sorry folks, but living in MT, i have to throw my support behind the rule, 100%. we've already lost vast expanses of prime hunting to outfitters who lease up great properties. if they were allowed to use trail cams, it would only be to gift-wrap our trophies for their out-of-state clientele. at least now, the outfitters will have continue the "old-fashioned" way of scouting the primo lands they lease. after watching all the hunting shows that seem to rely so heavily on trail cams and food plots, i prefer to hunt in the time-honored way most Montanans do, from the truck. (please note sarcasm in the last sentence)

I would agree with you Mr. Bestul, I think this is going a step too far. like you said, these cameras don’t make the hunter break the law, he/she still has that choice, and how many of us can get that Picture text and immediately hop up and leave our work to go hunt? As far as patterning deer... isn’t that what we do with pencils and paper and our minds anyways? Assuming we have the time? All these cameras do is sit and our stands and "watch" for us. We still have to show up and do all the things necessary to tag a game animal. We should just outlaw scopes as well, since we don’t have to get as close to our animal as we would with open sights, it gives us an unfair advantage. Right up there with cognitive reasoning and opposable thumbs. Poor animals

Sending a picture to your computer or cell phone within seconds of taking a picture on a trail camera is not unfair advantage?

I don't use trail cameras for a good reason,I simply can not afford them.
Pre season scouting means get your as* out in the woods,and rack up some miles,on foot,checking the area out.
It does not mean making three trips to the woods,one to set up a camera,two to place your stand or blind,and three to shoot the animal you have chosen at the time you know it will pass in front of you,because you have had 700 pictures,all time/date stamped,sent to your cell phone,or computer.

hunting n. The activity or sport of pursuing game.

Note the use of the words activity and pursuing.

My trail camera is nothing but a toy I enjoy using. It doesn't provide any information I did not already know through scouting.

I agree with the ban on "real-time" cameras but I think the other cameras are harmless.

Oh, I would like to tell all of my buddies I had a great day fishing yesterday for Asian Carp near Chicago. :)

I'm amazed at the controversy this story created. Many of my friends bait. I don't. Most of them have these cameras. I don't. I do enjoy, however, watching, over a cocktail in the evening, all the nice bucks that came in during the wee hours. Its nice to know that they're out there. I don't enjoy hearing gunshots at 2:30 A.M. from a neighboring camp. Sounds like they're reacting to their photos.

I don't agree with the argument that it is not fair chase, because you still have to be there when the animal is there. Yes, it will let you know that an animal was there, but that animal is still free ranging. As for the use of aircraft, that is like hunting from your vehicle. Which isn't fair chase, but a scouting method.

ohiodeerhunter -

"Note the use of the words activity and pursuing."

Got a laugh out of that one. No kidding. Sadly many need to be reminded of this. They have their deer gps mapped, feeder patterned, and photographed, pick their spot, and zap it from 600 yards with their big dial-y range-y scope and hypermag cartridge in an elevated box.

I love this question. If given only an iron sighted .30-30, a knife, and appropriate clothing, would many of today's hunters have any success? I think a lot of people are afraid to ask themselves that question because the know the answer and what it means. It means they ain't real hunters!

Shane

I hunted with an open sight 30-30 until I was 22,and could afford a "better" rifle.Heck,compound bows were just being introduced back then. I think it took me longer to be able to shoot accurately with a scoped rifle than it did with open sights. I still use the same 30-30 when I hunt in W.Va. because almost all shots are less than 50 yards where I hunt.
I know I would be just fine with a knife and a 30-30 with open sights,wearing the clothing for the season. A few fishooks,and a length of mono would help though.

"For instance, if a trail camera gives so much advantage to hunters then a depth/fish finder has to give more of an advantage to fisherman."

A fish finder does give a big advantage when fishing big lakes.

Trail cams have uses,before the season,like whoever said they have a long drive to the area where they hunt.

There are states where hunting with bait,or food plots is not legal.Watch most of the hunting shows,and when they hunt whitetails,it is with foodplots,cameras,and laser rangefinders.
Too much technology is not a good thing.What's next,laser guided arrows?

trail cameras are ok on public land the ones they should outlaw are like the guy and woman that own a bunch of land in iowa ,and all the tame deer there that they shoot every year that makes them look like pro hunters them two are as phoney as any thing i ever seen on any hunting show when some woman picks up a coumpound and admits she never hunted till she met her husban then has 75 pope and young bucks to her credit in a few years and you all know who iam talking about ,lets see them get all them big bucks every year on public land there show wouldnt last a month...

I want to thank you guys for helping me understand that when it comes to modern day hunting it's ok to ENVY those who can afford new technology but be JEALOUS of those who can afford the technology and use what's available to them but then again I can always be SELFISH and support and pass laws making it illegal for them to use the technology. Maybe it's time for all of us to become spear chuckers again to level the playing field.
Enough said!

like i said before when you go out and shoot seventy five pope and young bucks in a few years ,,yea tell me all about it,, every body around knows what shows are lets see that done on public land any where else in the country

Always press charges. Word gets around quick.

Well I guess soon you wont be able to hire guides to help you find good deer now thats an unfair advantage but mainly for richer hunters good pair of binos or spotting scope and a truck and the human brain imagine the land you can cover to! how could you get more unfair than that.You might as well have the guide shot it for you! right? or how about this your at your urban hunting spot and the guy's land you hunt on say that the deer come out of that corner every day half past the monkeys kahonas and feed on his wifes flowers now I guess you cant legally hunt that animal? You guys think to much!Once the deer or what ever starts disappearing then I'll worry about it!

