Nevada proposing to ban Trail Cameras

[Jrodphx]

I run cameras just to see what's out there. It's good exercise and keeps me happy until hunting season gets close. I still haven't seen the deer out in person that I have pictures of. It's fun and addicting!!

[Tines]

Do cameras help hunters, guides and outfitters take monster animals every year more-so than without them? Absolutely.

 

But do they have a negative impact on wildlife management in general? IMO, no.

 

What's not talked about are the hundreds of legal animals "passed-up" in one way or another because cameras allow a hunter to be a little more picky. Everyone wants to talk about the Giants that fall each year due to cameras.

 

But how does shooting a 5-6yr old Coues buck every couple of years have a negative impact compared to the 100s of 1yr old spikes killed on each general hunt??

 

IMO, the more cameras out there will only make it harder to find those absolute monsters because inherently over time guys will become more picky and more determined to find that canyon that hasn't been touched. But a wise old Dogman once said "there's no secrets in the woods".

 

All of that said, those who were good hunters long before cameras, will ALWAYS have the advantage over the glorified hiker/camera setter.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

And nobody talks about the countless hours spent at the therapist trying to talk me off the ledge after a season of not seeing the animal that I had on camera either........jobs created right there........I love checking cams.......and I have nothing to show for it cept pics and I am OK with that too......disappointed at the end of the season........not the least, I got to spend time out there either way, cams or no cams......

[OpticNerd]

I agree with Tines. I hear way more stories about guys eating tag soup because they were holding out for that one particular buck they happened to get a trail cam pick of. Very rarely do I hear stories of hunters getting a T.C. pic of a big buck and going out and killing it. Heck who knows there might be less deer/elk killed every year because of this. While I'm not a big fan of trail cams I can't really see them as being a reason for more game being killed.

[Becker]

I have been thinking about how to type out what is in my mind. I think TINES hinted on it. I have had many discussions with people about this as well. Some may disagree and that's fine. I have said many times before I will be the last guy to chastise anyone for going out and harvesting a deer. I absolutely love seeing successful happy hunters. BUT picking off the oldest age class out of the herd makes the most sense in my mind. How much time does a 7 or 8 year old deer really have left vs the 2 or 3 year old. If you had the perfect herd of animals and look at it in a pyramid chart. Taking that top little portion ensures that the next age class has the best chance to move up. Now that will never really happen in the grand scheme of hunting on public land. But if I can take that top most oldest buck I am effecting the herd the least and ensuring the best chance for another animal to replace the one I took. Cameras ARE an essential tool for judging and picking out those animals. I personally am not going to shoot an up and coming deer when I know there's an ancient old thing there somewhere. People will call it "trophy hunting". I was watching a Steve Rinella (?spelling?) show the other day. He mentioned how much he hates that term. While some people do in fact only hunt for scores I think you would be surprised at how many of us guys that chase "big" bucks are primarily chasing AGE!!!!! There's something different about an old fat sneaky buck and being able to harvest him that trips my trigger. As mentioned above simply getting a picture of one does not insure that it will be any easier to take him. Anyway..........there are definitely more sides to the argument than I want to really get into. But that's my main one.

[Bhunter24]

I have been thinking about how to type out what is in my mind. I think TINES hinted on it. I have had many discussions with people about this as well. Some may disagree and that's fine. I have said many times before I will be the last guy to chastise anyone for going out and harvesting a deer. I absolutely love seeing successful happy hunters. BUT picking off the oldest age class out of the herd makes the most sense in my mind. How much time does a 7 or 8 year old deer really have left vs the 2 or 3 year old. If you had the perfect herd of animals and look at it in a pyramid chart. Taking that top little portion ensures that the next age class has the best chance to move up. Now that will never really happen in the grand scheme of hunting on public land. But if I can take that top most oldest buck I am effecting the herd the least and ensuring the best chance for another animal to replace the one I took. Cameras ARE an essential tool for judging and picking out those animals. I personally am not going to shoot an up and coming deer when I know there's an ancient old thing there somewhere. People will call it "trophy hunting". I was watching a Steve Rinella (?spelling?) show the other day. He mentioned how much he hates that term. While some people do in fact only hunt for scores I think you would be surprised at how many of us guys that chase "big" bucks are primarily chasing AGE!!!!! There's something different about an old fat sneaky buck and being able to harvest him that trips my trigger. As mentioned above simply getting a picture of one does not insure that it will be any easier to take him. Anyway..........there are definitely more sides to the argument than I want to really get into. But that's my main one.

Craig Steele used the term "selective" hunting on one of his social media posts. Which I think is an excellent word choice.