Should trail cameras be outlawed?

[coachcw]

If you own private land then bait , photo what ever . but I have seen one guy that put so much salt and feed out that he completly changed the herd in that area. on a side note I love seeing photos on here so I'm torn a bit . passive cameras are probilly the best bet . The legality of leaving bait and a camera up once a bear comes in is also a concern . Once a bear comes intom a bait site you must pull said bait or your baiting bears so be carefull with that one .

[rtspring]

I am one who has changed my mind about trail cams. For years I was against leaving crap out in the woods. But now that I have took the time to learn about what they can do as far as scouting for you 24/7 I am hooked!!

[coachcw]

I have cameras and it has changed the way I hunt.  Before, I would shoot any legal animal cause I was primarily a meat hunter.  Now I will pass on smaller bucks in search for the bigger bucks I have on camera.  If I cannot connect on a mature deer I will harvest a doe (archery) instead of a small buck.  I have noticed more quality bucks in my areas in just a few short years. 

With that being said.....my answer to the OP's post is "NO". 

Johnny

antler resrictions and less preasure equals bigger bucks or maybe all the minerals your putting down , really if you only take one buck whats the difference it's a numbers game . my last few years I only have shot deers with age on them I'm just not interested in shooting a young buck . But from a management stand point we need to harvest spikers to help the gene pool grow stronger and on the eastside that's not happening . I saw let youth shoot spikes and get the hunting bug. Sorry for getting off track and topic .

[coachcw]

RT if your using them tom help me I'm ok with that ! HA HA.

[Greenhorn]

We have enough laws already.  I have really enjoyed putting out my trail camera and seeing the animals on it.  It definitely has changed my mentality about hunting my area but not my success rates.  As far as addressing the advancing technology in hunting, at what point would you have stopped, spear, bow and arrow, muzzle loader, rifle, optical sights....?  Hunting is going to become more efficient with technology even if you keep on hunting archery.  Not all trail cams are on public lands, are you also talking about private land?  We are continually having our pictures taken by security cameras in most public places that we go, so that doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary these days.

[turkeyfeather]

I think they are one of the most invaluable tools we have to learn more about all wildlife. How many wolves/cougars have been caught on camera that you would not have seen otherwise. How about that bear that you may have taken cause you dont see the cub hiding in the bushes, but now you know better. Or the elk you caught that has hoof rot that you may have never seen or known there may be a problem there. I think cameras play a much bigger role than just patterning something to hunt. Now on the flip side. With todays costs of everything from gas to tags its not a cheap pastime  anymore. Available land is shrinking and animal populations are shrinking (thanks to wolves). I would suspect there would be many people that if not able to put up a camera to ensure that they were spending their time and money in an area where they had a reasonable chance of taking an animal may quit hunting altogether. That is when we all lose. 

[rtspring]

RT if your using them tom help me I'm ok with that ! HA HA.

I figured you would say that!!

[coachcw]

RT if your using them tom help me I'm ok with that ! HA HA.

I figured you would say that!!

just stiring the pot LOL. Dam I just need to get out into the woods this elk fever is killing me .

[Curly]

Technology is both a good thing and a bad thing.  Trail cameras are just another tool that helps hunters be successful.  Just like GPS's, quality optics, cell phones, satellite phones, rifle scopes with ballistic reticles or turrets, etc., etc.  (Oh, and the internet.  Forums like this help people gain knowledge that we had a hard time gathering 20 years ago.)

The bad part about all these technology advancements is the increase in success rates.  Better success leads to shortened hunting seasons.  Trail cameras do lead to better success and easier scouting for a hunter.  So, I do think it is a valid question to ask if they should be banned.  I think it would be real battle to get them banned in this state.  If they were going to ban them, the time to do it would have been 10 years ago, before they really got popular.

So, that said, I say trail cameras should not be banned unless we want to start banning internet forums, gps use, cell phones, etc.  I'm sure no one wants to ban those things.

[BIGINNER]

without trail cameras the state would probably only have 1 confirmed wolf pack.... 

[coachcw]

Technology is both a good thing and a bad thing.  Trail cameras are just another tool that helps hunters be successful.  Just like GPS's, quality optics, cell phones, satellite phones, rifle scopes with ballistic reticles or turrets, etc., etc.  (Oh, and the internet.  Forums like this help people gain knowledge that we had a hard time gathering 20 years ago.)

The bad part about all these technology advancements is the increase in success rates.  Better success leads to shortened hunting seasons.  Trail cameras do lead to better success and easier scouting for a hunter.  So, I do think it is a valid question to ask if they should be banned.  I think it would be real battle to get them banned in this state.  If they were going to ban them, the time to do it would have been 10 years ago, before they really got popular.

So, that said, I say trail cameras should not be banned unless we want to start banning internet forums, gps use, cell phones, etc.  I'm sure no one wants to ban those things.

Good point !

[grundy53]

To answer the op's question... not only no, but HE77 NO!

sent from my typewriter

[grundy53]

without trail cameras the state would probably only have 1 confirmed wolf pack.... 

I think this would be the motivation if the state ever went this route...

sent from my typewriter

[CedarPants]

-Leaving private property on public land sometime makes me wonder
-the damage caused by bait sites sometimes has irked me.  Irresponsible people dumping salt etc out in the woods can cause serious damage for the years to follow.
-change of game patterns done by baiting and sometimes the habituation of critters to man...
- The unfair edge it gives hunters towards animals sometimes poses ethical/moral/whatever the word is, questions in my head.     

We talking about arguments against trail cams, or bear baiting   

Not knocking you at all, because I think these are all important topics for the hunting community to discuss.  I guess I'm more worried about us ethical/moral/whatevering ourselves out of the game than anything.  Hard to draw a line in the sand for everyone to agree on 

[Fl0und3rz]

I like how the law is now - a personal choice. Some choose muzzle loading, archery, traditional archery, because it is a reflection of what they feel is valuable in the hunting experience, aside from other considerations such as season length and availability. I don't begrudge those who use them, but I am not ready, myself, to go that next step, and I enjoy the game camera posts.

That said, I would be in favor of limiting usage of cameras that can transmit pictures remotely during the hunting season, so as to avoid some of the same ethical problems associated with high fence hunting, aircraft spotting, and radio telemetry usage.

3. Using aircraft: It is illegal to:
• Use an aircraft to spot, locate, or report the location of wildlife for the purpose of hunting.
• Hunt big game on the same day you were airborne for any purpose, except for a regularly scheduled commercial flight.

14. Radio-telemetry equipment: It is illegal to use radio-telemetry equipment to locate and hunt wildlife with transmitters attached to them.

2013 Regs, p. 78.

At some point, technology usage makes the sport no longer hunting; it is just shooting.  Each sportsman has their own idea of where that line is drawn.  For me, wireless camera usage such as previously described (locating game while in the field during a hunting season, without getting your boots wet, that is) crosses that line. 

What's next in the technological evolution of "hunting," robot controlled rifle and video camera that let's you "hunt" from the of your 30' WiFi equipped RV?