Utah Trail Camera Law Passes
(Updated 1-4-2022) Utah has officially voted today to restrict the use of trail cameras. Trail cameras in Utah can no longer be used to help aid in or be used to take big game between July 31 to December 31 of every year. There are a few exemptions to this law for agricultural purposes and those who are authorized by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. We are assuming this law will go into effect this year. (2022) We will update this article as soon as we know.
Potential Issue
The new law passed can have a backlash on nonhunters or those who hunt but did not draw a tag and are still using trail cameras. People who are using trail cameras are now at risk of having their trail cameras, set up legally, taken by DWR officials and people who believe it is their duty to police others around them. Because of this, the risk of losing trail cameras is increased substantially.
(Updated: 11-29-2021) On November 23, 2021, the Division of Wildlife Resources came out with an update concerning the regulations that the state of Utah has required of them. After surveying 14,000 hunters they have purposed the following changes to laws governing trail cameras.
Utah Trail Camera Law Proposal
- Transmiting trail cameras will be banned for aiding in the harvest of an animal from July 31 to January 31
- This would not apply to areas that have a urban deer program or land owners that use them to help watch their properties. However, transmiting trail cameras can still not be used to aid taking big game even for property owners.
- The use of night vision devices will be prohibited to be used 48 hours before and after any big game hunts.
- This includes devices that use infared lights. This might include trail cameras in general as most trail cameras use infared to capture images at night as the proposal stands now.
This law proposal is definitely better than the initial proposals especially as it allows those who are not hunters to use their cameras. However, the part that does concern us is the part of the proposal that prohibits the use of infrared devices during the hunting seasons. This is because most trail cameras use infrared lights to see animals at night. This can be navigated around if you have a trail camera that has timers on them and can have it turn off the lights.
Past Trail Camera Info
At the beginning of 2021, lawmakers attempted to pass a law that would ban the use of trail cameras in Utah during some parts of the year. The ban would eliminate the use of cellular trail cameras between July 1 and December 31 and other cameras between August 1 and December 31. If you would like to learn more about this law, scroll down and keep reading or click below!
This trail camera also has a few loopholes that could be helpful to know click below to learn more about them.
All pictures on this page would be illegal under the purposed bill above.
After a lot of debate by Utah lawmakers and the general public, the Utah trail camera bill was updated. The new bill instructed the Utah wildlife board to make laws to help control the use of cameras in Utah. There are currently no Utah trail camera laws other than the fact that all trail camera users must respect private property laws.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently came out with an updated Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook. This guidebook is one of the ways Utah keeps the general public aware of the local wildlife laws. In the guidebook, there was an official statement from the Division of Wildlife Resources concerning the trail camera laws (see below).
Utah Trail Cameras
The Utah trail camera law is still up for debate. The Utah DWR wants to hear the opinion of the general public! This law was initially made to make it harder for hunters to locate and shoot animals. However, the law does not take into consideration the large number of people who simply enjoy watching animals with trail cameras. Another issue with the way this Utah trail camera law has been introduced is that it was published in a hunting guidebook and nowhere else. Those who are passionate about using trail cameras simply for fun and not for hunting would be aware of these laws. We encourage you to make your voice heard, especially if you live in Utah. Trail cameras are a fun way to introduce people to wildlife in a safe environment.
Please help us keep these laws friendly for all outdoorsmen! Visit the DWR website, follow them on social media, and watch for updates! Let’s make our voices heard!