How to catch a thief
General Topic
Noticed a thread about a stolen trail camera that had 30 posts... obviously theft is an issue for most of us. I wanted to share this story because I think it could help some of you recover, or at least insure the equipment you leave in the woods...
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 pleasure I got from busting him was as good as shooting a big buck.
I bought my GPS device from the website below. The cool thing about he one I have is that it goes into a dormant state when its not moving so the battery life can last for a year. Once in motion, you can follow the device on an app that looks similar to Google maps satellite image. I'm sure the ones they have out these days are even better.
Hope this helps someone.
http://www.spyassociates.com/
The downside is the tracking device costs mor than the game cam.
Man that's awesome!
Girlfriend tracker too. lol
Always said that there is a market for a device like that. A HUGE market. The affordability factor is the biggest hurdle. Then the thieves will make a device to counter it that scans over it and makes it useless. :)
Thieves suck!
Maybe some savvy game cam makers will start adding them as original equipment.................
good thing he did not find the tracker, I leen more to the fireworks Idea my self, shore would discurage a few things from being stolen if your ass explodes. I have lost 4 stands and 5 cams, and a hat. and assorted tree steps.
drycreek what the problem is what if company has a gps device inside! A hunters camera gets stolen he then tracks down the crook and beats him or worse ! A lawyer will find a way to sue the pants off the camera company !!
Ive had cameras/ stands etc stolen i think its best for both parties! never caught the person involved.
there are no sure things out there. Just a chance you take with leaving stuff out. One day he'll be judged. Take solace in that.
I have had a couple stolen. And couple of cams that no longer work.
Been imagining how to fill the broken cams with skunk scent and then attach to tree such that when thief breaks it open...surprise!
tracking devices are not cheap but I would pay it all over again to bust that DB. Another plus is that I still have the GPS and use it whenever I put a climber near a property line or in any area that I think could be compromising.
r-man, it would have been very hard for him to find the tracker. I took the cushion out of the seat and took the seat to the seamstress and had her put a really nice zipper on the back. I carved a hole in the cushion and stuck the GPS in and even had a plug to put back in the cushion hole so it wouldn't be obvious. It was anything but obvious. You couldn't even feel the GPS if you sat in the seat.
But even if I had lost it, it was a chance I was willing to take.
