This a very interesting article about the use of cellphones when hunting.
2011 Firearms Deer Hunting Season: Calling all deer hunters.
Cellphones, electronics have a place in the field, but can easily be misused
Posted: October 28, 2011 - 6:07pm
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Gary Drotts can see it now. Or maybe it’s sometime in the future.
“It will get cheap enough with (trail) cameras where you could have four to five monitors in your deer stand going at one time,” Drotts, DNR wildlife manager in Brainerd, said of the impact of technology on deer hunting. “You could sit there and sleep until one (of the monitors) beeps when a deer comes in and then just get up and shoot the deer.”
Whether Drotts was being futuristic to make a point remains to be seen. But there’s no doubt that electronics and technology have changed the deer hunting experience in recent years, creating potential challenges for Drotts and those who will monitor Saturday’s Minnesota firearms deer hunting opener.
“They (deer) haven’t adapted at all, but we keep inventing better, faster tools to harvest deer,” Drotts said. “They (technological advances) do probably increase the harvest rates some. If so, we have to look at that and decide if we have to change anything. Is it a problem today or tomorrow? Is it a problem now? Probably not. But with time ....”
Years ago, about the only electronics in the field for deer hunts were two-way radios — walkie-talkies — which, of course, have given way to cellphones. And in a big way — a majority of the 500,000 or so hunters in the field this season will likely have cellphones with them.
And that’s OK, Drotts said.
“You can carry them (in the field) and they’re a good safety device,” he said.
Tim Collette, DNR conservation officer for the Pequot Lakes area, agreed that cellphones have their place in the field in these modern-day hunts. But misuses remain a concern.
“It isn’t even the calling back and forth or the texting. The main thing people need to remember is that it’s fine to text or call another hunter and say ‘I want to go in. It’s cold.’ Or ‘I need help dragging this deer out.” But where they cross the line is you can’t use electronics to aid in the taking of big game. You can’t say ‘A deer is coming in your direction.’ Or ‘We’re making a drive. Get ready.’ That’s aiding and abetting. But with the prominence of texting, people don’t even stop and think about it. They automatically do it.
“That’s crossing the line. But it’s getting more and more common where I’m interviewing someone for some reason and this person knew this deer was coming. That’s where we say ‘Did you get a text on this. Can I look at your phone. I have (checked hunters’ phones for texts). But I have not had a case where I’ve caught anybody. I’ve had ones where they admitted ‘I texted and didn’t even think of it. But it wasn’t where they actually took a deer. So I give a lot of verbal warnings that you can’t do that, it’s a violation to do that.”
Hunters using phones to aid in the taking of deer face fines and other penalties.
“Part of hunting is to preserve the traditions of the hunt and how you frame fair chase,” Drotts said. “It’s obvious to them (cellphone users) that it’s a useful tool (for hunting) and they don’t hardly think about it anymore (using cellphones in hunts).”
But beside safety reasons — using the cellphone to call in case of an emergency or using cellphone GPS devices to find one’s way — there are other obvious advantages to such electronics. Minnesota hunters may register their deer by phone or Internet, which eliminates having to drive to a registration station. Call (888) 706-6367 or go to www.mndnr.gov/gameregistration to do so.Other informative websites also are accessible for hunters who have Internet access on their cellphones. And, of course, there are cellphone apps for hunters, too. Among the new deer hunting apps this year is “Deer Diary, the App for Hunters.”
The app is available for Android and iPhones users and offers satellite map locations, current weather data (sky condition, temperature, wind direction/speed), the ability to share hunting information on www.DeerDiary.com without giving up your exact location and a locator tool that gives you the exact location of your stand and allows you to mark harvest locations or, say, blood trails and the easiest way to get back to your camp or vehicle.“Successful hunters know their surroundings and understand the conditions that make for the best hunts. With ‘Deer Diary’ it’s easy to record these conditions, see patterns and ultimately become more effective on the hunt,” said Gus Saucerman of Indiana, the app’s owner and creator.
Cost of the app is $1.99 and the eight reviews of the app as of Friday were mostly positive. For more on the app or to download, go to www.DeerDiary.com.“That (the app) is a great example of how things are changing,” Collette said. “I know hunters who have kept good notes over the years. That’s just a smart way of looking at hunting. If so, I would embrace that. You can’t begrudge people for stepping it up in note-taking. As long as you keep it to that it’s fine.”
