Public Land Camera Use

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softedahl16
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Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby softedahl16 » Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:53 am

Early in the spring I placed a camera far back on a piece of public land that I thought had little pressure or hunter activity. I let it run through the summer and into the season. When I went to check it recently, I found that someone had placed another camera directly above mine on the same tree. Is this person just trying to scare me off or am I looking into it too deeply?


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Ryan549
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby Ryan549 » Thu Oct 20, 2022 3:58 am

Possibly letting you know their presence? And trying to see who is also hunting the area by getting you on their camera?

Maybe they have seen your camera there for a long time and didn’t know if it was abandoned- but they are honest and don’t want to remove it?

Maybe they are being a jerk?

I’d read into it as well, but they haven’t stolen your camera, so I would wonder if they are truly malicious.
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szwampdonkey
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Thu Oct 20, 2022 4:10 am

There is no other explanation other than people are weird.
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-db-
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby -db- » Thu Oct 20, 2022 12:35 pm

Won't be long before we'll start seeing cameras watching cameras watching other people's cameras, and so on.
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Dewey
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby Dewey » Thu Oct 20, 2022 1:17 pm

Wow! That’s just ridiculous. :o

People are stupid. That’s my only explanation for that.
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WV Bowhunter
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby WV Bowhunter » Thu Oct 20, 2022 11:14 pm

Could be a novice hunter that has no idea what they are doing and when they wandered by your camera, they hung theirs there to see what they were missing.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity!!
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brancher147
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby brancher147 » Thu Oct 20, 2022 11:44 pm

Who knows? I would just mark that spot off and move on.

I don’t see many cameras though, maybe one or two a year so it doesn’t take much for me to mark a spot off. I prefer to hunt away from people.
Some do. Some don't. I just might...
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hunter_mike
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby hunter_mike » Fri Oct 21, 2022 8:25 am

I had the same thought as you. It seems like the guy who hung that camera is being territorial or is just trying to discourage you from hunting that area. Almost seems like a bit of friendly competition to me if he didnt mess with your camera. It is possible that he might have had a plan to hang a camera in the exact tree that you hung yours and when he got there he saw you beat him to it. I have climbed up into a tree to hunt in the past only to get 15 feet up and find a screw in bow holder hook from someone else who had picked the exact tree in the past.
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1STRANGEWILDERNESS
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Fri Oct 21, 2022 1:48 pm

Only a guess but I would bet someone else was already hunting around there in the past. Came out seen your cam and is letting you know they are there. What there demeanor is.. hard to say. It’s a good sign tho that your cam was not smashed. I’d move on most likely.
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby sloughdog » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:11 pm

I agree with the idea of if you see my cam and want to check the card go for it I don’t care. Rather that than steal it or destroy it. I recently had a cam running for 9 or so months on private ground only to have someone take the card and delete it and twist the camera around the tree. Caught him on another camera he didn’t see but can’t identify him.
Truth be told I’ve checked a few cams that weren’t mine on public ground before. But I didn’t delete the sd or mess with the camera in anyway. To me it’s no different than checking out another hunters stand on public (why it’s where it is, is it being used, climb in it to get a view, dump mothballs around it…just kidding, etc)
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby sloughdog » Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:15 pm

I agree with the idea of if you see my cam and want to check the card go for it I don’t care. Rather that than steal it or destroy it. I recently had a cam running for 9 or so months on private ground only to have someone take the card and delete it and twist the camera around the tree. Caught him on another camera he didn’t see but can’t identify him.
Truth be told I’ve checked a few cams that weren’t mine on public ground before. But I didn’t delete the sd or mess with the camera in anyway. To me it’s no different than checking out another hunters stand on public (why it’s where it is, is it being used, climb in it to get a view, dump mothballs around it…just kidding, etc)
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szwampdonkey
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby szwampdonkey » Sat Oct 22, 2022 12:24 am

sloughdog wrote:I agree with the idea of if you see my cam and want to check the card go for it I don’t care. Rather that than steal it or destroy it. I recently had a cam running for 9 or so months on private ground only to have someone take the card and delete it and twist the camera around the tree. Caught him on another camera he didn’t see but can’t identify him.
Truth be told I’ve checked a few cams that weren’t mine on public ground before. But I didn’t delete the sd or mess with the camera in anyway. To me it’s no different than checking out another hunters stand on public (why it’s where it is, is it being used, climb in it to get a view, dump mothballs around it…just kidding, etc)


In WI it’s actually legal to use an un occupied stand on public or a lot of Conservancy land where they let you leave it up. The DNR also states in the WI regs, “Place trail cameras at your own risk. The DNR will not be responsible for theft or damage of trail cameras on DNR managed land.” I highly doubt it’s illegal to check a trail camera. I always hear the “as long as it’s legal” argument thrown around about just about everything hunting related. If you leave a cam out, it’s at your own risk.

For me, they’re just a beacon screaming to hunt elsewhere. :lol:
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby sloughdog » Sun Oct 23, 2022 3:38 am

“beacon to hunt elsewhere.” 1000% !!!
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby Tennhunter3 » Sun Oct 23, 2022 3:43 am

There's probably areas he isn't getting into.
Chances are he is just another uneducated hunter who will sit in the pretty hardwoods by a scrape.

If you have something big in their the buck will be where neither of you go. If your cam showed nothing big I'd move on but I wouldn't stop hunting a area due to one rude hunter. You can target it during the week or rainy Conditions.

If it's your only area with something big go for it.
Never give up Freedom for imagined safety.
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ZSV
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Re: Public Land Camera Use

Unread postby ZSV » Mon Oct 24, 2022 4:52 pm

So, I’m assuming you got a picture of them since your camera was there first. Do you recognize them?
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