Thieves

[Huntrdfk]

I have a close friend that I hunt a fair amount with every year.  He and his family own a substantial amount of property in his home town, and we hunt that property a lot. His properties are not posted, in fact they are in conservation easment and are open to all to hunt.  Two weeks ago he went went to one of his stands only to find it and his climbing sticks stolen.

Yesterday, being Thanksgiving, I was at his house at 5 am for our 19th consecutive Thanksgiving morning hunt.  We were hunting his mother's property this time, and he gave me specific directions to a stand so he wouldn't have to walk me in.  I followed the directions as he instructed, right to the end of a stone wall, looked up and saw nothing but tree.......another stand and sticks stolen.  I'm glad his 7 year old daughter was with him because I'm sure his reaction would have been a lot different.....

I don't understand people some times, I mean, his family has opened thousands of acres of land to the public, and this happens......


David

[PEARL DRUMS]

One word, "public". Its too bad. Hopefully they mysteriously show up, I have seen that happen before.

[Cherokee Scout]

Here is how to think about dishonesty. If you are trying to protect your property or understand why we/they do things, consider these situations and he "honest" with yourself when you answer.

I use to do some training on this topic.

Everyone has a point to give into temptation.

1. You are walking out of Walmart at high noon on a Saturday. There are people everywhere, you see a young girl with her mother stepping off the sidewalk in front of you. The girl is about 5, she holding a kids purse. You see a quarter fall from her purse. Would you pick up the quarter and return it or keep it for your self? Experts will say that there are a few who will keep the child's quarter.

2. This time it is about 9pm on a Tuesday as you leave Walmart, it is dark, not many people around.
A man in front of you wearing a suit steps off the curb and his wallet falls to the ground. You pick up the wallet and there is $2500 cash in it. No one sees you pick it up. Would you keep it? Experts will say that a lot more of us would give into the temptation. There is less risk, and more reward this time. An adult should know better, it is dark so the risk of being caught is low, and we could use the $2500.

3. Now it is about 3am on a Thursday as you leave Walmart. There is no one around. As you drive away from the door a Brinks truck is leaving the lot. Somehow, the back door of the truck opens and a bag of cash falls to the ground. You stop and pick it up, the Brinks truck drives on. The bag contains about $250,000 cash.
Are you more tempted this time? Would you take it?
If you keep it, your life could change.
The point being, even honest people can give into temptation. If we want to protect our stuff, we have to make the theft of it hard, the risk high and the reward low.

If we make it easy and fast, with low risk, someone give into the temptation and steal it.

Put locks on your stands, enscribe your name on them, maybe even a small sign that your name is on the stand and you have game cameras in the area so the bad guy will think he could be caught. Then, if you ever catch someone stealing, PROSECUTE them.

[Burnsie]

"NO" to 1,2&3

[joe ashton]

pinko, commi, bed wetting, thumb suckers.!!!!

[greyghost]

Sorry to hear that. Happens on public and private land.

Has been happening for years ever since I can remember.

I am like you, I don't understand why either, trash littering and all.

But thats why there is less and less land to get permission to hunt.

I bet if his family can, may even stop it from being opened to the public. Don't know how that works.

[adkmountainken]

it allways make me shake my head. i leave my stands out all year long and everyone that hunts with me or even knows me are welcome to use them, i have not had one taken yet. why people do the things they do baffles me. i have a few extra stands if your buddy needs one or you would like one.

[Doc Nock]

Saddly, I'd like to add to the 'list" of "reasons."

I've had the displeasure of having to abide by people in college and urban environments: a hotbed often for pockets of bunny huggers.

I know for a fact that a number of people who detest hunting, love the outdoors and hike religiously all over, wherever they please 'because they're not doing anything to harm anyone's property" they figure "NO TRESPASS" doesn't include them.

To the point: I've known them to brag, not realizing I, a hunter, overheard them, that they've marked stand sites on their GPS and come back and stolen them and threw then in the garbage, landfills, broken them to pieces, etc ad naseum.

Trouble with narrow minded people who don't like us is that they're pretty narrow minded about the fact THEY ARE narrow-minded!

the old saw, "the end, justifies the means" seems to give permission for much errant behavior these days!  :(

And they LOVE to believe we then blame all such thievery on our own.

[wingnut]

I had a stand stolen one year in Washington when I was running bear baits.  I thought I had a pretty good idea of who did it because a dog hunter had run off of that site a couple of times in the past.  I gave a call to the game warden in the area and told him what happened.  Never had another stand touched.  Did hear that the individual got caught in a sting and lost his truck, dogs, gun and spent some time in jail.

Mike

[Ragnarok Forge]

That is a great story Mike.  I have had a lot of good responses from our game wardens here in Washington.  They take the law seriously and prosecute it fully.

I hate thieves!  I wish it was legal to hunt them.  Since it isn't and thievery is common, I gotta say your gonna have to lug those stands in and out every day or loose some.

