Abandoned game cams

[Bob33]

All this drama and not one mention of the best reason to leave your trail cams out..............

Duh. To generate web traffic.

[flyfishWA]

Holy cow.
Reading some of these replies.......
A thief is a thief. Try to justify it however you want, taking someones property is stealing.
Thieves are garbage.

100% right, thats exactly the right answer. I have had one stolen, and it SUCKS!

[Dan-o]

Holy cow.
Reading some of these replies.......
A thief is a thief. Try to justify it however you want, taking someones property is stealing.
Thieves are garbage.

100% right, thats exactly the right answer. I have had one stolen, and it SUCKS!

I've had 3 stolen.

It does suck.

But I don't think anyone is advocating stealing.

I've seen people get attacked for telling people to expect them to get stolen or to lock them up better.   Giving that type of advice doesn't make someone a thief.  I tell my kids not to leave their keys in the ignition.   It's just a fact of life.  Thieves exist, and making it harder on them often dissuades them.

People are also getting attacked for trying to figure out when  an abandoned camera becomes trash.

Unless someone is actually advocating theft, we should probably calm down a little.....

[jackelope]

I have a camera in the Gifford Pinchot I haven’t seen since I think 2015. I’m assuming it’s still there. It’s in a really secure lockbox. I’m also assuming it’s probably ruined because the batteries leaked or something. I would not appreciate someone checking my pics and batteries, even though they won’t get in my lock box. You didn’t do the work to put it there. You didn’t pay for it. You should just leave it alone.

With all due respect, you should consider cleaning up your junk. 

With all due respect, it's a trail camera hanging off of a tree. There are probably 10's of thousands of them out there.

There are also thousands of beer cans on public land...if someone picks up a beer can they walked by for 2 years, even though it has recycling value that the original owner could collect whenever they want, is that ok with you?  We all need to help keep the woods clean, using the attitude that your camera you left for over 3 years is only one of thousands is same attitude people who litter use - oh, this area already has trash, it’s ok for me to add to the problem.  We should all do our part in keeping the woods pristine with no excuses that it is okay because others do it.  As a parent, I would never teach my kids it’s okay to do something because a ton of others did it and I am surprised by that attitude on this site.  Hunters should keep the woods clean for the next person, regardless what user group it is.



As an aside, I have used game cams and would never post a person online. I feel when you are in the woods 5 miles in, regardless of the legality of sharing images, that you should have an expectation of privacy.

 Curious.  What’s the difference between me keeping a camera on a tree in the exact same remote location for 3 years, checking it every weekend and me setting a camera in the same remote location, checking a few times and then not having time to get back to it for a year or 2? Do you only leave your cameras for a week or 2 and then go get them and put them somewhere else?  What’s the difference? 

[donsk16]

Personally, I have never left a game cam in the same location for over a month, checking them about every 2 weeks.  I do understand others leave them longer.

Put yourself in others shoes...hikers, mushroom pickers, other hunters, etc....if they walk past your camera for 3-4 years....and it has been dead for 2-3 years...how can they not view that as litter?  How does that help our image as hunters to the other user groups?

I would never advocate stealing a camera and wouldn’t do anything myself - but we as hunters do share the woods with others and need to be aware of their perception.

[Bango skank]

Put yourself in others shoes...hikers, mushroom pickers, other hunters, etc....if they walk past your camera for 3-4 years....and it has been dead for 2-3 years...how can they not view that as litter? 

And how are you supposed to know its been dead for 2-3 years if you keep your hands off of it?  Ive had several places that ive kept cams running 24 / 7 / 365 for 3-4 years, without ever letting batteries die.  If you see a camera on the same tree for several years, that doesnt mean its not being maintained. 

[KFhunter]

Bango you catch people on your cameras?

I never get anyone on my cams.  I had one erased once I think or it wasn't working properly  (bait gone, no pics)

[emac]

Personally, I have never left a game cam in the same location for over a month, checking them about every 2 weeks.  I do understand others leave them longer.

Put yourself in others shoes...hikers, mushroom pickers, other hunters, etc....if they walk past your camera for 3-4 years....and it has been dead for 2-3 years...how can they not view that as litter?  How does that help our image as hunters to the other user groups?

I would never advocate stealing a camera and wouldn’t do anything myself - but we as hunters do share the woods with others and need to be aware of their perception.

So you check your camera twice and than move it no matter what.  Even if you keep getting that buck or bull of a lifetime walking by. You arent going to leave it there and pattern it? 

And to your other point. How would someone know if it is not being attend to unless they go up and mess with it?  As many people have said if its not yours dont touch it.

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[jackelope]

Put yourself in others shoes...hikers, mushroom pickers, other hunters, etc....if they walk past your camera for 3-4 years....and it has been dead for 2-3 years...how can they not view that as litter? 

And how are you supposed to know its been dead for 2-3 years if you keep your hands off of it?  Ive had several places that ive kept cams running 24 / 7 / 365 for 3-4 years, without ever letting batteries die.  If you see a camera on the same tree for several years, that doesnt mean its not being maintained.

