trail cameras are among the most powerful tools for scouting and monitoring wildlife. Whether you’re tracking deer movement for hunting season, monitoring predators, or simply observing nature, your success depends on setting up your camera correctly. Unfortunately, many hunters miss crucial shots because of simple mistakes. From choosing the right location to fine-tuning camera settings, every small adjustment can dramatically improve your results.
Here are 20 proven tips to help you capture clear, well-timed, and high-quality trail camera shots. Follow these to make the most of your scouting efforts and get photos that tell you exactly what’s happening in the wild.
1. Pick the Right Location
The first step in getting great trail camera shots is choosing the right spot. You need to think like the animals you’re scouting—where are they eating, sleeping, or traveling? Focus on high-traffic areas like:
- Game trails: Look for clear pathways with tracks, droppings, or flattened grass.
- Water sources: Animals regularly visit rivers, ponds, and small creeks to drink.
- Feeding zones: Prime spots are food plots, bait stations, or areas with natural forage.
- Funnels or pinch points: Natural chokepoints between dense cover, like ridges or narrow pathways, often force animals through tight spaces.
Take time to scout and find these locations before setting up your camera. Walk around, look for tracks, and analyze where the animals are moving. The right location will always give you the best shot opportunities.
2. Angle the Camera Properly
One common mistake is placing your camera without considering the angle of the sun. If you point your camera directly east or west, the sunlight during dawn or dusk can flood your photos, causing harsh glare or overexposed images. Instead, follow these tips:
- Face the camera north or south: This avoids direct sunlight and ensures consistent lighting throughout the day.
- Slight downward tilt: Angle your camera slightly downward to avoid capturing too much sky and focus on the ground where animals travel.
3. Mount at the Right Height
Mounting height is critical for capturing animals naturally. If your camera is too high, it might miss smaller animals or give you unnatural angles. If it’s too low, it risks getting knocked over or blocked by tall grass.
Here’s a quick guide for mounting heights:
- Deer and elk: Set the camera about 3 to 4 feet off the ground. This is roughly chest height for larger games.
- Coyotes and predators: Go lower, around 2 to 3 feet, to get a good shot of smaller animals without missing details.
- Bears or other climbers: Place cameras higher (around 6-8 feet) angled downward, to avoid curious animals knocking them over.
4. Use Camera Angles to Your Advantage
The angle of your camera relative to game trails or pathways can make or break your photos. If you point the camera directly perpendicular to a trail, you only get partial or blurry images as animals move through quickly. Instead:
- Face the camera down the trail: By angling your camera slightly up or down the trail, you increase the amount of time an animal stays in the frame. This helps capture full-body shots and improves trigger timing.
- Avoid pointing at dense brush: Animals are likely to trigger the camera even if they aren’t visible through heavy foliage. Open pathways give you clear, consistent shots.
5. Clear Obstacles from the Frame
Nothing ruins a great shot like tall grass, leaves, or branches blocking the camera lens. These obstacles can trigger false alarms or block animals entirely. A quick clean-up before setting up your camera can save you from sifting through hundreds of wasted shots. Before walking away from your setup:
- Cutaway low-hanging branches or tall grass: Use pruning shears to clear out anything that might interfere with the shot.
- Check the camera lens: Make sure no dirt, moisture, or debris is stuck to it. A dirty lens can make every photo look blurry.
- Consider wind movement: Foliage moving in the wind can trigger your camera unnecessarily. Make sure there’s no loose vegetation too close to the sensor.
6. Optimize Camera Settings
Your trail camera likely has multiple settings that can help you tailor its performance to the conditions. Here’s what you need to focus on:
- Trigger speed: Fast-moving animals need a camera with quick trigger speeds (under 0.5 seconds). This ensures you don’t miss the shot as they move through.
- Photo vs. video mode: Use photo mode for clearer still shots and video mode when you want to observe behavior. Video clips can also provide clues about animal direction and habits.
- Burst mode: Set the camera to capture 2-3 shots per trigger. This increases the chances of capturing the animal in a better pose.
