and another stand stolen..

[wapitirod]

I like booby traps too but in today's world you risk losing everything in court even if the scum bag deserves it.

[Comescrashing]

That sucks man. I just went and got a stand I hung on pubic land 2 years ago. Was surprised it was still there

[Adam S. Daugherty]

Wapitirod, man you are so correct.  I think that is the reason we have so many theives.  There is no punishment if caught and prosicuted.  Thieves should have a T branded on their forehead to wear on them for all to see the rest of their lives.  Kids would grow up seeing this and it might keep some from stealing in fear of having to be branded for the rest of their lives.  Fear is a powerful thing.  I would like to be able to give every thief I encounter what they deserve but I do not do it in fear.  Not fear of them, but in fear of the situation it would put my family in.

[Tajue17]

thanks everyone for the good words,, I do hunt alot on the ground  and do ut back of the house but figured I'd hang one and leave it for when I felt like going in a tree actually got a big ole doe from this stand last december..  
I guess I'm just glad I didn't notice it going in early on openign day next monday,, that happened before and it just makes you go home and ruins the whole hunt.

hey i want to thank you all again for the tips on catching people and I hope others get something from all this too.

[J-rod]

After having a camera that was chained and stolen, I won't buy again, not worth it.

I left my climber out for a couple of nights once and someone stole the seat part and left the base. I have a very hostile temper when in the face of such belligerence, I wonder if the thief considered that when he took it. i left my ladder stand on public ground and three times during the early muzzleloader season there was someone with blaze orange sitting in it.  Unless you are one of the game wardens buddies, the rule in Iowa is all stands are first come first serve on public land, I left him to it, but at least he did not steal it.

[jjwaldman]

I use a tree saddle with lone wolf sticks.  Everything comes out with me when I leave.  Too many thiefs.

[T Mowery]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your stand!I hate a Thief! Several Year's ago,I had a Camera inside a protective Steel Box,secured with a Heavy Chain.It looked like they tried everything ,to get that chain to break,but it held fast! So they took a Rock and beat the Box containing the Camera to a Pulp.It must have taken a lot of shots.I tried to salvage the Camera, but the smashed case,put an end to it.If I would have caught them, I would most likely not be here today.Still Bake's my Cookies,when I think about it!(Private Land)

[Jake Diebolt]

Originally posted by Adam S. Daugherty:
When you have the welding shop weld on your chains have them braze some razor blades on the chain.  This might hopefully make them loose their footing when they get cut.  Then place 2x4's with pole barn nails driven through them under the leaves at the base of the tree.  Hopefully when they fall they will fall on the spikes.  This hopefully will leave a blood trail to follow.  If blood trail present call the cops and follow it.  If you find the culprits ask the cop to have them lay flat on ground with hands out in front of them.  Then take your shotgun loaded with #4 turkey loads and blow off their hands.  A stolen tree stand is not worth killing someone over.

seriously if you can warn folks around the property about what you are doing, booby traps are a good way to catch or detour theives.  I was having a little problem on a place and knew who was doing it.  Done caught him once, gave him a good woopin and got stands back.  It started again so I took a sawzall to the 5th and 6th step up and left enough meat where it wouldnt break with pulling on your hand but thought it would give way when stepped on, sure enough found steps broke and person doing the stealing with a broke leg a week later in town.  Just told the thief everybody likes to play games, you like to steal stands I like to catch folks stealing stands, you done know my last trick so I will have to come up with something new.  

Just got to be careful and use extreme caution that no one innocent will be in the area and risk injury.  Also I did this prior to having wife and kids that I worried about, so I probably wouldnt do these antics anymore in fear of retaliation that could harm my loved ones.

As angry as we may get about thieves, we have to be careful not to breach the law ourselves. In Ontario the booby-traps you have suggested would be a considered a 'Man-trap' and you would be liable for any injury caused by it, regardless of whether the person was on the land legally or not. This is under the Trespass to Property Act here. I have no idea what the laws are like in the US but I imagine there would be similar ones. Just think what would happen if some kid climbed the steps, or stepped on some nails. How bad would you feel?