I have done the same. Multiple years on the same tree checking them every few months. I’ve had as many as 12 cameras out at a time and the only time I’ve ever gotten other people on a camera are on the cameras I’ve had on private ground. Honestly I don’t see much effectiveness leaving a camera in a spot for only a month.

[Bango skank]

Bango you catch people on your cameras?

I never get anyone on my cams.  I had one erased once I think or it wasn't working properly  (bait gone, no pics)

Very rarely.  Got one hunter on a cam this year, i posted on the poc thread to see if hes on here.  Other than that, i got a few range riders on cams in a couple different areas this year.  Have gotten a couple shed hunters on camera in the past too.

I do have 5 cams up right now in new areas i decided to explore this spring, been up about 8 months, havent checked them yet, probably wont until snow melt.  May get more people, but i highly doubt it.  Theyre all very well off the beaten path.

[KFhunter]

Ya, you run a lot more cams than I do, and more frequently.    I run 7 of them but they aren't always out, or just one or two will be out.

[shallowforks]

Interesting to see how we all differ in our viewpoints on whats "right" and whats "wrong". Trail cams seem to put this on display perfectly. My take-away from this thread: If we all focused a little bit less on whats "right and wrong", and a little bit more on respect and consideration for differing viewpoints, we might all share our beloved public land with more harmony. Extrapolate that across topics such as religion and politics and its starting to sound like a Louis Armstrong song.

[emac]

I have been following this thread since it started and some of your guys logic just blows me away.  This is why hunters will never get anything accomplished as a user group, because everyone is in it for there own interest. Plain and simple.

I run alot of cameras every year. Half on public half on private. When i put my cams on public i know i am taking the chance of when i come back the next time they might not be there. It is what it is. Out of all the cams i run on public only 2 cams have produced people. One gets the same guy every year and he always gives it a big smile and wave and the other one is a more popular spot and so far everyone smiles and waves. So i have been lucky.

So the question is how do you know if its an abandoned cam.  Well you dont unless you screw with it. And as people say if its not yours dont touch it. I come across cams all the time and avoid them when possible. If i come across one unexpectedly i put my head down and keep going. When i put cams up i dont expect it to be my spot, i wont tell people where they are at but if i see someone in the area or what not i will move on and come back later. Its public ground and they have every right to be as do i but i am not going screw up someone else's time in the woods.  I check my cams every 2 to 4 weeks so they are always being checked.  On private i leave them up year round. On public i am usually April til November, but this year i decided to leave some up through the winter to see how long the animals stay around. So according to some of you thise are abandoned.

I have talked to many people about cams, and through my experience the ones that are against them are the ones that don't want to put in the time, effort or expense that goes into running cams so they think it is wrong and want everyone to do things how they do.

So we as hunters are going be our own downfall like has been mentioned many times.  I might not agree with everything that people do when it comes to hunting but even the things i dont agree with i still support 100% as a hunter as long as it is legal.  Who am i to judge how other people go about doing what they are doing.  So when this state starts taking away cams because a select few don't like them, guess what they will come after something you like next and the people that hot there cams taken away might not support you.  So keep that in mind. We should all support each other at all times.

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[KFhunter]

well said emac   100%

[idaho guy]

I have been following this thread since it started and some of your guys logic just blows me away.  This is why hunters will never get anything accomplished as a user group, because everyone is in it for there own interest. Plain and simple.

I run alot of cameras every year. Half on public half on private. When i put my cams on public i know i am taking the chance of when i come back the next time they might not be there. It is what it is. Out of all the cams i run on public only 2 cams have produced people. One gets the same guy every year and he always gives it a big smile and wave and the other one is a more popular spot and so far everyone smiles and waves. So i have been lucky.

So the question is how do you know if its an abandoned cam.  Well you dont unless you screw with it. And as people say if its not yours dont touch it. I come across cams all the time and avoid them when possible. If i come across one unexpectedly i put my head down and keep going. When i put cams up i dont expect it to be my spot, i wont tell people where they are at but if i see someone in the area or what not i will move on and come back later. Its public ground and they have every right to be as do i but i am not going screw up someone else's time in the woods.  I check my cams every 2 to 4 weeks so they are always being checked.  On private i leave them up year round. On public i am usually April til November, but this year i decided to leave some up through the winter to see how long the animals stay around. So according to some of you thise are abandoned.

I have talked to many people about cams, and through my experience the ones that are against them are the ones that don't want to put in the time, effort or expense that goes into running cams so they think it is wrong and want everyone to do things how they do.

So we as hunters are going be our own downfall like has been mentioned many times.  I might not agree with everything that people do when it comes to hunting but even the things i dont agree with i still support 100% as a hunter as long as it is legal.  Who am i to judge how other people go about doing what they are doing.  So when this state starts taking away cams because a select few don't like them, guess what they will come after something you like next and the people that hot there cams taken away might not support you.  So keep that in mind. We should all support each other at all times.

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  that pretty much sums it up! I would just emphasize leave other peoples stuff alone not complicated