You have a wild hog problem. For folks in 39 states and parts of Canada this is true. You have done your homework and purchased the most proven and portable trap there is. Your Jager Pro dealer hands over the keys to a first-rate piece of mechanical and technical engineering.
Having scouted for the perfect location, started conditioning your first sounder, and it is time to start the trap installation. One of the problems we frequently come across, is less than optimal camera placement. How do you install your new MINE gate control camera for optimal results?
In today’s post, we will begin to share a few suggestions for getting the best results from your MINE camera. This advice will be for installing a SINGLE gate Jager Pro trap system. Installing cameras for a double-gate system is a different animal, so we will share that information on another post.
To help follow our instruction more easily, we suggest considering the trap as a clock face. Looking down at your trap from above, the gate is considered 6:00. The panel directly across from the gate is 12:00. To the left of 12:00 is 11:00, etc. As always if you have any questions please call.
The Run Down
1. DO NOT mount the MINE camera on a panel of your trap! We have all seen videos of the punishment inflicted on the gate and panels of a trap. No matter how durable the housing, damage to the interior mechanism can happen with that kind of abuse. Camera disruption is incredibly frustrating when you are trapping a sounder you have been watching for days or weeks. Mounting the camera on the inside of a panel is also very visually restrictive. You cannot trap what you cannot see.
2. Do not over-extend your flash. The infrared flash on your MINE camera can provide fantastic photos in the darkest night. However, that flash dissipates after a set distance. You should place your camera mount close enough to the trap for optimal flash potential.
3. Be mindful of trees or your feeder inside of the trap. Not only will it obstruct your view, but objects can also absorb the flash. When installing a feeder inside your trap, we recommend it be placed at roughly 11:00 or 1:00 close to the rear of the trap, but not against the panels. Too close and the feeder will throw your bait outside the panels. The goal is to condition the hogs to coming inside the trap.
4. The MINE camera should be placed with a clear view of the gate opening. Trying to extend the view too far beyond the gate will only result in loss of illumination inside the trap area. A practice we use is to adjust the top of view from the base of the Control Box on the gate. Seeing above the gate is not necessary. In a perfect scenario, the IR flash on a Jager Pro camera will extend up to 60 feet. Variations can occur however, when object like panels, trees, brush, and feeders absorb or reflect the flash energy.
So where does the camera go, and how is it mounted?
Hog Cutters own camera mount on a 4×4 and 2×4 post
View of hog inside trap with a preferred camera angle.
Come back tomorrow for Camera Placement part 2. As always, we are available to help with any questions you may have.
