Arizona ban on trail cams

[rdsii64]

As long as I'm not huntin out of season, and only take an animal I have a tag for, I don't understand why they care. Whether taking that deer was beyond hard or like shooting fish in a barrel, as long as I only take what I'm authorized, why do they care.
I don't use trail cams because I hunt public land and I don't want it stolen. I think banning them is stupid

 

[Muddyboots]

So trail cams are unfair, aesthetically aweful at water holes, much like deep ruts in the wilderness from ATVs, UTVs, and yes even horses. So how did you get to these water holes? I don't own any of these and hate the damage they do so let's ban them on public land. I see this no different as unfair advantage to access animals that would not be without transportation assistance. How many times glassing a valley that took you half a day to walk into and have loud obnoxious ATV blow in on you? Banning trail cams is getting so deep in the weeds that everything else is now on the table for not only these wildlife panels but referendums. Before you give me crap about horses, owned them, rode gymkhana, rodeo and was a blacksmith/farrier for several years as my sole source of income. Know what they can do under most circumstances better than most. They do damage as much as any mechanized mode of transportation.

 

[rawsk]

It seems that there is tons of technology that makes success more likely. The rules are made to make it harder to be successful? In Or we cannot use things for archery that make you more accurate such as expandables. They did relent on lighted nocks. Is the goal to have more hunters (more revenue) and lower success rates? All of us get older and have health issues such as bad feet or knees that prevent us from walking in 5 miles. Or we don't have all free time to scout or drive 10 hours to hunting areas to check cams. So the goal to make is so only super fit humans with all free time to scout and hunt removes the vast majority of us and that reduces tag sales and revenues. I would like to see how they would get a warrant to see if you are using a camera on your private property.
Hunting is not for a select elite few. This is what sets us a part from most of the world. Certainly a balance needs to be made but a 75 year old should at least have some chance to have some venison for the table.

 

[LVJ76]

Are traffic cameras and street surveillance cameras part of this? If so yeah get rid of them, but all cameras should be considered the same.
Sounds like the lefty tree huggers want to cherry pick what laws they want enforced.

Yes, they always have and they always will.

Stay safe

 

[Muddyboots]

You do have to wonder sometimes that these types of issues are part of a much bigger strategy against hunting in general. We do not look at a long term strategy to protect our heritage only what is in front of us in sight. Those that want to eliminate "rights" understand the war is fought over long term years even decades and every small win gets closer to goal. Earlier comment is too old to fight. I look at it differently, I have seen far too much lost over my 70 years and am digging in and I have 15-5E's so I plan to hold ground as much as possible. So before you sign onto any reduction in any hunting, fishing, camping, off roading be fully aware of once it is gone it is forever.

The old adage "How do you eat an elephant?" seems to come to mind ... "one bite at a time".

 

[George Dean]

So is it any different that cops use radar to catch speeders? Should it have to be fair chase and they should have to clock a vehicle's speed in a Marked patrol car? Should their patrol cars have to be painted international orange? Just thinking out loud.

Years ago, in Ohio, there was a requirement that the police had to put up a sign indicating radar was being used a set distance from the radar unit. I've forgotten the distance required. That was a direct result of a state rep. or senator having been issued a citation while en route to Columbus. Magnetic signs were also required with POLICE in bold print on either side of an unmarked car. Then VASCAR was introduced which only required a computer in the car to compute the time a vehicle transited a known distance between two landmarks that the police car pre-entered into the computer by transiting the visual points. No further need for a radar unit. Kind of like the same silly restrictions put in place on shotguns used in deer hunting. A plug to limit no more than two shells in the tube with one up the spout. Not a big deal but just one more petty restriction to comply with. And the wardens actually will check your weapon if they run across you in the field or outside your vehicle. I believe the former is a result of nimrods who shoot their fellow hunters while laying a volley after a fleeing deer, even shooting thru bushes which the game passes behind. I apologize for the rant, just wanted to vent.

 

[jls in az]

Let's just say that the use of trail cameras has had a negative effect both on hunting in AZ and on the wildlife itself. In some locations there are so many cameras on waterholes that animals have almost stopped using them because of the amount of human traffic going in and out checking the cameras. The biggest offenders are "trophy hunters" and guide/outfitter services. They will often have dozens, if not hundreds of cameras spread out on every waterhole in a game management unit or across several units. It's not the cameras that are a problem, it's the people that use them not being responsible.

 

[Goldengun]

You need to understand that AZ is different from most states farther east. Most of the land here is public. Only approximately 15% is private. If you ban something on public, it's basically a statewide ban.

I hear you, but also if you allow something on public for one group, all the other groups have to deal with it whether it benefits them or not. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I suppose.

 

[Goldengun]

I hear you, but also if you allow something on public for one group, all the other groups have to deal with it whether it benefits them or not. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I suppose.

Now imagine you only have 1% of public land to hunt in your state, not 85%.

 

[Westernhunter6]

I hope this law passes. Trail cameras have changed the dynamic of hunting in AZ. One guide in particular bragged about running over 250 cameras on the AZ strip. Look back over the past 20 years or so and you will see that success on huge bucks on the strip has increased by quite a bit. With cameras on every waterhole, people know where every single big buck is living. In a vast area like the strip, the biggest challenge is locating the big ones. I've been saying it for a few years now, if you look at the deer being taken north of the Grand Canyon, I feel the genetics are starting to shift. Yes, monsters are taken every year, but I have been noticing more and more big 3x3 bucks are starting to be taken. My opinion is that this undesirable gene is becoming more prevalent because more of the larger bucks with more desirable genes are being taken and less are making it through the hunt to breed. Maintaining cameras is time consuming and hard work, locating big deer through old school scouting is much harder and more time consuming. For elk, I don't feel cameras make as much of an impact. Elk are always on the move and typically can't be patterned as reliably as mule deer. Just my 2 cents.

 

[azarcher10x]

I hope this law passes. Trail cameras have changed the dynamic of hunting in AZ. One guide in particular bragged about running over 250 cameras on the AZ strip. Look back over the past 20 years or so and you will see that success on huge bucks on the strip has increased by quite a bit. With cameras on every waterhole, people know where every single big buck is living. In a vast area like the strip, the biggest challenge is locating the big ones. I've been saying it for a few years now, if you look at the deer being taken north of the Grand Canyon, I feel the genetics are starting to shift. Yes, monsters are taken every year, but I have been noticing more and more big 3x3 bucks are starting to be taken. My opinion is that this undesirable gene is becoming more prevalent because more of the larger bucks with more desirable genes are being taken and less are making it through the hunt to breed. Maintaining cameras is time consuming and hard work, locating big deer through old school scouting is much harder and more time consuming. For elk, I don't feel cameras make as much of an impact. Elk are always on the move and typically can't be patterned as reliably as mule deer. Just my 2 cents.

So, you're saying the actions of a few will cost all of the rest of us. You might as well join the anti-gun nuts then. That's how they think.

 

[Quintus]

I am curious about all these outfitters in AZ. Do they have a license they have to buy or a fee to pay to profit off this public land like grazing rent on BLM or schools land?

 

[Its204fast]

That's ridiculous. It's also going to be difficult to enforce. Or they will make a law stating you can't have it in your vehicle when you have a gun or bow in the vehicle.

Just what the Gubment needs more power!

 

[rammac]

So, you're saying the actions of a few will cost all of the rest of us...

Umm, yeah, that's pretty much how life works isn't it?

I've noticed that the guys that complain about limiting the cameras are the guys that seem to think that they are entitled to killing a trophy deer every season, most of the rest of the posters seem to understand that hunting doesn't work that way.