Adjust settings based on the type of wildlife and location. For example, in feeding areas, animals are slower, so you can capture video. On game trails, use faster triggers with bursts for action shots.
7. Use Fresh Batteries for Reliability
Batteries are the lifeblood of your trail camera. A camera running on low or weak batteries might fail to trigger, miss shots, or shut down entirely—right when it matters most.
- Use lithium batteries: These last longer and perform better in extreme temperatures compared to alkaline ones. They’re especially useful for cold weather when regular batteries drain faster.
- Keep spares handy: Always carry fresh batteries in your pack when checking or repositioning cameras. Replace them proactively rather than waiting for them to die.
- Check the camera’s battery indicator: Before leaving the site, ensure the power level is high enough to last until your next visit.
8. Choose the Right Memory Card
Your memory card determines how many photos or videos your camera can store. A card that’s too small or unreliable could fill up quickly or fail, costing you valuable images.
Class 10 SD cards have fast write speeds, ensuring your camera records images without delay. Avoid slow, cheap cards that could corrupt data. For frequent photo use, 16GB to 32GB is ideal. If you’re shooting video, opt for 64GB or higher to accommodate larger files.
Format the card before use to prevent storage errors. Always format it in the trail camera itself, not just on a computer. Don’t let a full or corrupted card cost you weeks of scouting data—always check and swap cards regularly.
9. Use Proper Mounting Gear
Although strapping your camera to a tree works for most setups, there are situations where specialized mounting gear can give you better results.
Adjustable brackets allow you to angle your camera more precisely, especially if natural mounting points are limited. Use ground mounts for open fields, scrapes, or watering holes where no trees are nearby. If you’re in public hunting land or areas with curious animals (like bears), a lockable box will protect your camera from damage or theft.
10. Set Up for Night Shots
Many animals are most active after dark, so nighttime shots are crucial. Trail cameras with infrared (IR) or black flash technology can help you capture clear images without startling wildlife. Well-planned night shots will reveal nocturnal behavior patterns and keep you a step ahead of the game.
To improve your night shots:
- Use no-glow IR cameras: These produce no visible light, so animals won’t spook or notice the camera.
- Position the camera closer to trails: Nighttime shots can have limited range, so ensure animals pass through the center of the camera’s field of view.
- Avoid reflective surfaces: Water or snow can reflect the IR flash, overexposing the shot. Angle the camera slightly to avoid direct reflections.
11. Test Before Leaving
One of the biggest mistakes hunters make is setting up their cameras and walking away without testing them. You don’t want to come back weeks later to discover it wasn’t working properly. Testing only takes a few minutes but ensures you’ll capture every animal that crosses your camera’s path.
Trigger the camera yourself to ensure it captures clear images at the right angle and distance. Verify that the motion sensor covers the trail or pathway as intended. Look for lighting issues, obstacles, or positioning errors. Adjust as needed.
12. Use Multiple Cameras for Better Coverage
If you want a complete picture of wildlife movement, a single camera isn’t always enough. Animals might avoid certain trails or favor hidden routes, leaving gaps in your scouting data. Using multiple trail cameras gives you a broader view and ensures no movement goes unnoticed.
Set up cameras on different sides of food plots, water sources, or trails to track movement from various directions. Use cameras to monitor pinch points or intersections where game trails merge. Compare photos from different cameras to understand where and when animals are traveling.
13. Minimize Scent When Setting Up
Animals, especially mature bucks, have an incredible sense of smell. If your human scent lingers near the trail camera, it can spook wildlife and disrupt their natural movements. Taking scent control seriously will make animals more comfortable around your cameras and improve your photo results.
Here’s how to minimize scent:
- Wear gloves: Use scent-free gloves when handling cameras and gear.
- Spray down with scent eliminators: Treat yourself and your camera with scent-control spray before setup.
- Set up during midday: Animals are less active around noon, reducing the risk of immediate detection.
