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I hunt on a lease just south of Bixby. This year has been a crazy year for thieves. Back in July, they cut through our gate and stole 2 tripod stands, 3 ground blinds, 4 ladder stands and several feeders. We told the landowner and fixed the gate at our expensed. Then about 2 weeks into bow season, they stole a trail camera. We found where they had cut the fence and drove in on 4wheelers. When the took the camera the didn't even bother to unbuckle the strap. They just cut it. Then just last week, they stole another ladder stand, camera and feeder. Total value on this was about $450. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a whole lot we can do to stop it. We've reported this to the police. Any suggestions?
What I have done and advised others on our lease is to be discrete about hanging cameras and stands. If they (thieves) can see it or if is easy to see/find, someone will take it. Especially cameras and stands. If you mow paths to your stands... They will find it. Feeders are an easy magnet. I would bet that by leasing that land, you pushed another "hunter" out and they are making hard on you guys.
Only thing I could think of is the dummy camera with another camera to get surveillance of them. We've fought with this also but not to the extreme you speak of. We don't run feeders so they have a hard time finding our stuff. We have also stopped putting up limb lights on some of our stands also (had some stolen by hog hunters on horseback). We don't put cameras on right of ways or field edges. It sucks, but that is the way people are these days. They are cowardly, piece of shit people that take from others. I despise them!
By the way... Our cameras and stands that were stolen in 2012-13 was during the gun season. Also late December.
Most of the stands they took back in the summer were not easy to find. They had to really search for them to find them. My tripod that was stolen was in a patch of tall oaks overlooking a field. I had no trail or anything going to it. Same thing with the tripod they stole from another part of the lease. We are talking about putting up dummy cameras, etc. to try to catch them.
If you drove a truck or 4 wheeler any where close to the stand to erect it, you left a trail. It's hard not to do. Hate it for you guys. Seems it's a trend that is increasing every year.
Are they cutting the fence in the same spot each time? If so some re-bar driven in the ground along their likely travel route will leave them afoot with flat tires.
Can you back track their trail?
Check pawn shops for your stands?
Well, it rained too much last week and washed away the tracks. We do know they did not come in from the south as all fences and the gate wasn't tampered with. It's quite possible it was two different thieves. The ones that hit us in the summer cut our south gate (Above, I said they cut the fence but they actually cut the latch and lock off the gate). We repaired the gate and there has been no evidence of them trying to get in that way. We think the only way they got in was from the north. Our north boundary fence has about 100 yd. stretch that is down and landowner hasn't gotten around to repairing it. We are going to offer the labor to fix the fence if the landowner will furnish the materials.
You can go with hang on stands that use brackets. Take your steps and stand out every trip and just leave the bracket.
Brackets for my millenium only cost about $25. Only have to have one stand that way....
Another trick is to unscrew the steps about five up and put sticks in the holes so its easy to screw in in the dark. Its a sad world we live in to have to go to these measures. Trail cameras up high pointed down can get you a picture of the creeps then call the sheriffs office to file a report.
Does landowner live on property?
Landowner lives only about a mile from our gate but not on the property. He owns quite a bit of land in the area but its made up of multiple tracts that are not contiguous. Since he pulls his cattle off our 3,000 acres before deer season starts, he really doesn't have a reason to go to our tract. He spends all his time working his cattle on his other properties. Hopefully, when we talk to him after the season is over we can convince him to let us out there year around. None of us care about fishing the ponds or turkey hunting (not many turkeys anyway). We just want to be able to put in and work food plots. Need to be able to work the food plots in the spring and summer to get them going good. Plus, with us being out there more frequently, we can keep an eye on things better. That benefits him and us.
Set them up. Put a stand out in plain view with 2-3 trail cameras hidden pointed at it. Make sure 1 has cell signal so it transmits the picture when it is taken. Hopefully you will get to ID them and have local sheriff arrest with felony. That will end their career as thieves. Or at least make it expensive.
Holy Cow! I've had better success on public land!! It looks like you have quite a case to get the sheriff on it with the $$$ they have take from you. Grew up on a nice piece of land and we had to get real serious about trespassing and thieves. Once we did we haven't had much trouble.
We do have an update on trespassers. There is a powerline running through our lease. A couple of weeks ago the power company was out there working. It was a major job and they left their equipment out there overnight. They came back one morning and found all their vehicle batteries had been stolen. A day or so later, the workers showed back up and caught the @$$hole in the act. They held him for the sheriff. When the Muskogee Co. sheriff showed up the guy tried to run. Thief is in jail. Power company and landowner are pressing charges. So, hopefully we caught 1 of them and he will spend time in jail.
KevinOK suggested we set up a "bait" stand. That's exactly what we did. But, a funny thing happened. I had an old ladder stand overlooking a field that I only rifle hunted out of. It had been there for about 4 years. I was going to get it to use as a bait stand. I went to it and found the tree had grown into the back of the platform. I had to cut the strap but it wouldn't budge. I came back 2 days later with a hatchet to chop it out. I look up and there is a seat cushion on the platform and the strap had been tied back on. Hmmmm! Somebody is hunting this spot. So, I set up two cameras. I let them sit a few days and went back. He saw one camera and took the chip out of it. I got 2 pics of him on the other but it was of his back as he walked past and as he was climbing the ladder. I didn't get one of him coming down the ladder. The guy was in full camo and carrying what liked like a pretty nice rifle. This was during the holiday antlerless gun season. I took my stand down anyway. At least he didn't take my cameras or smash them to bits. Hopefully, he will realize we are on to him and he won't come back. I doubt it though.
bring a shovel next time you go there, in case you see them you will already have something to bury them with.
More thieves have been hitting my lease. One of our guys got all his stands and blinds stolen last week. It was probably $1500-$2000 worth of gear. JEEZE! I wish we could catch these jerks and throw them in jail.
We got hit again last week. Two more cameras and a tripod stand stolen. I was talking to a guy that works at the Sutherlands in Bixby last night. He hunts east of Stone Bluff has had a couple of stands stolen this year as well. We have a few skinny leads on who this may be. But, it's gonna be hard because we have to catch them in the act.
