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Trail cameras ban

BPhunter said:
. . . . eventually the law makers get fed up with the fighting over trivial BS and just say, screw it, we'll just ban hunting or access.
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I think there is some legitimacy to this line of thinking, particularly with "hunting" (more so than "access").

As more and more public lands "managers" are becoming non-hunters (some even anti-hunting), some may be even looking for excuses to farther restrict what they consider "sport" hunting. Many of these "managers" already view hunters as a nuisance, as do nearly all the other "user groups" who collectively out-number sport hunters.

Look at LBL as an example many on here are familiar.
There's now only a couple weekends annually of firearm deer hunting, and that is via quota draw.
Many other "user groups" are complaining about that, i.e. why should these hunters be tying up those two weekends!?!

I would ask just how is using a trail cam on a vast public land area more "intrusive" or "unfair" than someone riding thru the area via horseback, polluting the trails with horse apples?

For multiple reasons, some want more areas designated true "wilderness" areas where even hiking is not allowed, and/or only by "special" permit.

We should be careful for what we wish, and err on the side of freedom?
 
TheLBLman said:
I think there is some legitimacy to this line of thinking, particularly with "hunting" (more so than "access").

As more and more public lands "managers" are becoming non-hunters (some even anti-hunting), some may be even looking for excuses to farther restrict what they consider "sport" hunting. Many of these "managers" already view hunters as a nuisance, as do nearly all the other "user groups" who collectively out-number sport hunters.

Look at LBL as an example many on here are familiar.
There's now only a couple weekends annually of firearm deer hunting, and that is via quota draw.
Many other "user groups" are complaining about that, i.e. why should these hunters be tying up those two weekends!?!

I would ask just how is using a trail cam on a vast public land area more "intrusive" or "unfair" than someone riding thru the area via horseback, polluting the trails with horse apples?

For multiple reasons, some want more areas designated true "wilderness" areas where even hiking is not allowed, and/or only by "special" permit.

We should be careful for what we wish, and err on the side of freedom?
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Very well said........now let us see if it sinks in.....Thank you.
 
TheLBLman said:
I think there is some legitimacy to this line of thinking, particularly with "hunting" (more so than "access").

As more and more public lands "managers" are becoming non-hunters (some even anti-hunting), some may be even looking for excuses to farther restrict what they consider "sport" hunting. Many of these "managers" already view hunters as a nuisance, as do nearly all the other "user groups" who collectively out-number sport hunters.

Look at LBL as an example many on here are familiar.
There's now only a couple weekends annually of firearm deer hunting, and that is via quota draw.
Many other "user groups" are complaining about that, i.e. why should these hunters be tying up those two weekends!?!

I would ask just how is using a trail cam on a vast public land area more "intrusive" or "unfair" than someone riding thru the area via horseback, polluting the trails with horse apples?

For multiple reasons, some want more areas designated true "wilderness" areas where even hiking is not allowed, and/or only by "special" permit.

We should be careful for what we wish, and err on the side of freedom?
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When was the last time you've spend 50% or more of your deer season hunting a TWRA managed WMA?
 
Buzzard Breath said:
When was the last time you've spend 50% or more of your deer season hunting a TWRA managed WMA?
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iu
 
BPhunter said:
About 95% of our hunting is BLM or National Forest.
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I assume most of the areas you hunt out there are very large tracts of land. Its a little different in TN where most areas are smaller tracts of land with high hunter numbers. Most of the time I hunt the hunters instead of the deer, meaning figuring out travel routes of the hunters and setting up where its to my advantage.
 
Nothing like finding a water hole out west with 3 sets of cameras on it. Back east and here in TN I dont care for all the cameras and stands and flagging tape but I get it. A lot of hunters enjoy that aspect and that is fine. I just wish they d pick up their water bottles, jerky wrappers and hot hands. I get annoyed at seeing all the trash left behind in parking areas. Its bad when at the end of season I can fill my truck bed up several times with trash so a few cameras and stands doesn't annoy me as much.
 
Rackseeker said:
Most of the time I hunt the hunters instead of the deer, meaning figuring out travel routes of the hunters and setting up where its to my advantage.
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Same here, which is one reason I guess I'm not bothered by other hunters' cameras. Those cameras cue me in as to which areas they're disturbing. Older deer generally quickly gravitate to those areas least disturbed (during daytime), and these areas are often the areas most hunters don't choose for various reasons, but most typically, these areas just don't appeal to most hunters for their hunting.

