What states have a trail camera season?
Equipment
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I know Nevada has a trail camera season from Feb. 1st to July 31st but does any other state have a season for trail cameras? Are there any states that ban them all together? What states have stipulations with regard to type of camera and or use of camera. Things such as not allowed near water or no electronic sending of pictures. Thank you
Trail cam season, seriously? Never heard of such a thing.
Sadly...I believe Montana still prohibits trail cams once a season starts. IMO....I believe the cell cams and a few sportsman groups with (in their definition) purist agendas are what caused that. I always found that odd....but different strokes for different folks.
That’s one thing MA has not outlawed. Yet....
JL, two years ago they changed the law, we can now have game cameras out all year long, but we cannot have the cell cams. When they changed the law, they also allowed lighted nocks too.
137...thanks for the update. I don't have any cell cams....just regulars.
Trail Camera season! You gotta be kidding me!!!
All trail cameras on public land should have to be removed before 1st hunting season starts. It's out of hand in some places.
Crazy to me how many views there are on this. Some are definitely not in line with mine.
midwest's Link
NV made a good decision IMO. See my link to see how ridiculous it had gotten.
The exemptions actually cover what they should. I thought i disagreed til I saw that.
I'm think that Montana changed their regulations concerning trail cameras. I think that their new regulations allow for trail cameras as long as they are not a device that gives you real time feedback. So as long as you have to actually go to the camera and check the card to see if you got any photos they are okay.
Wyoming outlawed cell cams and the cross bow regs is not an issue. Many a seasoned archer has had to move to a crossbow to keep archery hunting. They are not an issue in our archery seasons. If a crossbow helps someone keep hunting because of physical limitations then it's a good thing. If they are legal and gets new hunter interested in archery then that is a good thing also, perhaps they will move on to a more traditional bow.
Yes, some states only allow trail cams for part of the year, that is their trail cam season, it's a real thing these days.
If it takes a crossbow to get someone started than they don’t really want to hunt too bad. We don’t need more hunters if they will be using crossbows.
I've got no problems with crossbows as long as they are not during a regular bow and arrow archery season. Put them with the Muzzy hunts or gun hunts.
Going back to original topic. I would imagine people who live in mid-west and east who primarily hunt on private land would think people out west are crazy for even considering a camera season. I agree, if it is private land you should be able to post as many and types of cameras you want. Public land? The issue gets a little murky.
Midwest good link, they did make the right choice!
I welcome crossbow shooters. The more hunters there are the bigger our collective voice. Before you bitch, your opinion won’t change my mind. I’ve decided. It’s over. You think differently. I’m ok with that.
I agree with knothead above, put Xbows in the muzzle loader season. Reason being, you can buy a scoped Xbow a couple days before you go hunting and be proficient with it by the time you go hunting. I’d guess a semi experienced hunter could be accurate enough to deer hunt out to at least 40 yards, quickly and easily. A vertical bow, will take months at a minimum to become proficient enough to hunt.
Crossgun hunters in archery season = more new hunters is such a lame straw man agruement. It suggest that someone must either hunt archery season with a crossgun or not hunt at all. Many if not most bowhunters started hunting with a gun. As they got more into hunting they wanted either or both, more time to hunt or a more of a challenge. Plenty of opportunity to hunt without using a crossbow during archery season. I am ok with someone that is handicap using them but there got to be strict rules in place to regulate that.
The overcrowding is much more a threat to the future of hunting than someone not get to use their crossgun during the archery season. The crossgun will 100% effect overcrowding. Hell it tough to get a decent archery tag in CO as it is. If you start allowing the gun hunter to use a gun that shoots arrows it just going to get a lot worse.
If you have a sight on your compound....isn't the same thing as a 1X scope?
I thought this was a trail camera thread. Silly Me.....
I totally agree with JohnMC - overcrowding is much more of a threat to the future of hunting. The argument that we need to get as many hunters as possible to have more of a voice is indeed lame. The fact is that hunters will always be in the minority, and making that minority a little bigger just means more people in the field.
