Public Land Trail Cam Etiquette

[44hunter45]

Moon it

 

[Mallardsx2]

ANYTHING left behind on public land should be subject to pirate law. Period.

I don't want your $hit junking up our land.

 

[Montana_Wanderer]

It makes me really angry when they are put out to monitor people on public versus animals. I have found 2 this year already that were right on closed roads near parking areas. Feels like a creeper is watching me. Wish I had it in me to mess with those cams.

Full disclosure, I hang non-cell cams sometimes for fun. I do hide them well and try not to put them on any trails or areas people may be on. I would be fine with someone looking at the card and then putting it back sans batwing.

 

[Jamen]

I mean where do you draw the line? If they are legal to be there as much as i think they shouldnt why mess with someone's personal property?? Can i go through your camp and look what is in your cooler? go through your tent to see what gear you have as long as i dont take anything if you are camping on public property?? Maybe you left your truck unlocked in a public parking lot does that give me the right to go through it if i dont take anything? no harm no foul right?

 

[Steiny77]

I like how a few states have outlawed them on public ground.

 

[Moserkr]

@Nameless Range I like your point. It would definitely invite some issues if someone found you checking their card, off the bat at least.

@Jamen The difference is a trail camera is left out for months if not years typically. A camp, cooler, tent, and truck are not.

We came across a camp of 4 tents, shoes outside of them but they were wide open. Knife, packs, water filters hanging on trees. Friend, I, and his injured German Shepard needed water bad after coming off a bad section of the mtn with no water filter. We called for the owners and walked around camp but no one answered. It was clearly a fresh setup. Best guess is they saw 2 dudes with guns, camo, and a german shepard in their camp, thought we were the police, so they hid from us cause they were on mushrooms lol. We left their stuff alone and drank from a spring nearby.

Ive also found some abandoned gear and a car and definitely took a look. Packed out the abandoned gear, reported the likely stolen car.

Looks like the poll is at 80% leave it alone. No arguing that the vast majority find it unethical. Case closed.

 

[Jamen]

@Nameless Range I like your point. It would definitely invite some issues if someone found you checking their card, off the bat at least.

@Jamen The difference is a trail camera is left out for months if not years typically. A camp, cooler, tent, and truck are not.

We came across a camp of 4 tents, shoes outside of them but they were wide open. Knife, packs, water filters hanging on trees. Friend, I, and his injured German Shepard needed water bad after coming off a bad section of the mtn with no water filter. We called for the owners and walked around camp but no one answered. It was clearly a fresh setup. Best guess is they saw 2 dudes with guns, camo, and a german shepard in their camp, thought we were the police, so they hid from us cause we were on mushrooms lol. We left their stuff alone and drank from a spring nearby.

Ive also found some abandoned gear and a car and definitely took a look. Packed out the abandoned gear, reported the likely stolen car.

Looks like the poll is at 80% leave it alone. No arguing that the vast majority find it unethical. Case closed.

I understand that a lot of trail cameras get left out way too long and i dont think they need to be on public land in the first place. But to mess with someones personally property no matter what it is seems wrong to me even if no ill intent was ment.

 

[TOGIE]

Not to beat a dead horse...

But, I mean, let's even forget for a second about the ethics of messing with someone's legally placed property, of which to me, the answer is unambiguous.

All those other ethical veins notwithstanding, what's the difference between ripping someone's SD card and going into someone's OnX account without permission to pull all of their way points?

It's unearned information, there's no honor in that. Don't they say character is how you behave when no one is watching? If the owners were watching, would you do it?

The presence of, or really lack of, a password on the account or a lock on the camera are not what determine whether it's okay to access it.

I feel like the hunting community is in full agreement, generally, that it's bad form to take people into spots that were shared in confidence with you, especially without talking to the individual who shared with you. How many people who feel that way are out ripping other peoples SD cards in the woods?

 

[Montana_Wanderer]

Not to beat a dead horse...

But, I mean, let's even forget for a second about the ethics of messing with someone's legally placed property, of which to me, the answer is unambiguous.

All those other ethical veins notwithstanding, what's the difference between ripping someone's SD card and going into someone's OnX account without permission to pull all of their way points?

It's unearned information, there's no honor in that. Don't they say character is how you behave when no one is watching? If the owners were watching, would you do it?

The presence of, or really lack of, a password on the account or a lock on the camera are not what determine whether it's okay to access it.

I feel like the hunting community is in full agreement, generally, that it's bad form to take people into spots that were shared in confidence with you, especially without talking to the individual who shared with you. How many people who feel that way are out ripping other peoples SD cards in the woods?

