Trail camera laws

[Gila]

I’ll also add that in AZ there is a big sentiment to ban guides for some of the same reasons. We can’t of course and there are some awesome guides I’d never want to ban but there are those in AZ and NM that I wouldn’t mind seeing banned forever over their shenanigans.

I think that guides and outfitters are a valuable hunting resource. Most of them are ethical and respectful of DIY hunters. But it only takes a few bad apples to spoil it for everyone. New Mexico needs more oversight and enforcement for outfitters and guides. If it is cheaper to hire someone to hang trail cams, then it becomes a business decision for an outfitter. I am are talking about public land and public hunting opportunity. Technology should not be applied to circumvent fair chase. Not for a public resource anyway.

 

[AndrewMT34]

I actually talked to the Forest Service this fall here in WY about trail cams on the forest. Apparently they are considered personal property and once you leave it is considered littering. So you can be fined for them and they can be "legally" stolen. Just what I was told.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I mean this just isn’t fair! How else are you going to kill an animal if you can’t cover all their watering holes? I mean, my rifle only shoots 1000 yards, I’m just not going to be able to close the distance if I don’t know which drainage they’re in! I hate you Arizona. You big jerks!

 

[BBob]

I actually talked to the Forest Service this fall here in WY about trail cams on the forest. Apparently they are considered personal property and once you leave it is considered littering. So you can be fined for them and they can be "legally" stolen. Just what I was told.

Same sort of thing here in AZ. Early on everyone left their stands up and at some point they started getting stolen. People complained to AZGFD and FS. The response from AZGFD was to ask FS. FS said anything left out was considered abandoned property so tough luck. I believe there is still a note in our regs about that.

 

[Opah]

Wow and I thought California was bad, guess where ever anti hunters are and when they get the ear of the politicians or PETA makes big campaign donations

 

[Ucsdryder]

Same sort of thing here in AZ. Early on everyone left their stands up and at some point they started getting stolen. People complained to AZGFD and FS. The response from AZGFD was to ask FS. FS said anything left out was considered abandoned property so tough luck. I believe there is still a note in our regs about that.

Sounds like their way of solving the issue of “my trail camera got stolen, I want to prosecute.”

 

[Gila]

You can't see that more rules and restrictions are a problem. By the time you are done, you'll be lucky if you can hunt water holes.

Might as well just push to ban hunters on public land cause that's what the end result will be.

I work with a federal hunting area and fight to keep hunter access. Every season there are a bunch of whiners, the government response is to strip the hunters of access and further restrict the ones who can go. Your whining is gonna hurt you and future hunters.

New Mexico rules you can't park a vehicle or camp within 300 yds of a manmade water source. I would have no problem with banning big game hunting within 300 yards of a water source on public. No trail cams on a man made water source would be a good thing as well.

 

[Gila]

Wow and I thought California was bad, guess where ever anti hunters are and when they get the ear of the politicians or PETA makes big campaign donations

PETA isn't trying to improve hunting opportunity.

 

[Opah]

That is correct 25,000 here and 25,000 there works wonders when it comes time to decide what to band

 

[Warmsy]

I don't understand. Why would there be an all-out ban on trail cameras? For those that support it, why? I haven't used one yet, but was hoping ro buy some for next year. Im in California.

 

[sasquatch]

I don't understand. Why would there be an all-out ban on trail cameras? For those that support it, why? I haven't used one yet, but was hoping ro buy some for next year. Im in California.

In favor of the idea. As usual though it’s not the cameras, it’s most of the people with the cameras.
Down where I live in the south, all I see is the unreal pressure applied to the deer by “camera checkers”

Every hunting club around here has unimaginable amounts of “hunters” doing nothing but traveling all over through the woods damn near daily just to check their cameras.

They no doubt spend double the time looking and tormenting the woods to check cameras then they ever do going to hunt!

It’s no surprise where cameras have been limited on club all of a sudden the deer sightings go up!

It’s just like the mud motors and the impact to the ducks down here.

Every half ass wanna be “Hunter” riding around on their atv or mud boat tormenting wildlife just to check their spots and "get ready"

It’s a shame that the people they use these things responsibly have to suffer though for the bad apples. Some people should just play golf and stop wanting to be Instagram hunters

 

[def90]

Why not just restrict hunting to only hunt days and not allow scouting or entrance into hunt areas prior to?

How do you tell if someone is scouting before the season or simply hiking? Have no idea how that could ever be enforced.

 

[BBob]

I don't understand. Why would there be an all-out ban on trail cameras? For those that support it, why? I haven't used one yet, but was hoping ro buy some for next year. Im in California.

In some areas it’s become a total s*it show and it’s not a hunt anymore. As soon as a targeted buck, bull, etc... shows on a cam you have in some cases dozens of guides and hunters all waiting the next day to be the first to find and kill that animal. When every drinker and tank has 10 cams on it along with the daily procession of cam checkers it becomes a comedy. It’s not staying in those areas, those tactics are spreading and lots of people are getting tired of it.

 

[Marble]

I actually talked to the Forest Service this fall here in WY about trail cams on the forest. Apparently they are considered personal property and once you leave it is considered littering. So you can be fined for them and they can be "legally" stolen. Just what I was told.

That sounds like a gigantic stretch and an interpretation from someone in LE that isn't thinking clearly.

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[Marble]

All these little things that people want changed and banned. Seems like a classic case of incrementalism. The cure is worse than the disease.

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[Baddog]

Interesting to read comments. In the nw I don’t personally see a problem. Does sound like in the scarce water areas it is. I enjoy having 3-4 cameras out but I can’t say I’ve actually killed anything because of them. But it’s fun to know what is around. Not a big fan of the idea of the cameras with cell service.

 

[Next Ridge]

How do you tell if someone is scouting before the season or simply hiking? Have no idea how that could ever be enforced.

If it’s on water it’s obvious. But also hard to enforce. I think they are betting the odds.

 

[Ross]

Glad my cameras are unreachable in winter and don’t see a hunter come by 99.99 % of the time...seeing what occurs in the backcountry is just fun....no cell service in these areas and most simply don’t want to walk that far...during Season or not...these days I use them as much for shed hunting as hunting

 

[Squamch]

I've got quite a few cameras out. I have shot deer in areas where I have cameras, but never because I've had a camera out there. Maybe it's different where animals are stuck using water holes. They have banned cellular trail cams here, but why would you hunt where you have cell phone reception?

 

[coues32]

I don't understand. Why would there be an all-out ban on trail cameras? For those that support it, why? I haven't used one yet, but was hoping ro buy some for next year. Im in California.

In AZ guides,people run trot lines of cameras find a troop and sell it to the highest bidder, then in alot of cases that area will be surrounded by an army of glassers,alot without a guide license another problem.. And most could give 2 shits if you were on a animal 1st,hunting with a youth..

I think they are trash lagged to a tree, on public land

An animal has to water certain spots in AZ, u take away that animals elusivness from him 24/7 unlike if a hunter was in the woods making noise and stinking