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Arizona To Ban Trail Cameras?

Such a law would be fine with me in any/all states.

Much of the enjoyment of "the hunt" is in the recon & observation of nature and
wildlife which improves skills and craftsmanship and needless to say gives wildlife
a better odd. Trail cams and baiting is lazy and takes away from the "sport" of
bagging your quarry. On the other hand, trail cams can provide enjoyment for
those who appreciate viewing wildlife in the natural habitat but may be handicapped
or unfit due to weather/terrain/darkness.
 
I never used trail cams for hunting, but I can see where they can help with locating deer trails. Scouting for big bucks without a cam takes a lot of time and effort. I never hunted for big bucks though, I am a meat hunter. Typically I hunted in the exact same spot all the time too so there wasn't much need for recon. I knew they would be there.

That said I do have trail cams. I use them for surveillance.

In AZ don't they mostly hunt out of the backs of jeeps anyway. :)
 
I never used trail cams for hunting, but I can see where they can help with locating deer trails. Scouting for big bucks without a cam takes a lot of time and effort. I never hunted for big bucks though, I am a meat hunter. Typically I hunted in the exact same spot all the time too so there wasn't much need for recon. I knew they would be there.

That said I do have trail cams. I use them for surveillance.

In AZ don't they mostly hunt out of the backs of jeeps anyway. :)
Reminds me of when I lived in Texas working for Mossberg, people I worked with called waiting in a metal box up in the air waiting for deer and other animals to shoot who show up to eat baited areas hunting. Now I’m not a hunter but to me that’s not hunting!!
 
Reminds me of when I lived in Texas working for Mossberg, people I worked with called waiting in a metal box up in the air waiting for deer and other animals to shoot who show up to eat baited areas hunting. Now I’m not a hunter but to me that’s not hunting!!


Personally, even without baiting or any other sketchy ****, deer hunting with a scoped rifle is not hunting. That's why I started using unscoped revolvers and bows years ago. Sitting in the woods in a tree with a BAR is an excellent way to put meat on the table if that's what you have to live on, but it's not hunting. If you can't kill a deer, who is so far away from you that there is no chance he hears you, sees you or smells you, with a scoped rifle then you have no business with a scoped rifle.

Brother, even with my 8.5" .44 Magnum it's too easy. Once my father got too old to hunt I quit. And frankly I wanted to quit for 5 years before I did. It just made me feel bad.
 
I don't hunt, but found some of the comments posted under the article interesting, especially the one(s) talking about the ethics/non-ethics of using trailcams, and the one(s) about PETA or other activists groups slashing the tires of vehicles parked at hunting trailheads, or removing/destroying trail cams. Where are the "ethics" of the ones destroying the personal property of others. My mind keeps picturing the black-garbed "peaceful protestors" of the past year burning and looting cities.

One comment made was that the State owns the "wild"life. 🤔

Who is to distinguish between which cameras on trees are being used for hunting purposes or basic wildlife (non-hunting) observation? As I mentioned, I don't hunt, but to ban trailcams statewide (to include on private property?) seems to be a bit of gov'nt overreach. What's next, fish finders on boats?

As long as hunters are harvesting the meat for themselves or others, and not just shooting, killing, and leaving it in the field, I have no problem with it.
 
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I have hunted both ways.

1)scout, sit and wait, adjust, scout, stalk and general use of ones own ability to read nature and find game.

2)other way is box blind, camera and sit in an area.

game comes and goes when it wants. They may be there one min and gone for weeks before coming back.
Sitting in the rain in Dec when its cold enough to turn to sleet or when its 18 degrees and a brisk north wind is not fun.

I like a swivel chair open ladder blind when its nice for hearing and visibility.
I like a box blind when its nasty out.

trail cams are nice because 1500 acres is a big place to find game and at least a trail cam allows me to know where game frequent.

when one only has a few days off a year to hunt and its a 3+ hr drive to go hunting, trail cams make the best use of where to go. They are not a “ heres the deer shoot me at 9:07am on Tuesday”.

i have had deer on camera’s off and on for a month and not show back up for another month after I hunted and go back. Then not be around again. You do go seasons without a deer even with cameras out. They are not a guaranteed hunt. You still have to scout and hope you get it right. Which isn't always the case
 
I don't hunt any longer, but when I did I took advantage of all the different hunting seasons. I started out with rifle, then moved to shotgun, then later onto muzzleloader, finally settling on bow hunting. I enjoyed the increasing level of difficulty with each. I especially enjoyed bow hunting, which places the hunter on nearly a level playing field with the animal.

