The following testimonials and photographs show Trailmaster products in action. Click on a picture to enlarge the photo that was taken with our products.

Kauai, Hawaii

© 2006 Brenda Zaun, Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex

“I am a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist at the Kauai National Wildlife Refuge Complex which includes a seabird refuge, Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai, Hawaii. I have used active infrared TM 1550 BAT and TM35-1 cameras at two Newell's shearwater burrows on the refuge for three years now. Prior to this, we knew very little about the nesting behavior of this species. They are difficult to study because they are nocturnal and primarily nest high in the interior island mountains in thick vegetation on steep, often inaccessible slopes. We are fortunate to have a few nesting at this refuge likely because of a cross-fostering project conducted 30 years ago. We believe the nesters today are progeny from those birds. Using the TrailMaster equipment, we have documented courting, mating, incubation intervals between the pair, length of incubation, and chick provisioning frequency. Additionally, we have documented potential predators at the burrows too. I have been immensely satisfied with the quality and durability of the equipment and the helpfulness and responsiveness of the TrailMaster staff. You guys are doing a great job. I've attached three photos taken with the TM1550 and the TM35-1 camera kit, two show potential predators at the burrow entrance and the last one is an adult and chick just outside of the burrow."

East Kalimantan, Indonesia

© 2006 Dave M. Augeri Ph.D. © 2006 Dave M. Augeri Ph.D.

Good speaking with you. Attached is a copy of the first known photograph of a Bornean bay cat (Felis badia) taken on 5 June 2003 in a remote area of Kayan Mentarang National Park, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo taken with TrailMaster active-infrared system and the modified Cannon. The log is there to slow down the animals and sometimes generates curiosity to keep them on-site longer. We also used brush, etc. to “funnel” animals into the photo zone and “pongee” sticks around the camera, receiver, and transmitter to protect them from damage. For this trapping in East Kalimantan, we used a system of 24 cameras spaced in 4 km2 grid cells across a 48 km2 area. The cameras are now being used on a small carnivore project in Costa Rica.

Carlton Ward - www.carltonward.com

"I thank you for your help on the phone today. Not only does your company offer the highest quality trail monitoring and camera trapping equipment available, your customer service and dedication to wildlife conservation really set you apart. The TM1550PS has enabled me to create wildlife photographs not otherwise possible. By allowing the camera to be close to the subject, it enables the use wide angle lenses that show animals in their landscape context. It also shows them behaving on their own terms without interference from the presence of a photographer. This photo on the cover of Smithsonian would not have been possible without TrailMaster. The elephants would have never let me get this close, and if they did, when the flashes went off I would probably not be here to tell you about it. The equipment has never let me down, surviving harsh environments from the rainforests of Central Africa to the scorching deserts of the Sahel. Now I plan to put it to work on panthers at home in Florida, where I am working to help save their habitat. Thanks for your support" Carlton Ward Jr. www.carltonward.com

India

The Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) conducted a camera trap study in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India from 2001-2004 to develop a standardized methodology for censusing snow leopards (Uncia uncia). TrailMaster 1500/1550s (attached to two 35mm cameras with the TM Multi-Camera Trigger II) were placed along game trails, at rock scents and on ridgelines frequently traveled by snow leopards. The Conservancy was not only able to identify individuals and establish a baseline population estimate, but documented the first ever still images of marking behavior at rock scents. Through the course of the three year study, the SLC staff was able to capture photographs of mating snow leopard pairs, females with cubs, transient subadults, and the occasional lynx, Tibetan wolf, red fox and surprised yak. We compared the TrailMaster units with a few other commonly used camera passive infrared trap systems, and TrailMaster has proved to be the most reliable and versatile in the harsh Himalayan environment. Camera trapping was conducted concurrent to the filming of the PBS Nature special, Silent Roar: Searching for the Snow Leopard, to which SLC staff served as advisors. Snow leopards range across 12 countries in Central Asia. In Pakistan, we trained the first villagers to successfully use remote cameras to capture images of snow leopards living nearby. SLC is expanding its coverage to incorporate other study sites in China, Nepal and Tajikistan. The Wildlife Society Bulletin will publish a paper titled Estimating snow leopard population abundance using photography and capture-recapture techniques later this year (2006). Those interested in learning more about camera trapping snow leopards can download our definitive Handbook by clicking here.

Costa Rica

We had used your TrailMaster system with great success. I recently had friends who own a wilderness lodge in Costa Rica purchase a couple of your remote triggers and cameras, so they could see what secretive wildlife they had on their property. On a recent trip to Corcovado Np in Costa Rica, I used one of their TrailMasters and camera to photograph two different Ocelots that were using a cavity in a broken log as a latrine. Thought you might want to see these pictures. Ocelots, like so many cats, are secretive and very difficult to photograph...thanks to TrailMaster, we can still make images of these jungle ghosts. Roy Toft www.Toftphoto.com

Stanford

Stanford University Professor Rudolfo Dirzo recently proposed a population study of deer, bobcat, coyote, and mountain lion using camera traps at Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Field Station. We tested many motion detecting camera systems and chose the TrailMaster TM 35-1 Camera and the 1550 Active Infrared Monitor System for the study. After thorough testing, we found this system highly reliable. Its user programmable features are ideal for our study. The TrailMaster staff has been extremely helpful in advising us on how to best use the systems in our setting. No other system met our needs. We have purchased 26 systems and are confident they will meet the study requirements.

