The trick with using these
cameras is to find the right spot to place the camera. One obvious
way to capture photos is to locate the camera next to a feeder. If
you have a bird or squirrel feeder, you are likely to catch some photos
quickly (feeders not recommended if you are trying to catch a photo of a
bear.) If you are going after deer, you might try the
Moultrie feeder shown on the right.
One of my favorite professional groups that uses
wildlife cameras is the
Central Sierra
Environmental Resource Center (CSERC) of Twain Harte.
They have taken baiting to a new level by nailing chickens to trees to
attract animals; that's right, nailing chickens to trees. It works
well. They have been studying the habitat of animals thought to
have left that area of the Sierras.
Check out their web
site to see what good work this environmental group is doing on animal
habitats (donate if you can to this cause).
The first time I tried our
camera, I strapped it to a tree and caught only photos of leaves moving
in the wind. We had observed rabbits and raccoons a number of
times passing under our deck so we moved the camera to where we had seen
animals and quickly caught photos. With a few tries, you should be able
to find a good spot in your yard.
Even if you live in the city with a small yard, you can
photograph birds, squirrels, cats, or other small animals. This is
a really fun hobby! Our family loves to see the photos and we are
hooked on using these cameras to get more and more shots.