How New Hampshire Game Camera Laws Changed

I am sure many of you are familiar with photos taken by game cameras of beautiful wildlife, but did you know how New Hampshire game camera laws changed?

Trespass and Illegal Off-Trail Violations

No doubt some of you may own a game camera. Are you aware that game cameras are useful tools in catching trespass or snowmobile violators? For many years conservation officers and landowners have used game cameras to catch violators operating without landowner permission and trespassers on their property, leading to successful prosecution of those violators.

Where using the camera as a tool to locate snowmobile violations and wildlife are a positive for their use, the cameras and owners of them have caught a bad rap.

Game Cameras on Private Property

Currently a person can go onto another person’s property and set up a game camera to take pictures of wildlife unless that property is posted to No Trespassing. Since game cameras have been around awhile and have become cheaper to purchase, many people have utilized them.

This boom of camera use has had many landowners in an uproar about where cameras have been placed. Some stories go as far as game cameras being set up in the backyards of people’s homes and invading people’s privacy. These stories have never been substantiated to my knowledge and seem more like fairy tale than truth.

How New Hampshire Game Camera Laws Changed

Last year HB 221 was introduced to the legislature to regulate the use of game cameras. HB 221 passed both the NH House and Senate over the winter and was signed by the Governor in August of 2023

This law requires consent from the landowner to set a game camera on private property. This would include snowmobile club members who wish to hang a camera to catch violators. The law would exclude conservation officers from obtaining permission.

Game Camera Owner Label

Along with consent of the landowner, the camera must be marked with the owner’s name and contact information. This law seeks to help landowners, and happy landowners are essential to the future of snowmobiling.