Would you check someone else’s trail cam?

[GOcougsHunter]

I have never checked a game camera that wasn't mine.  However, I have seen a lot of stuff in the woods that has been in there a while (stands, knives, gear, and cameras).  What would folks do if they saw a game camera in the same spot year over year with moss growing on it?  Batteries don't last a super long time.  And it stands to reason that some camera owners may have forgotten where they placed a camera or the owner is incapacitated or deceased.  This is another one of those "depends" scenarios, right? 

[TimberMuleys]

I predict camera's get prohibited during hunting season in the next two years.
And outside of season will require name and contact info during use.

Kind of odd topic but seems where this thread is going.

Yeah and when I go out hunting and start finding game cameras after it's deemed illegal I'm packing them out and trashing them. I'm with Bone on this topic.

So you'll be certain that those cams were for hunting purposes?  I know several folks who do not hunt but still love trail cams.  Also have heard of several school classes that use them in their outdoor ed class.
Just another form of photography.

My thoughts exactly. In the hypothetical that something like that actually happens, I hope they go steal a cam from a biologist/Wdfw and get caught. It’s “not yours so don’t touch it” until it doesn’t fit their agenda, then it goes all out the wayside and you can not only touch someone else’s property, but take it home and throw it away. Love the logic there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fishngamereaper]

Plenty of States have banned them and somehow figured it out..
Also, I don't think Boone and Crockett recognizes animals taken in the area, or around the use of cellular cams....
I read a study that said on average 11-12 percent of hunters in any given region use cams. And average 2-3 cams each .. rough math would be 100k trail cams in Washington...

A ban is coming eventually ...Then there won't be any cams to be tempted to check 

[TimberMuleys]

Plenty of States have banned them and somehow figured it out..
Also, I don't think Boone and Crockett recognizes animals taken in the area, or around the use of cellular cams....
I read a study that said on average 11-12 percent of hunters in any given region use cams. And average 2-3 cams each .. rough math would be 100k trail cams in Washington...

A ban is coming eventually ...Then there won't be any cams to be tempted to check 

I think what you wrote may not be entirely accurate. They allow bucks to be entered that were on cell cams, just not within a day of harvesting. Here’s the quote from B&C: “Real time” is the key concept. Seeing a photo and harvesting an animal a few hours later, or even the same day, uses this technology to assure a kill. It also takes advantage of the animal, which cannot detect impending danger from a camera. Waiting several days, or even until the following season, to pursue an animal captured on camera is different, and would not be deemed an unethical use of a trail camera.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[huntnnw]

I definitely could see a cell cam ban during hunting season and that’s it.

Reason some of these other states banned cams was the water hole BS .

[TimberMuleys]

I definitely could see a cell cam ban during hunting season and that’s it.

Reason some of these other states banned cams was the water hole BS .

Agreed. Do you think there would be a way to keep cell cams up in the woods, just disabling it to send pictures, then it could still act as a normal camera during season and then go right back to cell when season had finished? I thought Utah made it so Cell Camera companies weren’t allowed to sell plans to Utahns during their hunting seasons? Would be nice to not have to take all the cams out of the woods, just to put them back for rut/shed pictures.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LDennis24]

I predict camera's get prohibited during hunting season in the next two years.
And outside of season will require name and contact info during use.

Kind of odd topic but seems where this thread is going.

Yeah and when I go out hunting and start finding game cameras after it's deemed illegal I'm packing them out and trashing them. I'm with Bone on this topic.

So you'll be certain that those cams were for hunting purposes?  I know several folks who do not hunt but still love trail cams.  Also have heard of several school classes that use them in their outdoor ed class.
Just another form of photography.

My thoughts exactly. In the hypothetical that something like that actually happens, I hope they go steal a cam from a biologist/Wdfw and get caught. It’s “not yours so don’t touch it” until it doesn’t fit their agenda, then it goes all out the wayside and you can not only touch someone else’s property, but take it home and throw it away. Love the logic there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I was referring to if it's deemed illegal. Illegal means illegal, your coming up with hypotheticals. I'm not playing semantics. Are you saying you don't do your part to clean up the woods? The old adage "If it's not yours don't touch it" doesn't apply to trash...

[NOCK NOCK]

I predict camera's get prohibited during hunting season in the next two years.
And outside of season will require name and contact info during use.

Kind of odd topic but seems where this thread is going.

Yeah and when I go out hunting and start finding game cameras after it's deemed illegal I'm packing them out and trashing them. I'm with Bone on this topic.

So you'll be certain that those cams were for hunting purposes?  I know several folks who do not hunt but still love trail cams.  Also have heard of several school classes that use them in their outdoor ed class.
Just another form of photography.

My thoughts exactly. In the hypothetical that something like that actually happens, I hope they go steal a cam from a biologist/Wdfw and get caught. It’s “not yours so don’t touch it” until it doesn’t fit their agenda, then it goes all out the wayside and you can not only touch someone else’s property, but take it home and throw it away. Love the logic there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah I was referring to if it's deemed illegal. Illegal means illegal, your coming up with hypotheticals. I'm not playing semantics. Are you saying you don't do your part to clean up the woods? The old adage "If it's not yours don't touch it" doesn't apply to trash...

