After considering many different alternatives, the five member Commission voted unanimously to take a brave and resolute stance in this developing issue. The Commission clearly wanted to send a message that hunting in Arizona should follow the principles of widely accepted “Fair Chase” rules where technology can not be substituted for acquiring the traditional skills needed for hunting, which includes being physically present for a hunt and not being guaranteed to “fill your tag” or “bag a trophy.” The rule change still has one more step in the bureaucratic process but is scheduled to be implemented on January 1, 2022, so those winter deer hunts will be the first affected. For all the legal details and updated information you can just Google “AZGFD trail camera ban.”

Although other states ban or regulate the use of these types of cameras (Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Wisconsin), sometimes only during certain seasons, the Arizona complete ban for hunting use could be one of the most restrictive. Opponents of this new rule raised some objections, one of which was the use of cameras for monitoring the sex, age, and numbers of animals in a specific area.  

Indeed, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has implemented the program titled “Snapshot Wisconsin” where dozens and dozens of cameras have been deployed and are maintained primarily by citizen scientists to monitor many different species for many different reasons with some sound scientific planning and interpretation, including chronic wasting disease and elk distribution and sex/age class ratios. Camera traps are replacing traditional live traps for wildlife monitoring in many areas and have proved efficient and have less impact to the critters. Fortunately, this rule does not ban any cameras used for research or monitoring, since they will not be used to aid in the take of wildlife.  

In addition, the situation in Arizona is rather unique compared to other states out east. Elk, deer, javelina and other wildlife will concentrate around sources of water since that is a likely limiting factor in the area. In areas out east, the water sources are more dispersed and so are the hunters. We also have highly sought after bull elk tags compared to other states and areas, so the intensity and pressure to fill those tags is higher, increasing activities in some areas and creating conflicts with other hunters or hikers. With the continual drop in prices of trail cameras, it has become economically feasible for some, mostly guiding businesses, to deploy dozens and dozens of cameras and pay people to maintain them and review all of the photos (which could be fun for the first time, but after that?). The ban may not have been needed if you could still go relieve yourself in the woods without checking all the trees around you for a camera to avoid being the next viral Twitter clip. Or arrested for indecent exposure.

This new rule is intended to reinforce the Department's commitment to ethical hunting that follows the principles of fair chase. The Commission “recognizes that public support for the manner in which wildlife is pursued and taken is of critical importance to the survival of hunting and angling.”  

The Commission is also guided by the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which includes fair chase values as well as provisions to keep hunting and angling readily available to all citizens, not just those who can afford expensive guides or buy dozens of cameras. This decision was not an easy one as public comments opposed to the ban outnumbered those in favor of the ban. But the Commission demonstrated that wildlife management actions cannot always follow a popular public vote, as long-term implications to the public resource sometimes have to take precedence over short-term private, personal interests.

All agree that the camera ban will change the scouting phase of hunting to more traditional techniques of boots-on-the-ground observation and patience skills. The knowledge and abilities needed to be a proficient hunter can be honed during the scouting phase, no matter what season you are out there. Observation of the wind direction at regular intervals should be programmed into your routine, unless you are only pursuing gobblers (but then you'll need full camo since their vision compensates for poor smell). Does anybody know of a trail camera that tells you the prevailing wind direction?

There are many other advantages of traditional scouting methods over using networks of game cameras. Although you may not actually see any animals themselves, depending on the time of day and size of your party, the information gleaned from even a short scouting trip can prove much more valuable. You can identify routes of travel into an area that can vary with the wind direction, as well as finding the game trail that is currently the most used. New scrapes and rubs can be waypointed on a GPS if you purposefully wander through your hunting area. This type of walking where the habitat and animal sign mostly determines your direction of travel can also help find other areas with bedding signs, food and water sources, and thick escape cover. This purposeful wandering is very safe if you are using a GPS and have marked or waypointed your vehicle or the route back to civilization.

Successful hunters recommend focusing on the details when scouting and recording this information so that it is easy to review later. Since the weather influences animal movements greatly here in the White Mountains, especially snow storms, it is important to record that information when scouting along with animal sign, important habitats, and possible spots for a blind or glassing up some critters.  

Not all old timers still use a small spiral bound shirt-pocket notebook with a stubby 2 1/2-inch pencil sporting the dull safety point. Some have upgraded to the waterproof “Write-in-the-Rain” brand notebook with permanent ink but even more are now using phone apps that do most of the work for you. The apps iNaturalist (free) and OnXHunt ($30 per state) are just two examples that allow you to record your observations as well as time and location very easily. Others like GoHunt ($150) offer more options and coverage for more money. The important thing is to take notes in a form that you can use later.

Experienced scouts also try to interpret what the animal sign is telling them, such as when it was made and why it is there. Were the tracks laid during the night only? Is the trail leading to a bedding area? This helps build the big picture that not even the most expensive trail cam can provide.

Other advantages to traditional scouting include the physical conditioning and healthy exposure to the outdoors (if not near a fire!) needed to prepare for the hunt as well as observing wildlife in areas you may travel through on your way to the area being scouted. Spring scouting has the highest chance of finding shed antlers of bucks and bulls who survived the last hunt, in case you need to rationalize your scouting trip as a “revenue generating activity.” Fresh antlers were getting over $14 per pound! That could work year-round but later in the summer and fall it will be more of a “revenue utilizing activity” as sheds are found by people or eaten by rodents.

So the game camera ban slated to become effective at the start of 2022 will certainly change how some hunters prepare for their hunt in Arizona. Some may choose Hunt Units closer to home to allow more frequent in-person scouting trips instead of longer monthly jaunts to replace a memory card and batteries in a distant unit. Others may not be as successful in filling their tag or bagging the trophy they've dreamed of. But all hunters can know that fair chase principles are going to be a hallmark of big game hunting in Arizona for years to come. And that is certainly something to be proud of in these times of so many technological advances.