IADNR bans cell cam "scouting" during hunting season

[TheWhitetailNut]

I support quality management 100%. How does having an unfair/ unsportsmanlike advantage from being able to monitor multiple areas in real time achieve that? Is it necessary to know every single deer in an area so you can shoot the biggest one every year? Might as well go to a high fence ranch.

My understanding of the definition of party hunting is having multiple people (who don't have a tag for the species) dispersing around an area to locate an animal for another tag holder who cannot physically be in multiple areas at the same time. There's a reason it's illegal in pretty much every state.
That's EXACTLY what these cameras do. He doesn't even have to be in the woods FFS. He can be in his office 1 mile or 700 miles away and see a buck at a camera, run out to his truck & drive to the spot & kill it. That's exactly what the guy did with the GA buck

Using technology for an advantage can be legal and unethical at the same time.
We can just agree to disagree.

Stop contradicting yourself. You cannot be a supporter of quality management and against trail cameras. One cannot selectively harvest the right deer if they don't know which one it is. There are so many big deer everywhere because we aren't shooting as many 2-3YO 10 points. And big bucks don't just stand in front of cams for hours posing like a middle aged single mother on social media for hours waiting for someone to come shoot them.

And cameras can't shoot a deer like in party hunting. How do you flip flop between cams being unfair to letting someone else shoot a buck and use your tag? The tag holder gets a buck for sleeping off cheap whisky because someone else shot one?

FFS is right, your moral compass is so effed, I doubt you've ever been in the woods.

 

[MallardSX2]

Does anyone know where the Iowa DNR ended up with this? I know they waffled back and forth a bit.

 

[rookieforever33]

If you put a cell camera in your neighborhood park pointed at the swing set would that be ok?

 

[Crowmangler]

Stop contradicting yourself. You cannot be a supporter of quality management and against trail cameras. One cannot selectively harvest the right deer if they don't know which one it is. There are so many big deer everywhere because we aren't shooting as many 2-3YO 10 points. And big bucks don't just stand in front of cams for hours posing like a middle aged single mother on social media for hours waiting for someone to come shoot them.

And cameras can't shoot a deer like in party hunting. How do you flip flop between cams being unfair to letting someone else shoot a buck and use your tag? The tag holder gets a buck for sleeping off cheap whisky because someone else shot one?

FFS is right, your moral compass is so effed, I doubt you've ever been in the woods.

I described the GA buck in the video which he got a notification from the cam, drove several hundred miles, shot it & hauled ass back to OH. Did you watch the video? If you think that's cool, fine. Just don't hate on folks that think it's not fine.

In my description of party hunting (which is different for every state) I described having "spotters" spread out over a wide area to locate an animal so the tag holder could come shoot it, which is the same scenario as having multiple cell cams sending notifications to the hunter. I said nothing about someone else shooting it.

It's similar to another recent post where outfitters pay people al lot of $$ for telling them where a big buck is. I don't think that's cool either, do you?

Do you think all the G & F officers in states that have outlawed them also have an effed up moral compass?

For the record I've been hunting & fishing for over 40 years. I just happen to believe just because something may be "legal" doesn't mean it's ethical or being a good sportsman.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

lol speaking from experience i can tell

You could say the reason some areas have the animals they have is do to the quality management trail cams provide...take that away and people go back to killing does and forkers...but thats more fair right ?

If you’re not able to find anything other than does and forkers without the use of live feed cameras monitoring the woods 24/7 for you than yes it’s fair that that’s all you ever shoot. Because that’s where your skill level or effort places you.

If you want to shoot more mature deer develop some woodsmanship, learn the craft, put in more effort.

Hunting is supposed to be difficult and challenging that’s the point! Hunting is NOT for everyone. Killing mature trophy class animals consistently is MOST DEFINITELY not for everyone. This current culturally pervasive idea that we need to constantly lower the bar so everyone can have what others before them used to earn is lame and it needs to stop.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Stop contradicting yourself. You cannot be a supporter of quality management and against trail cameras. One cannot selectively harvest the right deer if they don't know which one it is.

You ABSOLUTLEY can support QDM without trail cameras. My Dad and I started QDM in 1985 with zero trail cams and continue to this day. We don’t have a single trail cam out. It super simple, you let animals walk until they’re mature, period. Then shoot whatever mature animal makes you happy. It’s that simple.

 

[Elkangle]

If you’re not able to find anything other than does and forkers without the use of live feed cameras monitoring the woods 24/7 for you than yes it’s fair that that’s all you ever shoot. Because that’s where your skill level or effort places you.

If you want to shoot more mature deer develop some woodsmanship, learn the craft, put in more effort.

Hunting is supposed to be difficult and challenging that’s the point! Hunting is NOT for everyone. Killing mature trophy class animals consistently is MOST DEFINITELY not for everyone. This current culturally pervasive idea that we need to constantly lower the bar so everyone can have what others before them used to earn is lame and it needs to stop.

