Analyzing TrailCam photos?

[Rizzy]

I put a TC out last May (2013) overlooking a nice high elevation park that had some Elk sign in it and left it out til past the rut. The biggest Bull pics where in early August in the middle of the night. In early Sept. I got a photo of a nice Bull and a cow, and then cows/spikes the rest of the month. This is a lower Elk density area, but according to the TC photos a high Bull/Cow ratio. When I went back in Oct. to Deer hunt, a raghorn was bugling with about half dozen cows on the end of the ridge a mile from the park. I'm trying to analyze these photos and figure the area out. I plan to archery hunt this park in early Sept. It seems like there is not enough cows to keep a Big bull in the area, and hunting pre-rut might get me a chance at one of them coming through to check before moving on?

So what can be learned from TC photo sequences besides quality? What do we want to look for to indicate how the Elk are using the area?

This pic is why I want to hunt in early Sept., looks like a bull trying to collect this cow. This isn't the biggest Bull I got on camera though.

[Swede]

There are just a few things I look for when analyzing my trail cam pictures. Frequency of elk in the pictures is number one. I want to check the size and gender of the animals. What time of day do they come in? It is not much help if they only come at night. I have a trail camera that is set at a location in July. It gets a lot of nice bull pictures on it. The bad part is all of the bulls some in at one time and hang around for hours, then don't return for three weeks.

[BRazz]

Rizzy,

From my experience, I wouldn't rely on the photos from a single camera as the source of truth for all things elk in a given area. A game camera is just one piece of your puzzle - experience in the field is a critical addition to the photos in my opinion. Did you get a chance to hunt the area? Any other cameras? A lone camera can give you a general idea of the timing of elk visits, but can easily miss an elk that may be walking just outside the camera's range. You may catch a glimpse of a big bull that's long gone come hunting season, or you may only see raghorns on the camera but the big bulls are using the next wallow over... I know because I set out a single camera last archery season in an area that I was very familiar with. The results from that camera were similar to yours, and may not have singlehandedly convinced somebody to hunt there.

Hunting an area with relatively low elk population isn't a bad thing at all if you have a spot where they concentrate. If it were me, I'd hunt this spot - but keeping in mind some important info I gathered from what you wrote. For example, there was not a lot of daytime activity in this particular spot. Elk are around but maybe pressured into nocturnal habits? They must be someplace during the day - try and figure out where. Look for cover, water, security, and try to intercept travel to/from bedding areas. Also, you observed lots of cows/spikes in the vicinity later in the archery season/rut. The bulls will come seek out the cows (generally smaller bulls at the very beginning of the rut), so if you see cows around there are probably some bulls too. Maybe not right in front of your camera but somewhere nearby. Did you see likely rutting areas where bulls may hang out? Rubs, wallows, etc. For me, any bull will do just fine, so find the cows early in the season - and the bulls will be there later. Check out that ridge where you saw the herd during October. Any reason elk would frequent it?

In any case, a couple hunting trips in an area combined with the photos from that camera should paint a reliable picture. I vote you give it a try this season.

[under H2O hunter]

I set out a couple cameras in an area I know really well last season and most of my pictures were scenic type photos with the occasional bear. Now If I didn't know the area I would say it was void of elk. But spending time in the area I was able to draw on the fact that I knew there was really good elk numbers in the area. So not having any good elk photos didn't sway me from not hunting the area. I was hoping to get a little more info such as time of day the elk were using this wallow where my camera was, how frequent they were using the wallow or as I found out NOT using this particular wallow. Because I hunt public ground it helped me to know that other hunters were frequenting the area as well.

Trail cameras give you a small glimpse of a very small area. I would caution you from throwing in the towel on a spot just because you're not getting larger elk on your camera. Remember cows move around just like big bulls and big bulls fallow cows. So if you are getting cows on your pics I would put money on the fact that you will also have nice bulls in the area as well.

Good luck and keep posting what you are seeing..