Maine

I used 2 of your TM 35 cameras with the Intervalometer and Multi-camera trigger this summer to monitor angler use on a remote trout pond in Maine. In past years, we would contract an aircraft for roughly $130/hr to do this work or hire a person to drive to these locations and count anglers. In a recent study, we spent a couple thousand dollars to monitor two trout ponds for a summer. Your cameras not only saved us a great deal of money, but allowed us to increase the number of counts to one or two per day instead of two or three per week. This improved the confidence interval of our angler estimate. Best of all, we can use the equipment again next year. The cameras were set up to photograph the entire pond (25 acres) at a given time each day when we estimated angler use was highest. We disguised the cameras in a duck box. Attached is a photo of the setup (note the camera lens in the upper left corner of the left box) and a sample photo of the elusive Maine angler (not the typical subject for your cameras!). Your products are reliable and worked great, and I'm sure we will be purchasing a more in the next year or two. Regards, Tim

USA

© Wildlife Education Trails Project. All rights reserved.

The Wildlife Trails Education Project publishes photographs taken with Trailmaster weatherproof cameras positioned along wildlife trails at several locations in the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex.continued

ITALY

© 2003 Duccio Berzi.

Dr Duccio Berzi, is a wolf biologist from Italy. Dr. Berzi uses Trailmaster cameras to study wolves.

MIKE NICHOLS

© 2001 Michael Nichols/ National Geographic. All rights reserved.

Wildlife photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols uses TrailMaster trail monitoring equipment in his work .... "Some animals are so afraid of humans that it’s nearly impossible to photograph them up close. In 1993, I first experimented with TrailMaster cameras triggered by the animal breaking an invisible beam..." continued

JAPAN

Click here to view a Trailmaster TM700V Video system in use in Japan capturing a bear on video. Click here to view the video. (Please note that this video make take some time to load. At 56k this will be about 10 minutes.)

INDONESIA

"I think the TrailMaster Active Infrared System will revolutionize knowledge of tropical conservation biology. I've seen more species in two years than I've seen in fifteen previous years in the field, especially of rare and reclusive animals like the Sumatran rhino. This is the first modern picture of a wild rhino in Southern Sumatra -- quite a feat considering there may only be a few hundred rhinos left in all the forests of Sumatra."

 

Ron Tilson Sumatran Tiger Project

Elephant (55k)

Rhino (70k)

INDIA

"As you know I have been promoting your fine product strongly among other field biologists. You will be pleased to know that a forthcoming BBC/National Geographic film on tigers which covered my project recently will feature Trailmaster and its use in tiger censusing quite prominently."

 

K. ULLAS KARANTH Centre for Wildlife Studies

Leopard (42k)

Tiger (35k)

Cameroon, WEST AFRICA

"We received your TM 1500 and camera without problems. We set up the camera near a mineral lick in the rainforest where forest elephants frequently pass by. When I checked the camera a week later we had five ‘hits’. I just received the developed exposures to find some excellent photographs of forest elephants. You might be interested to know that unlike their Savannah brothers, forest elephants have rarely been photographed or seen in the wild. They are smaller and have very different habits than the Savannah variety. They also remain very well hidden. . .Needless to say I am quite pleased with the results."

 

JAMES POWELL Wildlife Conservation International

Elephant (26k)

Wisconsin

"Not only are TrailMaster units invaluable for allowing me to get an accurate whitetail census, they also allow me to capture once in a lifetime pictures. This albino fawn is only one of many pictures that I would have never been able to get on my own. Whether it's getting an accurate population estimate, sex ratio, age structure or once in a lifetime photos for seminars and articles, I use TRAILMASTER because they simply are the best."

 

STEPHEN P. BARTYLLA Northwoods Whitetail Adventures

White Fawn (38k)

Belize, CENTRAL AMERICA

"I am forwarding to you the dupe negative of the jaguar. . .I’m sure you will agree that this is a once-in-a-lifetime shot. It was shot on Kodacolor 200 and now hangs in Chan Chich Lodge where it attracts a great deal of attention. If you look closely at the photo behind the animal’s hip, you will see a light colored stick…this is where the sender is mounted but blocked from view. You might be interested to know, the same animal was photographed a month later about 6pm at a TM location even closer to the lodge."

Jaguar (76k)

"It's proving to be a very interesting study and attracting a lot of attention in conservation circles. Although we’re only about half way through this year-long study, we're already making plans or a follow up study at different locations. Thanks for you support and interest!"

