How to Recover a Lost Wildlife Camera
- 1). Mark your camera locations with a GPS. This is one of the easiest and most accurate ways of keeping track of your gear, and can give you the confidence to place cameras in more out-of-the-way places. Instead of relying on landmarks, like a distinctive-looking snag or a talus field, you can navigate back to the camera to check up on it by letting the GPS show you the way. Some GPS units have difficulty working in dense timber and deep gulches, however, so be aware of the effects of terrain. If you don't own a GPS and aren't interested in buying one, some companies offer rentals.
- 2). Return to the general location of your camera and conduct a radial search, if you've lost the unit and didn't GPS-mark its placement. To do this safely and efficiently, take a compass and good topographic map along with you -- and a GPS if you have access to one. Start at a landmark you remember, even if it's just the access road you used to place the camera, and radiate outwardly from there in concentric circles. With any luck, you'll stumble across the camera in the vicinity -- maybe even taking your own picture in the process. After all, the camera's motion-sensor flash, triggered by your own seeking, is often the ultimate clue as to its whereabouts.
- 3). Post a notice in online or paper classifieds, or with the pertinent land agency, to publicize the loss. Especially if you offer a reward of some kind, you may be able to enlist the help of hikers, hunters and other backwoods recreationists. Be as specific as you can about the geography in question and include whatever identifying characteristics, like a serial number, that you can. If you've left the camera with permission on public lands, you may be able to contact the appropriate personnel, like US Forest Service staff, for assistance. If the camera is stolen, of course, which is not uncommon in heavily used public-access areas, you may be out of luck -- but a reward notice may turn something up.
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