Poll: do you check strangers cameras on public land?

[Jammintree]

Based on several responses, I’m adding another choice:

I make sure I’m on camera.


I’m feeling pretty 1984…

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the deer, lol.

 

[Jammintree]

When cameras first started showing up in the woods I found it creepy that strangers were taking pictures, and that someone might be keeping track of my comings and goings on public land. It felt like some kind of a violation. In time I got accustomed to the whole process and developed an eye for cameras, and for avoiding them. Eventually I started using cameras too. I love seeing bucks and learning about deer movement and behavior. Though as time has gone on I’ve come to question just how much they are actually helping me. For all the intel I gain from them I also feel like they are a distraction, like they are a “tell” giving intel to other hunters, and in many ways polluting the landscape. I have increasingly mixed feeling about my own relationship with trail cameras, particularly on PUBLIC land.

Hearing everyone’s perspective is fascinating.

Today I leaned that I’m creepy and sketchy…

I carry a card reader and i do upload photos from other peoples cameras left on public land, if they are left UNLOCKED. I don’t alter the camera or its contents. Nothing is stolen from the person who put the camera out, nothing is changed. Why wouldn’t I read information that is right there available to me? Why would I ignore valuable information that could help me have greater success? I’m not sure how doing this is some kind of a theft.

Have you ever been to a public park and used the basketball that somebody left on the court? You and your kid shoot some hoops for fun and leave the ball where you found it; this is not stealing. I’m curious how the law views this matter, does an object left on public property become public or does it remain private, if so for how long?

 

[Tim0712]

Do you consider it stealing if someone uploads the pictures but doesn’t edit or alter them in any way?

If you left cash on your dashboard and someone opened the truck to count it but didn’t take any does that make it ok?

 

[philsanchez76]

In Tennessee it’s only legal to leave a cam or tree stand in the woods for 24 hours. After that it’s there illegally and is considered public property. I’ve verified this with the warden. I never leave my saddle equipment or sticks in the woods but I definitely leave cameras. I’ve only had one stolen and one person just dumped all my batteries on the ground. I was pissed but I took the risk being that my property was now public property. I’ve only ever checked others cams two times and that’s cuz they were in the exact location I was about to hang one in. I just used my reader to skim the pics, def didn’t delete any and then made very sure to turn it back on and make sure it was still taking pics. I don’t see any moral issue here. If a guy has made it all the way to one of my usual spots he’s a hard worker and I’d share info with him too.

 

[Nutterbuster]

Now yall got me wondering...

I don't take Haidt's Moral Foundation Theory super-seriously, but it'd be curious to see if there was a different score between card readers vs non-readers on that and similar tests that attempt to tease out moral the factors behind morality construction

 

[Jammintree]

Now yall got me wondering...

I don't take Haidt's Moral Foundation Theory super-seriously, but it'd be curious to see if there was a different score between card readers vs non-readers on that and similar tests that attempt to tease out moral the factors behind morality construction

Sounds like a great experiment. Can the test be self administered or does it require a proctor?

 

[Nutterbuster]

Sounds like a great experiment. Can the test be self administered or does it require a proctor?

Moral Foundations Test

This test will give you your moral foundations.

www.idrlabs.com

I'm hesitant to call it a great experiment. I think Haidt has a good tree he's barking up (we're wrong to think of morality as monolithic instead of composite, roots in individual-preservation, genetic basis, brain uses older systems for new situations, tension between individual interest and group interest as humans became increasingly eusocial, understanding all of this may make us more civil, etc.) I think he's got the wrong values to make his theory universally applicable.

But it'd be curious to see if the outliers in this group (checkers) differed on one measurement from the norm (leavers-alone).

 

[Jammintree]

Moral Foundations Test

This test will give you your moral foundations.

www.idrlabs.com

I'm hesitant to call it a great experiment.
[/QUOTE

Fair enough - it sounds interesting

 

[TK161BOONER]

When cameras first started showing up in the woods I found it creepy that strangers were taking pictures, and that someone might be keeping track of my comings and goings on public land. It felt like some kind of a violation. In time I got accustomed to the whole process and developed an eye for cameras, and for avoiding them. Eventually I started using cameras too. I love seeing bucks and learning about deer movement and behavior. Though as time has gone on I’ve come to question just how much they are actually helping me. For all the intel I gain from them I also feel like they are a distraction, like they are a “tell” giving intel to other hunters, and in many ways polluting the landscape. I have increasingly mixed feeling about my own relationship with trail cameras, particularly on PUBLIC land.

Hearing everyone’s perspective is fascinating.

Today I leaned that I’m creepy and sketchy…

I carry a card reader and i do upload photos from other peoples cameras left on public land, if they are left UNLOCKED. I don’t alter the camera or its contents. Nothing is stolen from the person who put the camera out, nothing is changed. Why wouldn’t I read information that is right there available to me? Why would I ignore valuable information that could help me have greater success? I’m not sure how doing this is some kind of a theft.

Have you ever been to a public park and used the basketball that somebody left on the court? You and your kid shoot some hoops for fun and leave the ball where you found it; this is not stealing. I’m curious how the law views this matter, does an object left on public property become public or does it remain private, if so for how long?

You forgot to tell us how the owner of the camera gave you permission to tamper with his personal property???
Last I checked, I didn’t give anyone permission to look at my trail camera SD cards…just because the trail camera “door” is unlocked doesn’t make it your right or give you the OK to steal someone’s pics or look at them.
Those cameras are private property and what’s on them is not your business or give you the right to open and see what’s on the SD card. The door is closed for a reason.
If they are left there illegally, you aren’t the law nor do you enforce it so call a game warden.