Here we go again with a bunch of guys that are the modern day equivalent to Davy Crockett. Heaven forbid that we put a device out that costs as little as $50 at wal-mart, that tells you that a deer you have been after is only coming in at night. Because somehow it affects how some of these guys hunt in there buckskin jackets, with mocasins, and spears or homemade bows. Seriously, have anybody that shot down the trail cams used one? you act like using a trail cam somehow puts animals in a transe and automatically attracts them and holds them at your camera location until you get there. Can we please get real? and range finders useless? has anybody hunted in the southwest United Stated, where it is possible to see for more than 100 yards. No you know what I'd rather have unexperienced long distance shooters just taking a crack at a 400 yard shot with there scope less 30-30 because hey "I might get lucky and wing em" C'mon ya'll not everyone hunts the same areas in the same type of terrains. Not everyone was brought up hunting. Not all technology is bad. I'd rather a bowhunter know the true distance to a deer and make a quick efficient kill than a high shot that just wounds the animal, and then he is stuck tracking for a mile. Not all technology is bad, I agree that there are skills people need to learn first and foremost. But the people that have not tried some of this technology....you're missing out.

Basically according to their hunting season schedule this means you can only use trail cameras during June, July and the first two weeks of August. Since the wolf season will be decided in July you might only be able to use a camera in June.

I'm not sure how trail cams give you such an advantage. This last deer season I had pictures of a nice 10 pt until I decided to pull my cam before season started. I had images in my head of this beautiful deer every morning I would go out during season. I put 72 hours in the stand this firearms season. The first 71 of the 72 hours were put in on the stand where I had the pictures of the deer. The last day of the season I tried a different stand a few miles away. The 1 hour I put in to a different stand guess who decided to show up. My 10.

the law only says they cannot be used during the season and I am fine with that. You can still use it before the season to scout the deer.

thats a bunch of crap!

What they need to ban are internet forums where people post way too much information, not necessarily on hunting, but fishing locations and successes announcing to tens of thousands of other fisherman what a good day they had and where they were fishing....doh!

When it comes to technology and fishing/hunting - I think the forums on the internet do the most damage. I have seen this destroy fisheries. Lakes and rivers that would normally receive little fishing pressure absolutely getting hammered and fished out because they read online that someone had a good day fishing...

makes me sick.

Ok, I've got to agree about banning the realtime cameras. That just seems like going too far. But as for the "regular" trail cams, I think they are a valuable tool in better assessing the population size and health of your local deer, not to mention the other types of wildlife that always seem to wander into shutter range. Yes, this information does give me an advantage- the advantage of being able to accurately gather information that I can utilize to better manage my land.

And for hunters like myself that live 3 hours away from their hunting grounds, trail cameras are useful in letting us "spend some time" observing the wildlife. I agree, nothing can substitute actually getting out in the field and burning shoe leather. But since I can't afford to drive six hours both ways every day, I'll let trail cameras be my eyes for the time being.

buckhunter- congrats on the fish. Were you casting flies, bowfishing, or baitcasting?

upperdel-you got that right. Nevermind Walt he has some serious little man syndrome.

Hank111,
I thought Walt was funny! LOL

upperdel,
If getting a good photo is considered a 'successful hunt', then there is something with the part of your brain that controls the logic. About trail cams not having an advantage. Let's see: seeing where the deer are as opposed to working to go find them. Huh. Advantage: trail cams.

Nate

Sorry Hank, my comments were meant for Walt.

upperdel - I agree. I have killed enough big deer over the years, that I am just as satisfied getting that great picture of one of the big boys. Summertime,on the edges of big soybeanfeilds. Then 2nd week of october move to large scrapes, and rubs. First part of december, the trails and edges of standing corn. But I never run cameras where we are hunting. Over scrapes they have to be moved every week, because the deer become educated real quick. Even the no flash cameras have a slight noise that sometimes bothers them more than a flash. I really dont see any advantage, other than learning alot more about the deer, than the guy, who 1 week out of the year, hunts way back, on public land and shoot the first legal deer he sees.

Last I checked, most folks who live in Montana have a little "by God" in 'em. I'd say a law against trail cams in that state will rank right up there in effectiveness with the one against jaywalking everywhere else.

ohiodeerhunter- thats the great thing about deerhunting, you can go barebones or go all out, either way its great, and you make your own luck.

I can respect anyone who hunts on heavy pressured public land and is consistantly successful. But I am sure if you lived in the midwest and had access to private land and cameras you would be singing a different tune.

It never ceases to amaze me, the ignorance of the crybabies on here. I have run cameras since the first trailcams came out.They are great to see whats around, from last year and whats not. They make it much easier to age bucks to make harvesting decisions on your doe population. But Putting a camera in your hunting location is a sure way to blow a great pattern. Flash or no flash, deer almost always alter their travel route when a camera goes up, especially mature bucks. The best way to pattern a mature buck, if even possible, is long distance glassing, then move in when everything is right.

Ridiculous ban. The hyper-overlawmaking tendency in hunting can suppress the joys of being in the outdoors. I know some hunters who are so overwhelmed by regulations that they can barely step into the woods.