The Arizona Wildlife Commission has voted to ban trail cameras for the purpose of helping hunters take animals. Likewise, the Commission voted 5-0 in support of banning the trail cameras much to the despair of that gathered crowd. Ehuntr covered this possible ban in an earlier story, you can check that out here.
Several people gathered at the site of the vote, their purpose was to voice their support or opposition to the ban. 31 people spoke in opposition to the ban, stating several reasons why the ban was wrong. In contrast, only 18 spoke in support of the ban. On top of the people assembled in the meeting room, the AZGFD Commission received thousands of comments about the potential ban. In response to all the comments, the Commission discussed several different options. However, in the end, the Commission decided to go with a complete ban.
The AZGFD states that trail cameras have become a strong source of conflict between hunters. Likewise, they state that the frequent checking of trail cameras is causing issues with wildlife and interfering with livestock operations.
There was also concern about privacy laws and the worry that people would profit off of their trail camera pictures. Essentially AZGFD thought that individuals who got photos of a trophy-class animal would, in turn, try and sell that information to the highest bidder.
The majority of the hunters at the meeting stated that they thought the Commissions were “ridiculous”.
“Everything I’ve heard today is people’s emotions, [there is]no science.” – Larry Martinez, hunter, Prescott, AZ
Trail cameras have been a hot-button topic in Arizona. In the past, the state legislature even took a crack at managing them. The Commission also worried that with the cost of the cameras continuing to fall, more hunters would end up hanging them up.
The ban will take effect on January 1, 2022. For more information about the ban, you can click here.
What are your thoughts on Arizona banning trail cameras? Do you think it is the correct move? Let us know in the comments!