 

[Jammintree]

You forgot to tell us how the owner of the camera gave you permission to tamper with his personal property???
Last I checked, I didn’t give anyone permission to look at my trail camera SD cards…just because the trail camera “door” is unlocked doesn’t make it your right or give you the OK to steal someone’s pics or look at them.
Those cameras are private property and what’s on them is not your business or give you the right to open and see what’s on the SD card. The door is closed for a reason.
If they are left there illegally, you aren’t the law nor do you enforce it so call a game warden.

Im not a legal scholar, but the following is my understanding of the law as it pertains to personal property left on public land. Perhaps we have lawyers on the forum with knowledge of public land law?

Obviously Laws very state by state; my understanding of the laws in the states where I hunt consider personal property left on public land to be abandoned after 24 hours unattended. By law those cameras, tree stands and other gear cease to be private property after 24 hours. You relinquish your
Ownership of property when you leave it on public, entrusting it in good faith to the rest of the people
Who utilize those spaces. I have great respect for my fellow hunters and in no way have I ever altered or changed someone else’s camera or any other gear, on any land.

Here is just one example of the law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/36/327.15

What makes spaces public is that we can’t stake our claim or permanently occupy any of it. When someone leaves a camera or tree stand long term in a location, it alters the way other people perceive that space.
Another example of this: we can park our vehicles in the public land parking spot for the day, occasionally some places allow us overnight parking, but almost always if we want to park for an extended period we are required to get some kind of parking pass or permit - otherwise they tow our vehicle and asses us fines and fees.

 

[SD Guy]

I'll wave at the camera, nothing more if I see it. & generally avoid the camera in the future. Not surprised to see others are doing as I fear. I Don't use cameras though observe others have different perspective than mine.

 

[elk yinzer]

So since we got cameras identifying as trucks now, I can go park my rusty old farm truck in my favorite spot on gamelands from now until I decide to move it?

 

[Swampman]

In Minnesota it is illegal to leave a camera up on public land overnight. I follow this law but it seems most others do not. I find cameras all over much of the public I hunt. When I find a camera I mark the spot and then share the information with the appropriate game warden.

I know the game wardens go out and retrieve the cameras as I have had them follow up with me and thank me. I do not feel bad about this because the people that leave their cameras on public choose to break the law. I use cameras but only on private land.

I posted this as "Call the appropriate authority" was not an option.

 

[gcr0003]

Moral Foundations Test

This test will give you your moral foundations.

www.idrlabs.com

I'm hesitant to call it a great experiment. I think Haidt has a good tree he's barking up (we're wrong to think of morality as monolithic instead of composite, roots in individual-preservation, genetic basis, brain uses older systems for new situations, tension between individual interest and group interest as humans became increasingly eusocial, understanding all of this may make us more civil, etc.) I think he's got the wrong values to make his theory universally applicable.

But it'd be curious to see if the outliers in this group (checkers) differed on one measurement from the norm (leavers-alone).

This test has a lot of vagueness and holes in it in my opinion. I’m big on the ask good questions get good answers. I think these questions are no good, so I think most of the answers you’ll get are no good. Most of the questions are unclear what your are voting on the morality of since it has many one person did this, one person responded by doing this, type questions. You could answer to the morality of the first person or the second. Next, most of the questions have very little to do with morality in my mind and more or less a question of whether or not the thing is prudent or not.

 

[Jammintree]

I posted this as "Call the appropriate authority" was not an option.

Option created

 

[NMSbowhunter]

It seems that part of the equation of slapping up a camera in a certain spot gives some folks the perception that the spot is now "theirs" which goes directly against the idea of the land being open pubic land. It is the same reason a lot of places make everyone remove stands daily. My guess, from a law enforcement perspective is that most conflicts that wardens have to get involved in are generated by the idea that one guy is moving in on someone else's spot. Look at recent threads about people sabotaging stands and other conflicts and the root of the issue is this idea of "owning a spot" and trying to make others stay away. Cameras can have that sort of passive aggressive claim staking aspect to them.

I run a few cameras on public land, way back and deep. I'm not married to them. When I turn them on and walk away, I know there is a possibility that they won't be there when I return. That is the cost of doing business. If they outlawed them completely on public, I would not have any problem with that and see that it might cut down on hunter conflicts.

 

[7mmremmag]

It's public, 'Treat others as you want to be treated'

I want my stuff left alone, I do the same.

 

[Exhumis]

I feel like this and was always taught, if it’s not mine or don’t have permission from the owner then don’t bother it. I don’t see those wanting to read the cards of someone’s camera on public land any different than parking my truck on public just to come back and find someone was looking through my truck just to see what’s in it! Even if it’s parked on public, it still belongs to me just like cameras on public belong to the owners, if I wanted to see what is in that area then I would place my own camera and retrieve my own pictures. Just as I don’t sit in anyones stand that is left on public either. Just my two cents, God Bless!

This. If it ain’t yours don’t mess with it.

 

[87v6bird]

I'll bite on the "What if someone rummaged through your truck but didn't take anything?" argument.

If I left my truck unlocked (so there's no security feature to bypass) and someone went through my truck and left everything exactly as I found it I wouldn't know that they did it so I wouldn't care that it happened.

On the other hand, if they went through everything and left evidence (i.e. disorganizing my crap or taking something) then I would be perturbed that it occurred. But I couldn't be very mad since I did leave the truck unlocked.

If I locked the truck and they broke in and took something (so that I no longer have whatever it is for my own use) that's wrong. They damaged something of mine, and took something from me.