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Arizona Proposes Trail Cam Ban

9K views 100 replies 37 participants last post by  Rasputin 
#1 ·
#2 ·
I think it’s a crock of crap. My buddy and I were discussing this a couple weeks ago. All a camera does is let you know what’s passing by a given location at a moment in time. Doesn’t mean that animal will walk by there again.
States start outlawing game cams and there’s a whole bunch more jobs that’ll be lost.



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#9 ·
I honestly think that cellular cameras shouldn't be allowed, but I don't really have as much of an issue with regular trail cameras (because you still have to actually go into the woods to check them). The problem with cell cams is that they allow someone the luxury of knowing what is going on in the woods at any given moment without having to go in and scout/ hunt. You can sit at home and not spook anything while you establish the deer's pattern then go in at the best time for the kill. I'm not saying its unethical or anything, but just like using a drone to scout a deer I do think it may be cheapening the experience of hunting. Too much technology is taking away the fun of learning and woodsmanship because people are too worried about shooting the buck they named two years ago and putting it on instagram for everyones approval.
 
#7 ·
My FIL lives in AZ...in talking with him, it sounds like there is a pretty high likelihood that they will be banned for hunting usage. Quite a few hunters out there seem to be against them, and he said since the articles have been in the papers, quite a bit of public backlash over them. Not sure why hunters would be against them...perhaps due to different styles of hunting in the West, like Spot and Stalk???

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#10 ·
My FIL lives in AZ...in talking with him, it sounds like there is a pretty high likelihood that they will be banned for hunting usage. Quite a few hunters out there seem to be against them, and he said since the articles have been in the papers, quite a bit of public backlash over them. Not sure why hunters would be against them...perhaps due to different styles of hunting in the West, like Spot and Stalk???

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I have heard from guys in Michigan that go out west on out-of-state hunts that non-residents will place cell cams and leave them out to pretty much scout for them since they live in another state. Maybe this is the issue and is rubbing residents the wrong way.
 
#8 ·
Having never hunted Arizona I can't help think that there might be something different from Michigan such that the ban makes sense there.
 
#15 ·
Arizona water holes with 40 cameras focused on them and a trail cam here and there in our Michigan woods and fields are Apples and Oranges IMO. I agree that the cell technology for live monitoring and then moving in for a kill in real time is beyond "Fair Chase", but I don't see regular trail cameras being a fair chase issue. They are great for scouting and helping us know who and what is actually out there but I don't think they are preventing deer and other wildlife from gaining access to food or water because they are out there.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I read a another article on this and the two major complaints were cameras being left out and unethical. There was some complaints about guys being territorial also.
While I have cameras and run them ( less and less) now a day's. I can see where cell cameras can be used unethicaly IMO. But majority won't be.
There is a well known big buck Hunter that uses multiple cell cameras on his land to watch and wait for certain bucks to bed in a area. Then he slips in to his pre hung stand and waits to arrow it. To me this crosses the line of being ethical but it must not to him.
 
#19 ·
I read a article on this and the two major complaints were cameras being left out and unethical. There was some complaints about guys being territorial also.
While I have cameras and run them ( less and less) now a day's. I can see where cell cameras can be used unethicaly IMO. But majority won't be.
There is a well known big buck Hunter that uses multiple cell cameras on his land to watch and wait for certain bucks to bed in a area. Then he slips in to his pre hung stand and waits to arrow it. To me this crosses the line of being ethical but it must not to him.
I agree. That sort of use totally cheapens the hunt IMO.
 
#20 ·
My thoughts on cameras if your using them on private land to maximize meat harvest fine. If your hunting for potential trophies electronic surveillance cheapens the experience.
 
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#22 ·
Slippery, slippery slope here.
There are a lot of different versions from a lot of different folks of what might "cheapen" a hunt.
I don't ever plan to use a cell camera, but you can bet your ass I would fight for someone else to have the option to use them.
I will probably never use hounds to kill a bear, but would fight to keep it legal.
There are a lot of guys that might never hunt doves, but I hope they would vote to... oh, wait...
 
#23 ·
I agree, but I can also say that there seems to be a correlation between when trail cams started becoming popular and the rise of the "trophy movement". Once people were able to start seeing deer they would have never otherwise seen, they started naming these deer and building a relationship with them. Then they are mad at their neighbor for shooting that deer instead of letting "Ole Tall Tine" (or whatever dumb name you want to insert) grow. That same culture has created in-fighting between hunters all over this country. All I'm saying is maybe things were better before all of this technology. Back when you were surprised by a big deer instead of just taking inventory, and when people were happy for a neighbor who shot a nice buck instead of being mad that they didn't get him because they have some sort of claim to "Ole Tall Tine" because they have pictures of him from the last couple years.
 
#27 ·
So cameras are now called cheating tools or is considered to cheapen the hunting experience? Wow just wow.!! I can almost guarantee these comments are coming from guys that never used them. What’s the difference if I take a picture of a deer from my truck?? The number one thing we get out of our cams is motivation. Coincidentally in these times of deer hunting, lack of motivation is probably the number one killer in our sport. I’ll take the use of cams all day long. Thank you

I’ve never shown a picture of a buck from a game cam to someone and they turned their head away. Lol. What a bunch of crap!

