Using trail camera to catch a thief

[DGT]

I am having problems with someone stealing me blind on some property I bought last year.  What would be a good inferred camera to use to catch this scum?

[Killdeer]

I think I saw a thread like this earlier in the year. Did you do a search for trail cams, surveillance and the like?

A different kind of hunting, but mighty gratifying!
Killdeer   :D

[DGT]

I have looked at a couple online, but I don't know how good the image would be at night.  I think they are doing all of this at night, and I need something that will capture the picture without being detected.

[Killdeer]

I meant using the search engine on the TradGang site. I know that somewhere in Powwow, there has been a discussion of this very subject. The trick is finding the proper search word and bringing up the thread.

Killdeer

[ron w]

Hope you catch them, and I hope they don't steal your trail cam.....

[DGT]

I found the thread you were talking about.  It did have a couple of cameras that looked like they would do the job.  

I hate that it has to get to this but, some people just don't give a hoot about other people stuff; and I am sick and tired of having everything I leave down on the property come up missing.

[Killdeer]

Oh, I guarantee you that they give more than one hoot about your stuff. It's YOU they don't give a hoot about!      
Sometimes I think there are some who know more about my stuff than I do. Catch 'em, cowboy, and I hope the law makes them really unhappy.

Killdeer

[maxwell]

Go get them, have them arrested, the whole nine yards- a normal person would stop after that.  camera should be high maybe a tree pointed at the object?

[Mo. Huntin]

It sucks man but I would take my blind out until they loose interest.  You would have to catch the guy and hog tie him and haul him to jail yourself if you wanted something done around here.  I really doubt that a deputy is going to go looking for someone who stole your blind unless you have super clear photos from good angles and then you better have a name or liscense number.  No slam on the police but it just takes a lot of proof to make something stick.  You prolly got a pair of young guys stealing your stuff.

[Shore08]

Have you decided what pose to have the taxidermist mount your 'game' in after you catch them?  :D

[HATCHCHASER]

Sounds like a good ole steel "bear trap" might be in order.

[Mo. Huntin]

I was thinking conibears maybe put something enticing in a hole, Man that would hurt so bad.
You ever seen those old traps where they use a shotgun with a string tied to stick going through the trigger guard, then tie the string to the double bull.  Might want to load up some rock salt loads.  Just kidding, I think.

[DGT]

I do have a few 330 conibears.

I don't live on the land, so it is hard to police; but these folks will steal anything you leave down there.  They stole a couple of cords of firewood I cut and stacked for my aging parents last fall.  I cut it one day, went to get it a couple of days later, and it was all gone.  It makes me sick knowing I work hard to make a living for my family and someone comes in like a coward and takes my stuff.

[Mo. Huntin]

Man that wood thing makes me really mad.

[Brian Krebs]

First off; our laws are based on English common law; and one of those laws is the 'spring-gun law'.

 A long time ago someone set a trap for a thief; a trap made out of a spring that made an object fly.

  Point is; if you intentionally put out a trap for these people; and injure one in a trap; there is about 200 years of that being recognized by the courts as being totally bad thing to do.
  You in all probability would be sued; as the spring- gun law is the question everyone gets right in law school.

  So- you need to get sneaky; and place a camera where it will not be detected; or go the extra mile ( you could probably get the violator to pay for the cost) of the installation of a satellite camera that gives you a 24 hour live feed. You can record it - and have the image on your computer.

  And if the officers that arrest him search and find other items stolen from you - it would not be unreasonable to say the cost of the cameras was made necessary by the thief. That is where the chances go up of the crook having to pay for the protection he or she created the necessity of the cameras.

 I pity the fool that gets caught twice; nobody likes anyone that creeps around at night and steals things.

  As an excop; if this person is finding stuff in that short a time period as you described--- he or she is in a position to watch you come and go.
   If this person is doing things at night they must have a reason; that implies a knowledge of the area: and the chances of getting caught.                
 A neighbor is highly suspected.

Don't get hurt getting this guy physically; get him in pictures. Juries love that stuff.

[Mo. Huntin]

Yeah once again I was just kidding about the trap thing.

[KentuckyTJ]

I didn't read all replies so you may have already heard this but you realize you can see the infrared lights when they come on. They are red and don't bother the critters but they are visible to the eye and light up the area just as a flash camera does.

[fyrfyter43]

I'm currently using a Cuddeback Capture IR for a similar purpose. We've had some problems with a couple of local teens from my daughter's class vandalizing our vehicles and property, so I want to get a picture of them to take to the parents. I have the camera mounted in a 2nd story window with a suction-cup mount I found at Staples. It's been there about a month now with no trouble.

I've gotten pictures of us coming and going, as well as the mailman delivering packages. I also got a picture of a stranger leaving a note on my Jeep (offering to buy it!). I'm confident that it will catch the vandals when they strike again.

Yes, the IR flash does light up red at night, but unless you're looking directly at it, you're not likely to notice it. Picture quality is no worse than some of the security camera footage that you see in the news, etc. The other benefit is the date/time stamp on each picture.

The camera "wakes up" pretty quickly. The only drawback I see is that it only takes a single picture at a time, with a minimum of a 30 second delay between detections. So it will take only 1 picture every 30 seconds if there is continuous motion.

Since it sounds like you're considering using the camera on an undeveloped peroperty, I would suggest using a "bear safe" type box for the camera and attaching it to a tree with lag screws. That was my original plan, but I couldn't get the camera aimed to the right spot, so I rigged up the window mount. I had the bear safe screwed to the tree with 3/8" lag screws 4" long. It would have been really tough to get that camera off the tree! But I would still put the camera up out of reach, otherwise the bad guy just might put a knife through the camera lens out of spite. You'd still have the pics, but your camera would be trashed.

Good luck! Hopefully you catch the scumbag!

Edit: here's a pic of the guy who left the note on my Jeep. When I look at the full-size pic on my computer, it would be fairly easy to identify the guy. I'll post a night-time pic in a day or 2, when I check the camera again.

   

[pcappy08]

i agree with Brian, i would say take a small camera with a lock box that you could lag bolt to a tree and lock and set it up in a place where it would not be noticed (say like 8 feet off the ground or so ) pointed in the direction of something they might want to steal, then take it from there but it sounds like they cant be all that far.

Good luck and hope you nail his @$$!

[Barry Wensel]

try [email protected]. Sounds exactly what you need. Daytime color/ night time B&W; no flash; short video bursts and programable multiple frames. Available metal lock boxes; or because of it's small size can be hidden inside a little birdhouse. Eight AA batteries last for monthes and will take thousands of photos. Best of luck. bw