Cell cam on a bed

[TravisB]

I don’t know if this has been discussed or not, but I have a lot of time to think on the road, and this crossed my mind the other day. To start, I don’t use cell cams, so I wouldn’t do this, but they are apparently the wave of the future. I just got to thinking, one of the biggest if’s involved in bed hunting is whether or not a buck is even there. What’s to stop someone who knows where a preferred bed or beds are from putting up a cellular camera on a bed and knowing for sure there’s a buck there? Then they know exactly where they need to hunt that day for that buck. Is that fair? Moral? Ethical? Whatever? Personally, the cellular cams are over the edge for me. Knowing almost in real time what is going on in a certain spot basically takes the hunting aspect out of it for me, and I choose not to do it, but they are legal pretty much everywhere I guess, so it’s not like someone is breaking the law, unless there are certain exclusions written into the laws. Just a curiosity question. I apologize if it’s been hashed out already, but I couldn’t find it if it has.

[Dewey]

I would put a cell cam on a bed for fun or to see what types of bucks are using the bed on certain winds just for learning purposes. I would never do it with intent to hunt that day because a particular buck is bedded there under the camera. That’s just wrong on so many levels in my opinion. Part of the excitement hunting beds is the unknown. Is the buck bedded there or not? If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line. We don’t always need laws to distinguish right from wrong. We all need to draw the line somewhere and if it feels wrong it probably is.

[mauser06]

I actually believe it would be illegal in Pennsylvania. There's a law that touches on electronics... basically if it's not approved, it can't be used in the aide of taking game. I haven't dug deep enough but I'd imagine it's a violation. There's laws on using electronics to notify others on the location of game. Example...2 way radios or cell phones.


Where is the "line" drawn?

Personally, using them for real time info at all crosses the line. It takes the HUNT out of it.


It's still no guarantee that you'll see or kill whatever you got the picture of. But at the same time, you KNEW it was there. You likely went there BECAUSE of that picture.


I'm sure others will have other opinions on it.

For me, the fun part is the HUNT.

[cspot]

I actually believe it would be illegal in Pennsylvania. There's a law that touches on electronics... basically if it's not approved, it can't be used in the aide of taking game. I haven't dug deep enough but I'd imagine it's a violation. There's laws on using electronics to notify others on the location of game. Example...2 way radios or cell phones.


Where is the "line" drawn?

Personally, using them for real time info at all crosses the line. It takes the HUNT out of it.


It's still no guarantee that you'll see or kill whatever you got the picture of. But at the same time, you KNEW it was there. You likely went there BECAUSE of that picture.


I'm sure others will have other opinions on it.

For me, the fun part is the HUNT.

Yes I agree it would be illegal in PA as they would be using an electronic device to aid in the taking of game. Probably would be tough to prove, but like you said where do you draw the line.

Personally I would do it, but if legal where you are at then that decision is up to you.

I would be hesitant to put any camera directly on a bed as you are putting something foreign in there that has human odor. Some bucks don't like trail cameras to start with. I have thought about doing it just to see what pics I get. I don't have enough buck beds located to take a chance of ruining one.

[Motivated]

I was listening to Adam Hayes on the Wired to Hunt podcast #299. He stated (minute 23) that he runs about 15 cell cameras bucks core areas, essentially in his kill spots.

In minutes 102-105 he talks about wanting daylight sign and documentation the sign was made in daylight before he hunts that area. He states that many of those cameras are very close to his tree stands and many of his cameras are over minerals as well. And he would move in to kill him as soon as possible based on a daylight picture. (1:03.33)

Now he's obviously an excellent hunter, as he can set up his stand well enough to fool mature animals on a consistent basis and actually pull off the shot. I don't want to take anything away from him, nor am I criticizing him. But coupling that much technology along with Ozonics really seems to make it such that the buck has very little chance. It's just not for me.

I'm not trying to spread any hate towards the man. I could learn a lot from him. But he did not seem to leave anything to chance and used every advantage he could--especially technology. Maybe I read into the interview a bit on first listen, but I wanted to cite those minutes so others could listen as well.

[Trout]

If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line.

This is how I feel also. My internal ethics meter really struggles with cell cams in general. Even if you dont put the cell cam in the bed, but on an access trail to the bedding, that's over the line. I realize there is still a lot that has to go right to make the kill even if you know a deer is using a bed, but if you only know a deer is using the bed because your camera sent you a picture, that's cheating. You might as well fly a drone around from the parking lot to see the bedding area before you set up on it. No deer home, drive to the next spot and repeat.

If using cell cams was illegal during hunting season, I would be ok with that.

[BigHunt]

I would put a cell cam on a bed for fun or to see what types of bucks are using the bed on certain winds just for learning purposes. I would never do it with intent to hunt that day because a particular buck is bedded there under the camera. That’s just wrong on so many levels in my opinion. Part of the excitement hunting beds is the unknown. Is the buck bedded there or not? If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line. We don’t always need laws to distinguish right from wrong. We all need to draw the line somewhere and if it feels wrong it probably is.