A little backstory on this. A few years ago, a movement within Arizona, likely pushed by the Cattle industry hoped to get some regulations on trail cameras near water in AZ. The Department came up with a new rule that had to be approved by Game Commission. When it came down to it, people turned out from all over and the Commission heard a lot from the keep the cameras crowd and very little from the we hate cameras crowd. The Department took a "ethics" and Fair Chase angle on this but didn't have a lot to back this up. One of the Commissioners who did their homework pointed out that none of the Orgs that deal with Fair Chase thought there was anything wrong with the cameras when it comes to Fair Chase. The Commission voted against it and we thought that issue was put to rest. This year, a Legislator on the State level tried to put a bill through banning the cameras at water again. People jumped on that right away and the bill was killed with some kind of agreement that the Department would take this up again. Where I have an issue is this. This has already been dealt with. It is outside of the current rulemaking cycle, meaning the Department and Commission can only change certain articles and rules each year, and it rotates on a yearly basis so that all the rules can be covered in a 5 or 6 year cycle. This one is getting special treatment and is outside the cycle. Funny how when hunters want something outside the rule making cycle we are told to pound sand, but when the Cattle guys want something they get what they want from the Commission. I am not anti cattle. I love beef. This is about managing people and their stuff, not wildlife. If people didn't take things to the extreme we would never be here, but they have, so here we are. Keep in mind AZ is mostly public land and very little wildlife habitat is on private land in this state. The vast majority is on Forest Service, BLM, Refuge, or State Trust Land, not Private.
I have never used a trail camera in my life but I also don't like rules that can't be enforced. This whole thing is like a bunch of spoiled brats being told no, so they go an cry to someone that will listen. The whole thing is ridiculous if you ask me.
Please keep the topic to original questions. If people want to talk about crossbows please start a new thread.
Thanks for your input Heat. I run a few cameras but I also want to educate myself on the subject. I tend to lean towards supporting a camera season but it is because of the abuse I see and hear about. The pictures from Nevada that Midwest posted sure gets a person to start thinking about what we are doing as hunters.
Although I like to think I understand how AZ G&F functions I did not understand the rule making cycle until you just explained it.
I been hunting 30 years and started using cameras 3 years ago. I love them. Humans evolve so does hunting.
Heat, you left out a detail from that meeting up in Payson when a well known outfitter literally started crying, imploring his way of life would be ruined if the Commission banned trail cameras. It was pretty pathetic watching that. They tabled it, only banning cell service type cams. Every water hole up on the Strip has 10+ cameras on it. I’d have no problem if they ban them, especially up on the Strip.
I did leave that out and a whole lot more. Not the first time I saw him cry.
I keep trail cams on my property all year. Also have them on my drive way and garden. My wife couldn't believe a ground hog could climb binder twine to get to the top of my climbing string bean tower. She liked it when I put a bullet through the ground hog. Thanks to the trail cam I even knew what time to wait for him to have a bean dinner.
I've never shot one. Any good to eat? I assume you take the batteries and SIM card out before cooking them?
I don't use them although I tried one once.
Just a personal observation, but I've noticed that young guys generally can't seem to read game sign or animal size as well as old timers could at the same age.
I use them and enjoy it. But selfishly I wouldn't mind if they were totally banned. I feel like more big animals would survive for me to kill ;)
Christian Hunters of America was recently made aware of the trail camera regulations being discussed at the AZGFD Commission meeting on 3/20/2020. We are polling sportsmen to gain insight on what they think and want. Information that we gather will be given to the AZ Game and Fish Department/Commission. Take survey at this link: https://www.signupanywhere.com/signup/jbcnnjsf
I'm not a big trail camera user, but I do use one occasionally. I have mixed feelings on this, but I do totally agree with Heat that this was already voted on two years ago (unanimous 5-0 vote!) and shouldn't be brought up again now.
AZ8, a few things regarding your comments. While at the first meeting they did "table it", but that was because they only had 4 of the 5 commissioners in attendance, and it was a tie vote. At the very next meeting, the one you reference about crying, all 5 were there and it was voted 5-0 to leave all as it is, with the exception of making cameras that send photos to your phone illegal at all times in Arizona.
As for the comments about some water holes having 10 cameras on them, while on the surface I can see people being offended by this (much like animal rights activists are offended by hunting without looking any deeper). However, if there are dozens to hundreds of hunters drawn for a unit, shouldn't each be allowed to place a camera on a water source as long as that's legal? Should that be first come first served, with one guide locking up the water hole by putting his camera there first? Why are multiple cameras on a water hole somehow more offensive than one camera? I understand why the initial reaction would be "that's crazy", but is it really any different? Most of the hunters on the Strip have waited 10-20 years to have a tag. Shouldn't each of them have the same opportunity as long as cameras are legal? That's naturally going to cause some water sources to have multiple cameras on them. The Strip is larger than the state of New Jersey, without using cell phone cams, do you really think that anyone is checking cameras over hundreds or thousands of square miles every day and somehow have up to the minute information on a deer's habits? Do you really think that mule deer are so predictable that they come to the same water at the same time every day? Elk and mule deer both travel huge amounts of area, and only occasionally use the same water source, and rarely at the same predictable times. In fact, big bucks often become nocturnal, so the information really only tells you he's in the area but far from guarantees a kill.
