Using trail cameras to hunt wildlife in Arizona is banned as of New Year's Day

[Teegate]

Kurt Davis, chairman of the Arizona Game and Fish Department Commission, said in June that the commission determined the cameras violate the Fair Chase Doctrine, which "pays respect to the traditions of hunting and angling by emphasizing the development of an individual’s skills rather than reliance on practices or technologies that overwhelm the quarry’s ability to elude detection or take."
He also said the cameras were harming the outdoor experience for people because they created more foot traffic near watering holes, with hunters coming and going to check their cameras for wildlife footage.
He also said there were conflicts with hunters out in the field checking cameras and interfering with people actually out hunting.

Using trail cameras to hunt wildlife in Arizona is banned as of New Year's Day

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission voted unanimously in June to ban trail cameras for hunting. After one last season, the ban starts Saturday.

www.yahoo.com

 

[bobpbx]

Sounds right.

 

[RednekF350]

I think that legislation is ludicrous. I absolutely love game cameras. I find it fascinating to be able to see what is going on anywhere in the woods when you're not there, especially at night. I don't view game cameras as a tool to increase my odds of taking deer and I use them outside of deer season just as much as in season to observe wildlife. I have never disturbed anyone while going in to pull a card, nor have I ever been disturbed by someone else going in to check their camera. Before choosing an area, I always explore and make sure I am not encroaching into someone else's hunting area.

Here is an interesting fact. I checked Arizona's Game and Fish website and I find it somewhat contradictory that they devote an entire page on their website to live cams for your viewing pleasure.

AZGFD

www.azgfd.com

I do see that the new law does not prohibit the use of trail cameras for wildlife viewing, just for use in figuring out a target animal's behavior for hunting purposes. Enforcement of that rule should be very interesting.

It is also apparent that Arizona is a big proponent of fair chase, devoting another page to just that.

AZGFD

www.azgfd.com

In my opinion, one of the biggest influences on wildlife and human behavior with regard to hunting in New Jersey was the legalization of baiting for deer. Some of those who bait take it to extremes with literally thousands of pounds of agricultural products being dumped in the woods. The local terminology is making drive-to piles, consisting of depositing truckloads of bait to attract deer. Another amusing local term down here is "gassing piles". When one deer-baiting hunter finds another baiting hunter in his area, he would simply gas his pile, dousing the other guy's bait with gasoline or diesel.

I am from a generation of hunters who was raised when baiting was illegal. After it was legalized, I have occasionally placed bait in areas during bow season to fine tune a natural run and put a deer in a better spot for a clean shot. Actually, that was the primary argument that convinced NJ to legalize baiting. There is no argument that baiting changes deer behavior and I worry that there are new generations of hunters being brought into the fold that think that hauling corn into the woods and loading a mechanical feeder are part of the deer hunting skill set.

I don't include trail cameras in the same ethics category as baiting.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pull my carcass-cam card.

 

[Teegate]

I don't hunt and never will; however, I am glad I don't live in Arizona.

 

[Teegate]

I do see that the new law does not prohibit the use of trail cameras for wildlife viewing, just for use in figuring out a target animal's behavior for hunting purposes. Enforcement of that rule should be very interesting.

If you read the caption under the first photo showing the woman removing a camera it says:

Zoe Fullem, community science manager for Sky Island Alliance, begins to remove a trail camera being used for the alliance's Border Wildlife study.

This makes it seem she has to remove that one also even though your link says the law does not prohibit use for wildlife viewing. Odd!

 

[c1nj]

I don't care for game cameras on public land. I feel like I am being monitored. There are enough cameras at stores, restuarants, and road intersections.

 

[bobpbx]

It's getting so bad out there in the pines, I have to be careful where I relieve myself.

 

[manumuskin]

Lord! What am I going to moon if they take all the cameras? There are people out there who still haven't seen the Dark Side!
I have often told my brother that he dumps more money in food on the forest floor then he's getting from the deer he's killing. On the other hand If I ever decide to go Abo and live in the woods I can live off of bait piles for half a year,the hardest half at that. Of course tha would open me up to being hunted,but hey! Unlike a deer I can shoot back! And yes Scott,how do you enforce that? How can you prove why I have the camera there? Even if it's next to a bait pile I can say I was using the bait to attract game just to observe it.You'd have to catch me setting over the bait pile with a gun while the camera was there I guess?

 

[RednekF350]

I don't care for game cameras on public land. I feel like I am being monitored. There are enough cameras at stores, restuarants, and road intersections.

I don't think you would ever pass by one of mine on a normal walk.

The most surprising camera shot I got was when I put about a dozen scoter carcasses out near an area where I had set snares for coon. I had a pair of Lacrosse boots pass within two feet of my camera. When I went to pull the card, his tracks showed that he never even stopped to look at the carcasses or the camera.

 

[bobpbx]

The most surprising camera shot I got was when I put about a dozen scoter carcasses out near an area where I had set snares for coon. I had a pair of Lacrosse boots pass within two feet of my camera. When I went to pull the card, his tracks showed that he never even stopped to look at the carcasses or the camera.

I knew they were there Scott. I was just disinterested is all.