Where Do We All Come Out On This?

[Robhuntandfish]

Trying to think of what other hobby that tactics and tech is banned by law because it is considered unethical.  Did golf legally restrict rangefinders or draw drivers?

I think people should be left to decide what is morally right for them.  

And to me trail cameras are just fun and prob make me take less deer cause I think I have a chance at a big one I'm getting on camera, so I hold out for it. 

[Steuben Jerry]

2 hours ago, chrisw said:

Are fish finders cheating also? How many of you would be ok with banning them while fishing?

Bingo!

[Steuben Jerry]

1 hour ago, Four Seasons said:

but definitely not like a drone or such.

Good luck using a drone to find deer. I have one and it's pretty quiet for a drone. But it does sound like a swarm of bees, even at 400 ft. It spooks deer unless you are at 300-400 ft (400 ft is max legal altitude), and from that distance you can't even see deer. Not even a dot on the phone screen. Zoom functions are digital, not optical, so the slightest zoom level pixelates. 

Once in a great while in the offseason I can get 200 ft above a deer but I've had the drone for a year and have only done it twice. And they still bolt if I linger.

When I do get video of deer, I only see them when I transfer the video to my desktop 25-inch monitor. I've posted some here, but those are edited, zoomed, and enhanced, and trimmed. Nothing you'd do in real time. To me, this is just like a non-cell cam. Get the footage, transfer it, and work with it or at least view it on a computer later. 

In my opinion, it's not a feasible hunting aid in the least. I've given no thought to using it for that.

[knehrke]

I love my cameras, both old school and cell both, but they don't impact my actual hunting experience much at all. It's instructive for me to note how little deer will tolerate intrusion, and to have pictorial evidence of such, or to watch the progression of the season over time while reviewing photos, but I have never seen a buck on camera, made a move, and had an encounter - although I did bump a nice ten to a neighbor trying once lol. There's a huge difference between getting a buck to pose (which works once until they're wise to cameras) and getting them into range for a clean shot. 

So, I'm in favor of retaining my cameras. I love the analogy to fish finders! And I appreciate that some may consider them an unfair advantage but IMHO that's not a realistic fear. Jeremy K makes a great point that cameras may provide cause to let more young bucks walk, if you have a photo of a true stud, too.

[Steuben Jerry]

1 minute ago, blackbeltbill said:

He beat me to it. Agree %100-- Ban all Cameras from NYS Public Land.

Why?

[wolc123]

One reason I don’t use cams, is that I love the excitement, that comes along with having no clue of what might come along.    Knowing a particular big buck is out there, would make the hunt for it too anticlimactic, and too much like work for me.  

I much prefer to make up my mind, what the minimum size antlered buck that I will take is (ie 3 or 4 points on a side, 2.5 yr/3.5 yr, etc.), and then wait patiently, for the first one of those to offer me up a good shot.  That has worked very well for me for at least the last 6 years.  
 

On all but one of those years,  I was able to take the largest buck that I saw, in all of my time hunting that year.  I don’t think I passed as many as I killed thru that stretch, and every time that I did pass one, a larger one showed up later.  4 days, last year, was the longest that I had to wait for that to happen.  Other years, the bigger one showed up within 5 minutes of my giving the “scout” the pass. 
 

Speaking of “scouts”, I fear that “forky”, whom I passed twice last year, might have just got ran over by a car.  My sister said she saw a dead one on the road yesterday, between her house and my parents.  She asked if I wanted to come over to get it, but I couldn’t begin to squeeze another into our freezers. 
 

If it was him, then good riddance to him.  He was a mean little bastard,  He used those sharp little salad forks of his to punch a couple holes though his little brothers hide.  I saw him do that once, and have now completely examined the evidence of the damage. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by wolc123

[GreeneHunter]

I get a kick out of my trail cams ---- I mean Security Cams for my property while I'm not there !

[chrisw]

I know you are responding to WNYTRPR about his thoughts on No Cameras on Public Land.
  Since,I only hunt Public and have seen many Cameras- ( especially  near Turkey Roosting Areas)-- I can say 100% that a Attitude  of- Get The F@#$ out of my Area now exists in areas on Public where,I know there are Cameras set up. 

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that's everyone's area Bill. Why do the cameras bother you? Afraid someone is going to get your prized turkey?

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[WNYTRPR]

4 hours ago, chrisw said:

Curious as to your reasoning for this feeling?

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For starters ,I’m against more regulations ,period.If it came down to it though ,Public land is funded by tax payer money .
If I was to use public land ,I want to use it without dodging or worrying about multiple cameras watching me .Should be able to use it freely.Almost like an invasion of privacy .

I even know landowners that are not too crazy about having hunters cameras all over their own land .Privacy thing like I said .

[chrisw]

For starters ,I’m against more regulations ,period.If it came down to it though ,Public land is funded by tax payer money .
If I was to use public land ,I want to use it without dodging or worrying about multiple cameras watching me .Should be able to use it freely.Almost like an invasion of privacy .
I even know landowners that are not too crazy about having hunters cameras all over their own land .Privacy thing like I said .

Privacy in this day and age is gone. You're entitled to your opinion but I don't think limiting people's rights to use cameras should only apply to those that do not own land.

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[luberhill]

11 hours ago, WNYTRPR said:

They should ban Cameras on NYS public land .

Why

[chrisw]

Disagree with you chris. A good Turkey Hunter should rely  on hard earned Woodsmanship and Knowledge  gain from consistent reading ,etc.
  With Cameras stationed all around and in Public Dirt- a Turkey Hunter does not need hard earned Knowledge.  He just has to keep checking the notifications  on his Cell phone-- and Show up...

