Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Questions on trail cams

So going into my 2nd year of hunting, I have been looking at different things to improve from last year. I keep seeing trail cams coming up everywhere and I was curious as to whether or not I should try one? I always wondered how people did have them stolen all the time considering you leave them up for such a long period of time. How would I best use one to get the greatest help in scouting? What sort of features would I want to look for?

I started elk hunting about 15 years ago and have never felt the need for trail cams. Elk are not like deer in that they don't frequent the same areas/trails as regularly as deer do. Also, their home ranges are much larger and they move around more, especially when hunting season starts and they get pressured. So you'd need a lot of cameras spread over a large area, all on public land. Elk hunting just doesn't lend itself to trail cams like whitetail hunting does.

My $.02.

If I had to suggest something other than trail cams to improve your hunting, it'd be to do more pre-season scouting and get to know more different hunting areas. Elk are where you find them, and things change from year to year and season to season. The more different areas you're familiar with, the better off you'll be.

Great if you own stock in Eveready or Duracell.

I actually use them a lot and they are a lot of fun. The elk scouting/hunting benefits are marginal unless you have the situation to really take advantage of them.

If there is a place that you think might be a great hunting spot then by all means try it, but keep in mind that what you see in the month of X is different than what you see during hunting season. If you tend to be a stationary hunter then they can be helpful, i.e., increase the data you have about a particular spot.

Trail cams are a ton of fun and worth it just for that reason. Also, they result in a lot more field time as you 'check the camera' again and again. For elk, they can provide some positive indicators. With limited water, they can tell you if your bull is watering at that location. More importantly, if your bull has started watering after dark, cams can confirm when. This will dictate how far from the water you must be to intercept him. Over time, cams will confirm that an area or waterhole is, on average, more heavily used than others. Cams are used heavily here in AZ, for elk, deer and bear. But I think the best reason for them is the fun of looking at your pics regularly.

Another reason for them is that tracks can identify a big bull, but not if his antlers are broken up or small. If you capture a 400 inch bull on camera here, there are folks who will pay big $ for that info. Which is some indicator of value. If you are a guide such photos also help sell your business. Elk density is low here compared to Co and there is always a time limit, so any intel that will help you close the gap is good intel.

This alone is enough for me to swear off ever using trail cameras.

This is just one man's opinion, but why not just dart the damn things, stick a chip in their ear, and track 'em on GPS?

But back to the OP. For a new elk hunter, there are a ton of things I'd spend my time on to improve my skills before trail cams.