Lolololol

[BigHunt]

If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line.

This is how I feel also. My internal ethics meter really struggles with cell cams in general. Even if you dont put the cell cam in the bed, but on an access trail to the bedding, that's over the line. I realize there is still a lot that has to go right to make the kill even if you know a deer is using a bed, but if you only know a deer is using the bed because your camera sent you a picture, that's cheating. You might as well fly a drone around from the parking lot to see the bedding area before you set up on it. No deer home, drive to the next spot and repeat.

If using cell cams was illegal during hunting season, I would be ok with that.

Dan used one all season on a well known bedding area... I suppose he was cheating all season

[Trout]

If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line.

This is how I feel also. My internal ethics meter really struggles with cell cams in general. Even if you dont put the cell cam in the bed, but on an access trail to the bedding, that's over the line. I realize there is still a lot that has to go right to make the kill even if you know a deer is using a bed, but if you only know a deer is using the bed because your camera sent you a picture, that's cheating. You might as well fly a drone around from the parking lot to see the bedding area before you set up on it. No deer home, drive to the next spot and repeat.

If using cell cams was illegal during hunting season, I would be ok with that.

Dan used one all season on a well known bedding area... I suppose he was cheating all season

If the only reason someone is hunting a spot is because they got a picture of a deer entering a bedding area sent to their phone that morning, for me that's cheating. I know Dan uses cell cams, as well as a lot of other guys on here. I would feel that way if any of them did that. Fortunately, I dont think guys on here- including Dan- are using them in that manner.

[brancher147]

If it’s not illegal it doesn’t bother me. Just getting a pic of a buck going into bedding doesn’t mean you can kill him. I think it would still be really hard. You still have to have the right access and wind and the buck has to come your way. And I rarely see bucks lay down for very long in the mountains I hunt so he may not even still be there. I am sure some places it would give you more of an advantage than others though. I don’t use cams much and no reliable cell service in the mountains so cell cam is not an option and doesn’t interest me anyway but as of now I am not opposed to cell cams.

[SplitG2]

Ethically is this tactic pushing it, probably but I have no problem with somebody using this tactic if legal. I don’t use this tactic but I feel that it in no way provides a hunter with anymore of an advantage over actually killing that animal than a guy going in blind.

I’ve been deer hunting for 27 years and over those 27 years I have learned about, read about or been told about countless tips, tricks, strategies, tactics and products. Many of these were supposedly “sure-fire” to get you that big buck. There is only 1 single thing I’ve learned over my 27 years of deer hunting that I have found to be true, 100% sure-fire guarantee and that is, in hunting there is absolutely no guarantee. I have yet to see a tip, trick, strategy, tactic or product that guarantees a hunter is going to going to punch his tag.

[Cchez]

I've considered trying something similar, but i don't have a cell cam. I hunt the big woods of northern MN and WI. What i'd like to do is to put a cam near a trail leading to or from bedding from July-October to see if i can identify if there's a specific time of year these bucks use an area. I've found many beds, but have yet to find a real defined primary bedding area. Everything i find up here seems to be seasonal. I assume they have multiple bedding areas over a large area that they use depending on the wind and time of year. Early season has still been a mystery to me, i have a much easier time locating them come pre rut.

[Hawthorne]

Just think of your cell cams has a farmer that calls you and says he saw a big buck go into a bedding area this morning and you hunt him that evening. Now you no longer need the farmer to bother you. Lol. I don’t own one yet. Might get one before the summer for some entertainment

[TravisB]

Just to be clear, I wasn’t talking about camera on a trail going to the bed, or close to the bed. I’m talking looking at the bed. You get a pic on your phone and you know he’s in that bed. That’s the scenario I envisioned when I started the thread.

[Dewey]

If you already know he’s there and then get notification with a pic to your phone that he’s up and headed your way I’m sorry but that’s crossing the ethics line.

This is how I feel also. My internal ethics meter really struggles with cell cams in general. Even if you dont put the cell cam in the bed, but on an access trail to the bedding, that's over the line. I realize there is still a lot that has to go right to make the kill even if you know a deer is using a bed, but if you only know a deer is using the bed because your camera sent you a picture, that's cheating. You might as well fly a drone around from the parking lot to see the bedding area before you set up on it. No deer home, drive to the next spot and repeat.
If using cell cams was illegal during hunting season, I would be ok with that.

I currently own one and will be buying a few more so I'm not against them. What I like about cell cams is the ability to just let them run and never having to go in and stink up the place pulling cards all the time. They are also great for using long distances from home so you can save a lot of time, miles and gas money by not having to go check them. In that regard use is really no different than a standard trail cam just way more convenient and can pay for themselves very quickly. I think that was the intended use for them when they were designed.