I hunted federal land almost exclusively, so no electronics or baiting allowed. I was unsuccessful on average, but always enjoyed my time afield.
 
I don’t hunt anymore either, but when I deer hunted I used a S&W 629, iron sights and walked, no camera or blinds, now this is my opinion here, I really don’t think it matters how you hunt, as long as you make a quick humane kill, to me, this is most important.
 
Don't use them or bait, salt, artificial food plots etc etc. I hunt with flintlock, bow or handgun mostly woods walking. On rare occasions in deep cold and snow I will make a blind in a evergreen and sit with a rifle while snuggled in a wool blanket I always carry as a tump line.

But trail cams I don't have real issues with, except when poachers use them. Most people I know that have them tend to use them recreationally just to enjoy the pictures.
 
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Those people who use them for hunting, well I figure that is thier business, as long as they take game legally, and the animal does not suffer. I cannot force my personal ethics of the hunt on them. No more than I want them forcing thier ethics or methods on me.

It's like archery season, I do not believe crossbows should be allowed in archery season. They should have a separate season thier own. but.. I am in the minority and that opinion is highly biased, heck I did not even believe in compounds for years, getting old lol.
 
One thng folks may not know, is regulations for the land that is accessible varies state to state.

Our Texas regs on all private land is that you cannot just go cross fence lines/property and hunt as you wish without written landowner consent. The state owns millions of aces that can be hunted with a Public Land hunting license and roam free. Not the case for private land. Not allowed on private land: period. Even if its 4000 acres in BFE with no one around. Not legally accessible
 
One thng folks may not know, is regulations for the land that is accessible varies state to state.

Our Texas regs on all private land is that you cannot just go cross fence lines/property and hunt as you wish without written landowner consent. The state owns millions of aces that can be hunted with a Public Land hunting license and roam free. Not the case for private land. Not allowed on private land: period. Even if its 4000 acres in BFE with no one around. Not legally accessible

I assume that is trespassing whatever state you're in.
 
Sometimes a picture is just better than being there!


visitor.JPG
a closer look.JPG
 
One thng folks may not know, is regulations for the land that is accessible varies state to state.

Our Texas regs on all private land is that you cannot just go cross fence lines/property and hunt as you wish without written landowner consent. The state owns millions of aces that can be hunted with a Public Land hunting license and roam free. Not the case for private land. Not allowed on private land: period. Even if its 4000 acres in BFE with no one around. Not legally accessible

Is the way it should be everywhere.
In some states no trespassing/no hunting signs need to be clearly posted in bright colors during any hunting season.

I can see straying on a direct neighbors land to a degree by mistake or tracking a wounded animal from time to time in some situations, but not as a steady pursuit. People should know their own property, state land and that of neighbors boundaries before hunting. Knowing the land is part of hunting.
 
Is the way it should be everywhere.
In some states no trespassing/no hunting signs need to be clearly posted in bright colors during any hunting season.

I can see straying on a direct neighbors land to a degree by mistake or tracking a wounded animal from time to time in some situations, but not as a steady pursuit. People should know their own property, state land and that of neighbors boundaries before hunting. Knowing the land is part of hunting.
Here in Missouri trespassing is trespassing. We do have purple paint law. Purple paint on a tree is as good as a no trespassing sign.
 
Here in Missouri trespassing is trespassing. We do have purple paint law. Purple paint on a tree is as good as a no trespassing sign.
We do the same thing in Virginia. You have to have written permission to hunt on posted land. I put up signs and occasionally paint trees with a strip of silver paint. I don't actually live on the land where I hunt. I've found that a posted sign only works if you're standing behind the tree you nailed it up on.
 
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