Idc about how difficult you think it needs to be and how big of a pedistle you put a big buck...i care about the resource and the resource is better of with quality deer management

Again we are having this conversation not because of does, forkers or even 3 year olds...its strictly because of big bucks and hunters egos...if trail cameras kill all the big bucks then we wouldnt be having this conversation

 

[Elkangle]

You ABSOLUTLEY can support QDM without trail cameras. My Dad and I started QDM in 1985 with zero trail cams and continue to this day. We don’t have a single trail cam out. It super simple, you let animals walk until they’re mature, period. Then shoot whatever mature animal makes you happy. It’s that simple.

Thats awesome, i very much wish more hunters would be like you...but there not...when looking at hunters across the country on average in all states, they are better off having the confidece to pass that trail cameras bring

 

[Q_Sertorius]

From my perspective, the problem with cameras is not that they allow one to find “the best bucks.” I’m not in competition with other hunters for who has the nicest trophy on the wall. I like to “hunt.” I hunt because there’s something deeply satisfying, on a primal level, about the experience of finding the animal, killing it, and eating it. For me, there’s a lot more to hunting than the killing shot. And luck should play a role in hunting. I’ve had years where I tagged out on opening day because I killed a nice buck on my way into the woods and then killed another one that same evening.

The problem with the cameras is that they give the “hunter” a continuous real time presence in the woods. My brother has a friend, a surgeon, who has saturated his private hunting plot with cameras. He can time when and where he has to be in the woods to spend the minimum time “hunting.” For him, “hunting” means picking the right stand and being there within a 30-minute window. He can get real time updates on a buck as it makes the rounds. For me, there’s more to hunting than that. But it’s his land, his time, and how he wants to hunt. I don’t consider him a great hunter, but he’s a very efficient killer.

And again, I am not in favor of most “means and methods” regulations on private land. On private land, I don’t think the state has any legitimate interest beyond setting bag limits, forbidding the sale of wild game, and public safety measures.

If you want to have beaters run the animals past you and shoot them, go for it. If you want to use dogs to chase them, go for it. If you want to send out a thermal drone and then go for a stalk, go for it. If you want to sit in a blind 100 yards from a bait pile, go for it. If you want to hire a guide who spends all year hunting for you, then puts you in a position to take the shot, go for it. If you want to have a gamekeeper manage your private estate, go for it. I literally don’t care how another hunter hunts, but there are many means and methods that are not for me.

But on public land, I would prefer to see a “level playing field” and I hate the attitude of many hunters who treat parts of public land as their own property.


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[Yoder]

Stop acting like Democrats. If you don't like them, don't use them. Stop pushing your views of what you think is moral on everyone else.

 

[Wildone]

I don't live in IA and have not hunted that state .

In my home state I live 4.5 hours away from where I hunt and have had a problem with locals tresspassing on my land for decades, sitting my stands, killing deer , road hunting, using it for a lovers lane you name it. I'm sick and tired of it. Now a days when I get a cell pick of someone on my property I can call the sherrif and tell them that they are on the property right now and to get a car over there and provide them with a photo of the perpatrator.

I'm a weekend worrior and can't run to the stand every time a camera goes off . I try very hard not to go in there unessaraily leaving scent on the ground to make the deer aware of my presence. It is not a big piece. I want to be as low impact as possible. I have been hunting there long enough to know how and where they are going to move to and from and when. I just want to know whats living there this year. I've got a resident heard of about 22 does but the bucks only visit my place for 2 weeks out of the year. Been that way since 1976 and we don't have big deer.

 

[Skerhunter]

I see an eventual ban or reg changes for cell cameras in most states. Mainly because we will soon have 99% cell service (think cameras using starlink), so it’s going to go beyond white tail and bring on more scrutiny.

I think the only argument for them is private property rights, but the game isn’t private property and that will make for a tough argument.

Currently being legal, along with baiting in some states it is just another tool for people to use and I don’t have a problem with it. Where legal it’s simply a personal choice of how you want to hunt. Same as archery vs rifle hunting.

It definitely makes killing game easier and crosses the line of fair chase. I don’t think it leads to more mature deer running around either, people will still slaughter 2/3 year olds just to say they got a buck vs eating a tag.

The way a lot of you guys talk my neighbors and I must all be morons. No one baits(illegal), leases ground, runs cell cams, or rifle hunts (season is in the rut). We have 170-200+” deer that could easily be killed if we did. Thankfully none of us see that as an enjoyable hunt, which leaves a lot of mature deer on the landscape because they are hard to kill.

It’s OK for the deer to win sometimes.

