How To Protect My Trail Camera

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Rob Johnston

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How to Lock a Trail Camera to a Tree

In this guide I accept a close look at how to lock a trail photographic camera to a tree and some of the ways to prevent your trail photographic camera from beingness stolen.

There's no totally effective way of course. These methods will all the same profoundly lower the chances of your trail cam succumbing to opportunist thieves.

Any thief that is determined enough will take even the nigh securely fixed trail camera. The solutions in this article will end almost all thieves unless they're carrying a bunch of power tools with them.

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The movie to the correct was taken by a relatively cheap Moultrie trail camera of 2 opportunists checking to see if they could quickly remove the cam from the tree and disappear.

Fortunately I had the camera secured to the tree with a Python lock so in this case it prevented the camera from being stolen.

Preclude Trail Camera Theft

Permit's now take a look at some of the almost effective ways to secure your trail camera to forestall theft. I've selected a number of methods, from solo camera set ups to large scouting trail camera networks with over dozen cameras.

Each method comes down to toll at the cease of the day, as it tin become expensive with a tonne of cameras out in that location on public land.

Trail Camera Lock Boxes

This is almost certainly the about secure solution to locking a trail camera to a tree.

If you take skills in steel fabrication and then it wouldn't exist too difficult to make a bespoke lock box for your intended trail camera.

Camlockbox

An alternative is to purchase a purpose made lock box off the shelf. Camlockbox [1] are a company that do just that. Browsing their website yous'll soon discover they accept almost all the major trail photographic camera brands covered.

Additional boxes are added to their range all the time to see the ever increasing expansion of new models to the market.

The quick reference guide is very easy to use, just selecting the make and so choose your particular trail camera model.

They're not also expensive either, typically around the thirty to xl dollar mark. A skilful investment that I would suggest for lower number trail camera scouting. Specially when some of the latest trail cams are well over 200 bucks these days.

It could get expensive if you're putting out dozens of trail cameras on public land though, so information technology's probably best to use some of the other methods later mentioned in the article if that is the case.

Budget trail camera security boxes

A budget trail camera lock box selection would be DABAO. They're definitely worth taking a look at if your thinking of the metal security box solution for multiple cameras.

Attaching a trail camera lock box to a tree

In the video below it shows you how easy they are to set up using just 2 lag bolt to attach to a tree. You tin also add together a Python lock or similar threaded through the steel instance and around the tree for actress security.

The downside of grade is that your going to have to behave a cordless drill and a socket wrench to attach the box to a tree.

Trail Camera Placement

The platonic height for deer scout is effectually three anxiety off the ground for deer trails. If yous'd like to know more about how to ready a trail camera then I have written an article on trail camera detection zone and placement.

Trail camera height

Having said that, if your gear up is side by side to a nutrient plot and you think there's a chance of your trail camera existence stolen, placing the photographic camera loftier upward in tree may offering an easier solution.

I would advise around xv anxiety off the ground is about high enough to terminate most opportunists from taking your camera.

If you can acquit a ladder to proceeds height over a nutrient plot then that makes life piece of cake. Virtually locations require a bit of a hike to get to and conveying a ladder is non ideal.

Tree climbing sticks such as the Alone Wolf are lightweight, quick and piece of cake to use. The stick will permit you to set the trail camera high enough out of artillery reach and most importantly, the eye line of humans.

Trail Camera Holders and Mounts

All modern trail cameras come up with a tree strap provided. In gild to angle the camera lens to a suitable angle information technology most oft requires a stick or some sort of wedge placed behind the photographic camera body to attain the desired bending.

HME products brand a very popular s crew in trail camera mount that lets you rotate and tilt the photographic camera with ease.

This makes placing a trail camera at height equally mentioned earlier a lot easier to go the desired angle looking down over a food plot.

For more trail camera mounts cheque out my mail service that takes a look at five different types of mounting brackets.

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If you don't want to spend coin on a purpose built mountain this commodity on the QDMA website shows you lot how to make a DIY trail camera mountain .

Incidentally, I have written a review on a QDMA publication "Deer Cameras the Science of Scouting" which is a must read for anyone interested in the subject.

The only photographic camera brand that I can think of that include a manner of adjusting the "rake" or bending using the purpose congenital steel tree bracket at the back of the camera is Browning.

Trail Photographic camera Python Locks

Probably the most common solution for locking a trail camera to a tree is the adept old Python lock.

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Guardian Game Cam Tree Mountain

Of course Python locks are easily cut off with a bolt cutter.

Guardian Hunting have come upwards with their ain unique method of trail camera security and thats the steel band locking strap (see picture opposite).

This ingenious device is going take one hell of a determined thief to remove a camera secured with this method without specific tools. Check them out below.

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There's no doubtfulness that a elementary Python lock or like will deter the passing opportunist thief. As in the instance with my Moultrie trail photographic camera some months ago.

The cable loops through the hole at the back of the trail camera tree bracket and wraps around a tree trunk or a thick branch.

I suggest a lock with a 5/16 inch diameter cablevision at least.

Summary

Hopefully I've covered the most mutual and easiest ways to secure a trail camera to a tree.

Making the photographic camera less like shooting fish in a barrel to spot also helps and the use of camouflage will alloy the photographic camera in with its surrounding environment.

Equally mentioned at the beginning of the article, if someone is adamant plenty to steel it and so they will. Perhaps a combination of both camouflage and security is the answer.

Have a read through an commodity I wrote on how to hibernate trail cameras from humans for farther tips on trail photographic camera concealment.

In some cases the would be thief is known to the possessor of the trail camera. Some folk place what they call a "minion" trail photographic camera overlooking the more than expensive camera.

If the more desirable camera is stolen, the "minion" camera has a tape of who was responsible.

Whichever method you use to preclude trail camera theft. I hope this guide will help lessen the chance of you loosing not just a camera, but important scouting data stored on the SD carte du jour as well.

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