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Trapper's lures: When applying the highly concentrated trapper's scent lures (those in small
bottles) remember that a little goes a long way. Simply use a branch dipped into the bottle for
application, and put a few drops at the base of the tree. You can apply some to the bark of the
tree as well and hang the "lure twig" there or insert it into the bark, but do remember moderation.
With fish oil, fish fertilizer, or oil from a sardine can, you can apply the scent more liberally. Try
pouring some at varying heights on the tree trunk, creating an oil slick that will remain on the
tree through rain events.
Aiming the remote camera: Placing the camera about 10 feet from the lure tree/feature (or
even a little farther out depending on the angle of the camera) is best for most camera models
to avoid cropping or only capturing portions of animals. Full view of an animal's features is often
needed to ensure species identification. Make sure that the attractant is only applied on
surfaces within the camera's view so that wildlife spending time sniffing are captured on the
camera. Set the camera, and then trigger it and review the images in order to be sure that the
area within the photo frame is appropriate.
Handling scent lures: Because the scent lures are so powerful it is vital to keep them
separate from the remote camera to avoid drawing attention to the camera itself. Bears in
particular can destroy remote cameras. Have one person on a team carry and handle the lures
and a separate person handle the camera. When traveling in bear country with carnivore scent
lures, always carry bear spray. When camping with lure, treat it as you would treat food. Store
it away from your camp, ideally hung from a tree just like you would hang food in bear country.
Make sure to record the exact name(s) of the lure(s) applied by your team on your data
sheet. This information will be entered into our database to track the wildlife response to
different lures.
Setting Two Remote Camera Traps in the Same Area
Most teams will have two remote cameras to deploy in their assigned area. Refer to the specific
guidelines for spacing these camera traps and considerations for variations between the two in the
species-specific protocols for wolves, bears, and lynx. For wolverines, these two cameras are used in
conjunction with each other at the same trap site (see wolverine-specific protocol).
