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Scent lures should be applied in a way that fits with the type of behavior the lure is designed to elicit. For
a scent lure designed to trigger a scent marking response apply the lure to an object that would typically
be marked by wolves or other animals. This might be a branch or log along the side of a travel route, or a
prominent rock along the route. For lures designed to trigger a foraging/feeding response, creating a
small dig along the edge of the route and applying the lure to the inside of the dig can mimic the caching
behavior wolves are familiar with or the work of a small rodent. Scent lures along trail sets are not
designed to draw in wolves from a long distance but reroute or stop them once they are in the general
vicinity. As such, applying the lure high in a tree, or applying a lot of lure may not increase their
effectiveness and may trigger wariness of trap shy wolves.
On roads and trails where there is human traffic, another consideration for the camera set will be
avoiding detection and theft by people. Besides a security box and cable lock, setting the camera in a
location that is obscured from the typical field of view for walking or driving humans can help with this,
such as setting it on a tree with branches hanging over it and the camera aimed towards the ground in
front of the camera where an attractant has been applied (Gabe Spence, pers. com.). This sort of set can
help reduce the number of hits from human traffic along the main part of the road by taking this out of
the field of the camera's sensor.
Figure 8. Remote
camera trap set
along a game trail
incorporating a
scent lure. Note
the camera is
looking down the
trail rather than
just across it. This
should increase the
amount of time an
animal ends up in
the view of the
camera.
Illustration by
Jenn Wolfe.