[J.Williams]

I can relate...years ago I had 2 hang-ons stolen from my family's property...which means they were tresspassing also.A couple years later I had another one taken from another property I had permission to hunt...thieves are scum.  :mad:This was one of the reasons I got a climber I could take with me and not leave for the lowlifes.

[finkm1]

I have had stands on public land for years. Last year I had a hang on and a ladder stand stolen. A fellow bow hunter was rabbit hunting and found them, they were hidden in some brush. I was contacted and the stands returned. There are good sportsman out there. My stands were always locked, but this year I bought better locks and did not leave them out till the end of the second season.

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by Cherokee Scout:
Here is how to think about dishonesty. If you are trying to protect your property or understand why we/they do things, consider these situations and he "honest" with yourself when you answer.

I use to do some training on this topic.

Everyone has a point to give into temptation.

1. You are walking out of Walmart at high noon on a Saturday. There are people everywhere, you see a young girl with her mother stepping off the sidewalk in front of you. The girl is about 5, she holding a kids purse. You see a quarter fall from her purse. Would you pick up the quarter and return it or keep it for your self? Experts will say that there are a few who will keep the child's quarter.

2. This time it is about 9pm on a Tuesday as you leave Walmart, it is dark, not many people around.
A man in front of you wearing a suit steps off the curb and his wallet falls to the ground. You pick up the wallet and there is $2500 cash in it. No one sees you pick it up. Would you keep it? Experts will say that a lot more of us would give into the temptation. There is less risk, and more reward this time. An adult should know better, it is dark so the risk of being caught is low, and we could use the $2500.

3. Now it is about 3am on a Thursday as you leave Walmart. There is no one around. As you drive away from the door a Brinks truck is leaving the lot. Somehow, the back door of the truck opens and a bag of cash falls to the ground. You stop and pick it up, the Brinks truck drives on. The bag contains about $250,000 cash.
Are you more tempted this time? Would you take it?
If you keep it, your life could change.
The point being, even honest people can give into temptation. If we want to protect our stuff, we have to make the theft of it hard, the risk high and the reward low.

If we make it easy and fast, with low risk, someone give into the temptation and steal it.

Put locks on your stands, enscribe your name on them, maybe even a small sign that your name is on the stand and you have game cameras in the area so the bad guy will think he could be caught. Then, if you ever catch someone stealing, PROSECUTE them.

I couldn't answer any of your questions, because I will never be in a Walmart to have that happen to me.  I just refuse to shop there.

I understand your point, and I can honestly say that I have seen people drop money, to which I return it to the promptly.  If I find money, and it happens more than you think, if I don't see it's rightful owner, it then just found a new home.  As for the Bank, I can say I would return it, but it is a retorical question that until it actually happens, I cannot answer that question.  All I can say is I see what the banks are doing to us, so...???  You can fill in the blank.

[YORNOC]

Zero tolerance.
 Cherokee Scout, you are wiser than I, or at least better at reasoning in a heated moment. Whether I lock my stand or not, does not excuse the one who would steal it. I don't push in my chairs so that my dog doesn't jump on the table. I teach the dog not to jump on the table, period. I've caught people stealing from me before and "taught" them not to do it again.
I wish I had your calmness and reasoning, but for some things I just don't. Many may frown on my attitude about this, but it is how I am.
If someone was stealing food, I'd give it to them. Maybe even money depending on the situation. But stealing a stand or anything like it ( a non life saving item) is just a flat out disregard and disrespect for others that should not be tolerated for any reason.

[7 Lakes]

I am the trusting kind but I no longer leave my stuff out for grabs.  If they're going to get it, they'll have to break into my house where it is legal for me to hunt.

The day someone stole the outboard off my boat was the end of leaving my "stuff" out.

[Cherokee Scout]

I have had 4 stands stolen over time. I knew when I put them up the odds were likely they would get taken. I knew I was taking a chance, two even had chains locked to tree.
Above reasoning comes from my training I gave in past teaching managers the importance of removing opportunity for theft.

[YORNOC]

I hear you, I am being honest when I say I wish I had your knowledge about this.
I detest thieves. That is the nicest way I could put it I guess.

[Mike Vines]

Originally posted by YORNOC:
I hear you, I am being honest when I say I wish I had your knowledge about this.
I detest thieves. That is the nicest way I could put it I guess.

I think you speak for the most of us.  To me the only thing worse than a thief is a liar.

[Huntrdfk]

I completely understand where you are coming from John, I have seen my share in my 31 years of law enforcement, but I have also seen my share of good in people.  Opportunity still doesn't excuse the act, and if we knew who did it you can bet there would be a prosecution.

I just don't get people that do this, though I see theft every day at work.  I think the difference is that the theft I see as part of my job is usually related to some sort of addiction. I doubt that is the case here.

Ken, thanks for the generous offer, but we will be ok with stands, it is just very frustrating to see this.

David

[Archer Fanatic]

Character matters when it comes to dealing with people.