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerd dispatch.com or 855-5864. To follow him on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/brian_speterson. For his blogs, go to www. brainerddispatch.com.
“It will get cheap enough with (trail) cameras where you could have four to five monitors in your deer stand going at one time,” Drotts, DNR wildlife manager in Brainerd, said of the impact of technology on deer hunting. “You could sit there and sleep until one (of the monitors) beeps when a deer comes in and then just get up and shoot the deer.”
Whether Drotts was being futuristic to make a point remains to be seen. But there’s no doubt that electronics and technology have changed the deer hunting experience in recent years, creating potential challenges for Drotts and those who will monitor Saturday’s Minnesota firearms deer hunting opener.
“They (deer) haven’t adapted at all, but we keep inventing better, faster tools to harvest deer,” Drotts said. “They (technological advances) do probably increase the harvest rates some. If so, we have to look at that and decide if we have to change anything. Is it a problem today or tomorrow? Is it a problem now? Probably not. But with time ....”
Years ago, about the only electronics in the field for deer hunts were two-way radios — walkie-talkies — which, of course, have given way to cellphones. And in a big way — a majority of the 500,000 or so hunters in the field this season will likely have cellphones with them.
And that’s OK, Drotts said.
“You can carry them (in the field) and they’re a good safety device,” he said.
Tim Collette, DNR conservation officer for the Pequot Lakes area, agreed that cellphones have their place in the field in these modern-day hunts. But misuses remain a concern.
“It isn’t even the calling back and forth or the texting. The main thing people need to remember is that it’s fine to text or call another hunter and say ‘I want to go in. It’s cold.’ Or ‘I need help dragging this deer out.” But where they cross the line is you can’t use electronics to aid in the taking of big game. You can’t say ‘A deer is coming in your direction.’ Or ‘We’re making a drive. Get ready.’ That’s aiding and abetting. But with the prominence of texting, people don’t even stop and think about it. They automatically do it.
“That’s crossing the line. But it’s getting more and more common where I’m interviewing someone for some reason and this person knew this deer was coming. That’s where we say ‘Did you get a text on this. Can I look at your phone. I have (checked hunters’ phones for texts). But I have not had a case where I’ve caught anybody. I’ve had ones where they admitted ‘I texted and didn’t even think of it. But it wasn’t where they actually took a deer. So I give a lot of verbal warnings that you can’t do that, it’s a violation to do that.”
Hunters using phones to aid in the taking of deer face fines and other penalties.
“Part of hunting is to preserve the traditions of the hunt and how you frame fair chase,” Drotts said. “It’s obvious to them (cellphone users) that it’s a useful tool (for hunting) and they don’t hardly think about it anymore (using cellphones in hunts).”
But beside safety reasons — using the cellphone to call in case of an emergency or using cellphone GPS devices to find one’s way — there are other obvious advantages to such electronics. Minnesota hunters may register their deer by phone or Internet, which eliminates having to drive to a registration station. Call (888) 706-6367 or go to www.mndnr.gov/gameregistration to do so.Other informative websites also are accessible for hunters who have Internet access on their cellphones. And, of course, there are cellphone apps for hunters, too. Among the new deer hunting apps this year is “Deer Diary, the App for Hunters.”
The app is available for Android and iPhones users and offers satellite map locations, current weather data (sky condition, temperature, wind direction/speed), the ability to share hunting information on www.DeerDiary.com without giving up your exact location and a locator tool that gives you the exact location of your stand and allows you to mark harvest locations or, say, blood trails and the easiest way to get back to your camp or vehicle.“Successful hunters know their surroundings and understand the conditions that make for the best hunts. With ‘Deer Diary’ it’s easy to record these conditions, see patterns and ultimately become more effective on the hunt,” said Gus Saucerman of Indiana, the app’s owner and creator.
Cost of the app is $1.99 and the eight reviews of the app as of Friday were mostly positive. For more on the app or to download, go to www.DeerDiary.com.“That (the app) is a great example of how things are changing,” Collette said. “I know hunters who have kept good notes over the years. That’s just a smart way of looking at hunting. If so, I would embrace that. You can’t begrudge people for stepping it up in note-taking. As long as you keep it to that it’s fine.”
BRIAN S. PETERSON may be reached at brian.peterson@brainerd dispatch.com or 855-5864. To follow him on Twitter, go to www.twitter.com/brian_speterson. For his blogs, go to www. brainerddispatch.com.
