Camera Trapping Guide: Tracks, Sign and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife will be released September 1, 2018.

I am excited to announce the upcoming publication of my book, Camera Trapping Guide: Tracks, Sign, and Behavior of Eastern Wildlife. It will be released September 1, 2018, and can be pre-ordered now by clicking here or on the above image. It addresses the question I am most often asked, which is where to put the camera. So if you want to camera trap bobcat, for example, where should you put the camera for good photos and interesting video footage, and how do you find those spots?

The book covers tracks, sign, scent marking, habitat, breeding behavior, seasonal variations, etc., of  41 species, including 35 mammals, 5 birds, and 1 reptile. The focus is on the eastern US, but many of these species also range in the western US and/or Canada. Compared to books on wildlife tracking, Camera Trapping Guide includes more on animal behavior and ecology, and less on the subtleties of track morphology and trail patterns. It differs markedly from currently available camera trapping books, which are basically technical manuals for research scientists and focus on study design, data management, etc.

The book includes tips on dealing with species specific challenges – like if the animal is very small, very fast moving, etc. For some species, rarely observed or poorly understood behaviors are discussed, so that even the amateur naturalist can study cutting edge topics.

A variety of cameras are used, from inexpensive ready-made trail cameras to an expensive “homebrew”, and the model used for almost all camera trap photos is indicated, so you can get an idea of what can be done with different cameras.

Baits and lures are briefly discussed for many species, but the focus of this book is really on using tracking skills and knowledge of the animal’s behavior to find those sweet spots.

I hope that some of you will find the book useful. Creating it has been loads of fun and tremendously rewarding!

Questions? Feel free to ask in the Comments section below.