When we are stolen from we feel violated and angry. That's not a good reason to lower ourselves to the thief's level, especially when there can be serious legal consequences.

[Jake Diebolt]

Originally posted by joe ashton:
Look for a pinko, commi, thumb sucking bed wetter, because that is who stole your stand.

It could just as easily be a regular guy (or girl). Someone you thought was a good guy, an ethical hunter. I've been burned more often by people I thought were 'nice' than I have by people who look like criminals.

[LBshooter2]

If you all are going to leave your stands out, buy a trail camera without the flash and set it up so you get them in the act. Then prosecute, because these idiots will not think of someone puttin out a trail camera.

[Sam McMichael]

NOBODY is lower than a damn thief. Unfortunately, there are many of them among us. I hope you can find out who is responsible and can take appropriate action. I don't know if its possible, but if a person gets caught perhaps you should consider both civil and criminal action, pressing for lifetime loss of hunting privileges in the civil suit.  Above all, do not do anything yourself that is outside the law. Revenge would be punished far more severely than the original wrongdoing. good luck. Perhaps you need to concentrate on ground brush blinds when hunting this area.

[horseapple]

OMG, we are so lucky here in OK, never had anything stolen, my advise is to put a covert II trailcam up to see if you can catch these scumbags.

[SheltonCreeker]

I had stand I built myself out of electical conduit stolen a few years ago off some of my family property. Been in my family 4 generations no one else in the family hunts and I had the little piece to myself so I thought. I had it changed to the tree but not locked. These thieves didn't have any tools but it must have been during the gun season because they took a 12 gauge and blew the chain off the tree with slugs. I found the tree with 3 bare spots and empty hulls on the ground. Amazing what some idiots will do just to steal. Never caught them. Its frustrating. Best we can do is make sure we do all we can to protect ourselves against it. But it is a blood boiling event when it happens to us or someone we know personally. I like the idea of catching them on camera better than the booby trap because at least you know your getting the right person instead of some passer by whom may just wanna check out your set. Ive climbed up in stands Ive found just to take a look from a vantage point. Hope you catch these guys if you think its the same people!

[SilverTip]

it really bad around here too. sad thing is 99% of the time its another hunter doing it.

[Scarne]

Originally posted by SilverTip:
it really bad around here too. sad thing is 99% of the time its another hunter doing it.

Let's pay closer attention to whom we are throwing under the bus.  Let's not demean our peers with careless verbiage.  Words have specific meanings.

It was not another hunter.  It was a poacher, a petty thief.  Nothing more than societal trash with an entitlement mentality that stole the property.

They peruse forums like this and laugh at others honest efforts to make thier way through life honorably.

[Running Buck]

Some food for thought here. If you hunt a area that gets people walking throught it willing to steal your equipment, what about the ones that just tamper with it? It only takes a nick on a belt or a cut through a support cable or a bolt removed to make a stand dangerous. Even with fall protection you could find yourself in a bad situation. You may opt for a climber, at least you would have piece of mind knowing the condition of your equipment and taking it with you.

[gringol]

I prefer a ladder stand for comfort, but with all the jerks running around these days, I go with a climber and always pack it out.  It makes me get out a little earlier and home a little later, but nothing gets stolen.

[Mike Theis]

I don't know if anyone remembers the skunk scent that came in two bottles, but I don't know if they still make it. You would mix the contents together, and you got prime skunk scent. Use your imagination on how to use that. If they act like one, they might as well smell like one. Finding them would be REAALLL easy.

   

** Edit ** Just Googled it - someone still makes it - try synthetic skunk scent.

[Bonebuster]

Went to climbers a decade ago and have not regretted it at all.

The stand goes in and out with me every time!