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Natural Bait: Found Carcass or Other Food Source
Wolves have evolved not only to kill but also find and scavenge the remains of hoofed mammals.
Because of this, found carcasses on the landscape, no matter what their origin, make an excellent
attractant for a remote camera trap. Carcasses may be the result of predation by wolves or mountain
lions, animals wounded but not retrieved by human hunters, malnourishment, road kill, or remains
dumped by humans after being butchered. Wolves are able to consume an entire carcass including the
bones. While a carcass will be the strongest attractant when they are fresh, wolves will at times inspect or
return to remains a month or more after they have been on the ground and been reduced to little more
than bones and scraps of hide.
While scouting an area look for carcasses on the landscape. Fresh carcasses often have a strong scent.
Follow up on these potential smells to see if you can detect a carcass. Similarly, fresh carcasses often
attract a lot of attention from birds such as ravens, crows, jays, and magpies. Attend to and follow up on
concentrations of these birds or their calls as they may lead you to a carcass. On travel routes in the
vicinity of a carcass you may find an increase in the density of carnivore scats, particularly coyotes or
wolves. If you find multiple scats along a travel route in a short distance, consider spending a little extra
time exploring the vicinity to see if there may be a carcass in the vicinity.
Camera traps on a carcass can be created where the carcass is found or the carcass can be relocated to a
spot more conducive to the trap. Road killed deer could be dragged off of the road to a more secluded
location where detection by humans will be less likely. Carcasses found far from cover and trees can be
dragged to a spot where a camera can be attached to a nearby tree (conversely, a structure such as a log
can be dragged to the carcass location to attach a camera to). Dragging the carcass to a new location will
create a sent trail which a wolf can follow to find the carcass. Dragging the carcass for some distance
before setting the trap might help draw in wolves as there is an increased likelihood that they will
intersect the scent.
When setting a camera trap on a carcass, be sure to set the camera far enough away to capture the entire
carcass and the area around it to increase the likelihood of capturing a wolf that approaches but doesn't
feed on the carcass. Conversely, carefully test the camera to be sure that it is close enough to the carcass
so that movement on the carcass triggers the camera. If there is one most likely approach route to the
carcass, setting the camera to both view the carcass and the approach route can increase the chances of
catching animals that approach but don't come all the way to the carcass. Wolves, bears, and lions will
often move and reposition a carcass in the course of feeding on it. A piece of cord can be used to secure a
carcass to a tree or other stationary feature to keep the carcass in view.
