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Iowa Cell Camera rules

I don't hunt much public, but I can see how loaded with cameras would be annoying and aggravating. I don't quite understand the hate for cell on private, I would rather have a neighbor that invests a boat load of time and money targeting a specific animal, if he wants 100 cell cams on his 40 acres so be it. If he's a tech nerd with no other woodsman- ship skills, he won't be harvesting much. I'd rather be next to a tech guy that cares about his area herd and the future of it than some bafoon that invites his city jack friends to shoot at every moving animal like it's a video game come shotgun season. Then they slaughter every antlered deer year after year and complain to everyone that poachers must be taking out the big bucks.what about the good Ole boy that gets his deer off the combine, or late at night chisel plowing in November with a thunderstick. Bottom line is most serious bowhunters will be in a stand late Oct or early Nov hunting their best spots on the right winds, during the best weather fronts regardless of camera feedback
 
Copenhagen Tob said:
I don't hunt much public, but I can see how loaded with cameras would be annoying and aggravating. I don't quite understand the hate for cell on private, I would rather have a neighbor that invests a boat load of time and money targeting a specific animal, if he wants 100 cell cams on his 40 acres so be it. If he's a tech nerd with no other woodsman- ship skills, he won't be harvesting much. I'd rather be next to a tech guy that cares about his area herd and the future of it than some bafoon that invites his city jack friends to shoot at every moving animal like it's a video game come shotgun season. Then they slaughter every antlered deer year after year and complain to everyone that poachers must be taking out the big bucks.what about the good Ole boy that gets his deer off the combine, or late at night chisel plowing in November with a thunderstick. Bottom line is most serious bowhunters will be in a stand late Oct or early Nov hunting their best spots on the right winds, during the best weather fronts regardless of camera feedback
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I'm only presenting a point of view and not arguing for or against either position.

The perceived problem with cell cams on private is deer are transient and don't belong to just one person's farm. Cell cams have the potential to eliminate fair chase. Fair for both the animal and the others in the area.

Take this example:
You own an 80-acre parcel that shares borders with with parcels owned by four other hunting families. You all know there is a 200" buck local to the area. You get a cell pic at 615pm on a Friday night of that buck hot on the tail of a doe entering your parcel and have easy access to a stand with good wind for the direction they are headed. Would you cancel plans to go to your son's football game and get in that stand?

Now, how is it different from if your son is out in the field harvesting on a Saturday morning and he calls you on the phone to relay the same info?

Currently, the phone call is illegal but it is relaying very similar hunt intelligence as the cell cam.
 

KJAN AM 1220

NRC approves ban on trail cameras in state managed areas (Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resource Commission is moving forward with new rules to ban all trail cameras in state game management areas....
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
hillrunner said:
The quote in the article says cell cams were already banned and this law is only addressing non transmitting cameras. Is that true?
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Wow, the article definitely says that, for both public and private land...but that is news to me. And I think that there are many, many people using cell cams all over this state who will say..."What???"

While I personally agree that cell cams are electronic surveillance and therefore not conducive to fair chase, I certainly did not have any idea that they weren't permitted, especially on private land. BRB...gonna go pop some corn and come back and read more. :cool:
 
Daver said:
Wow, the article definitely says that, for both public and private land...but that is news to me. And I think that there are many, many people using cell cams all over this state who will say..."What???"

While I personally agree that cell cams are electronic surveillance and therefore not conducive to fair chase, I certainly did not have any idea that they weren't permitted, especially on private land. BRB...gonna go pop some corn and come back and read more. :cool:
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There was a correction made, as the person who released that article clearly didn’t understand the laws.

State land = no trail cameras

Private land = you can’t use them to help out in a current hunt. Good luck proving that part, but we’ll see what they come up with.
 

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Muddyrem said:
There was a correction made, as the person who released that article clearly didn’t understand the laws.

State land = no trail cameras

Private land = you can’t use them to help out in a current hunt. Good luck proving that part, but we’ll see what they come up with.
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And yet there will be a hundred idiots that post on social media "got a pic and went in after him!". Here's your ticket, thanks for playing.
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
And yet there will be a hundred idiots that post on social media "got a pic and went in after him!". Here's your ticket, thanks for playing.
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It’s definitely going to be a slippery slope for sure. They’re so much gray in it right now. Majority of guys are running cameras in the fall to gain information. The newest info the better. Just because you get pictures of him in the plot the morning doesn’t mean he’s going to show up that night. I think they’re going to have to spell it out black and white.
 
