Trail Camera Surveys On Your Texas Ranch: What to Consider

What to Know Before You Start

If you manage, lease or own land in Texas, you know how important it is to understand your wildlife populations—especially for making sound decisions about habitat, hunting, and herd health. One of the more popular methods for estimating wildlife numbers, particularly white-tailed deer, is the use of trail or game cameras. This is the low-cost option that many wildlife managers opt for when trying to get an idea of herd size and composition.

But before you head out to buy a stack of trail cams and boxes of SD cards, it's worth taking a closer look at what these surveys actually involve—and where they may fall short.

What’s Involved in a Trail Camera Survey?

At its core, a trail camera survey is about placing cameras across your property to capture images of wildlife over a set period of time, often near bait or feeding sites. After collecting thousands of images, you then review them to count individual animals and estimate population structure.

Simple enough in theory—but the logistics can often get comoplicated, especially for larger parcels of land

1. Placing the Cameras (and a Lot of Them)

Setting up cameras correctly is critical for usable results. You need to install trail cameras at specific intervals across your property—typically one camera per 100 acres. For a 1,000-acre ranch, that’s 10 cameras. That’s significant time on the ground—potentially over rough terrain—just for setup. Each one has to be mounted correctly, ideally near bait or feed, and adjusted for angle, height, and activity level. Choosing the locations and setting them up is not just time-consuming, but also physically demanding.

2. Swapping SD Cards and Batteries

Even with a perfect setup, cameras require maintenance. Batteries die. SD cards fill up. Cameras shift or get triggered by wind and birds. You'll need to revisit each location multiple times throughout the survey period (often two weeks) just to swap out storage or troubleshoot issues. That’s hours of driving, walking, and double-checking cameras in hot Texas weather.

3. The Photo Review Process Is No Small Task

Once the cameras have done their job, it’s up to you (or someone you hire) to spend hours going through the thousands of photos that you've collected. This process is not only time consuming, but extremely difficult. You’ll often see the same animal multiple times, in different poses and lighting conditions. Identifying unique bucks based on antlers is somewhat possible, but distinguishing does, fawns, and yearlings? That’s where things get murky.

This challenge frequently leads to undercounting or overestimating certain segments of the population. It’s not uncommon for these surveys to result in data that’s heavily skewed or hard to interpret.

When Trail Cameras Work and When They Don’t

Trail camera surveys can be useful for:

• Identifying mature bucks and cataloging antler growth over time.
• Monitoring feeder sites to get a general sense of activity.
• Supplementing other survey methods for a more holistic picture.

However, they’re often less effective when:

• You need fast, comprehensive data across a large property.
• Your goal is to get an accurate buck/doe ratio.
• You’re short on time or staff to review thousands of images.

A Newer Option: Thermal Drone Surveys

In recent years, thermal drone wildlife surveys have emerged as an efficient alternative for landowners who want accurate wildlife data without the logistical strain. Instead of setting up static cameras, a thermal drone can fly the entire property in one night, identifying animals by their body heat signatures.

Drones can detect animals through fairly thickl brush and the aerial vantage point avoids the common problem of “double-counting” animals across multiple camera locations.

Some companies, like Sky Senderos, also offer full data review and reporting, so you don’t have to spend hours in front of a screen sifting through images. That alone is a major time-saver.

Which Survey Is Right for You?

The best method often depends on your goals:

• If you’re a hunter trying to get familiar with specific bucks over a season, trail cameras might make sense.
• If you’re looking for the most accurate full-property population count with minimal labor, thermal drones are likely the better fit.

Either way, the most important thing is that your survey method aligns with your time, resources, and management objectives.

Final Thoughts

Trail camera surveys can offer valuable insights, but they aren’t as simple or foolproof as they first appear. For many Texas landowners, the time commitment often outweighs the monetary savings. Before diving in, it’s worth exploring all your options—including more efficient alternatives like thermal drone surveys.

If you're looking for the largest, most trusted provider of thermal drone surveys in Texas, be sure to request your free quote from Sky Senderos today!