Abandoned game cams

[Aeron]

How long does a guy leave a camera in the woods, knowing that it has been abandoned/lost?  Camera has moss growing on it, the strap is trashed, looked inside and the batteries are cold dead, and the sd card has over 900 pics from November to June....nothing since the beginning of June (I took my card reader with while I was setting up my own cams).  By all appearances, it has been abandoned. I check my cameras regularly, change batteries, insert fresh sd cards, etc.  However, being a guy who worries about his own cams being stolen, I don't want to take the thing down and bring some bad camera karma on.  I also don't NEED another camera, but not sure if thats one of those things you can really have too many of anyways. 
Card is back in, closed it back up, left it in the woods.

[h20hunter]

Leave it alone.  If found broken, like from a bear, and it's trashed pick it up like trash.

[Naches Sportsman]

If it's not yours don't touch it.


That being said, I have two out that I haven't been to since fall 2016 due to their location. Batteries are definitely dead but that'll happen when you don't have time to get back to them.

[trophyhunt]

I’d leave it alone, I’m sure they won’t be back but better to have a clear conscience.

[Highhuntin]

Oh boy!! I’d say DONT EVEN GET IN FRONT OF IT!! If somehow it takes your pic  You may end up on a different thread here....  if it was me I would leave it be someone may have been unable to get back to it for whatever reason.

[grundy53]

I just checked one of my cameras that I hadn't checked since last November. The batteries were dead since July 3rd. It now has fresh batteries and a fresh sd card. It definitely wasn't abandoned. Even if it looked like it. I would leave the one you found alone. It's not yours.

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[HighlandLofts]

June isn't that long ago, I'd put new batteries in it and a new card and leave the Old one in the cam somewhere.

[Pinetar]

SIMPLE - If it doesn't belong to you, leave it alone.

[fishngamereaper]

SIMPLE - If it doesn't belong to you, leave it alone.

  don't understand even checking the batteries or SD card.

[JakeLand]

I’ve got several cams that I haven’t been able to get to since last year at this time

[buglebrush]

Leave it alone.  I have cameras I was unable to check this year due to building my house, but I'm certainly going to be checking them.

[bowhunterforever]

SIMPLE - If it doesn't belong to you, leave it alone.

[jamesfromseattle]

Leave it alone. I’ve left mine up for a long time before. Those are also the most fun to check.

[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.

[jackelope]

And
June is not that long ago. I’d hardly call it abandoned.