NEPAL

"For more than 20 years I have been studying tigers at Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal. Recently I purchased one of your Trail Master TM 1500 units and the camera, in order to take identification photos of tigers. The second night I put it out by a road and got an excellent photo of a tigress. Then I decided to put it up by a trail that runs along the crest of a ridge. I set it up about two yards off the path. At 0902 one morning a male tiger walked through the beam and activated the unit. The almost inaudible ‘click’made by the camera got his attention. He attacked, knocking over the tripod. Seizing the camera in his mouth he carried it 80 yards down the trail before dropping it. One of the tiger’s canines penetrated the body of the camera, leaving a sizable hole just at the spot where the film winds on. I dismissed the possibility that the photo would come out, but against all odds, it did. I enclose a copy. Amazingly, the camera still works. . ."

INDIA

". . .we had imported a few units of Trailmasters for our survey work on nocturnal animals and to use these as a tool in identifying larger cats by their stripe or spot patterns. We have recently started using in Rajaji National Park and we have some photographs including tiger. Some of them are enclosed herewith for your record and you may like to have also."

Victoria, AUSTRALIA

In the state of Victoria, Australia, Trailmaster Remote Cameras have taken two photographs of the state's rarest marsupial, the Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby. The species has not been sighted in the west of the state for ten years, but two animals were photographed in rugged terrain in the Grampians National Park using TM 1500 Monitors with Camera Units attached.

Ranger Craig Reid, who is part of the Victorian Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby Recovery Team said the team was delighted with the results from the Trailmaster equipment. "The team has been fighting to preserve this species for over fifteen years and finally we have some positive proof of our efforts which have generated considerable publicity. The equipment has proved to be extremely reliable, even in this rugged environment and we are now expanding our use and applications of the units to other areas of conservation management."

Texas

"I thought you might appreciate some recent literature (and photos) from recent studies using your Trailmaster device. I currently have several of the devices monitoring non-target feed consumption at free-choice deer feeders. Have obtained some rather remarkable photos. Since I first received the Trailmasters, I've thought of several studies where they can be used to obtain information that’s impossible to gather otherwise."

"Also, I gave a talk on using Trailmasters recently at the 1st Wildlife Society Annual Meeting in Albuquerque in September. The talk went well (talks rarely fail when you’ve got unique photography!). Finally, I have two proposals in the mill now to get funding to study (a) nest depredation and (b) deterring feed loss to nontarget animals a deer feeders. Both of these will involve Trailmasters."

Arizona

"I am a Wildlife Specialist . . .working with endangered species. One of my duties consist of trying to verify the existence of sensitive mammals within Arizona. The Trailmaster model TM1500 is one of the tools in my arsenal. The lightweight system is quite inexpensive and easy to use when compared to the person-hours saved in monitoring an area. Set properly this system is quite effective at monitoring a wide range of wildlife species.

For example, I set up the Trailmaster system on the west slope. . .During the eight months this system was working, I was able to photograph 15 mammal species and four avian species from one location. The size of the subjects ranged from a yellow-eyed junco to a black bear. I am including some of the photographs from this setting. I believe the Trailmaster system use in wildlife management will increase over time. . .Keep up the good work. You produce a high quality product that makes my work both enjoyable and exciting in discovering what is out in the wilds of Arizona."

Connecticut

"Please find enclosed photo of 12 pt. Buck taken 10/8/91 in Conn. during archery season. It is very possibly the #1 typical taken to date. I strongly feel that without the use of my trail master my chances of taking this buck were minimal."

Louisiana

"I have enclosed some pictures, one in particular, of a nice 10 point that we captured and radio collared last year. He has become quite photogenic and enjoys having the Trailmaster ‘catch’ him…If you ever need pictures, I have hundreds to pick from. . . The deer research continues with your equipment playing a lead role."

Pennsylvania

"Thought I would send you a couple of the thousands of pictures I've gotten since I purchased your Trailmaster and camera five years ago. As you can see I have gotten many pictures of different animals. I always look forward to taking the film for developing - Anticipation of great pictures are like Christmas presents."

Testimonials without photographs

"I had anticipated that the site would be a ‘staging’ area for the deer before they moved on to the oaks and corn field. Instead, by using the Trailmaster, I found that the site itself became a major feeding area. . .I only hunted the site 5 days in November. And I only hunted the site based on the clock times. In those 5 days, I identified 6 different doe families (does & fawns), and 6 different bucks. This is in an area that has less than 20 deer a square mile. . .You can see why I am so pleased with the unit. I didn’t waste my time in the area when the deer were not there. . .I just wanted to let you know how a satisfied customer feels about your product."

LARRY BROOKS
North Carolina

"I have really been satisfied with your product. It really holds up in bad weather especially rain and very high wind. It has helped me take 3 deer already, and without spending all my time in a stand and walking around in the woods. I really appreciate your product. It has really helped me out this year. Keep making fine products and have a customer for life."

TROY LEDFORD