FYI, You came up with your own hypothetical to start with. (purple) 
They will most likely to some degree be deemed illegal.......for hunting purposes.  HUNTING purposes will be written into the laws,  way to many players and money involved to ever have a complete ban on TC.

[KrisKamm27]

On public land... I'm not sure there would be much traction to ban trail cams. You're allowed to film and record in public. People fly drones with camera's all over the place. Cars have dash cams. Etc. Trying to ban trail cams might be a personally held ethical belief some purists have because it makes hunting too easy but given everything I've heard from hunters a TC is unreliable and imprecise. Trying to ban TC's because it makes life slightly easier in limited situations is like trying to ban fast food because it makes eating too easy. Maybe we can ban bicycles because its easier than walking and some avid power walkers are offended by others taking the easy path of bicycling? Maybe wearing glasses makes seeing too easy. Ban it all!   😇 I said ban it all!!! 🚫🚫🚫

[Feathernfurr]

I mean there’s definitely traction, trail cams have been banned in multiple states on public land. Just like flying drones with cameras is prohibited in most national parks, wildlife refuges, and many states wildlife areas(to keep people from using drones to locate wildlife).

[jasnt]

Personally I think we have lost enough hunting opportunities.  I’m against any kind of ban    They do enough meddling as it is

[LDennis24]

Personally I think we have lost enough hunting opportunities.  I’m against any kind of ban    They do enough meddling as it is

Well then shouldn't they atleast legalize checking other people's cameras on public land? After all, I wouldn't wanna have to bring my own camera and set it up if someone else has one on the water hole already. I can just use theirs! It's PUBLIC LAND by golly!

[TimberMuleys]

Personally I think we have lost enough hunting opportunities.  I’m against any kind of ban    They do enough meddling as it is

Exactly… if we are so worried about how many bucks and bulls are “dying to trail cams” let’s start by thinning the populations cougars, wolves and bears, maybe try to find ways to keep less from dying on roads as well. According to Wdfw, there are on avg 20,000-24,000 deer killed by hunters per year. They also say there are 2400 cougars state wide (which we all know is much lower than the actual number) but even if we use their number, the average cougar kills a deer every 7-10 days according to studies. We also know that number could be much higher in some cases, but for the case of the argument, we will only use once every 10 days. 2400 cougars x 37 (365days/10days per kill) give you 88,800 dead deer per year. I know this is all hypothetical, but let’s just be real, just to make the cougar kills and hunter kills even we would have to assume there is only 2400 cougars in this state, and that they only kill 1 deer every 5 weeks (math comes out to 24,960). Once again, I understand these are all hypothetical numbers, but that’s not including bears, wolves, bobcats, coyotes, winter kill, or roadkill. I think that a trail cam ban is just another way to take away rights from hunters. If we are really worried about populations and keeping hunting for the generations to come, the last thing we should be worried about right now is the 20 big bucks killed every year because someone had them on camera a couple times before they killed them. If anyone has a disagreement with this, I think we could have a new thread discussing this because I am open to changing my thinking on this if different facts are brought to my attention.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[boneaddict]

Double edged sword we are balancing on in regards to technology and hunting, but that I am sure has nothing to do with the spirit of this topic, and God forbid having a conversation about it because immediately people start talking cannabilism blah blah amongst ourselves.     At some point there needs to be a line drawn about how much technology you need to kill a deer, at what point is it not fair chase etc.    THen there is the balance of ones ethics versus anothers, but as a group we do need to make the decision what is enough, or there wont be any left. 


I do seriously wonder about what laws there are about trail cameras on public land.   Ethically, again I wouldnt touch someones stuff.   I just wouldnt, but are there any rules protecting it.  I don't use them so I dont know.

Its a real testament that any animal can become trophy sized in this state.   Besides natural predators feeding 24/7, you have the illegal two legged ones, then you have damn near satellite thermal imaging being used to hunt them real time day and night.  Chemical Lures, baits, calls. An army of snipers from distances mankind couldnt even detect them. Non-stop tribal hunting,  Throw in mother nature(elements, starvation),plus your own kind (rut) humankind (cars), etc.   and then its not even safe on your  friends front porch as they might sell you out to the highest bidder.     I have a lot of respect for an ole mossback

[hunter399]

Most likely we will have bait bans as CWD spreads. Making trail cams less effective. Most of my cams come down before fall season starts. I admit though not all of them. Cams that are in lock boxes I usually leave.
If I had to pull them all before the fall season,I could.
I do like to run them through the summer,to see what's out there.
We all want to hunt ,where there is actual game animals.
NE WASHINGTON definitely has dead zones for one reason or another.
I do that for damage and thieves,not for ethics.
I've learned that most damage happens during fall.