Muddyrem said:
It’s definitely going to be a slippery slope for sure. They’re so much gray in it right now. Majority of guys are running cameras in the fall to gain information. The newest info the better. Just because you get pictures of him in the plot the morning doesn’t mean he’s going to show up that night. I think they’re going to have to spell it out black and white.
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I agree. No way to prove if a pic was used in aid of killing a deer. Have to go with a 24 hour or 48hour dump of pictures at midnight or something like that so it's not into in "real time" . That would have to be done by the camera manufacturers. Might be a tough sell all around
 
Lots of interesting comments and complaints floating around the ol’ internet.. Will be interesting to see if the DNR sticks to its guns this time around. I understand why public land hunters feel this is unfair to them but it’s a stretch to say we all have the right to leave things on public property.. Does get interesting when you get into the whole “ but we can leave tree stands up” argument tho. Any technology/surveillance limit is a step in the right direction tho. I’m hoping the DNR doesn’t back off.
 
I am fine with the DNR banning trails cams on public. I look forward to the challenge. I also understand private guys wanting to monitor their land for trespassers. The only complaint I have with not banning cell cam use entirely is private guys can keep the pressure off their land by hanging a cell cam and leaving it alone and wait for the deer to become vulnerable. Whether real time transmission of a deer's location with cell cams could ever be proven by the DNR would be difficult. Therefore guys on private are getting the ability to not only see what deer are around but they're able to do it in real time without putting pressure on the deer. Meanwhile guys on public have no idea if a deer is around unless they physically lay eyes on them (admittedly I think this will be more exciting) and I think there will be a lot more guys walking around on public looking for fresh sign bumping deer off the public lands. This gives a huge advantage to the private guys and I get it's their land and they worked for it and people can always save up for their own piece of land but I'd just like to see cell cams banned entirely unless at a property gate or monitoring buildings and not on food plots. I think I read about some celebrity hunters stating they wish they would have sent a real time photo of their food plot and if they did they wouldn't have bumped their target buck on the way in. Not sure if that story is accurate but people were able to inventory deer prior to cell cams but the technology is definitely pushing the fair chase boundary. I applaud the DNR for at least making this first step even though it doesn't benefit me in any way. I hope cell cams eventually get banned statewide but regular cams are not at least for private.
 
I wonder if some public tracts are large enough to hold bucks that never leave? If so, those may be the only bucks in the whole state with the potential of no one knowing they exist. That's kind of cool to think about.
20 years ago, that would have been normal. Most of us hunted with no expectation of what might show. It was kind of fun to go out thinking a true giant could step out even though in reality where I was hunting, one likely didn't exist.
 
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whitetail_obsession said:
... I think I read about some celebrity hunters stating they wish they would have sent a real time photo of their food plot and if they did they wouldn't have bumped their target buck on the way in. Not sure if that story is accurate but people were able to inventory deer prior to cell cams but the technology is definitely pushing the fair chase boundary...
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FWIW, you remember correctly. This was discussed some on here last fall. I know the hunter, he said it himself, so it seems pretty legit that it happened.

I too fully support the banning of cell cams, at least during open season.
 
Honestly not trying to offend anyone.. BUT.. the one comment I can’t stand that I’ve seen a bunch is “I only use cameras for inventory/to see what is out there etc..”. Anybody who knows anything knows hunting in the general area a target buck lives is a huge part/the MOST important part of hunting. I just can’t believe the amount of people who act like that gives them no advantage. Totally agree this probably helps make things easier for private land hunters but I do think everybody hunting public will eventually have a much more quality experience if these changes go through.
 
booneriverbucks said:
Honestly not trying to offend anyone.. BUT.. the one comment I can’t stand that I’ve seen a bunch is “I only use cameras for inventory/to see what is out there etc..”. Anybody who knows anything knows hunting in the general area a target buck lives is a huge part/the MOST important part of hunting. I just can’t believe the amount of people who act like that gives them no advantage. Totally agree this probably helps make things easier for private land hunters but I do think everybody hunting public will eventually have a much more quality experience if these changes go through.
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I never in a million years though this argument from guys online would turn into a public land hunter vs private land hunter. You literally can’t walk a piece of state ground in any part of the state and not have a trail camera taking your picture; it’s absolutely bananas. On top of that, now you’ve got guys who run cameras and hang stands and act as if that part of the land is “theirs” to hunt. I think once the dust settles public land will be a lot more enjoyable to be on compared to today. The woods aren’t merely for deer hunting and I know lots of people who enjoy using the land and not having 100 pictures taken of them everytime they step foot in them.
 
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