Trail camera stolen
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: blackbear62
22-Oct-14
What's wrong with people these days. It use to be a thrill for me to gather my camera cards and see what was there. Now I wonder if my cameras will even be there when I return. Yes my camera was locked up. The person was at least kind enough to leave my cable and lock untouched. Seams these days individuals have a lack of morals. Goes right along with big Dan's tree stand incident.
From: drycreek
22-Oct-14
Yep, and it is not getting any better.
From: Hammer
22-Oct-14
My buddy had 2 of his taken with 3 stands. He got all but one stand back and the 2nd cam. He found the cam in the woods at the suspected hunters hunting location. The guy forgot to rename the camera so when my buddy hooked it up to his gizmo the cam was still under his name. LOL...He got it back at least. Maybe you will too. I hope anyway.
How did the guy get your cam w/o cutting the cable lock etc?
From: Turtle504
23-Oct-14
I have been putting my cams up about 10 feet aimed down..you may not get magazine quality pictures but they are good enough to get a sense of whats walking threw...and it havnt lost one up high yet..
From: Bou'bound
23-Oct-14
Enough to make a guy want to go back to old time scouting
From: Woods Walker
23-Oct-14
It's not a matter of "if", but "when".
Sadly, in this day and age leaving a trail cam or any other item in the woods is akin to leaving $100 bills stapled to a tree in the woods.
From: AndyB
23-Oct-14
That's why I buy the cheap ones on sale...I know eventually one of mine will go missing, and it won't hurt quite as much when it does. I'm not concerned about high quality pictures, just want to know what is visiting the area.
From: Brotsky
23-Oct-14
I think they should start outfitting cameras with small remote detonated explosives. We could solve two problems at the same time.
From: Southern draw
23-Oct-14
Great idea Brotsky
From: BigOzzie
23-Oct-14
got one of my two stolen, and have not put the other back up yet, just kinda over it. It infuriated me so bad that I am not willing to risk it again.
oz
From: R. Hale
23-Oct-14
People are no different today than 1000 years ago. Just have different interest.
Some will steal and some will not.
We never were a noble species. Just an illusion.
From: Ole Thumper
23-Oct-14
If they would put the dye in the cameras like they do in the money bags when someone robs a bank!
That would be interesting and funny also!
Ole Thumper
From: doubleeagle
23-Oct-14
I had a guy text me that he came across my hang on stand. He asked if he could sit in it that night as he saw deer in the area. Go figure. We have to label our stands with personal info or conservation number. I texted him back and said sure and let me know if he gets or sees anything. I was hunting in a tree in another location. I texted him thanks for asking and not just sitting in it. I had three cameras out then. Once I knew people were in the area of them, I pulled them all. As I have 5 cameras in other locations, I pulled them too. I'd like to say you can trust today's bowhunters, but most newbies are just shooters. They buy big money stuff and go out hunting the next day. No woodcraft or skills, as they rely on others to plop them in a spot and take a 60yrd shot. I have managed to put locks on all my stands, even on private property. Most of us trad folks know the value of our stuff, some people have no morals and will take what isn't nailed down. Almost makes me want to lock my cap on my truck. I'd rather they take the little stuff, than wreck my cap.
From: doubleeagle
23-Oct-14
Sorry to offend the non-trad folks. Not meant to. we hunters know the value of a dollar and our stuff. Just gets me fired up when others take without earning. Bowhunters and archers unite.
From: patdel
23-Oct-14
Hale. Yep. People are rotten.
From: Straight —» Arrow
23-Oct-14
Once the tresspasser sees the camera they know they are caught and they have no choice but to steal it...
From: Bowme2
23-Oct-14
Straight arrow makes a good point. I put mine in such hard to reach/find spots that they would be very lucky to find or stumble upon it. Two years ago we put a camera on a right of way where there was a creek crossing... The cam was there for 5 days. Came back and it was gone! Just so happens it disappeared during the gun season.
Sorry about your camera. Feel your pain.
From: wild1
23-Oct-14
Just had one of my favorite cams stolen last week, on public land. Sucks!
From: BC
23-Oct-14
"they have no choice but to steal it"... That's funny SA. Of course they have a choice. We always have a choice. They also had a choice not to trespass in the first place too.
