Bad Morning
General Topic
Well, today is the first day of the 2nd gun season in Illinois. Thankfully, a few years ago they made it legal to bowhunt if you’ve got a gun tag. So out I go this morning.
About 2 hours into my sit, I hear this God awful racket north of me. At the time I thought that someone had got hung up on the low water crossing. It’s about 100 yards north of my truck. Racket stops and a couple minutes later a POS van drives by on the road. The way it was running, I figured that they had to be the ones that got “stuck”.
Couple hours later, walk back to the truck, unload all my gear, pee and jump in the truck. Fired the truck up and thought “What the heck”. Shut the truck off, got out and looked underneath. Guess what, fresh saw makes and no catalytic converter. Meth heads.
Been hunting this woods for 10 years and never a problem. Township road that gets a fair amount of traffic. Someone has to be pretty ballsy to get out, cut the thing off and leave. It’s a blind spot in the road, can’t see very far in either direction.
Spend the rest of the morning getting everyone called and schedule the repair for tomorrow. Should have slept in this morning.
Wow. This S##t is out of hand!
People will start taking the law in their own hands. They found a couple of dead teenagers laying next to their car, out a dirt road in my area yesterday. They were from out of State. Makes me think they were (possibly) out doing something they shouldn't have been, or maybe just a drug deal gone bad.
Thieves are right there, among the lowest form of human life, sorry to hear about your incident.
Well that sucks!!! What part of Illinois? West Central?
Low life scum of the earth.
By the way, I wish Iowa would let us bowhunt during gun season. Makes no sense.
Sorry to hear that Jim!!
I hate thieves.
Love the invention of "cordless" tools. A storage area was hit a couple weeks ago where my neighbors keep there motorhome. They lost their dual exhaust converters. Can't remember how many got hit and nobody on camera, the place has hired 2 guards to stay over night. My guess the storage fees will have to go up too? I have to agree, that's "ballsy", no where is safe from crime any more.
Place I use to work some one hit the parking lot and did that to a coworker
East central area. Told the wife I thought about getting down, but now glad I didn’t. Only had my bow. Could have turned into a serious “Cowboy and Indian” fight.
Pretty sad when you have to carry now while bowhunting. But even then our no neck Governor Pritzger got rid of cash bail, so the scum would walk free even if you did catch them.
That's sucks. Would have been rooting for the indian.
Guess I could have told the cops, it’s the dark van with a FMJ sticking out of the grill.
Would have made for a really interesting story if you had slipped up on them… A rubber blunt arrow would do wonders for their disposition!
That suck and I'm sorry to hear it.
Thieves are the same as liars in my book and the scum of the earth.
I'm a Security Supervisor in charge of a local manufacturing facility... local Leo's stopped by and told me to tell all my shifts to be aware of this and report but do not approach these individuals, as they may be under the influence of Crack. 50 yrs ago my dad took me rabbit and pheasant hunting in the same area... my how times have changed. Sorry that happened to you, leaves a sour taste for sure. scentman
Yea tho I say unto yee of all you sinners none is more despicable than the thief in the night.
That sucks. Dirt bags stole my wife's car out of the driveway a few weeks ago.
The best tool ever invented for serous thieves is a cordless grinder. Those things can go through almost any typical lock ever made. I'd say a catalytic converter theft would take no more than 2 minutes, if that. Cargo trailers are a favorite theft item too.
Noise lasted about 2-3 minutes. Cordless sawsall would be my guess. Shop told me that there was one stolen the other evening in front of the local bar n grill. Right in the middle of town. This ain’t Wyoming, but someone’s gonna end up shot.
That's just crazy, what do they do with them after they steal them? Sell them? Maybe look for used ones!!
Coming Home from my Hunting Cabin 2 days ago on Interstate 80 I passed a Billboard. It said we are the Largest Catalytic Converter Buyer. Sign was over a large junk car lot/Car & truck crusher yard. This place is a 3+ miles from the New Jersey Border & about 70 miles from New York city. Like all areas we are also having a rash of Catalytic Converter thefts.
The next converter you have installed have a microchip put in it that can also trigger an explosive device. THAT should make for some great entertainment!
Or have a container of acid buried in it so that when someone tries to cut it off it spills right on them.
Woods, a GPS chip would suffice other than maming someone for metal theft... I feel your aggravation though.
It better be a heat resistant electronic device you put on that cat converter. Those things get hot.
