Quick questions…..if by placing a cell cam hold the game until you shoot ? How do they create an unfair advantage? I use them to get an idea of what’s in the area and get a movement pattern. But, I’m old enough to remember hunting with no cameras at all

Totally torn on these new technology issues. On one hand it makes hunters lazy which is ok with me. When I find a camera on public land, which is basically all I hunt, I can usually find the way the hunter walks to his /her camera. If I can, no doubt the deer do. I use that information to my advantage. I think a happy medium, which most probably won't, is a camera "season". Do your homework all Spring, Summer and Winter. Come Oct. 1st thru Dec. 31 keep them at home. Any dedicated hunter should get a great idea of the deer numbers and ages and then hunt accordingly. I don't want to know when Spunky or the Big 9 or Walter or whatever hunters name their deer, are coming to the food plot every 3rd day at 445. I personally feel that buck deserves more or better or maybe I do. But that's me. And as long as I'm on my 62 year old soapbox, let me say the same dam thing for these E-bikes. Come Oct. 1, these modes of transportation need to be parked. 20-40 year old perfectly healthy men tooling past me on these things a mile or an hour back into the hunting land after this 62 year old got his ass out of bed and got back there before they even poured their first cup of coffee of the morning. All that bitchin being said, hunters need to stick together regardless of weapon, technology used or prowess gathered. I'm confident enough in my abilities to thrive regardless what the other hunters use. Old hunter, old school, old soapbox.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Just like the foodplots brother it is no comparison between cameras and foodplots, which makes it easier. I personally won't hunt over foodplots, but I also don't care if people choose to hunt that way. To each is own. They need to back off of what is ethical and whatnot. 98% of the people making these changes ain't out there in the mix.

In many facets of hunting, what we use does not give us an advantage, and often only helps level the playing field. A deer's eyes, nose, and ears already give them a vast advantage in the woods over humans. Scent killing and other odor "eliminating" items and garments, having used them extensively, are marginal at best and a gimmick at worse. They don't give an advantage, but help mask at best our disadvantage to a deer nose. Their eyes, though they see a different spectrum of light than we do, were placed by God to give them and advantage in their habitat, one that we can not equal. Enter camo, I think simply blending colors to match surroundings in a the deers color spectrum helps disguise and outline. It does not make us invisible, nor does it mask movement, only shades of greys, whites, and blacks for the most part. Not an advantage, simply trying to play catch up again. Elevation for hunting is another thing that does try to level a playing field, that is already heavily advantaged to an animal in the woods. E bikes are no different. They give no unfair advantage. I mean do you think the deer expect us to arrive for the hunt in the woods with a parade of noise announcing our arrival? No. E bikes are mute point. Technology has in fact in many ways allowed us to become more ethical in our efficiency of clean, fast, humane kills. I think we owe that to the animal. So compound bows vs long and recurve bows are an old and ridiculous argument. Crossbows, I find extremely useful for the handicapped, youth, and those who can no longer shoot a vertical bow. They should have their own season in my opinion and not be considered "archery" hunting. Again, just my opinion. Cell cams, I do agree should be illegal on at most just public ground, but not private. They do give us an unfair advantage in being able to sit at home and see, yeah, buck "A" went in to bed by my stand this morning, I'll go there this evening because I have record of him using that same exit to feed in the evenings when he went in the morning of. That is unfair to the animal. A regular trail cam at least requires some effort and strategy to gain access and leave undetected with a card. It requires you to be in the field and not on your couch. Private ground is different. Someone owns that ground, someone paid for it, and continues through taxes to pay for it, so they should be able to use whatever they want legally, and let the record books sort out who gets to enter what into them. Just my opinions. I use them, and enjoy using them, and use them to my advantage. But, I also understand and contest it is an unfair advantage over a deer.

Man has improved his hunting experience since the beginning. It's not cheating, it's improvising. You want one on one, hunt with a rock.

I agree with you 100% if you don’t like them don’t use them, I don’t have any because I don’t want to pay for a subscription, however I don’t see how it gives you an unfair advantage unless you have it in a spot where you could go over a rise and shoot it with a rifle? In a normal woodland bow hunting situation are you going to sneak in and get in range? Doubtful if so you are a great stalker!

First off, Great video! I cant argue what fair chase is. Each state has its own laws outlining its own definition of fair chase by interpreting allowed and prohibited methods of take for localized non migratory game. Banning baiting, dogs, use of drones, etc. My only real concern is hunters and access. 30 years ago, leasing land for hunting wasn't really a thing. Now, leasing land is standard practice creating pay to play hunting. I would say, let the voters determine its fate. Perhaps the emergence of drones and their use with hunting/ recovery activities have inadvertently created a problem with real time information and take of game. Maybe the states are trying to come up with laws to restrict this activity and finding themselves defining cell cameras in their bucket of technology definition. Again, my humble opinion is that with the emergence of drones and the gray area of recovery vs. pursuit, with the use of live view technology will continue to be looked at with a scrutinizing lens until it can be defined clearly and consistently. Excellent job creating a place of productive discussion!

