Trail cameras

[Itsbeef]

Hey guys,
What are everyone’s thoughts on using trail cameras on public land to track elk activity? I know some guys hate seeing cameras. Others have quite a few deep in the back country.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

They don’t really help to pattern like they can with Whitetail. IME elk are too nomadic and even over wallows on public land I’ve never really patterned a bull or bulls. Useful for getting pics of elk and confirming they are in the area but the thing with elk is they can be there one day/week and 5-10miles away the next day/week. I don’t mind them in the woods, just don’t use the in designated wilderness areas. I always carry an SD card reader so I can copy photos to my phone if I come across a camera without a lock. I’ve had one camera stolen and another turned to backside of tree facing a bush, so yes some people get panties in a bunch of they see them.

 

[Maverick1]

Agree with @Big Sky Guy - cameras just let you know that some elk were once in an area. But kind of hard to get elk patterned, even more so when there is hunting pressure.

Good luck!

 

[dmarsh2]

I like having cameras out just because I like seeing what's out there and I occasionally capture some interesting scenes. I also like acquiring data - what time of year / time of day do different species travel through a certain area, when does it change, stop, etc. Like @Big Sky Guy mentioned, I wouldn't be building hunting strategies around it, unless that strategy is "oh, this camera didn't pick up any animal activity at all, maybe I'll hunt somewhere else". And I think that's still useful information.