Trail Camera Stolen

[Horner]

Went out to check my trail camera yesterday.  I have been hiking over a mile back in some national forest land.  Hoping to get some pics of a buck that I saw last year.  I have had my camera out for over a month now, and have done this for three seasons with no problems, until yesterday.

I made my way back to it and my jaw hit the dirt! It was no where to be seen.  I sat down on a downed log for an hour or so. After thinking about it, I got my head clear enough to walk back out.

I told my Dad about it, he is 62.  He laughed and said well what did you expect!  He told me that when ever he was my age he put out some rabbit boxes.  He said, the bad thing about that was someone use to beat him back to them and take his game out of them.  He just gave up doing them after a bit.  I told him that was to bad, I would have enjoyed doing that with him when I was younger.  

I hate that this kind of stuff takes place.  I was not going to write about this on here, but I can't stop thinking about it.

I hope all who stumble on other peoples things, will just leave them alone.  I work hard for my money and it makes me sick that someone else could just take from someone something that was not theirs.
Bryan Horner

[longbowben]

Hope Carma gets him.  :mad:

[Don Stokes]

That's why I'm so enamored of my little camo Scoutguard. It's hard for me to find, and I know where it is! Since my first game camera was stolen, I try very hard to hide them from people. I don't use a security system of any kind, because it makes them more visible. I've had stands stolen that were locked to the tree with logging chain and heavy padlock, so I don't put much faith in locking them up. The chain was stolen too.

[Blackhawk]

I feel your pain. I was concerned about the two that I have, but secured them with bike locks. If the thieves really wanted them, they could cut it. At least the locks give me a little sense of security.

Theft of my property always makes me feel as if I have been personally violated.

[Gil Verwey]

The best I saw was a guy here in NJ last year had a camera out at his ladder stand. A camo clad thief came along and was looking up in the trees at his stand when he got his picture taken. He stole the stand but didn't see the camera. The guy whose stand was stolen blew up the picture and put it in every sporting good store in the area with his phone number and story of what the scum thief did. I don't know if he ever caught the guy. The sad thing is that most of these thieves are hunters.

[smokin joe]

These thieves are not real hunters.
They may be out hunting, they may dress like hunters, and they might even talk about hunting and sound like they know something.
But, we all know that real hunters have honesty and integrity. Real hunters play by the rules. Real hunters have ethical standards.
Thieves are simply thieves.
Joe

[wollelybugger]

I bet there is a picture of him on it somewhere. I lost three tree stands one season, makes you mad. Sorry about your loss.

[Dave Bowers]

This thievery of hunting related gear is getting outa hand.

[zwickeyman]

I checked one of my cameras last week and it had pics of a fisherman on it with a couple of nice pics of the guy looking in at the camera. He didn't take it but I moved it any way.

[Winterhawk1960]

Bryan,

A buddy of mine that I hunt with in another "river county" south of you had his stand stolen on a piece of "public land" that he had hunted for the past 10 years. He had hunted the same tree.....year after year. About a week after he had the stand stolen, we were scouting a little bit one morning and happened back into the area.

There was another stand hung within 10 yards of where his was stolen from. No way of knowing whether it was the same person or not. Sure seemed kinda odd that another stand would happen to "appear" in the same, exact place. There are only two ways into the place that I am speaking of, we had saw one particular truck parked by one of the ways in on several occasions. No way to prove anything, one way or the other.

That being said, he already has one put back, exactly where the other one that was stolen was. We are gonna keep a real close eye on the area, during the month of October.....if it was the guy that parks close to the access to the stand, and he catches him.......well let's just say that I am quite sure that the fella won't "walk" out of the woods. My buddy was "hot" last year, and I talked him out of approaching the guy about it. It never ceases to amaze me, the lack of respect that people show now days for someone elses property.

Some people just don't seem to have any "self-discipline".....therefore they need some "instilled discipline".

Sorry to hear about your loss, but I honestly believe that "karma" will bite that individual on the keyster.......eventually.

Winterhawk1960

[rnharris]

imo lots people have been raised without the fear of God in their lives the supreme court kicked God out of the public schools in 1969 we have been on a downward spiral since then,not everyone was raised with good morals to respect other peoples property shame really but it's where we are right now in much of America,hope you recover your loss,Ralph

[Tom]

Had a pop up blind stolen off private land last year,used it twice and gone. Have never had a stand stolen yet but  I hope I don't catch them in the act.
 Kind of hard not to feel hateful for a while but know it will be returned to them in spades.

[moebow]

Seems that you guys are missing a pre-season warm up opportunity.  Set up your trail cam and treestand along with a video camera and record the reaction when an arrow scares the ____ out of the perpetrator.

[moebow]

That's an outdoor channel program I'd watch!!!!

[Horner]

Moebow, now you have gave me something to think about.  That could be fun!!!!! LOL

[ishoot4thrills]

I just put up a new-to-me two-man ladder stand the other day. I haven't put a lock on it yet but plan on putting one on it this weekend. I thought about putting a sign on it that reads: "Smile, you have just been photographed by a hidden infrared game trail camera. Leave the stand alone and you won't get in trouble." Even though I don't even have a trail cam. Stupid idea?

I also put a couple of copper trap tags, with my name and address on them, on the stand too. I know that they can be easily cut off, but hopefully, if someone sees a name on it, it could possibly deter theft? Depends on who it is I guess.

[Don Stokes]

I use 12' wooden ladder stands that I build from treated 1X4's. Built 12 of them a few years ago to spread around my property. After having one stolen from one of my prime spots, I replaced it and took my cordless drill and some long deck screws and screwed it to the tree several times. It will take some serious effort to get it this time. I don't think a regular screwdriver will get them out.

Probably can't do that on public land.

[rightminded]

In fall of 06 we put out a 150#, $100.00 protein feeder.  Our private land.  Quarter mile from road.  No problem even though we were having uninvited help with our deer hunting.  Then in Dec 08 it ran out of feed and i decided to move it about 75 yards further from the road.  Intending to add feed the next week. Came back and it was gone.  As long as i kept feed in it it stayed, when i failed to fill it, it disappeared.  It could have been carried out by one person.  By this thread it looks like deer woods theft is rampant.  We will be trying some of the suggestions mentioned above.

[PAPA BEAR]

get a rope

[Shooty1]

While I don't believe that cameras should be stolen, I imagine that some folks just don't like to be photographed. No one seems to ever address that one.