You seem to overlooked B&C statement on fair chase, "lawful pursuit" by using a camera and violating the law of the state, fair chase is not being adhered to. I have hunting Iowa for over 20 years when tags granted, if you need a cell camera to get a shot at a giant midwest buck you just suck at hunting. The law was just clarified per guidance of the AG, electronic means to pursue and harvest deer has always been illegal in Iowa, it has been on the books ever since I started hunting in Iowa. I am still wondering how they are not going after the use on private land for cell cameras for this same reason. There is nothing worse than walking public land and seeing cameras everywhere and now if they are found after 24 hrs anyone can remove them as abandoned items from public land.

The property that I hunt in Wisconsin is a very large tract of public land. This land is all woods with some clear cuts and select cuts but no farmland. Since the logging changes the deer movement from year to year and the deer density is low there is no way to consistently pattern the deer. I use regular trail cams and cell cams. Even then things can change day to day. There is no unfair advantage to their use. If you have the wrong wind, make too much noise, move too much, or just get caught looking the wrong way you can come home with nothing. I think if you start down this path, it will only end up with more regulation and less opportunities. What is next no fish finders, under water cameras, tree stands, can only use certain arrows, or bullets. Leave it alone and keep our hunting alive.

I think you're spot on brother. You don't like them. Don't use them. Kinda like the television, if a person doesn't like what's on, change the channel, or turn it off. Thanks for a nice, down to earth video!

I don’t shoot a .270 but why would that rifle be in the unfair category?

I think it has more to do with hunters infield experience in the woods vs unfair advantage whether they admit it or not.

To me, fair chase has two components. One occurs while hunting and is a set of circumstances where the deer can still escape the encounter by detecting the hunter before the shot. So, the hunter has to be close enough to be seen, heard, or smelled by the deer before the shot. The second component occurs while scouting. Scouting methods have to be of such a manner that the deer can detect your surveillance - either by sight, sound, or smell. Leaving a trail camera in the woods for 5 months before the season allows the user to surveil the deer without the deer detecting the surveillance effort. In this way, trail cameras are not fair chase in my opinion. Thank you for having this discussion and allowing others to comment.

I would have to say not knowing Iowa rules . that some states and provinces have fly in laws were you can't hunt for 24 hrs if you fly into an area and its illegal to hunt by using drines within 24 hrs that the cell usage is given the same weight and cant be used within 24 hrs of your hunt that would be fair

For me a fair chase is when you catch the deer by hand . All this “Fair Chase “ is nonsense!!

Here in British Columbia we haven’t been able to use them for a long time. They have to be out of the woods the day before hunting opens.

Maybe good to re look at this issue after you get clarity from Iowa DNR. Cell cams are NOT banned on private ground in Iowa. Only the real time monitoring them while on stand. I have checked with several of the Iowa DNR agents and you are perfectly legal to use and keep out cell cams on private ground in Iowa. Please call the Iowa DNR and check for yourself

I think people, including yourself, make excuses to justify xyz. We’re not talking about crossbows, or compound, or stick and string. None of those provide intelligence. Real time intelligence is IN FACT a major advantage. I should be deemed unfair chase imo. It’s akin to military intelligence. You don’t send a platoon in blind. You provide intel for an almost predetermined successful mission. The benefit of trail cams is age class hunting. I’ll succeed to that point. However that’s not the question. The question is does trail cams provide an unfair advantage. If you use them properly, without question they do. They tell you where and when, as opposed to being in the field and figuring that out over time. Adjusting as you go through time. Yes you have to still make the shot. But once again..that’s not the issue. Is it an advantage is the issue. Unequivocally yes. It is.

The people that are mad about cell cameras are the ones that can’t afford them!

Every state needs to ban all cell cams everywhere. Cell cams can provide a visual, real time, location. It's an eye in the sky, but not your eye. Near real-time intelligence should only be acquired by in-person experiences by you, or someone willing to share intel. Nothing fair about being there without having to be there in regards to pursuing wild game. Wanna take inventory?.. witness it yourself. This coming from exclusively public land bowhunter w/ exp. card and cell cams.

All cameras need banned. To easy to pattern deer & ambush them. I stopped using them & knowing your property is still the best way to score. I'd rather be surprised, instead of waiting on that one deer. Tag soup is pretty poor

GOOD. GAME CAMERAS ARE UNFAIR BULLSH*T.