Editor & Article Writer for Outdoor Wilds
How To Program a Trail Camera
In this guide I take a look at how to program a trail camera, plus the steps to take when first opening a camera straight out the box.
Right through to finally checking on the camera after its first placement at a scouting location.
Getting started
After making the initial choice on which new trail cam to get, it’s always great to finally get your hands on the box when you get home.
Most cameras come bundled with a few extras these days. Tree straps, mounting brackets, SD cards and even a card reader in some instances.
Spend a few minutes making sure all the pieces are in the box are as advertised, plus the instruction manual and any warranty card are enclosed.
Check the rubber grommet seals between the battery compartment, the front facia and control panel at the back to make sure the seal are in good order.
Look for any signs of damage or scratches to the PIR sensor, camera lens, plus the infrared illuminators.
Choosing The Correct Batteries
Choosing the right batteries is critical for the best performance from a trail camera.
Batteries come in 3 types.
- Rechargeable batteries
- Alkaline batteries
- Lithium batteries
My choice of battery is always Lithium. The reason is simply, they offer the best performance to cost ratio. The initial outlay is more, but they’ll last far longer than alkaline batteries.
Alkaline batteries once they drop below 50% continue to power the camera but the performance is affected. The drop in performance is shown by lack of illumination from the LED emitters that are used to illuminate animals at night.
Rechargeable batteries may seem a good idea but most of them have too low a voltage over time to keep a trail camera running to maximum levels.
If you’d like to know more about batteries for trail cameras have a look at this article I have written dedicated to the subject.
SD Cards
SD cards are inexpensive these days. The majority of trail cams work with sizes up to 32GB. I’d suggest a class 8 or above, ideally class 10.
The class of an SD card denotes how fast it handles data being stored. For a full HD trail camera, class 10 is essential. Have a read of my article dedicated to SD cards.
How To Set Up Your Camera
With the camera checked over, batteries installed, plus a suitable SD card it’s time to take a look at all those menu settings inside the camera itself.
Menu settings are accessed usually by the color LCD viewing screen. The viewing screen is sometimes located in the door of the camera or as in the case of Browning trail cams at the back of the camera housing.
The big advantage with the viewing screen at the back is that you can see what the camera lens is pointing at when setting up the camera in situ.
Camera Settings
On most trail cameras you’ll find 3 main settings.
- Burst Mode – Still pictures
- Video Mode
- Time lapse mode
Still picture mode usually has the option of setting the resolution of the picture. The bigger the picture size the less pictures you’ll be able to store on the SD card.
If your planning on leaving the camera to run for say, 6 months then it may be worth setting the pictures to low res.
Video mode will also have an option to record in full HD or 720P. 720P being the smaller resolution. The video below will give you an idea of what to expect when setting up a trail camera. The camera shown here is the Browning XD Pro.
What Does Time Lapse Mean?
Time lapse means the trail camera is set to record for a set duration. It may be for 24 hours a day or an hour either side of dusk or dawn.
Still pictures or video are recorded in short bursts for a set duration. The 2 settings that control these parameters are duration and interval.
Let’s say the time lapse is set to an interval of 5 minutes and a duration of 10 seconds. That means the camera will record a video clip every 5 minutes for 10 seconds.
Burst Mode
Burst mode is part of the still picture settings. It simply means the camera will record either 3, 5 or in some cases 8 pictures one after the other when the camera is triggered.
Testing The Camera Works
Now I’ve taken a look at how to set up a trail camera. It’s time to check that the camera works before heading out to the scouting area.
This may seem a pain in the butt, but trust me, trail cameras whatever make or brand are known to sometimes have a bad camera in their production batch.
All you need to do is set the camera up in the backyard and walk across the camera detection zone.
Wlak at around 20 metres away, both during the day and at night to test to see that the PIR sensor is working and the LED illumination is doing its job.
Viewing Pictures
Once you’ve checked the SD card on your iPhone or computer and made sure the images are OK it’s time to head on out to the forest.
If you’re unsure on how to check back the SD card take a look at my article on how to view trail camera pictures on iPhone or you may be interested in an dedicated SD card viewer.
Placing the Camera in the Best Location
Placing the camera in the correct location is the last essential stage. I’d suggest placing the camera close to a trail head, food plot or bedding area if you’re scouting for game animals.
The diagram below shows you some of the basics. How high to set the camera off the ground, the angle to the trail, note; also to point the camera north if possible to avoid sun glare. This post looks at trail camera placement in more detail.
Securing The Camera To Trees
A tree strap will come supplied with your camera. It’s just a matter of wrapping the strap around the trunk of a tree and making sure any excess strap is tucked into the strap to avoid flapping.
Some trail cameras come with a mounting plate and screws for a more permanent fixing.
Checking On The Camera
Hopefully your trail has spent several weeks taking pictures in an area with plenty of activity. It’s worth taking spare SD cards with you to swap out the full SD card from the camera.
Bluetooth or WiFi may be a feature worth looking at when choosing a trail camera as this allows you to get within 30 feet of the camera without disturbing the area and leaving scent.
You’ll be able to download the pictures onto your smartphone or tablet in this case.
For more information on how to check a trail camera, read my article dedicated to the subject.
Final Thoughts
I’ve covered all the essential stages from opening the box to returning to the camera location in this article.
This should help you to achieve better results with your trail camera and make sure the camera performs as it was intended.
Thanks for stopping by. Drop a comment below if you have any additional points you may feel be of use to newer trail cam users. Happy scouting!
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