Am I right or wrong here. opinions please

[stick-um]

I hunt public land in OK. Back in Sept I put out a trail cam deep in the woods or so I thought. I went back at the end of sept and it was gone. I was pretty mad and go back to the same spot in hopes of finding it. Well this past weekend I went back in and was wondering around and I found a camera about 500 yards from where I hunt. I went and looked at it and saw that it was my camera and my name had been scratched off of it. I took my camera and was leaving when I came upon a ground blind 30 yards away. So here is what I did. I moved the ground blind about 500 yards from where I found it. I'm not a thief so I did'nt take it. I wanted this person to feel how I felt when I came to check my camera and it was gone. My wife is all over me now for moving the blind. She said I should of just turned the other cheek and left it alone. Am I wrong here. I'm sure yall will have an opinion.

[L. E. Carroll]

   What is the saying? "WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND" Maybe he'll think better next time!!
Gene

[RightTrailWrongTime]

Mmmmmmmm well on public ground the chances of the owner findin his blind are probably slim and someone else now has a new ground blind but I'm sure whoever it was surely has felt your pain now but what if the owner of the blind wasn't the thief of your camera? Now what? Not sure what I would of done, I'm suprised that you happened upon your camera in the same area. Around here I have had a few things taken even on private land, although I have left a few stands in the woods for years now I don't leave anything behind for the vulchers. Good luck, not sure what to say about the wife part might try explaining it subbing the camera and blind for a car and purse explanation-

[joekeith]

Sounds good to me...  

[draco]

He got off easier than if you had called a game warden and pressed charges againsst him. I think what you did will serve him right.

[BradLantz]

excellent - maybe he wont find it and learn a lesson

[BrianK]

Did he erase the picture of him stealing it?

[TomMcDonald]

I wouldn't have done that.
You don't even know if it's his or her blind.

[jimmerc]

I would have left a little note in the blind,thanking him for finding your camera and said to collect your reward call me! then left the phone number for your local game warden!!

[madness522]

Since it is public game lands I don't think you putting out a camera and expecting it be left alone was right to begin with.  Glad you found it and I don't have a problem with you moving the blind you could have done a lot worse.  I think that if you can go to bed and not loose sleep over it you did ok.

[Curveman]

I would have left him a note just in case the blind owner didn't steal the camera. (Maybe it is obvious from the camera placement that it was him-you don't say). It may be improbable but who knows? Did you look to see if there is a treestand twenty yards in the other direction?  Sounds silly, but I've discovered stands within yards of each other facing the same trail. A note saying: "I could have stolen your blind as you stole my camera-how would you have felt?!" etc. may have sufficed. Besides if you moved a blind that he isn't likely to find, isn't that being pretty much a thief? Just because you don't have the blind in your garage doesn't mean you didn't steal it.

[killinstuff]

I would have been watching for the guy and had a few words with him myself but I think it's funny you moved the blind. More then likely he stole the blind from someone else anyway I'd bet. I can see the guy walking out to hunt and thinking "someone stole my stolen blind and they stole my stolen camera". Can't trust anyone these days.

[ethan]

There's alot of good points made here.  But in my opinion the chances of finding your camera set up in conjunction with someones else's blind are pretty slim.  If a guy has the moral character to steal something from another man then he's got the moral character to read a note and laugh about it.  If he wouldn't have stolen the camera then he wouldn't have lost his blind.

[tradtusker]

i think its very lucky you found your camera.

as for moving the blind    :D ... you could have done a lot worse i guess

[hit or miss]

I think you did ok!  I do like the idea of a note similar to what others have suggested.

"I have notified the game warden you are a thief.  They will be watching to see if you are a poacher too."  Might have been a cool way to put it.  Make them paranoid at least.

[BrianfromTulsa]

I would have waited on him, but that's me.  I think you did just fine.  I think a note would have been a nice touch tho.

[leatherneck]

I'm glad you got your camera back but I wouldn't have moved the blind. Around here if your caught messing with someones stuff it could get real ugly.Regardless if they are a thief or not. A note would have made him/her think about it. Think about it, you feel you did not steal his blind by just moving it. Technically, didn't he just do the same? Point is don't lower yourself to his/her level. Be the better man.
Make a steel box for your camera and it will make it harder to steal. Also cuddyback's are pass word protected and gives you a little better feeling knowing that they can't use it.
Now, if you catch them in the act, kick their a**!

Mike

[longbowben]

I would have waited on him and did some bad things.But you did the right thing.

[BOFF]

Originally posted by Curveman:
I would have left him a note just in case the blind owner didn't steal the camera. (Maybe it is obvious from the camera placement that it was him-you don't say). It may be improbable but who knows? Did you look to see if there is a treestand twenty yards in the other direction?  Sounds silly, but I've discovered stands within yards of each other facing the same trail. A note saying: "I could have stolen your blind as you stole my camera-how would you have felt?!" etc. may have sufficed. Besides if you moved a blind that he isn't likely to find, isn't that being pretty much a thief? Just because you don't have the blind in your garage doesn't mean you didn't steal it.

X2
Curveman took the words from my head, but wrote them better.

[vermonster13]

Were there any pictures of people on the camera? I wouldn't expect any left from the stealing but there could be news one from where it was placed. I would have checked first before touching the blind and then watched to see if the user of the blind turned out to be the same person. Would have been much easier finding out when you knew where they'd be and easier to confirm it was the same person. if not a note on the tree where the camera was saying "I'm watching you!" would have been a bit of a wake-up for the thief.