From: R. Hale
23-Oct-14
Pat,
Not sure where you are coming from. My post was not clear. My point was that we so often here "nowadays you cannot trust anyone......" Point was, I doubt humans have changed much. There were always good and always bad. The bad ones just stole different stuff. The good ones respected the property of others. Nothing changed but what is taken.
From: Jim B
23-Oct-14
R Hale,my sentiments exactly.People haven't really changed.Ask anyone who has trapped for 5 or 6 decades.You would be shocked at who will steal something when no one is around.Some people feel that if there isn't a human attached,it's up for grabs.
From: Destroyer350
23-Oct-14
I'm kinda superstitious when it comes to stuff like that. I think if anyone does something like steal a camera, stand or trespass then they will have bad luck hunting. What comes around goes around sort of thing.
From: r-man
23-Oct-14
to bad they dont have tamper proof systems with 8oz of C4, and booommmmmmm.
From: earlyriser
23-Oct-14
I recently retrieved mine. They had been out since July. Cool pics of critters and some not so nice people. One tried to steal the camera. I should post his pic. Luckily, he did not get it off the tree:) Jerks are everywhere.
From: blackbear62
23-Oct-14
My camera was on private land. The person either cut the camera housing or broke the area where the lock attached to the camera. My camera wasn't expensive, but now that I'm married and have kids there not the money for toys like before. The kids liked looking at the pics and it was a good tool for teaching them about nature.
From: Brotsky
23-Oct-14
Blackbear, unfortunately now your stolen camera is a tool to teach the kids about what people are really like out there.
From: wild1
23-Oct-14
+1 blackbear
My little boy absolutely loves looking at trial camera pictures when I get home - since he's still too young to go afield (3 year old), it's a fun way to involve him.
Fortunately I have several more cameras, but it still sucks.
From: doubleeagle
23-Oct-14
I came across one and posed with a thumbs up into it. I just left the set up as is. He had a climber, ladder, camera, and all overwatching corn in August. It was on public land. Since all was good, I smiled and waved. He pulled it later. He should have known I wouldn't take it since I posed the first time. Truly a sad affair when hunters steal from hunters. As bad as someone taking your deer and they never shoot.
From: cityhunter
23-Oct-14
In NY its part of life sad but true it is .
From: Tndeer
23-Oct-14
I couple years back I had a tree climber stolen. Needless to say, it pissed me off really bad so I bought a wireless GPS bug, hollowed out a hole in the seat of a new climber and put it on the same tree. Three weeks later, someone took it and I got a text alert to my phone indicating the device was on the move. Long story short, I took the law straight to the guys house... they knocked on the front door and asked the guy "did you steal a treestand yesterday". He said "no". They said "the guy you stole the treestand from put a GPS device in the seat. That GPS device is pinging off your house". He turned white and spilled the beans. They only got one of my tree stands but they took the guys bow, he got several misdemeanors, had to pay thousands in legal fees and lost his license.
Best trap I ever set and the high I got from busting him was as good as shooting a great buck.
From: APauls
23-Oct-14
Tndeer - now THAT is an awesome story - I love it!!!!
As far as the trail cameras - I only buy the small camo Moultrie ones now, and I replace the strap with a small camo rope. The most difficult thing is remembering where I put my (2) cameras. They are nearly invisible. TI got that tip off bowsite. I think the straps / locks, etc are the most visible thing about those cameras. Now I forget the lock and risk it, but since I've been doing that I have no lost a cam.
From: smokey
23-Oct-14
I went to check one a while back. I brought my laptop to dump the photos and as I did that I saw the thumbnails that showed some guy walking up to the camera so I took the camera wit me in case he came back.
When I got home I looked at the full frame pics and the guy was..... ME. walking up to check my cam. Embarrassing but cautious.
From: blackbear62
23-Oct-14
Wild1. I have 2 girls 7 & 4. They have been apart of my hunting since each was 2. They started by seeing my deer in the garage and each showed an interest when I butchered the deer. They stated and still do all the grinding of the burger. At 4 were in out hunting with me. I have hunts where the girls go and its about them and hunts for me. This year I harvested a squirrel on separate hunts with each girl. They lived it. Took pics of each with the squirrel harvested and it is something I will never forget. Boys in the neighbor hood can't believe my girls. Best thing I ever did was letting them have their hunts were I expect nothing but to let them enjoy.
From: Woods Walker
23-Oct-14
The only thing I leave in the woods anymore are footprints.
