Jan 31, 2018 - laptop if you want to look at your photos or videos right away. Other good brands with low-price op e Bus
TRAIL CAMERAS FOR RANGELAND MANAGEMENT Remote-sensing cameras have become powerful tools for monitoring wildlife habitat use, changes in land cover, and wildlife movements through the landscape. These trail cameras, which have become more ordable and widely available to the general public, have proven useful for researchers and ranchers alike. Livestock operators are beginning to use trail cameras as a proave method fo ivestock-wildlife co on working landscapes.
Idfying Your Trail Camera Objves Monitoring ac ty paerns and behavior of wildlife Verifying the presence of certain species Inventory of species on the landscape Estimating species populations
ons between wild and dom c animals Livestock avity s and behavior Movement in c grazing areas Landscape level movement of animals
Which Cameras Should You Choose? We recommend Browning cameras ($80 refurbished - $170 new as of early 2018). We prefer Browning cameras because of the live view screen that allows you to play back video in the You can also bring your laptop if you want to look at your photos or videos right away. Other good brands with low-price op e Bushnell, Cuddeback and Reconyx. The number of cameras required for rangeland monitoring depends on the size of the area. It's best to start with a few cameras and to experiment before making a expensive commitment. Use ient cameras to capture a passing carnivore if it is indeed nearby.
Addi Equipment Rechargeableeries are cost- cve, and lithium eries also perform well. Purchase premium ba ies. A ZTS Baery tester is useful for t eries in th . SD Memory Cards store your photo and video content. We recommend a 16 to 32 GB size SD card. Which you choose will depend on the level of local a ity, your camera d how o en you plan to check the cameras. Ideally, keep two cards for each camera so that you can swap them out in the Bear boxes are generally advised to secure your cameras from both people and wild animals. Silica packs help to keep the inside of your camera dry.
How to Evade Use a cable lock. ” works well to secure your camera to a tree. Use locks that keep the camera trap door secure so your SD cards are protected. Place your camera in a remote locn that humans don’t frequent. If on your own private property, all the er. Include messages on or near your camera your purpose along with your contact informon.
Selecting Where to Place Cameras Choose your sites based upon your objectives. Cameras can effectively be placed in your livestock enclosures or along any potential “choke points” leading to your grazing lands where you suspect wildlife may be present. When possible, avoid sites that livestock can access - they tend to rub on camera traps and can dislodge them. Trails, fence breaks, fire roads, and game trails are all good choices. Sources of food, shelter and water are also good.
Suggestions for Adjusting your Camera's Location and Direction x x x x x
Flat terrain is ideal, but in steep or hilly terrain place your camera at the bottom of the slope and point it uphill. Your camera is best placed facing North or South. Try walking (or even crawling) down the trail toward where you are pointing your camera to test its field of view. Approach from several directions to trigger the camera, view the results, and adjust accordingly. Don’t use bait or lures. You are trying to capture evidence of natural activity, and lures disturb those patterns. Baits typically require government paperwork to ensure legality. x Most trail cameras can detect motion out to at least 40’. Unfortunately, some flashes don’t reach out past 20’. x Optimize your Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR). The infrared sensor detects when there is a change in heat or motion when a subject crosses into the frame. We suggest reviewing your camera’s manual for optimal performance.
How to Avoid "False Captures" and Non-Target Triggers x Remove plants that may obscure the view or trigger the camera. Many a frustrated remote photographer has returned
x x x x
to a dead battery or full memory card due to thousands of pictures being taken of wind-blown grass or branches that triggered the motion detector. Cameras facing East or West cause triggers from heat and shadows from the rising and setting sun. Although water sources attract wildlife, don't point the camera directly at the water, as it may trigger the camera. Avoid often used recreational trails and roads to avoid captures of vehicles and hikers. Don’t point your camera toward livestock or trails commonly used by other domestic animals.
Identify choke points. Wildlife trails are harder to find, while human trails are easier. Generally wildlife will take the easiest route available that provides sufficient cover. Look for riverbeds flanked by steep embankments, clearings in areas of thick vegetation, watering holes, tracks used heavily by deer or elk, and roads and recreational trails.
Securing Your Cameras Before you set your camera up on public or private land, be sure to obtain permission from the landowner. Select a tree, fence, or other suitable mounting structure that is within 2 to 10 feet of the area you are monitoring. Keep the circumference of your camera strap in mind when selecting tree trunks.
18 TO 24 INCHES OFF THE GROUND
MOUNTAIN LION Puma concolor Best camera placement will vary by species.
Mount the camera at a height of 1.5 to 3 feet off the ground, facing diagonally across the trail at approximately 45 degrees. Be wary of potential flooding. Set cameras so they will not be at risk of being submerged.