So it's about you thinking you deserve the turkey more than the next guy? Aren't you also the person who will only hunt during the archery season if crossbow is included? Don't see the hypocrisy here?

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[2012_taco]

I certainly hope NY doesn't try to pass a law prohibiting the use of trail cams.  I use them but as others have said it's more of a hobby. I really do enjoy knowing that there are nice bucks on the property but I don't think it really helps me take a specific deer. Although it is nice to harvest a deer that I've seen on camera for a couple of years and witness his growth/age.  Seeing nice deer on camera definitely motivates me to get my butt in the woods. And it helps me to let a smaller/younger buck walk.  I've also noticed that during the gun season the buck habits go nocturnal real quick! I believe that the deer are patterning us simply because we frequent the cams too often to get the most up to date info on them. That alone is a good reason to use the cell cams. Just my .02

[BizCT]

Once again Utah and NY are 2 totally different situations. Nobody is paying $10K to come hunt New York on an elk tag that took 17 years to draw. Not many or nobody in NY has private land tracts of land of 20K-100K acres, etc. 

[WNYTRPR]

22 minutes ago, chrisw said:

Privacy in this day and age is gone. You're entitled to your opinion but I don't think limiting people's rights to use cameras should only apply to those that do not own land.

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Exactly.Keep public lands Wild .Free of motors ,electronics ,ect.

I wouldn’t want to be walking some trail with my family ,and having some freak have a hidden trail cam watching me .

Edited January 8, 2022 by WNYTRPR

[Robhuntandfish]

18 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Once again Utah and NY are 2 totally different situations. Nobody is paying $10K to come hunt New York on an elk tag that took 17 years to draw. Not many or nobody in NY has private land tracts of land of 20K-100K acres, etc. 

They sure are . But how many half ass laws get passed in NY compared to Utah?  The only reason I would think that they don't do this is more because the legislature doesn't give a rats about the hunters in NY, and the law would get no support or push due to apathy about the entire base of hunters or hunting ethics.  If it was latched onto for an environmental or "green" reason then I wouldn't feel too safe about it. 

I would think though the base of outfitters in Utah wouldn't like this as it may limit the success of their business some. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Robhuntandfish

[chrisw]

Exactly.Keep public lands Wild .Free of motors ,electronics ,ect.
I wouldn’t want to be walking some trail with my family ,and having some freak have a hidden trail cam watching me .

Haha well I guess we all have our fears. Do you walk in public with your family? I find it odd that your fear of trail cams is that a "freak" might be spying on you out in the woods, on public land...

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[WNYTRPR]

6 minutes ago, chrisw said:

Haha well I guess we all have our fears. Do you walk in public with your family? I find it odd that your fear of trail cams is that a "freak" might be spying on you out in the woods, on public land...

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Ok ,maybe a bad example .LOL.either way ,that’s my opinion .I guess it would suck for the guys only limited to Public .Of we were to lose the use of Cams ,I’m betting this state would start there .

[Steuben Jerry]

1 hour ago, blackbeltbill said:

I know you are responding to WNYTRPR about his thoughts on No Cameras on Public Land.

  Since,I only hunt Public and have seen many Cameras- ( especially  near Turkey Roosting Areas)-- I can say 100% that a Attitude  of- Get The F@#$ out of my Area now exists in areas on Public where,I know there are Cameras set up. 

Did you mean for this to come off this way? Sounds pretty arrogant.

[Steuben Jerry]

48 minutes ago, blackbeltbill said:

Disagree with you chris. A good Turkey Hunter should rely  on hard earned Woodsmanship and Knowledge  gain from consistent reading ,etc.

  With Cameras stationed all around and in Public Dirt- a Turkey Hunter does not need hard earned Knowledge.  He just has to keep checking the notifications  on his Cell phone-- and Show up...

So it’s more that they shouldn’t be there because they don’t do it the way you would? So bad Turkey hunters begone?

[BizCT]

They sure are . But how many half ass laws get passed in NY compared to Utah?  The only reason I would think that they don't do this is more because the legislature doesn't give a rats about the hunters in NY, and the law would get no support or push due to apathy about the entire base of hunters or hunting ethics.  If it was latched onto for an environmental or "green" reason then I wouldn't feel too safe about it. 
I would think though the base of outfitters in Utah wouldn't like this as it may limit the success of their business some. 

Who knows what NY will do, but I don’t think any of us are effecting migration patterns or stressing the whitetail herd by checking cams in NY. If I see a cam on stateland I put mine somewhere else. Out west you have 20 cameras on the same tree literally. That’s why they have issues with shed hunting too. They have to limit the seasons and times and then people line up and race around public land trying to grab sheds


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[Five Seasons]

I see why it’s more of an issue out west with their game.

I didn’t read the article but I know they’re following Arizona because guys are selling coordinates of big elk visiting watering holes.

We don’t really have that issue in NY.


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[Five Seasons]

Cell cams and drones...  kind of an unfair advantage..  regular cams  take some effort to figure out a pattern , lot of people never even set date amd time.... 

As someone who uses cell cams, they’re not this magical tool that influences your hunting real time other than to depress you when you’re in a tree and another one pings.


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[Lawdwaz]

6 minutes ago, Belo said:

As someone who uses cell cams, they’re not this magical tool that influences your hunting real time other than to depress you when you’re in a tree and another one pings.


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One way to look at it is say, you and a bunch of guys are getting ready to do drives and all of a sudden a big buck passes a camera in a certain spot that all involved know and then set up a push and kill said beast.  Fair chase?

[Nomad]

I like my two trail cameras, it’s nice to see summer pics of deer i dont see in the season .

Im a bit unsure of cell cams , and bait plots , but that’s me ,if that’s what someone needs to shoot  a deer , then rock on beavers.