We present the results of a preliminary H \alpha survey of M81 for novae conducted over a 5 month interval using the 5 ’ field of view camera ( WFCAM ) on the Calypso Telescope at Kitt Peak , AZ .
We observed M81 nearly every clear night during this interval , covering the entire galaxy , and discovered 12 novae .
Our comprehensive time coverage allowed us to produce the most complete set of H \alpha light curves for novae in M81 to date .
A raw nova rate for M81 gives 23 yr ^ { -1 } which , because of the nature of our survey , is a hard lower limit .
An analysis of the completeness in our survey gives a corrected nova rate of 30 yr ^ { -1 } .
This agrees well with the rate of 33 ^ { +13 } _ { -8 } yr ^ { -1 } , derived from Monte Carlo simulations using nova light curves and survey frame limits .
The spatial distribution of the novae we discovered follows the bulge light much better than the disk or total light according to Kolmogorov - Smirnov tests of their radial distributions .
The asymmetry in the distribution of novae across the major axis line of M81 implies a bulge-to-disk nova ratio of > 9 and supports the idea that novae originate primarily in older stellar populations .