They sell them for several hundred dollars. The Prius models are most prized by thieves because the Prescious metals are in a more pristine condition.
You can tack weld rebar to the exhaust to stop most thieves.
THAT I like. Maybe add small sharp spikes too. Let the thieving scum be "fluid"!
There’s a remedy for all that but our gutless politicos don’t have the stomach for it.
Got a buddy of mines truck converter in the airport parking lot
My buddy had the same thing happen to him while bowhunting in Illinois a couple years ago.
I hate a thief..When these types get caught they should be forced to pay back triple the value of what they stole. Instead of a slap on the wrist
They will drive up here from chicago, go out to the country, close to car dealers. They take off their plates, put on masks, drive into a used car lot at night. Get out, saw off 5 or 6 of them . take off, put the plates back on down the road, and drive back home. Happens all the time.
That’s unreal. This lawlessness and the politicians that are enabling it must be stopped, or we’re gonna devolve into a dystopian hellhole.
It is such a bad problem here in California where I live that I just bought and installed a steel plate beneath my truck to stop them. Wasn't a cheap fix but cheaper than buying new cats.
After I tagged out I wasn’t ready to stop hunting, so I did drive-by scouting of some nearby public. In one lot there were 4 trucks. I stopped and waited for them all to return to see if anyone needed help packing out. The topic of theft came up and one of the guys had called a CO to inquire if there had been theft there. The CO said he had ten reported thefts of catalytic converters from that one lot alone since October 1st!
Use to be a problem in FL until a law was passed banning the sale of or any metals from a CC. It’s way past time for people to get back to work.
I feel for you. I had the catalytic converter stolen off my truck while bowhunting mule deer in New Mexico this past winter. It definitely soured my hunt.
When the thieves are caught they should be killed on tv. That would probably slow it down. If not immediately , eventually.
Ditto what Beginner said!!! They say to install a steel plate to slow them down and paint your catalytic converter bright fluorescent colors. A lot of places will not buy them when painted bc they know 100% they were stolen, yes some will still buy them but they are just as bad as the POS that stole them. You can watch a lot of security camera video's from parking lots and homes where these low life individuals roll up, crawl under, cut and move to the next vehicle in less than a minute. These are grown a$$ men doing this as well as teenagers. Place and time does not matter, they just move on if disturbed. Sad thing is, I would be in jail if I caught them because I refuse to tolerate a thief.
Crazy what they steal and what has value. Scumbags do this rather than work and I blame the ones they sell to that accept the materials just as much. Otherwise there would be no demand. We had an incident close by with Tide laundry detergent. I guess it’s a big thing to steal from stores now and is used like cash with drugs. They sell to stores and markets for discounts. Caught the scumbags but I’m sure will be released in no time.
Maybe put a sign on your vehicle when you park it in a remote area that says....
"If you can read this, you're in range."
Or maybe this would be a really good use for trail cams!
My son had a 03 Tracker that would not pass inspection. It would have cost use over 4500.00 to get it to pass, not worth it. Had to junk it. When I took it to the junk yard, the first thing they asked, is this the orinignal cat converter. I got 165. 00 for the car. My daughters boy friend told me they are getting over 350.00 for that type of converter. Didn't know.
FYi, apparently the Ford 250 and Dodge Ram 2500 pickups have the most valuable CATs, due to the high levels of platinum in them.
Matt
That truck is a 2002 F250, guess I need to buy a Chevy. Nobody steals off of them.
Interesting, I had no idea these metals were worth this much. 20-30k per ounce wth!
Here in NW Ohio it's an epidemic My brother-in-law had his CC ripped off of his motor home and others in the same storage facility as well. As mentioned above battery powered cut off grinders and saws make easy work of it.
Maybe more the reason to purchase an E-Bike?
This story makes one think.
That blows, very sorry to hear about your situation. Hope your next hunt a B+C walks by 10yds looking away from you...
WOW!! That's truly terrible and I'm sorry to hear it. During the first gun season I watched a truck pull up next to where I park my truck and sit for a couple of minutes. It had me worried but nothing seemed to happen. I thought they might be thinking about stealing my trailer. Can't stand a thief.
Heroin, meth and cocaine cost money. These people are continually chasing the dragon.
Dirty Mike, You are correct, they will chase that dragon at all cost until it buries them. ND String Puller, I have read that information before and was blown away at the price it sells for with the small amount of product.