So I don't care if other hunters get lots of deer pics on their trail cams. I care more about where those hunters are not going.

I can see how it could be a different situation with trail cams on rare water holes in arid western states, but still have to wonder it the cams are that much different (in terms of human pressure) than humans physically checking those water holes. How did these western hunters check for sign around those water holes before trail cams?
 
Grnwing said:
Nothing like finding a water hole out west with 3 sets of cameras on it. Back east and here in TN I dont care for all the cameras and stands and flagging tape but I get it. A lot of hunters enjoy that aspect and that is fine. I just wish they d pick up their water bottles, jerky wrappers and hot hands. I get annoyed at seeing all the trash left behind in parking areas. Its bad when at the end of season I can fill my truck bed up several times with trash so a few cameras and stands doesn't annoy me as much.
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It's hard to believe some people don't think littering is bad. I started fishing with a friend once and he took his empty can and sunk it. I asked why he did that. He said it'll sink to the bottom and not be a problem. I told him I'll take it home if he won't. He told me no problem sinking them. I told him I would never fish with him again if he continued to do that. Ignorance.
 
Grnwing said:
Nothing like finding a water hole out west with 3 sets of cameras on it. Back east and here in TN I dont care for all the cameras and stands and flagging tape but I get it. A lot of hunters enjoy that aspect and that is fine. I just wish they d pick up their water bottles, jerky wrappers and hot hands. I get annoyed at seeing all the trash left behind in parking areas. Its bad when at the end of season I can fill my truck bed up several times with trash so a few cameras and stands doesn't annoy me as much.
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I agree my friend!! Pick up the bottles, wrappers, cans, etc. Can you imagine what their homes look like inside...same way!
 
So how would you feel if someone started using the trail cameras to make money? Blanket an area to identify a good buck on public, then sell his location to the highest bidder. Prob won't happen with whitetails because they are so common, but it's pretty common out west to get a 'finders fee' of $500 to $1000 for a 180in plus muley. Granted most muleys are found and sold from spotting, but elk are sold from trail cam pics on water holes and wallows.

At some point technology begins to exploit the resource.

Personal opinion... if you put and leave stands, blinds, cameras out on public, they are for anyone to use (not steal). First come, first serve.
 
BSK said:
I don't hunt public land so I don't have a dog in this fight. I also have nothing against the use of trail-cameras. Heck, I make a living off them. However, on public land that is being shared by everybody, I think trail cameras (and any other hunting equipment) should not be left in place after a hunt. Whether it is by intent or not, the result is the same. Hunters see others equipment left in the woods and are influenced to move and hunt somewhere else. In essence, the consequence of equipment left in the woods is territorialism, i.e. "this is my spot." Again, this is true whether the intent was there or not. For this reason, I don't believe any equipment should be allowed to be left in the woods on public land.
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I agree with you BSK 100%. I know it's inconvenient for hunters, but I don't think stuff ought to be left on public land. Anymore than a beach chair should be left on a public beach, or a turkey decoy and blind left on public land, or vehicle parked on National forest property to carpool, or leaving your tent on the courthouse lawn. Public is for public use. It doesn't that the public can set up shop forever. I'm not against trail cameras at all. I run them and honestly enjoy running them more than hunting in ways. But, I don't leave them on the public land I hunt. I don't want to alert anyone as to where I am hunting. And, I don't want anyone thinking I'm claiming a spot. I don't want to litter up the woods. And I don't want my camera stolen. According to the way some folks are saying - it'd be okay for bird watchers to put up huts to bird watch, or hikers to leave boxes with supplies in them through the woods, or wildlife photographers to leave lighting equipment in the woods, or ATV riders to strap gas cans to trees and leave them there. It's not just hunters who use TWRA Land, TVA Land, and other public land in Tennessee.
 
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Most of this could be solved by banning the "for profit" media recorded on public lands.
Social media, YouTubers and influencers have caused this.

In the perfect world we would all go back to hunting for ourselves, you know, discretely. Without worrying about how much content can be created and how many likes one can get.
 

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