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#29 ·
Kinda gotta agree with you. Cams are just another tool like a range finder, grunt tube, or tree stand.
As I previously stated, all a camera does is let’s you know what passed by that camera at any given time.
At the end of the day, a hunter still has to be in the right place at the right time and make the shot to kill a deer.


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#28 ·
Technology continuously advances. We have to decide where to draw the line. Night vison, infrared, drones computer assisted long range aiming, Cameras and more sophisticated surveillance will all be questions for the future. If realtime satellite imaging becomes available will that be any different than cameras?
 
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#36 ·
I have a cousin who lives in Arizona and I bet he and his sons are some who pushed or at least supported this ban. They own a very successful bossiness and hunt all over the west. They could hunt anywhere, when ever but they believe hunting wild public land is the only way to earn a trophy. they spend much time in researching and scouting the area they have drawn to hunt. They refer to hunting private land or AG ands as buying meat. They work had and there are no short cuts in their ethics!`
 
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#48 ·
I could live without cameras. Did it a long time.
Do like them tattling on certain areas. Will likely employ them for the same purpose again.
Didn't run any last year.

I can't see banning them though.
At least till a camera can kill a deer.
Pointing out a deer in person does not assure a kill.
A picture can be replaced by experienced sign reading. Granted that's more intrusive and less fun than pictures. But a picture I don't see as doing any killing more than if I had no cam but still sniffed about enough.

Easy? Don't wager too much on assured success from it. At least in my experience with and without a picture. Too many factors beyond knowing a buck is/was around compared to tagging it.
 
#64 ·
There's regular cams & cell cams. Both are getting discussed in here. Cell cams are the ones being debated as far as being banned right?

Cell cam can let you know while on the couch - that a deer is in plot B. Head out there right then if you want.

Cell cam lets you know a deer just went into a patch of woods. Get guys to post up & cut it off.

Might as well use drones with cams then too. Same real time data...
 
#66 ·
I disagree. I think trail cams are the best invention we have had for hunting in modern history. Guys that get mad because someone shot “their” deer will do so with cams or no cams. I think cams let guys see a collection of the deer they have to hunt and get the majority to be more selective which makes the hunting better for everyone.


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I respect that, but as you stated that is a personal choice. The problem I have seen arise over the years with cameras, food plots, QDMA, etc. is the people who use them start trying to push their standards onto everyone else. If you want to use these tools and be more selective with what you kill then thats fine, but if someone wants to shoot the first buck they see then that should be fine as well. There is too much talk of mandatory APR's and one buck tags these days. If people on here are mad that someone made a suggestion that trail cams should be illegal, then they better not be hypocritical and start telling and legislating for control over how other people enjoy their hunt.
 
#68 ·
You sure don't like people using scouting cameras do you DM90? Have you ever even used one yourself? Frankly, Joe's hypothetical looks nice on paper - but I have yet to find a shooter buck walking down the same trail at the same time 3 days in a row on my property...and I don't believe Joe has either, or we would be seeing more evidence of it in the Successful Hunter thread. Maybe things are different where you hunt.
My main argument on here was with cell cams, but you can read into that whatever you would like. To answer your question I do not use them, because I only have public land in zone 3 to hunt and I rarely ever hunt the same spot more than once or twice due to pressure from other hunters. In my scenario it doesn't make sense to use them. Good thing this is still America (or at least I hope it still is) and everyone is allowed to have their own opinion.
 
#70 ·
I cant believe how easy some who don't or haven't used cameras think it is. Just because you know where they have been doesn't mean they will still be there. Sneaking in on deer isn't easy for me so you guys must be way better at it than me.
Usually when they're on camera I'm somewhere else because of wind or other factors
 
#71 ·
I cant believe how easy some who don't or haven't used cameras think it is. Just because you know where they have been doesn't mean they will still be there. Sneaking in on deer isn't easy for me so you guys must be way better at it than me.
Usually when they're on camera I'm somewhere else because of wind or other factors
I think the major argument has been over the use of cell cameras set going into bedding areas or bed to feed transition zones. No one is saying it is "easy" by any means. You still have to get in and execute the shot (which by no means makes it a gimme). But there are situations where bucks can be very predictable on these patterns and using a camera that you don't have to manually go in and check allows you to "pick the best scenario" to go in and hunt the spot based off knowledge you would have never known about without that live action camera sending you updates. Its not easy but it does give you the advantage because you know what's going on in the woods without having to lay down any scent to gain that knowlege.

I will also add that these are all just scenarios and fun talking points for discussion. There is no way that any law is going to get passed in Michigan restricting trail camera use. Its just a fun off season topic to gain insight into everyone's thought process for hunting. No one needs to get so worked up about others opinions. The only thing I really disliked was people insinuating that we need cameras to keep us motivated to hunt (we don't need technology to stay motivated IMO, but to each their own).
 
#73 ·
Arizona and Michigan two completely different scenarios,on public land in AZ.if there are 45 cameras on 1 waterhole (like that newspaper article related to) the Coues or Desert Mule deer or ELK need for their source of water that waterhole would be abandoned. If the next waterhole had the the same situation those deer would likely go without water in times of drought when they need it most. Conflict for Deer and Man.I cannot believe trail cams would ever be banned in
Michigan..
 
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