Trail cam ethics poll

[Eddiegomes83]

I am asking this because i am guilty of viewing other people's cam pics of left unlocked. I will not steal their stuff but will view it and replace it back the way i found it. I will even admit....i will delete pics of me if i see them on their but no deer pics. I do this for my own intel. Not to steal their spot but to see what deer are in the area and to see if any pics correlate with what i get close by to help develop a pattern or moving habits.

Is this wrong of me to do. I justify it by thinking i would not mind if someone does it to me as long as there is no malicious intent and does not steal anything. On the other hand i think i would not like someone going through my cell phone pics if left it lying around either although not quite the same because a cell phone is much more personal.

I am just curious to your thoughts.

[Trout King]

I was brought up to not put my hands on anything that doesn't belong to me unless I had permission. That is just me and I adhere to it and it has served me well.

IMO someone did the work to put up the cam and it shouldn't be messed with in any way.

[Eddiegomes83]

I was brought up to not put my hands on anything that doesn't belong to me unless I had permission. That is just me and I adhere to it and it has served me well.

IMO someone did the work to put up the cam and it shouldn't be messed with in any way.

I would agree with you.....although it makes me a hypocrite. so would it be ok for me to place a camera there as well? Just seems silly when the info is there and you arent taking anything from them.

[Eddiegomes83]

I guess to add to my hypocrisy......i would never sit in someone else's treestand out of respect to that hunter.....go figure. Just thought of that.

Just clear it up....i am talking about cameras on public land....not that it may make a difference or not.

[Wlog]

Voted no. I don’t want anybody messing with mine so I don’t mess with anybody else’s. But I’d rather them view and walk away then steal I guess. It would still upset me though.

[Eddiegomes83]

Voted no. I don’t want anybody messing with mine so I don’t mess with anybody else’s. But I’d rather them view and walk away then steal I guess. It would still upset me though.

Just curious as to what part would upset you? The fact that they or i viewed it without permission or the fact that i now have the same info as you? Just a question to further the discussion.

[Bio1]

That you now have the same info I do without an ounce of sweat equity other than helping yourself to my hard earned intel! And to say you wouldn’t act on the intel is disingenuous - you wouldn’t be looking otherwise.

with this mindset no need to get my own cameras I can just walk around in the woods and find cams and gather all the intel I need.

Ask yourself this - if I walked up on you checking my camera what would be your answer to my question?

Bio1

[Eddiegomes83]

That you now have the same info I do without an ounce of sweat equity other than helping yourself to my hard earned intel! And to say you wouldn’t act on the intel is disingenuous - you wouldn’t be looking otherwise.

with this mindset no need to get my own cameras I can just walk around in the woods and find cams and gather all the intel I need.

Ask yourself this - if I walked up on you checking my camera what would be your answer to my question?

Bio1

I didn't say would not act on the intel. I just said i would not sit your spot. I run multiple cameras all year. I would most be looking for a spot to set my camera or scouting a spot that i have in mind. As far as work involved....you set a camera in a spot that i walked to as well to either hunt or set a camera..other than setting it you haven't done anything...not like you are sitting there snapping pics of things that walk by otherwise i would just ask you what you have seen like i do if i see a hunter in the woods.

If you walked up on me what would your question be? I am assuming you are asking me what i am doing....my answer would be just as open as i am here. I am looking at the pics.

By no means am i saying that I am right. Just getting thoughts. The best argument is so far is that it isnt mine so dont touch and i agreed.

Also would like it known...i do not go and just look for cameras to view their pics....i just happen to stumble upon them all the time.

Another question? By them placing a camera there does that declare that spot theirs? It is public land. What if they have multiple cameras and stands placed all over. People would claim the all the woods that way if that is how it works.

[DaveT1963]

I pulled another person's trail camera card just this season. Reason: It was overlooking illegal bait pile. I found some pics of the idiot actually dumping the corn and posing for the camera. He was standing right next to a four wheeler and this was no motor vehicle area. I downloaded the pics and returned the card so he would not know anything was up. I then forwarded the coordinates and pics to local game warden.

he met up with me and i took him to the spot where he promptly removed the camera and left a business card with instructions if the owner would like to reclaim his camera to please contact him. as of last week he has had no one step forward to claim the camera..... shocker.

Outside of this, I wouldn't want someone stealing my camera or reading my cards so i don't. Beside, if they found my camera IME that place is now probably dead. I am not sure how i would feel if I came across someone reading mine, I know exactly how i would feel if I came across someone trying to steal one.

[Hawthorne]

They need to invent a SD card that needs a pass code to view the pics on a smartphone. Unless your a computer hack there’s no way to view them.

[Eddiegomes83]

I pulled another person's trail camera card just this season. Reason: It was overlooking illegal bait pile. I found some pics of the idiot actually dumping the corn and posing for the camera. He was standing right next to a four wheeler and this was no motor vehicle area. I downloaded the pics and returned the card so he would not know anything was up. I then forwarded the coordinates and pics to local game warden.

he met up with me and i took him to the spot where he promptly removed the camera and left a business card with instructions if the owner would like to reclaim his camera to please contact him. as of last week he has had no one step forward to claim the camera..... shocker.

Outside of this, I wouldn't want someone stealing my camera or reading my cards so i don't. Beside, if they found my camera IME that place is now probably dead. I am not sure how i would feel if I came across someone reading mine, I know exactly how i would feel if I came across someone trying to steal one.

Haha well your vote should of been yes...lol

Anyways i am with you on the stealing part. I will not take anything that does not belong to me...unless of course you are including the intel on the card....but if you still have the intel then i haven't really taken anything from you. So nothing had been stolen.

I do consider myself a very honest person. I will say that this is making me feel like quite the scumbag. Maybe because i know I will continue to check others cards regardless unelss i get a strong self conviction otherwise. Maybe that is because i know i have no wrongful intent other then just the knowledge.

[Eddiegomes83]

They need to invent a SD card that needs a pass code to view the pics on a smartphone. Unless your a computer hack there’s no way to view them.

I will say the people that lock their sd cards in their cams have nothing to worry about with me. I am not willing to destroy their camera for my benefit. It would be an easy thing for the camera makers to have the ability to lock the cards in the cam. Alot already do. I guess even easier for guys like me to leave alone...

[Kraftd]

I've not done it, but wouldn't feel too bad doing it if the situation arose.

I've seen the debate on here before about hunting a stand left on public. If its the right tree or only tree for a given spot and I'm there first, I would think about it, though generally assume if there is a permanent stand that seems to be getting used I'm better off moving on. Always varied responses there too. Personally, I don't see the harm in it, and wouldn't object to others doing the same for a cam I put out. Now deleting their pics so they get bad intel or something of that nature I wouldn't support.

[Boogieman1]

On public no I wouldn’t put my hands on there property but I would leave em one heck of a pic of a “full moon” on private where I’m halfway friendly with the guys I share permission with I occasionally prank em. Replace there card with one I downloaded a Midwest giant or just delete any good bucks. I don’t jack with cams near any of there stands but the ones on field edge scrapes and such just bring out my inner child.

[Dewey]

If the cam is illegal you can bet I will mess with it. If unlocked I will turn it off. If locked I will put a leaf or something over the lens to make it inoperable. Will also admit I have looked at pics on those illegal cams hoping to identify the person who put it there. These also get called in for the warden to deal with.

If a trail cam is legal I will not touch it and would expect the same from anybody that finds mine.