[Rizzy]

I have spent a lot of time scouting and Deer hunting the area for the last 3 seasons. I keep getting side tracked with other Elk in other areas and have not rifle or archery hunted for Elk there yet specifically. I concurrently had a camera on a bench on the next mountain over about 3 miles away. I got video in July of the raghorns and cows, but not the bigger Bulls. The Elk do spend a couple days in the area and then disappear for a few weeks in both locations. I see Elk on the ridge where the raghorn was about every other time I go. It's one of my main access points to the park and my glassing spot for Deer. This park feeds 3 drainage's and has more mountain on both sides, it's a great spot as far as feed, water, cover. The surrounding areas have Wolves and OTC hunting pressure. It doesn't surprise me the bigger Bulls only come out in the open at night that time of year. In June however, there where Bulls out in the open.

As far as wallows and scrapes, I really haven't found any. I'm somewhat reluctant to spend a lot of time around this park looking as I don't want to spook Elk. I may have to just chance it and learn more about the area. I plan to set 2 cameras out soon. One in the same spot at the park, and the other somewhere else close. I think I will use video mode this time.

These are some of the Bulls in June

[ishy]

As above you have a pretty small sample sizing of a huge story. It does add to the unknown though. I had a camera on a wallow for a couple years that got hammered. Multiple six points each year at all times of day, never more than a couple of days without animals around. So I sat it last year, and didn't see an elk. Did have a seven point hit it an hour before I got there one afternoon.

[poisonarrow]

Last year I made the mistake of putting too much confidence in TC pictures. I had the camera on a water hole and two weeks before season there was a ton of activity. I thought I was really on to something. A lot of nice bulls.

The first of Sept they were gone. Looking closer at the pictures almost all of the bulls were smelling not drinking. I believe they were looking for cows before the rut started.

I had no pictures of cows.

This year I am going to concentrate more on the cows. I expect the bulls to show when the cows get hot.

[poisonarrow]

This is one of the bulls. Aug 16th.

[Rizzy]

Do Cows go into heat each year even if they already have calves? This is one of the cow/calf groups.

[Rizzy]

I'm assuming that at least 2 of these cows where bred last year and would be ready again this year if they really do go into heat each year, which is encouraging. The big cow in the back is probably the lead cow and might even be barren, but is perhaps the brains of the outfit leading to the good recruitment.

[BRazz]

Do Cows go into heat each year even if they already have calves? This is one of the cow/calf groups.

Cow/calf groups will have some cows that are wet (with calf) and some that are dry. So these cow/calf groups will have some cows that will be bred. I don't think wet cows go into heat.

[ishy]

Pretty sure cows will come into estrus each year.

[Lefty]

You can learn a huge amount, I found how as the pressure increased in the area I was hunting the elk showed up on camera further from daylight hours and the last week left the area that had been a traditional rutting area.
Seeing the pattern of change helped me chose to leave an area I had gotten to know quite well


Maybe the same guys messing with the settings on my tc, the dates and time are very wrong

This pic said I left the blind 12 minutes too early 2nd Friday evening of the hunt.

PICT0007 (Small).JPG (327.49 KiB) Viewed 8013 times

After the 10th different pickups, ATVs and missing pic files this pic was one of too many that said its time to leave the area.

PICT0180 (Small).JPG (353.26 KiB) Viewed 8013 times

[Elkonthebrain]

At least they left your camera. Had a couple stolen... Just part of it I guess

[WapitiTalk1]

At least they left your camera. Had a couple stolen... Just part of it I guess

Nothing worse than thieves or liars in my book. That sucks weiners Ed.

[Swede]

Cows come into estrus every year unless there is something wrong with them. They kick the yearling out about the time the new calf is born.

[BRazz]

Cows come into estrus every year unless there is something wrong with them. They kick the yearling out about the time the new calf is born.

Good to know... I always figured otherwise. Thanks!

[Rizzy]

So in that group of cows/calves 3 of them are yearlings, 3 are young cows, and one is an old cow? Will those yearling be old enough to go into estrus this year?

[wawhitey]

At least they left your camera. Had a couple stolen... Just part of it I guess

Hang em high like this. Best way to prevent theft and animal damage. http://imgur.com/7XoaYzA

[wawhitey]

When you get the angle right the pics don't look funny they look like this. http://imgur.com/wfMHi2f

[Elkonthebrain]

At least they left your camera. Had a couple stolen... Just part of it I guess

Hang em high like this. Best way to prevent theft and animal damage. http://imgur.com/7XoaYzA

Good idea.