How To Find Trail Cameras On Your Property (8 Best Places to Look at)

Trail cameras are very useful, but they can be difficult to find because of their compact shapes. So how to find trail cameras on your property? Let’s discuss this interesting fact today. 

Nowadays, most people use trail cameras to monitor their properties. In fact, it is a terrific idea. Aside from hunting, trail cameras are used for home security purposes. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find trail cameras since they are small. And if you have a large property with plenty of trail cameras, then it will be a challenge to locate them.  

Today’s discussion will be worth reading since we are going to mention the appropriate places to find trail cameras on your property. Without further ado, let’s start by mentioning the best places to find trail cameras on your property. 

Places to Look for Trail Cameras on Your Property

If you don’t know much about trail cameras or how they work, then you should read till the very end. We are going to share insights that will not only help you find trail cameras easily but also let you know how to detect them quickly under various circumstances.  

1. Investigate the potential locations

What are the obvious places to hide trail cameras? Usually, they are installed higher above the ground. Therefore, you can look for trail cameras on your property on tree branches. A higher location above the ground is required for maximum coverage. 

Also, look for places where trail cameras can camouflage with leaves, dried twigs, and so on. Therefore, you should carefully look into the top branches that are covered in plenty of leaves and bushes.

2. On trees or posts

We previously mentioned that a trail camera could be placed at a higher spot. Why? Because they can cover more areas. That is why tree branches and posts are great places to mount trail cameras.

So, look on top of trees and posts to find trail cameras despite the location. Sometimes, you will notice posts dedicated to mounting trail cameras. However, it won’t be hard to detect trail cameras there. 

3. At least three feet above the ground in elevated positions

In order to hide trail cameras from potential animals like deer or similar animals, trail cameras are set at least 3 feet off the ground. So, you better keep your eyes on that height to find hidden trail cameras. 

Moreover, to avoid false alarms, you should place trail cameras approximately 3 feet off the ground. It will also assist in preventing the camera from taking images and videos of other animals in which you have no interest.  

4. Examine the food plots or bait pile

Finding areas with food will increase the chances of locating trail cameras. These might be bait heaps, feeders, or food plots. These are the common places to attract deer or wild animals. So, you have a better chance of discovering a trail camera in one of these locations.

5. Check out the game trails

Game trails are one of the obvious places to find trail cameras. Animals like deer or rabbits often use game trails for traveling. You may find a trail camera just by wandering around these trails. Most of the time, trail cameras are set to take animal footage. 

6. Examine the natural water resources

Now, what are natural water resources? These are streams, ponds, small lakes, or other resources where water naturally starts to flow. If your property is near a natural water resource, then chances are high that you will find a trail camera there. 

Most of the time, people set trail cams so that they can capture some mesmerizing views of the wildlife. You can increase the possibility of discovering a trail camera near your property if you look around these water sources. 

7. Examine the natural food resources

Just like natural water resources, animals most likely visit natural food resources. These are the areas where foods grow naturally. These types of places can be farm fields, grass fields, or places with lots of trees. 

To find trail cams, you just have to identify places with a significant number of food resources. For instance, you can look for a place where there are tons of oak trees since animals like to eat acorns. So they will visit those places often, leading people to place trail cameras there.  

8. Look into the woods 

Well, you may need to search in the woods if your property is nearby. You will have a high chance of finding trail cameras in the woods. If you are a professional, then you will look for selective places in the woods where animals visit the most. 

And it is easy to identify such selective spots. Start by discovering places with water or food resources in the woods. If you visit those particular spots, you will definitely notice trail cameras.  

How to find trail cameras on your property during the day

Just like the place, time is also very important for finding trail cameras. Most people prefer to find trail cameras during the day rather than at night. If this describes you, we will share some facts that you should take note of. 

Below are a few of those facts – 

• Reflections – A good thing about finding trail cameras during the day is that you have sunlight. Rays from the sun will reflect on the camera lenses or reflective surfaces. You must therefore look for the location where you saw the reflection.  
• Different colors on tree bark – Your eyes should be on the tree branches while trying to find trail cameras. Since there will always be an inconsistency in color, trail cameras on trees will be simple to spot unless they have a camouflage exterior.  
• Mounting straps –  Color inconsistencies on the tree branches don’t occur only because of cameras. Most of the time, these cameras are placed on a tree with a mounting strap, which has a different color than the tree. In other words, not only the camera but also the mounting strap reveals the location.  
• Something that is square in shape – Most of the time, a trail camera is square in shape. As a result, be on the lookout for square or rectangular shapes when looking for a trail camera because those don’t frequently appear in nature. 

How to find trail cameras on your property during the night

Looking for trail cameras at night is more challenging than during the day. However, we are going to share some tips that will make this task easier. Unlike daytime, you should keep your eyes on different things and follow some strategies to find trail cameras at night.

• Something that connects to Bluetooth – If finding trail cameras seems hard at night, you should turn on Bluetooth on your phone and look for available devices. Modern trail cameras use Bluetooth, and they will connect with your phone if they are nearby.  
• Something that connects to WiFi – Just like turning on Bluetooth, turning on WiFi is another effective method of finding trail cameras at night. Trail cameras can use Bluetooth to connect to compatible devices over a shorter distance, but WiFi allows them to connect over a greater distance. 

As a result, you can try finding a trail camera by turning on WiFi on your smartphone if Bluetooth doesn’t work. In this way, even trail cams at greater distances will be available.    

• Use a GPS tracker – If your trail camera allows you to connect it via an app, then you can find its location with the GPS information. The app will use a GPS tracker to find the trail camera and display it on your smartphone. 

If the trail camera is stolen or lost, perhaps this will also assist you in finding it.   

• White flashes – When you notice white flashes coming from a specific spot, rush there immediately. Because the white flash is probably coming from a trail camera. 

Sadly, this strategy is becoming ineffective since modern trail cameras don’t have flashes to emit light on the subject. 

• Red glows – Although modern trail cameras don’t have flashes, they do have infrared flashes that will glow red. If the camera is configured to shoot images rather than record videos, this might be challenging because the light is often quite weak and might only stay for a short time. So, you better keep your eyes on red glows if you want to detect trail cameras on your property at night.

Final Words – Have You Found Trail Cameras on Your Property?

If you have read till now, then you know the answer to the question – “how to find trail cameras on your property.” We guess there isn’t much left to discuss anymore. Just keep your eyes sharp and use WiFi, Bluetooth, or other connectivities to find trail cameras on your property easily. The locations of the trail cameras on your property should be more clear to you now. 

Although it is hard to look for trail cameras on a large property, you will be able to find them after several attempts. We have also shared some ideas and tips on how to find trail cameras during the day and night. However, we advise you to look for them in the daylight, when it is easier to see them.