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for the summer to be monitored successively for one month each. Each unit should be sampled with two
remote camera traps, set about 2-3 km apart (minimum 1 km). Each trap should be set for 1 month.
Camera teams should deploy and recover both camera traps on the same visit to the study area.
Selecting a location
Once in the targeted sample area, remote camera teams need to select an appropriate specific location to
set the camera trap. The attractant used for these traps is designed to appeal to a grizzly bear's foraging
curiosity, though it often also elicits a marking response in bears as well. While the scent lure used for
these installations is very powerful, locating the camera trap in a place where bears will likely be
traveling and foraging naturally will increase the odds of detection of bears at the site.
Grizzly bears in the NCE likely depend on plant foods for the majority of their diet (North Cascades
Grizzly Bear Recovery Team 2004) including glacier lily bulbs, grasses and sedges, and various species of
berries. Subalpine meadows, riparian and wetlands, and forests or opens with a high density of fruiting
berry bushes would all be natural attractants for grizzly bears. While plant foods likely make up the
majority of grizzly bears' diet in the NCE, this species is opportunistic in its feeding and will seek out
animal foods whenever possible. The carcasses of large animals are a particularly strong attractant for
grizzly bears. Grizzly bears will scent mark by rubbing their bodies against trees located along travel
routes as well as in and adjacent to important food resource locations.
Besides clear footprints, the foraging digs of grizzly bears are both relatively easy to detect if present and
distinctive making them a particularly useful sign to search for (refer to Appendix 2 for examples of
foraging and marking signs of grizzly bears).
High quality habitat can be predicted based on a review of maps and satellite images prior to heading
into the field and then scouted for actual conditions and suitability for a camera trap once in the field.
Allotting time to scout several possible locations before constructing the camera trap can help increase
the effectiveness of the placement of the trap. Field teams will be briefed by project leadership and
advisers on particularly promising locations to focus on in their sampling unit prior to field trips. Once a
location has been selected to set the remote camera trap, follow the guidelines below to select the specific
location to deploy the trap.
