Should cell cams be banned?

[stromie]

IMO it depends on the region and game that is being targeted. While I cannot give an educational opinion on Elk or Mule Deer hunting out west, when it comes to hunting whitetail in the SE I would say absolutely not.

In our case, we use cell cameras as a real time management tool to help maintain a more sustainable herd by gathering info on our population and keeping numbers aligned with the land's carrying capacity. Also it helps us determine which bucks need another year, rather than "ground checking" them by making the decision under pressure. I think the energy would be better utilized on the subject of hunting over bait rather than cellular trail cams.

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

I think they should be banned. At least during hunting season. I have them and use them and they are super fun but If we don't start limiting ourselves with technology we aren't going to have animals to hunt. Animals can't increase they're technology. They were born with wat they have. We have become extremely proficient at killing them.

The stats just don't bear this out.

 

[CMF]

I'd be in favor of banning them, at least on public land and during hunting seasons. T

I think whatever they do on public should be done on private. Seems every year the laws are skewed more and more in favor of private even though the animals cross back and forth and the lands are often intertwined.
Especially MS as of late, any weapon use during primitive seasons, less anter restriction, baiting, etc...

 

[CMF]

The stats just don't bear this out.

I have a buddy who certainly hunts less since he has cell cams. If he's not getting deer pics, he ain't going.

 

[Skerhunter]

The stats just don't bear this out.

So no states have seen a decrease in game populations the past 20 years (time when tech has really improved)?

 

[Pulleye16]

IMO, they should be banned on public...but before they pass that law, I need to go pull all mine! LOL

 

[hibernation]

I think whatever they do on public should be done on private. Seems every year the laws are skewed more and more in favor of private even though the animals cross back and forth and the lands are often intertwined.
Especially MS as of late, any weapon use during primitive seasons, less anter restriction, baiting, etc...

No argument there, I think it's just a concession to keep people from bitching too much - "how dare fish and game tell me what to do on my own land".

 

[menhaden_man]

So no states have seen a decrease in game populations the past 20 years (time when tech has really improved)?

I looked at the data from Georgia, both harvest and efficiency haven't really changed much. Of course this is all over the board on species and state, but I don't think technology is making it to where you can push a button and fill your freezer. No population level effects.

Also think the states are in a bad spot as hunting/fishing numbers dwindle, crushing their budgets. What's a good way to sell more archery tags? Allow crossbows. You can say it's unfair, but you could also argue it's more ethical (quicker kills). Not sure I care much so long as it's legal and not robbing an opportunity from another person.

But I can see the argument, for example, where one guy is hunting public ground for a trophy buck that gets picked off by another guy that has a network of cameras giving him the edge.

I'm also of the mind that guys can do whatever is legally allowed, though I get the fair chase argument.

 

[menhaden_man]

No argument there, I think it's just a concession to keep people from bitching too much - "how dare fish and game tell me what to do on my own land".

In North Carolina, you aren't required to pay for a license if you hunt on your own land. Or even wear orange at any time of the year. Seasons and limits still apply.

 

[Skerhunter]

I looked at the data from Georgia, both harvest and efficiency haven't really changed much. Of course this is all over the board on species and state, but I don't think technology is making it to where you can push a button and fill your freezer. No population level effects.

Also think the states are in a bad spot as hunting/fishing numbers dwindle, crushing their budgets. What's a good way to sell more archery tags? Allow crossbows. You can say it's unfair, but you could also argue it's more ethical (quicker kills). Not sure I care much so long as it's legal and not robbing an opportunity from another person.

But I can see the argument, for example, where one guy is hunting public ground for a trophy buck that gets picked off by another guy that has a network of cameras giving him the edge.

I'm also of the mind that guys can do whatever is legally allowed, though I get the fair chase argument.

Quite a different story where I live. Success rates are falling and number of deer taken have been reduced more than 50%. Not all of it has been driven by tech, but it definitely plays a role.

I’m hear you on the legal aspects, if it’s allowed and you want to hunt that way, go for it.

 

[Cerberus1124]

Don’t see an issue with cell cams. Many places I hunt they don’t work but where they do, they just help you pattern. You still have to be there when the animal is or you are out of luck. As far as one of the comments earlier about us becoming more efficient at killing game. Let me introduce you to some of the “hunters” I know.

 

[rookieforever33]

I think whatever they do on public should be done on private. Seems every year the laws are skewed more and more in favor of private even though the animals cross back and forth and the lands are often intertwined.
Especially MS as of late, any weapon use during primitive seasons, less anter restriction, baiting, etc...

So you mean if someone cant put a camera right on a trail hikers use I cant put a camera in my backyard?

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

So no states have seen a decrease in game populations the past 20 years (time when tech has really improved)?

Not related to trail cams. There are dips for disease, but there is more game relative to available hunting acres than ever. Want to ban something, ban subdivisions. Trail cams keep bucks alive.

Killing deer is super easy, guys with a network of cams aren't whacking forkies and button bucks.

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

I think they’re fine on private land. I don’t think anything should be allowed to litter public land though. My argument has nothing to do with cellular camera’s specifically. I’m just against someone putting their crap all over public land.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Just cause a lot of hunters suck doesn’t mean cell cameras are fair chase. They’re a tool that can take a very good hunter and skyrocket their efficiency in scouting. A piss poor hunter can blanket the woods with them and still pick the wrong wind to hunt the deer on his camera. Which is why the kill rates don’t skyrocket. I think they’re pushing the boundaries of tech too far.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Just cause a lot of hunters suck doesn’t mean cell cameras are fair chase. They’re a tool that can take a very good hunter and skyrocket their efficiency in scouting. A piss poor hunter can blanket the woods with them and still pick the wrong wind to hunt the deer on his camera. Which is why the kill rates don’t skyrocket. I think they’re pushing the boundaries of tech too far.

Amen. I know true woodsmen who went from one good buck a year to multiple. The only thing that changed was the ability to scout properties an hour away 24/7/365.
There’s nothing fair chase about a piece of technology sending you up to the minute intel while YOU’RE NOT EVEN IN THE SAME ZIP CODE.

 

[RockAndSage]

They’re a tool that can take a very good hunter and skyrocket their efficiency in scouting.

^^^ This. And, it's precisely why commercial guides and outfitters often have over a hundred in the field - scouting for them, 24/7. Take that away, and their trophy success plummets, because they're not finding the trophy bucks at the same rates.

 

[GoatPackr]

^^^ This. And, it's precisely why commercial guides and outfitters often have over a hundred in the field - scouting for them, 24/7. Take that away, and their trophy success plummets, because they're not finding the trophy bucks at the same rates.

Exactly.
Might as well Collar all the trophy animals and put a radio Collar on them so they can "guide" their clients on their "hunts"
Not fair chase in my book at all.

 

[Coastal_hunter]

I dont think banning them will help.... can only keep good people honest. you know alot of people will still run them.

 

[menhaden_man]

What about doorbell cams

https://gon.com/hunting/doorbell-camera-leads-harvest-of-clayton-county-12-point