High Country Trail Cams
By Zach Bowhay
For years one of my favorite summer past times has been placing trail cams in the high country in either areas I hunt or that I have always been interested in hunting. I don’t place them to target specific animals, rather to just see what is in the area if anything. Due to the fact I am placing them more as a way to get out in the woods and look at the overall animal populations in certain areas I try and target high traffic areas where I intend to hunt. Over the years through much trial and error I have tried many different camera locations and although most will produce at least some photos of animals, I have narrowed down the types of places l like to put out my cameras. Following are a few types of locations where I have found success and if you try them I would almost bet you would have the same results.
1. Sole Water Sources
I know this one may seem elementary, but it’s still worth mentioning. If through your research you have found a water source in an area that is otherwise lacking in water, this should be your number one camera location. Plain and simple animals cannot live without water and they will be hitting available water sources on a regular basis. This is the only sure-fire way to get pictures of every animal in a specific basin, and that is if and only if it is truly the only water source available. If there are multiple water sources you will still likely get photos of critters, but you just won’t be assured of getting pics of every animal in the area.
Also, you can find these water sources even if you aren’t intimately familiar with the area. Mapping systems like OnXhunt as well as many maps like Rugged Maps, for example, show water sources like springs and seeps. Also, you can scour the area you intend to be in with Google earth and find hidden water sources. It can take time and can be frustrating, but with time it can be done, and you can sometimes find some real hidden gems.
2. Food Sources in Hidden Basins
I know this can be a very broad topic, but when looking for these areas I tend to look for small to medium size openings far off the beaten path. You, as well as everyone else, can see the bucks and bulls close to the road, so I like to put them in places that I otherwise can’t see the animal’s movements. If you find lush, green meadows in the high country, if there is a water source and cover nearby, I am almost positive there will be animals.
For me, the perfect scenario is a small meadow, even only 50-100 yards wide that is surrounded by good bedding timber. In these areas, you will almost always see plenty of sign. Once I am in these meadows, I will look for heavy traffic areas or trails coming to and from the meadow to narrow down where to put my camera. Putting a camera anywhere on the perimeter of the meadow will more than likely produce pictures of animals but placing the cameras where they are either entering or leaving the meadow usually will produce more images. If I’m not familiar with these areas, from my own boots on the ground experience, I have found them to be easy to locate on Google earth with not much effort.  Side note- on this particular set up I’m primarily focused on elk as my target.
3. Saddles Between Major Drainages
By far my favorite place to set trail cams is on high saddles or passes between two major drainages. Like humans, animals are always looking for the easiest path from point A to point B. Animals will almost always use these types of saddles to get from one area to the next. Regardless, if they are just wanting to see what is over the next mountain, moving to another known food source, going to water or fleeing predators of the two-legged or four-legged variety, animals will more often than not use saddles to get from one drainage to the next.
My favorite thing about these locations is that this applies to everything from elk, mule deer, antelope, mountain goats, wolves, bears, wolverines, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, pine martens and the list goes on. Believe me, it’s fun to check cams that are out on locations like this and I have had pictures of each of the animals listed, sometimes all on the same camera within a month period. I have at times checked these cams and had well over 2,000 pictures in that month’s time. Like the other locations, these areas are easy to identify through time in the field or with some time on Google earth, or looking over some maps. Many times, my cameras are at 9,000+ feet in elevation and sometimes even above 10,000 feet. I try and find saddles that are narrower and not big sweeping saddles, so they are more funneled down to a specific area. Still, even on bigger saddles, you can generally find a more traveled route where animals are passing.
These three locations will almost assure you of having many pictures of the animals in your area. Having a good idea of the animals using these areas you can often times have a good starting point for your hunt if not the perfect location for an ambush. On top of that, it gives you boots on the ground experience in that certain area. It will also give you some good time hiking and gets those legs ready for fall. And, we all know that a little mountain time is never a bad thing. As a matter of fact, as I write this I am resting my legs from a good 9+ mile loop today putting out cameras in some good-looking spots.