Took me all of 15 minutes to find out that Sugar Creek Scrap in West Terre Haute is the only place for a hundred miles that will buy them, $350 each. If I can find that out, why can’t LEO do the same and do something about it.
jstephens61, LEO can and will, but once they are locked up, they do not get the choice of how long they will be locked up. These days they are bailed out and doing the same thing later that day!!
Law enforcement or, lack of it isn’t the problem. Li my sly the peep would beat them home if they did catch them. That’s the problem.
Anyways, don’t over look the role the salvage yard is playing in this. It don’t take much to connect the dots. Doper shows up with a converter. Scrap dealer buys it at a reduced price, then strips it while keeping his mouth shut. They are no better then the dope heads doing the initial stealing.
These days they are bailed out and doing the same thing later that day!!
Illinois did away with cash bail. It wasn’t fair to the deadbeats.
I was really hoping the defund the police movement would catch on and it would be the wild west again. Watch all the people shudder that want to love their way out of lawlessness.
Wrap up rat poison in a plastic bag and write "Meth" on it. Wire it up under your rig next to the cat. They'll still steal your cat but it will be the last one.
Not sure of the logic or commonsense in trying to get politics involved with catalytic converter theft, a suggestion, Just Get Over your dismay that your guy lost the election. I've only 6 years of college, Dystopian??????
Not sure of the logic or commonsense in trying to get politics involved with catalytic converter theft, a suggestion, Just Get Over your dismay that your guy lost the election. I've only 6 years of college, Dystopian??????
Shep, your team still hasn't gotten over the fact that your crooked old hag lost in 2016. They spent four long years trying to overturn/delegitimize that election and are still obsessed. Dystopian???? (The noun application of that term is a synonym for Democratic Socialist Liberal, BTW)
Six years of college and you somehow missed 4th grade grammar. With such poor writing skills you presumably didn't graduate from college after wasting all that time and (your parents') money. Sad commentary on the current state of public education.
One of the craziest things about this is that it's a pretty physical thing to do. You have to drive around and find targets to begin with, and then it's a physical thing to get it off and then you have to move them.
Why not just get a friggen job? There's lots of them right now!
Ike. The effort people will go to to avoid effort always amazes me.
A couple questions. As far as mounting a plate under the converter....I assume that the plate is bolted on. A cordless sawzall or electric grinder would quickly cut the bolts off, wouldn't it? Granted it would an extra minute or two, but if they are targeting hunting areas, it's probably because they figure the hunter isn't hunting too close to their vehicle. In which case an extra minute or two might not be a big deal to them. I like the concept....just wondering there is a better way to prevent the theft? Regarding painting the Converters, if you paint them with flourescent paint, wouldn't the paint just burn off? Those things get pretty hot, don't they? Why not offer a reward to the reclaimers....like a whistlerblower arrangement.....or something to that effect? Require a VIN number and drivers license to sell one. Or just change their policy.....no converters will be accepted that have cut marks. If you want to sell a converter, fine.....but bring in the entire assembly, otherwise no purchase. These may not be practical suggestions....I don't know.....but someone should be able to think of something. Another thought/question.....is it safe to assume that electric or hybrid vehicles do not require a catalytic converter?
Well, $1,336.87 later, I’ve got a new converter. What stinks is, have a $1,000 deductible on that old truck. It’s the hunting truck, been through hell and back. Guess I’m changing that too. Just glad it was the diesel Super Duty, that one’s over 6k to replace!
What I'm liking is the thought I have for things that get stolen frequently. Small paint bombs that spray permanent paint on the person like banks have!!! I thought of that when my trail cam got stolen. Will not get the camera back, but the satisfaction of the paint on the person that tried to steal it would be priceless!!!!
And maybe add muriatic acid to the paint!
Not much effort for the money they can make.
Steal 5 $350 cc's each week and you'll have a yearly income of $91,000. That's net income too as they are unlikely to pay taxes on that. Probably doesn't take a total of 40 hours in the year to get that done.
Guess cutting them off is better than throwing a chain around it and pulling it off like they do with ATMs.
Ha, some post's are going through more trouble than the crooks themselves
Jim, where'd you say you park that Super Duty?lol!!!
Remember back in the day you could just slap on a cherry bomb muffler and be on your way!
Cherry bombs, Thrushes and side pipes........ya....those were the days!
