Trail cams on public land: how is that ok?

[David58]

Just noticed today that it ain't ok in NM. Not legal to use wifi or cellular game cameras for hunting or scouting. Need to go back and clarify if they are allowed if not wifi or cellular.

With the abject lack of cell coverage in NM, don't know that you'd benefit much anyway.

David
NM

 

[Deleted member 28227]

How many folks that won't or don't use trail cams use fish finders and vise versa?

I use the cams, though mostly just for curiosity, but not the finders.

For me it’s just a bunch of garbage in the woods, fair chase wise I don’t really care. Private whatever… honestly folks who are meticulous about their setups don’t really bother me, you can kinda tell when someone has their setup dialed and is hunting a spot.

I do get annoyed with people essentially littering and that’s what a lot of cameras end up being, litter.

I’m not sure I think they should be banned everywhere, but I also don’t have any sympathy when peoples cameras are “stolen”.

 

[Treeshark]

Here’s one for wllms album.
Glad he locked it up.
View attachment 251387

Go yank that thing- looks to be an API Grand Slam Stealth, which imo is the best climbing stand ever made.

Throw a Summit replacement seat on, replace the chains and footstraps and you’re good. I would pay $200 for that stand in its present condition.

 

[Akcabin]

I don't know but suspect that a lot of guides depend on them to help put paying clients on game. They already know information that most hunters would not have access to. Clients show up thinking they are what I consider fair chase, electronics can give an unfair advantage. And have been put in just the right spot to harvest a preselected game animal. Just my thoughts though. Some may say it's a grey area. To me I know what is right n wrong for me, no grey areas. Hey to each owns preference

 

[WyoDoug]

There is nothing illegal about trail cameras in most places. Some places require permit or written permission from the landowner or public land manager. Need to check local laws. As far as ethics, I think live video is not ethical if you are accessing and using during an actual hunt. It goes along with the ethics of using a plane or copter to find game. Trail cams you have to download from an SD card is OK in my view. As long as the live video goes, when it is not accessed or used within 24 hours of or during a hunt to actively track wild game, I think should be legal and ethical to use. I have mixed feelings on it. I lean toward supporting a ban on use of live cam videos used during actual hunting seasons.

 

[MTGomer]

Nearly every corner of public land that I’ve been on within 60 miles of the border looks like this. A camera on a tree that will be removed is the least of my worries regarding litter.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Nearly every corner of public land that I’ve been on within 60 miles of the border looks like this. A camera on a tree that will be removed is the least of my worries regarding litter.

View attachment 257466

View attachment 257467

What happens if you see these people congregating in these areas with all this shit?

 

[BuzzH]

What happens if you see these people congregating in these areas with all this shit?

You don't see them often, i haven't seen more than a handful between working and hunting. They move mostly at night and in remote areas. I saw 4 last year walking across a remote Ridgeline in a driving rain storm. They sky lined for a minute and I could never see them again.

I always have the BP phone number on my phone and talk with the BP at the check point near my camp.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Leaving cameras or treestands or cigarette butts or any other personal detritus on public land is litter in my book. Leave the place like you found it. Don't be surprised if it's not there when you come back. Don't look for it at my house either. Won't be there. Check the dump.

Same guys watching deer in the night with cameras get fanatical about the govt scanning their internet traffic or spying on them from satellites. Laughable. Don't deer have some rights to privacy from electronic snooping? What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, right? I think so.

 

[sierrahunter]

For me, trail cameras really only serve as a confidence boost to verify that animals are indeed using the trail I suspected. Cameras rarely tell you something you already didn't know. That is, you placed them on an obvious trail, and low and behold, the camera found game on the obvious trail. Cameras are only as smart as you are with respect to sign.

I'll sometimes hunt a trail for a week straight because I'm encouraged by a half dozen photos taken during the two prior months. And I often see nothing. In that sense, trail cameras can be misleading. On the other hand, this past year, my camera showed bears using a trail every day for the previous five days and I ended up harvesting one on the sixth day. That might be the only time that's happened. Before I hunted that sixth day, my wife asked me if she should meet me on the mountain to help me pack out a bear. She was sure I'd encounter one. I told her not to bother because I was sure I wouldn't see anything. I was wrong. She met me on the mountain anyway. She's a keeper.

By the way, how are folks hunting where there is cell coverage? I didn't know that was a thing.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Just noticed today that it ain't ok in NM. Not legal to use wifi or cellular game cameras for hunting or scouting. Need to go back and clarify if they are allowed if not wifi or cellular.

With the abject lack of cell coverage in NM, don't know that you'd benefit much anyway.

David
NM

I read that in the ‘22-‘23 general hunting rules as well. Yes, basic game cams are currently legal. This rule only excludes to cams that send data.

It is unlawful to (latest addition to a list including shooting from airplanes)…

“Use any cellular, Wi-Fi or satellite camera for the purpose of hunting or scouting remotely for any big game animal.”

Unlawful is a word with great gravity. Some of the things listed in G&F’s list sound like they are written into statute. Because of the recent advances in technology, I don’t know if this cellular game cam rule is actual law. I wouldn’t put expensive cell cams out on public anyhow because we public can take them. And bears. Bears haven’t smashed mine yet, but it’ll happen.

 

[Kodiak06]

Go yank that thing- looks to be an API Grand Slam Stealth, which imo is the best climbing stand ever made.

Throw a Summit replacement seat on, replace the chains and footstraps and you’re good. I would pay $200 for that stand in its present condition.

Nothing like stealing lol

 

[Kodiak06]

Funny seeing so many hunters complaining about trail cams or PUBLIC property. If it's not guns vs bows I guess people need something to complain about lol

 

[Treeshark]

Nothing like stealing lol

By the looks of it, to me it’s obviously abandoned and would be more akin to cleaning up trash. I didn’t think of it that way, but I can see your point.

 

[Kodiak06]

By the looks of it, to me it’s obviously abandoned and would be more akin to cleaning up trash. I didn’t think of it that way, but I can see your point.

It's not "abandoned" or litter. I had an SD card stolen this year and I know it's a local. Next year I'm putting a cam on the same tree and a cam on the cam lol.

 

[BrentD]

It's not "abandoned" or litter. I had an SD card stolen this year and I know it's a local. Next year I'm putting a cam on the same tree and a cam on the cam lol.

In this state, if it is left out on public after the deadline, it's abandoned. I cut down a bunch of them during turkey season because they are choking the crap out of really nice old oaks. When I can I haul them out to the parking lots to be "repurposed" No sympathy.

 

[Treeshark]

Are we talking about the same thing here (the tattered tree stand that clearly has been at the base of that tree for years)?

 

[Kodiak06]

Are we talking about the same thing here (the tattered tree stand that clearly has been at the base of that tree for years)?

if there's a pic I missed it. Here "our" specific locals mess with everything. Even took a tractor lol

 

[Treeshark]

This is the picture posted earlier. I’m with you, I don’t mess with other peoples stuff but this one clearly looks like it is now in the ‘litter’ category (it doesn’t even have a seat anymore).

 

[Kodiak06]

In this state, if it is left out on public after the deadline, it's abandoned. I cut down a bunch of them during turkey season because they are choking the crap out of really nice old oaks. When I can I haul them out to the parking lots to be "repurposed" No sympathy.

Does your State give you permission to take them? if not, ya should leave them alone or at the base of the tree. If not, you're stealing cameras lol