I get your point here and agree to an extent. However, I view this more akin to someone sitting in another hunters treestand that was left for an extended time on public land to hold a spot. Not something I would do as it would feel weird and I would hate for someone to sit in my stand, but is it wrong to do?

 

[DFS]

I always flip off my own cameras before I leave them just in case some one takes them. For the most part I’ve only flipped off my self I have only lost a couple throughout the years.

 

[TOGIE]

I get your point here and agree to an extent. However, I view this more akin to someone sitting in another hunters treestand that was left for an extended time on public land to hold a spot. Not something I would do as it would feel weird and I would hate for someone to sit in my stand, but is it wrong to do?

I mean if the tree stand is still legal per the state's laws re. tree stands on public lands, I'd say it's definitely wrong to use it. Now, is it wrong or unethical to put one up in the tree next to it? No, I don't believe so. Is it wrong to show up and sit in yours if the other guy beat you to the spot and is already in his? I'd say you lost that day, back out and find another spot, so yes. The rabbit holes are endless honestly. I personally am simply avoiding all of these situations entirely because low conflict routes are ideal to me.

But to me it still really comes down to what I view as unearned information. Buy a cam and put it up in the same spot if you want to know what's hanging out there. Just cause you showed up randomly and founds someone's camera doesn't mean you put in the same effort and are therefore entitled to their info.

Just how I feel. Interestingly, I don't and have never owned a trail cam. Kinda want to get some though.

 

[Jack Ryan]

ANYTHING left behind on public land should be subject to pirate law. Period.

I don't want your $hit junking up our land.

Pirates are thieves.

 

[Elky Welky]

Just how I feel. Interestingly, I don't and have never owned a trail cam. Kinda want to get some though.

I echo most of your thoughts on this @TOGIE, although I am even more of a luddite than most. To me trail cams are unearned info whether it is the owner or someone else.* By that, I mean I would much prefer nobody use them on public, and I don't plan on ever getting one.

Scouting used to involve looking for sign, tracks, droppings, etc. Being out among the animals and seeing for oneself how they move. Leaving them alone the rest of the time. There's magic in the mystery.

Another part of the magic of hunting is the illusion that the places I am going are wild and untouched. I go hunting to get away from a surveillance state. I don't want to be constantly reminded of how many other people know about my places. I already have to suffer seeing an orange dot on every ridge during rifle season.

I've seen lots of awesome footage from trail cams, don't get me wrong. Bazookas are also awesome and would be very fun to shoot. Doesn't mean I think everyone should have and be using them in public places.

*(as an aside, I am astounded by the number of people on this thread who think it is okay to touch someone else's stuff. It would never have even crossed my mind prior to this thread. I thought that was a pretty inflexible rule we all learned when we were 4 years old).

 

[Moserkr]

Would anyone's opinion change if the cams were from a youtuber group who put out notoriously sh***y videos with obvious landmarks of their scouting and hunting?

TBH i think other people will either steal or cut down the cams of this particular person who set them out in some very obvious places.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

It's crazy to me that people think they can hang a treestand or trail cam up on public land leave it there unattended and not be messed with. Then be upset if someone is nice enough to just check your card. I purposefully leave mine unlocked so people only check the card. Ive had more stolen that were locked than unlocked.
Look around you Ellen, we're at the threshold of hell.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Pirates are thieves.

People that leave their $hit in the woods are litterbugs.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Right? Every time I park my car or motorcycle in a public parking lot I also expect anyone who wants to to break in and help themselves to what they want.

You and I were raised to follow very different moral compasses, sir.

Not what I mean. I mean your naive as hell if you think you are gonna leave one of those things on public land and it not be checked or stolen or turned off. Ive had more cams stolen than I can count.

 

[Mountain Mule]

The amount of setups I see in the woods now a days that resemble this is absolutely blood boiling. I have had several spots taken over by cell cams, over 5 camers in a few spots on all the water, or major pinch points, whatever is most likely to concentrate animals. They are left up through the hunting season now that it is legal. Even in wilderness areas I will find cell cams. At what point is it not fair chase, or even really hunting?

Sometimes I imagine carrying around some scent lure to rub on the tree so bears will destroy them for me, thus I never interacted with their equipment...

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Because sadly most of the world is not as virtuous as HT keyboardists are.

 

[Elky Welky]

Not what I mean. I mean your naive as hell if you think you are gonna leave one of those things on public land and it not be checked or stolen or turned off. Ive had more cams stolen than I can count.

Okay, good clarification. I stand corrected. And yes, I agree. I also simply wouldn't trust people to leave my things alone. This thread has shown there are quite a few who wouldn't.