I've talked to at least one of the very best guides on the Strip, and although he uses a lot of cameras, he actually thinks it would be to his advantage to outlaw them. Since he actually knows the Strip, and the deer patterns, he would be just as successful while most other amateur guides would not. He did very well on hunts before cameras were around, and he has no reason to believe it would be any different if they were taken away.
Trail cameras always felt a little like cheating to me, so I don't use them. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if they banned them all together, but I'm sure that would cause a lot of wailing by some.
Matt
They are great to catch trespassers.
I'm curious, for those who advocate for trail cameras, would you also support the use of drones for locating animals? Exactly where do you draw the line on technological hunting aids?
Matt
Matt (and others that are anti cameras altogether), and at the risk of provoking the ire of the OP by changing topics slightly, do you feel the same way about depth/fish finders for use in fishing? To me that is worse, possibly the equivalent of cell phone cams for hunting, since fish finders tell you where the fish are in real time? You still have to fool them and catch them, much like the deer you saw a picture of last week on your trail cam.
I use trail cameras and have for many years. I can not say that they have caused me to kill any more deer, or bigger deer. They have told me the size of bucks that came in range of the camera. They’ve spotted tresspassers and they’ve taken pictures of numerous other animals, like mountain lions, coyotes, turkeys and lots of small critters. I sure plan to continue to use them. Oh and I’ve arrowed quite a few deer that were never on my cameras, even though I was in a stand less than 100 yards from a camera.
Glad I don’t live in any libtard state that has a trail cam season. That’s worse than telling you that you can’t hunt on a Sunday.
Put a few out every year for fun around my shack area. Had four out last year and got many moose, lotsa wolves and several nice bucks. Doesn't influence our hunting much cuz its big remote country. And deer seem to be in the minority. Just fun to see the critters. Never get people cuz there ain't none around!
Did put a couple out about 8 years ago where I guide for elk. An "expert" archer hit an elk and claimed he got it in the boiler room. They always do. His guide didn't quite think he saw it that way he told us. Never found the bull. About two weeks later we had that bull on a camera with a wound spot on his hip just feeding along with the herd! I was thinking the boiler room was a little more forward. By the way, we don't put cameras out there. I just did it that year for the hell of it and was amazing. I remember a series of pics with 3 sets of bulls sparring in the same pic. This is on private land.
If you don't have a trail cam you may never record an attack buzzard. The tower next to him looked nice a green and bushy with climbing sting beans until a ground hog climbed the strings and ate all the vines. The buzzard is after the dead ground hog that I shot off the tower.
I own one and use it to watch over our back barn when we go to Newfoundland. Took it to school and we found out who was pissing in our sap buckets. Last spring, someone was taking the cover off our high jump mats almost every night. Got some dandy pictures of two students having sex on them. You should have seen their faces when we called them into the office for a talk and look-see. Problem resolved and everything deleted.
I'm almost 100% positive there is absolutely no restrictions to using them anyplace on private property. Bathrooms/restrooms/dressing rooms may be an exception? No arguing, under some circumstances they are a great tool.
It's funny that many seem to be all or none. Like everything in life, use in moderation. 90 new cameras sitting in a pile or 30 on a waterhole is not moderation. :)
Carry on
Pirogue, telling you that you can't use a game camera is worse than telling you that you can't hunt on a Sunday? I didn't even realize that there are states that restricted hunting on Sundays. That just seems crazy, what justification could there possibly be for saying you can't hunt on one of the two weekend days of each week? I'm glad I don't live in those states.
I think there are like 10 or 11 states that have Sunday hunting restrictions of some sort. All in the North East.
Matt
Grey Ghost, Virginia and West Virginia (the Southeast) still have Sunday restrictions. It's legal on private land with written permission that specifically mentions Sunday hunting. Illegal on private land. Oddly its illegal on private land in WV but legal on public land.