When trying to photograph wildlife, place the camera at shoulder height of the species you hope to film, to improve your odds of documenting activity.
What to Bring When ng or Checking on Your Camera Trap Camera manuals. These will help if you forget how to adjust a r seng. Keys for camera locks. Spare ies. Cold weather can cause eries to drain more rapidly. Do not purchase discount eries. Bring "trade out" SD memory cards. Be sure that the cards are empty and reform before he trail. Silica packs to keep the inside of your camera dry. # cloth to clean the lens and clean water from inside the housing. A detailed topographic map to id %& likely choke points. A property map to help determine who owns the land. Use a Global Pooning System (GPS) to your way and to pin your loons. GPS poons are also useful for record keeping, and a great way to keep tabs on your equipment. Bring a computer or other means of reviewing your memory card so that you can double check the pooning of the camera and upload your images. Lag bolts and a socket wrench can be handy if you plan to mount the camera on a wooden structure. Pruning shears or a folding saw can help clear vegetaon from eld of view of the camera.
Maintenance The frequency at which cameras need to be checked depends on memory size, camera sengs, and local a ty. Large memory cards are great, but you may nd yourself overwhelmed with the sheer volume of photos, or be surprised when, r a long absence yound that your camera has m % oned. You might consider only taking photos if you can’t get out to the camera site en. Photo quality alsoects memory. Video s context about animal ac ty during a period ofme, but requires much more memory. Set your camera’s * amp to print on your captures: The correct * date, temperature, and moon phase can be very informve. Depending on the camera, you may need to consider Daylight Savings Time. Upon arriving, walk in front of the camera and trigger the moon sensor to verify that the camera is % oning and to serve as a reference check to be sure the me and date are correct. Trigger the camera again upon leaving. Turn o the camera, pull the SD card and review photos for funonality of camera. Make required adjustments. When replacing your SD card, make sure you have deleted old photos and videos and reforma the card. Before you leave, camoage your gear with natural items like moss, ferns, leaves or brush. Try not to leave too much of your scent around, which may discourage s+ wildlife.
When you leave your camera, don't forget to turn it on! Photo Processing & Data Analysis Upon retrieving memory cards, you can use a compute %y wildlife species. A simple carnivore count by species, divided by the number of days deployed, provides an index of ve use. Data spreadsheets are a handy way of keeping track of all this informaon and are easily shared with neighbors. Date
Time
Species
# Size
Sex Temp (F)
8/19/2017
2:21
Mountain Lion
1 Juvenile
M
8/20/2017
1:32
Gray Fox
1
8/21/2017
16:17
Deer
1 Adult
8/22/2017
20:16
Bear
8/23/2017
20:45
Gray Fox
GPS ID
Camera
Night / Day
File Name
Comments
53
1
Night
082017-M
scar on forehead
52
7
Night
082017-G
kinked tail
68
7
Day
082017-D
1 Adult
64
7
Night
082017-B
1
54
7
Night
082017-G2
M
ng
Depending on& ons and the data acquired through your remote-sensing camera work you have the ability to perform a variety of analyses. We will not elaborate on these analyses in this handout, but literature is available should you desire to learn more. Some of the types of analyses include: probability of deteon, mark/recapture, hierarchical modeling, probability of de on, occupancy esmaon, abundance vs. occupancy, po on trends, covariates, capture success, capture histories, on of individual animals. (Types adapted from Ka Moriarty, Ph.D.)
When to Change Things Up When to move your cameras is one of the most difficult decisions in remote photography. Move too soon and you may miss seasonal changes. Leaving an unproductive camera in one location for too long is a waste of resources. Keep your original goals in mind when making these decisions.
Summary By mapping site-specific carnivore habitat use, livestock operators can project relative risk on their own property. Remote cameras can be used to verify the presence or absence of carnivores and livestock owners may be able to determine the risk of allowing animals to graze in specific areas. With data on relative carnivore habitat use, livestock operators can plan activities appropriately. For example, operators can keep highly vulnerable animals, such as calves, birthing or lactating mothers, or sick or injured animals, in relatively safer pastures, while stocking more robust animals in areas more suitable to their traits. Pastures with lower carnivore use will provide safer range than those with more frequent visitation. Depending on the individual ranch, the carnivores involved, the number of pasture options, and many other factors, livestock operators may wish to measure carnivore use on a seasonal basis to fine-tune the relative risk of predation. Cameras provide irreplaceable insight and glimpses into the natural world. Remote cameras can enhance the livestock operators’ wealth of knowledge about working landscapes and the wild and domestic animals that inhabit them.
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