14. Use Time-Lapse Mode for Open Areas
In wide-open areas like fields, food plots, or meadows, animals trigger the motion sensor too late. Time-lapse mode solves this problem by taking photos at set intervals, even without movement. Time-lapse is a great tool for open terrain, ensuring you don’t miss wildlife that may not pass directly in front of the camera.
- Set intervals for dawn and dusk: These are prime times for animal activity. A 1- to 5-minute interval will capture consistent movement.
- Combine with motion detection: Many trail cameras allow you to run time-lapse alongside the motion trigger for the best coverage.
15. Adjust Trigger Speed for Fast-Moving Animals
Trigger speed determines how quickly your camera captures an image after detecting motion. A slow trigger might miss fast-moving animals like deer running through a trail or smaller critters darting by. Adjusting trigger speed ensures you capture every critical movement, from a fleeting buck to a curious coyote.
Faster speeds, around 0.2 to 0.5 seconds, are ideal for trails and areas with high movement. The closer your camera is to the action, the better chance it has of catching the motion in time. If your camera is too sensitive, blowing leaves or branches might cause false shots. Fine-tune the sensitivity for best results.
16. Aim for the Best Lighting Angles
Lighting can make or break your trail camera photos. Poor angles or backlighting can result in dark or washed-out images that lack detail. Taking a little time to plan for proper lighting will make your photos sharper and clearer, giving you better insight into animal behavior.
- Avoid facing east or west: Sunrises and sunsets can create harsh glare or silhouettes. Face your camera north or south for balanced lighting.
- Use natural cover: Overhanging branches or trees can diffuse harsh sunlight, creating more even exposure.
- Monitor shade patterns: Position the camera in a spot where changing light doesn’t cast disruptive shadows throughout the day.
17. Clean the Lens Regularly
Dirt, dust, or moisture on your trail camera lens can ruin photos, leaving you with blurry or obscured images. Regular maintenance keeps the lens clear and ensures your shots are crisp.
Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away dirt gently and smudges to avoid scratching the lens. Water droplets can dry on the lens, distorting the image. Wipe it clean when checking your camera. Some cameras offer lens hoods or weather guards to reduce dirt and water buildup.
A clean lens guarantees your camera performs at its best, no matter the conditions.
18. Secure Cameras from Theft and Animals
Trail cameras are valuable tools, which unfortunately makes them targets for theft, especially on public land. Animals, like bears, may also investigate and damage them out of curiosity. Securing your equipment protects your investment and ensures you keep collecting valuable scouting data.
Here’s how to keep your camera safe:
- Use lockboxes and cables: Metal security boxes and padlocks deter both thieves and animals.
- Hide your cameras: Mount cameras high in trees or use natural camouflage to keep them out of sight.
- Mark them discreetly: Avoid flashy branding; use dark or camo-colored cameras for blending in.
19. Record Short Videos for Behavior Insights
Although still photos are great for tracking movement, short videos provide deeper insights into animal behavior, interactions, and direction of travel.
- Set videos to 10-20 seconds: This length captures meaningful footage without draining the battery or filling the memory card too quickly.
- Use audio recording if available: Sounds can help identify calls, grunts, or footsteps not captured in photos.
- Position for movement paths: Place cameras at angles where animals move across the frame for more dynamic video footage.
20. Monitor Camera Performance
Even the best trail cameras need occasional checks to ensure they’re performing optimally. Regular monitoring helps you avoid missing crucial shots because of overlooked issues. Many modern cameras allow firmware updates that improve functionality and fix bugs. Ensure trigger speed, detection range, and time stamps are set correctly for your environment. Look for water damage, corrosion, or broken parts that might affect performance.
Final Thoughts
Trail cameras are influential tools that can boost your scouting success. With fine-tune your setup, minimizing disturbances, and monitoring camera performance, you’ll capture clearer, more reliable shots that give you a deeper understanding of game activity. Whether tracking whitetails on a remote trail or monitoring a food plot, these tips will help you get the most out of your equipment and make every scouting trip count.
Ready to take your trail camera game to the next level? Start applying these tips, and you’ll be amazed at the results!