 

[HuntHarder]

Stop acting like Democrats. If you don't like them, don't use them. Stop pushing your views of what you think is moral on everyone else

Name calling... Classic example of having no real argument for your position.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Idc about how difficult you think it needs to be and how big of a pedistle you put a big buck...i care about the resource and the resource is better of with quality deer management

Again we are having this conversation not because of does, forkers or even 3 year olds...its strictly because of big bucks and hunters egos...if trail cameras kill all the big bucks then we wouldnt be having this conversation

Incorrect.

QDM has ZERO effect on the “resource” it only has an effect on the overall age of Bucks on a property, period.

I’m not a trophy hunter i’m a deer hunter so you’re barking up the wrong tree. I actually don’t care what a deer scored at all i only care that it trips my trigger when i lay eyes on it for the first time.

Ban those cell cams there is zero place for them in the fair chase.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Stop acting like Democrats. If you don't like them, don't use them. Stop pushing your views of what you think is moral on everyone else.

Because no Republican ever wanted to ban immoral behavior? The name calling acts as an admission that your position is no stronger than anyone else’s opinion as to what constitutes fair chase.

And, for the record, I don’t think the state has any business in regulating fair chase. All the special seasons and such need to go away on private land. Bag limits, sale of wild game, and public safety are the logical limits for state regulations.

Make an actual argument as to why a hunter should be able to litter public land with cameras so that he can hunt more efficiently than any other public land hunter. Because that’s what this thread is about.


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[Szwampdonkey]

Idc about how difficult you think it needs to be

I absolutely believe you. We have a comfort crisis in this country. Every one is entitled to everything regardless of the effort they personally put in right?

Dont want to put in the effort to become proficient with a bow legalize crossbows. Dont want to break a sweat walking in several miles legalize off road vehicles or electric bikes. Can’t find a mature animal to hunt by learning how to scout, hunt, or spend hours behind glass blanket the area with cell cams right?

Yeah no thanks man i’ll stick to hunting deer the hard way, the fair way. Far more rewarding when you actually earn it. But you do you while it’s still legal.

 

[ElDiablito]

Ban those cell cams there is zero place for them in the fair chase.

 

[fatlander]

Seems those that use cell cameras are adamant they’re not crossing any ethical line and those that don’t are certain those that do are in-fact crossing the line.

I’ve given some of my buddies a ton of grief about cell cameras over the years. I’ve hunted with traditional cameras for a long time, took a few years off, and came back the traditional cameras again. I killed a really good buck the first year I went back to using them. Had a bit of dry patch through the years without them as far as killing 5.5+ year old bucks.

Just a few weeks ago I purchased 4 cell cams. Doing a bit of an experiment this year. There’s a couple bucks that I’m not going to hunt until I get daylight pictures, which will probably be between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Want to see how it shakes out. If I kill any of them after getting those pictures without ever stepping foot on the place to even check the cameras, I’ll be able to more strongly tell my friends that use them that they’re a crutch.

I can certainly say that I kill bigger deer when running traditional cameras than not. I’m guessing cell cams will only further tilt the tables in my favor. Will report back in December.


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Short synopsis: The experiment yielded the results that I thought it would. Killed the best buck I’ve killed in almost a decade with the least amount of boots on the ground scouting or hunting in that same period.

Longer story and thoughts: I killed one of my target bucks the third time I hunted the property. Saw two of the others the first and second time hunting there; a swirling wind is the only thing that saved one and another showed up just a couple minutes late to the party.

Cameras in general make killing big deer easier. If they didn’t, no one would do it. Cell cameras take it to a whole different level. Being there without being there. Real time updates make them even more helpful.

It’s amazing to me that the animal persists. Imagine 24 hour, real time, surveillance from something multiple times smarter than you that’s trying to kill you. The only thing keeping mature whitetail bucks alive is their propensity to go nocturnal at the slightest hint of pressure and their unpredictability during the month of November.

At some point we’re going to have to come to grips with what fair chase means anymore. Until then, I’ll utilize the tools that are legal, but I’m not kidding myself that the tool isn’t a huge reason for the success.


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[TheWhitetailNut]

Because no Republican ever wanted to ban immoral behavior? The name calling acts as an admission that your position is no stronger than anyone else’s opinion as to what constitutes fair chase.

And, for the record, I don’t think the state has any business in regulating fair chase. All the special seasons and such need to go away on private land. Bag limits, sale of wild game, and public safety are the logical limits for state regulations.

Make an actual argument as to why a hunter should be able to litter public land with cameras so that he can hunt more efficiently than any other public land hunter. Because that’s what this thread is about.


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Illogical question. What hunter does not have access to trail cams? None. Everyone can buy as many as they wish. If you don't like them, don't use them.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Illogical question. What hunter does not have access to trail cams? None. Everyone can buy as many as they wish. If you don't like them, don't use them.

What gives you the right to put up trail cameras on public land?

This isn’t about fair chase. It isn’t about whether or not I want to use trail cameras. It’s about how some people want to utilize public land as if it was their own private land.


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