By KRISTIAN FODEN-VENCIL/Oregon Public Broadcasting
It’s morning in a hunting blind at the Santiam Valley Ranch, a private duck hunting club near Turner, just south of Salem. It’s cold and wet. But it’s not hunting season, so Mike Totey isn’t shooting.
“I remember going out with my dad and uncles and family friends before I was even hunting,” says Totey, conservation director of the Oregon Hunters Association. “I cherish those memories. You know, I lost my Dad 10 years ago and he was one of my favorite hunting partners.”
As the cost of thermal imaging cameras has dropped, from thousands of dollars to about $200, Totey says, more hunters have started using them to find deer or elk. But officials are cracking down on hunters using the technology. Pointing to a tangle of blackberry bushes less than 10 feet away, Totey explains that the benefits are obvious.
“There are pheasant and quail out there,” he says. “Upland birds, tight under cover. If you had thermal imaging, maybe you could find those over in that thick brush there.”
A few years ago, the state made hunting with thermal imaging cameras illegal. Totey says the Oregon Hunters Association agrees with the ban.
“They evolved pretty quickly and started getting used in the hunting community and people were like, ‘You know, I think that might be crossing a line,’” he says. “For some people it crossed a line much sooner than others. Others might say, ‘I don’t think that line has been crossed at all and I don’t understand why I can’t use it.’”
What would happen if someone brought a thermal camera to Totey’s hunting blind?
“We’d tell him to basically take it back to the truck. We can’t have that out here,” Totey says. “Just because you’re not the one holding the device, doesn’t mean you’re not benefiting from it or using it.”
In December, the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife arrested 13 hunters in Clackamas County and seized 14 infrared devices allegedly used for hunting.
He’s one of 128 wildlife enforcement officers in the state. He said technology is constantly evolving to make hunting easier, whether it be rifle scopes with clearer glass that automatically calculate range, duck decoys that move like the real thing, or just clothes that are warmer and lighter.
“I think in general, technology, as it increases, we have to look at the regulations and how they affect ethical hunting and fair chase,” Galusha said.
The Oregon Hunters Association defines ethical hunting and fair chase as the sportsmanlike and lawful taking of a wild animal in a manner that doesn’t give the hunter an unfair advantage. Unfair means the deer or elk or bird should have a reasonable chance of escape.
The OHA wants fair chase hunters to understand that hunting is not only about what is legal, but also about what is honorable. The group said technology shouldn’t reduce the skill of hunting to simple shooting.
Brian Wolfer with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said poaching with illegal tech affects other hunters, because it reduces the population of the species.
“We are setting the hunting season relative to the population, and so you have that reduction in opportunity for lawful hunters,” Wolfer said.
There are lots of longstanding technological prohibitions for hunters. For example, they’re not supposed to use lights at night, because it robs prey of the ability to use darkness to escape.
“We don’t allow people to use scopes that electronically link with range finders, or phones that would automatically adjust point of aim, and things like that,” Wolfer said.
But not everyone follows the law, and laws change significantly from state to state. Galusha said people flout the laws for many reasons.
“Some shoot for the thrill of killing. They’ll leave them and the meat would be wasted,” Galusha said. “Some harvest it and give to others, their family or friends. Sometimes it’s just cutting off the head, and taking the head and antlers as a trophy.”
Fines for poaching in Oregon can reach $50,000, and jail time is an option. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a tip line to report unsporting conduct at 1-800-452-7888.
- This story originally appeared March 18, 2025 on Oregon Public Broadcasting.
thermal imaging should be allowed outside of season to scout, but never allowed during hunting season. I think possession of one in a vehicle shouldn’t be a violation if cased and not being used other than possibly finding a lost hunter after dark. And shooting an animal and wasting it…disgusting and should be a life time loss of hunting rights. I can understand not being able to recover, not talking about that…but purposedly leaving and wasting game. Not making an attempt after the animal doesn’t drop in place is also wasting game…it’s not supposed to be a grocery store. Learn to trail wounded animals, as it will inevitably happen sometime over the years.
Hunting after dark or before daylight is already illegal. If an animal is taken during those times, poachers should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Having said that, anything that gives hunters an advantage should also be illegal. Things like a hunting stand or blind along with trail cams should also be outlawed. We understand that our state doesn’t want us to hunt period. So if you’re going to make items that you choose illegal, cover all advantages. Don’t just pick and choose according to your opinion.