Camera Bait

[Bookworm007]

What bait do you use in front of your cameras? I have heard of using mineral blocks from the feed store. What kind should I get?

The reason I ask is this spring break my brother and I are going to do some scouting and set up my new trail camera. I know to lock it up nice and tight and off the beaten trail. What are some other first time trail cam tips you guys have?

[hunterrcc]

What bait do you use in front of your cameras? I have heard of using mineral blocks from the feed store. What kind should I get?

The reason I ask is this spring break my brother and I are going to do some scouting and set up my new trail camera. I know to lock it up nice and tight and off the beaten trail. What are some other first time trail cam tips you guys have?

Apples/ontop of your mineral site will help them find it quicker.  Trace mineral and salt bag loose bag about $7-9 at any feed store for 50lb bag.  Dig up the dirt in a circle about 2'x2' and pour into dirt and cover with a little dirt or pour into an old log or stump that they can dig at for the minerals.  It works great!

[Bookworm007]

Excellent!! That is just what I needed to know. Now I get to pull out the frame pack and haul a big bag of apples and salt up the mountain, but you got to burn off all those delicious steaks some how right?

Do I want to set up that salt in a spot that will stay fairly dry? or is putting the small log over it enough to keep the minerals from washing away? Also how often do you generally have to refill a station of this type?

[100 grain]

Since your in the subject what's the best way to secure it from thieves?

[Bookworm007]

My plan is something I have seen other members do. I'm going to lag bolt an ammo can to a tree with a hole cut in it. Then attach camera to can and presto! I have a welder so I will weld a latch onto the can and keep it locked up tight.

That being said this is my first time setting one up so everyone come poke holes in my plan please.

[h20hunter]

Another quick thing that I think gets overlooked and will really help you get better pics all day.....try and get the cam facing north. You will get less glare and splash from the sun if it ever comes out.

[400out]

  this

[h20hunter]

I remember you stocking up on that. Much left?

[buckfvr]

For summer time pics, forget apples and similar attractants, and go with the minerals near a trail that goes directly to a remote water hole......fresh the offering based on usage...If you see what you want, this would be a good spot to hunt, and you will want to use this same spot for years........

[Bookworm007]

H20: I just finished reading your 1 year trail cam project. Thats a great write up and helped answer a lot of questions. And thanks for the camera angle tip!!

Buck: Okay so mineral blocks for now or the bag of minerals placed in the dirt. Would apples just the first couple times be good to attract the deer? One plus to the spot I plan to set up is I have seen a dozen deer using this trail......they were all does  but where there are does there must also be bucks theoretically....  On the water source end of things. What do you mean by "water hole" as in do the deer prefer slower moving water or would a faster year round stream be sufficient?

400: Wow that is quite the stockpile!!! Did costco have a sale or something? 

[bobcat]

Another quick thing that I think gets overlooked and will really help you get better pics all day.....try and get the cam facing north. You will get less glare and splash from the sun if it ever comes out.

Very often I have seen this same recommendation, and for fall/winter it would be correct. However in the spring and summer if you want your camera facing away from the sun, you'd want it facing south, not north.

From the beginning of spring to the end of summer, the sun rises to the north of due east, and it sets north of due west, and by quite a bit. For most of the month of June it is about 37 degrees north of due east or west.

So if you have your camera facing north, you'll have the sun shining directly into it in the morning and evening, which of course are the times when you'll get most of your wildlife pictures.

Here's a chart that shows the azimuth of sunrise and sunset in June.
(remember, due east is 90 degrees, and due west is 270 degrees)

[bobcat]

Here's a chart for December so you can see the difference between summer and winter:

[h20hunter]

Great poit Bobcat...never really considered that.

[et1702]

As "Hunterrcc" recommends, use loose salt.  Trace mineral type from a feed store.  It will be red or reddish brown just like the Block salt.  Don't really need to worry about keeping it dry.  Deer and Elk will come and lick at dirt.  I've had some spots for several years and always see activity in the spring at my old sites (i.e., before I start dropping more for this season).  For deer and Elk, alfalpha cubes work great too.  Again, feed store will have weed free cubes in 40 to 50lb bags.  Easy to strap to the pack frame and haul into back country.  I also get lots of bear pics in the summer time too.

ET

[400out]

I remember you stocking up on that. Much left?

YEah I'm sitting on about half

[Transka]

400 your still bragging about that purchase!

[400out]

400 your still bragging about that purchase!

well yeah! I would have more in stock if you didn't end up with some   

[Maverick]

holy cow! did i miss hearing about a cabelas robbery or something?   

[jackelope]

As "Hunterrcc" recommends, use loose salt.  Trace mineral type from a feed store.  It will be red or reddish brown just like the Block salt.  Don't really need to worry about keeping it dry.  Deer and Elk will come and lick at dirt.  I've had some spots for several years and always see activity in the spring at my old sites (i.e., before I start dropping more for this season).  For deer and Elk, alfalpha cubes work great too.  Again, feed store will have weed free cubes in 40 to 50lb bags.  Easy to strap to the pack frame and haul into back country.  I also get lots of bear pics in the summer time too.

ET

Won't the alfalfa bring in rabbits if they're in your neighborhood?? You'll end up with hundreds of pictures of rabbits? Just a thought.

[huntnnw]

deercaine= buying salt at 10x the cost

[400out]

not if you buy it at 1.50 a gallon 

[huntnnw]

It actually may still be 10x the cost..take a gallon and sit it in the sun and let evaporate..I bet there is a 1lb of salt when its all said and done.I can buy trace salt 50lb for $5 and is far more beneficial than deercaine..deercaine is basically table salt

[Fishmasterdan]

I did some testing this year. All tests were done in the last 4 weeks.
Week one mineral trace. Little to no affect.
Week two. added salt blocks. Little to no affect.
Week 3 added 8 apples. Gone the first night and lots of pictures all does.
Week 4 added 12 apples. The deer are coming in eating the apples every couple of days. Have a new buck (tiny horns bulging).

My conclusion. Bait with apples in the spring for blacktails.

[bobcat]

Yes, apples are good, but at least for me, not available this time of the year. I won't have any apples until late August.

[huntnnw]

salt isnt needed yet and its also not a food like apples..when milk production ramps up and the lush green foods become available and the addition of antler growth the deer and elk need the added sodium

[Fishmasterdan]

New discovery. Possums love apples. My cheapy tasco cameras wont pick up the possums but the better Busnell video unit caught them in the act.

I put 2 cameras on one tree. The cheapy did not pick up anything while the better camera has 2 deer. 2 coyotes and some various possums.