Why Your Trail Camera Keeps Getting False Triggers
Cellular trail cameras have made scouting your hunting property so much better in many regards. I have been hunting for 48 years and remember as a kid my dad taking me into the woods to scout our hunting locations for the upcoming deer rifle season in Oklahoma. Back then we didn't have an abundance of whitetail deer, so seeing tracks or scat was very exciting. Learning about deer rubs and scrapes was on a whole other level. Oftentimes we simply hunted where we found beds, scat, and deer trails — we didn't have the luxury of watching the woods 24/7 like we do today.
I will say I have great memories of doing this with my dad, and nothing a cellular camera does replaces those memories that can be made when a father and son (or daughter) get up early, make breakfast together, and set out on a trek. But I have grown to love cellular trail cameras — especially when running them on solar panels.
But that's enough reminiscing for now. The problem with many — and I would actually say all — trail cameras is usually the user. The following is true for both new and seasoned trail camera users.
1. Read Your Manual First
Take the time to read your manual. Many cameras ship with valuable o-rings that can easily get lost in all the excitement of tearing into the package. These o-rings prevent small insects from getting inside your camera and causing havoc with false alerts — not to mention they stop water from getting in, which is never good inside electronics.
2. Check Your Camera Settings
Many hunters have made the mistake of setting their camera to time lapse mode. Make sure your camera is not set to time lapse unless that's your intention. Also, if you have a bad PIR sensor it will take a photo at every interval you have set up. For example, if your time delay is set to 1 minute and your PIR sensor is bad, you will get a photo every minute regardless of movement.
One way I like to rule that out — take that camera and put it in a box. If you're still getting photos you know exactly what the problem is.
3. Trim Limbs and Tall Grass
Most everyone knows to trim limbs and tall grass that may blow into the camera's view, but it's always your first move when setting up. Don't skip it. See example video below.
3coAcu_rg">https://youtu.be/J-3coAcu_rg
4. Always Mount Your Camera Facing North
Always mount your camera pointing north to minimize sun movement creating moving shadows that trigger your camera. If you don't have the perfect tree that allows you to do this, look into T-Post Mounts and the Tri-Claw Camera & Solar Panel Mount. They allow you to mount a camera in the correct position every time to minimize false triggers regardless of what's around you. The Tree Biter Pro Mount is 100% aluminum and stainless and allows you to mount up high or down low in anything wood.
5. Watch Out for Standing Water Under Feeders
If you're watching a feeder that's been in place for a long while, you'll have a hole worn into the ground from animals feeding under it. If it has rained and that hole is holding water, the movement of that water surface can cause false triggers. Worth checking before you pull your hair out wondering why you're getting blank photos.
6. Your Mount Must Be Solid
If you mount your camera to something that moves, your camera will take photos every time it moves. Make sure your mount is stable and firm. The Tree Biter Pro and our T-Post Mounts are built specifically to stay locked in place all season long — no slipping, no shifting, no cameras on the ground. That said, expect extremely high winds to cause false trigger events no matter what — that's just the nature of the beast.
7. Buy the Best You Can Afford — Then Stretch It a Little
Buy what you can afford and then stretch it some. Get the best camera you can because skimping on the upfront cost will get you in the end. Same goes for your SD cards, solar panels, and trail camera mounts and accessories.
There are many great trail camera brands for under $175, but drop under $120 and it's a crapshoot. If you do use a cheaper camera, try setting the PIR sensitivity to the lowest detection setting — you may miss some photos though, so be aware of that tradeoff. Also, if your camera allows it, set the active hours to something like 4am to 11am and then 2pm through just after dark to reduce daytime wind motion or heat wave triggers. The old saying applies here: buy once, cry once.
One Last Thing Worth Mentioning
Cellular trail camera manufacturers have figured out that hunters are pretty smart. Many are now offering plans that allow for shared data, unlimited data, or charge you only for the data you actually use.
I personally use Blackgate Hunting Products trail cameras and have for about four years now. The data plans are very affordable. And if I have a big mature buck in an area, I may mount my camera in a not-so-perfect position and deal with the false triggers — because I use them as a tool to pattern animals. If my data is cheap and the buck is worth it, I will deal with the false triggers. That's just hunting in my opinion.
Good luck out there. Set your cameras right, mount them solid, and quit blaming the deer when it's usually the guy who set up the camera. I say that from experience.
— Greg Willis | ShopThermalOptics.com