Anywho........a possible solution. Go to Harbor Freight and get an electric engraver and engrave your info on your CC's. May as well engrave your sticks, hang-ons, ladder stand and trail cams whilest you're on a roll.
Lol - Mine just got stolen last night from Chicago hotel parking lot. But I’m on a business trip so company insurance covers. Waiting here at O’Hare Airport now for an Enterprise replacement vehicle. They told me it’s very common for the Mitsubishi Outlander I was driving. Oh well I think I can still keep my work schedule.
Just seen this article......
"DA, police tackle catalytic converter theft prevention Wes Bowers, Lodi News-Sentinel, Calif. Fri, December 10, 2021, 3:52 PM
Dec. 10—Over the last year, law enforcement agencies across San Joaquin County have been receiving an increased number of stolen catalytic converter reports, and now they are reaching out to local businesses to help thwart thieves.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar was in Lodi on Thursday to kick off her office's partnership program to quell these thefts.
Along with Lodi Police Chief Sierra Brucia, Salazar visited Tokay Recycling Center on Cluff Avenue and Go Green Recycling on Stockton Street, to discuss catalytic converter theft prevention and awareness.
"They're supposed to be partners with us," Salazar said. "Because what's good about working with business is, if they're doing the proper book keeping and they're seeing a particular pattern or behavior, this is going to let law enforcement form their investigative tools and find and apprehend these individuals, so we can prosecute them."
Salazar said the partnership is also is a deterrent, as thieves will not try to sell catalytic converters to businesses that follow the law and record transactions.
California Penal Code requires Core Recyclers or dealers in catalytic converters to keep written records of the place and date of each sale or purchase of the equipment.
The record must include the seller's name, signature, valid driver's license number or other California identification, as well as the vehicle license number, including the state of issue of the automobile used in transporting a catalytic converter. If the seller is a business, records must include their name, address and telephone number.
In addition, Core Recyclers or dealers must keep a written description of the catalytic converters purchased or sold, amount paid, identification numbers, if any, and a clear photograph or video of the part.
Businesses are also required to obtain a statement that a seller was the owner of the CC, as well as photo, video or fingerprint of the seller. Records are required to be kept for two years.
Employees at both Go Green Recycling and Tokay Recycling Center said the businesses will not even accept catalytic converters from people trying to sell them.
"There's no accusation that they're not legitimate businesses," Brucia said. "They're just our recyclers here in town. We're just trying to be proactive and making sure that we've communicated. Do you even know what to look for if someone comes in? If you don't know what to look for, you don't know if this could be a stolen converter."
Police department staff said that about 300 catalytic converters had been stolen in Lodi between Jan. 1 and Dec. 9. That's double the amount stolen in 2020.
Brucia said the cost to replace the part could be between $8,000 and $10,000 depending on the automobile. Toyotas tend to be targeted the most, as the materials used in the catalytic converters are more valuable than those used in other models.
Last year, Car and Driver, one of the more popular car enthusiast magazines in the country, reported that the platinum in some catalytic converters can be worth as much as $1,000 an ounce.
In addition, palladium and rhodium, both of which can be used in catalytic converters, were estimated at $2,300 per ounce and more than $16,000 per ounce, the magazine reported.
"There has to be a partnership between us and (the community)," Brucia said.
"We can work in partnership to maybe kind of combat this, and take an avenue away from these thieves. If these thieves don't have a place to sell them here in town, maybe they won't be in town stealing them. And that's a good thing."
One thing Lodi Police has tried to do to deter catalytic converter thefts is to partner with Sanborn Chevrolet and etch a serial number, vehicle identification number or driver's license, into the part so thieves can't sell it anywhere, and so business to which they try to sell the part can report it stolen.
Receipt of stolen property or grand theft results in a maximum three-year sentence in county jail if convicted.
Salazar said she kicked off the partnership program in Lodi because Brucia has been a leader among other chiefs in the county to bring catalytic converter theft awareness to the forefront.
She added the Lodi Police Department is also one of the leading community-oriented policing agencies in the state.
"They are very connected with their community and have and have these conversations," she said. "With us, Lodi was the perfect spot because they have that friendly neighborhood relationship with their business, and their businesses just respond well and say now that we know, we'll be on the lookout and we"ll work with you."
Tokay Recycling Center and Go Green Recycling were just two of 16 business in the county Salazar will be visiting. The District Attorney plans to visit 11 recycling centers in Stockton, two in Manteca and one in Lathrop over the next six weeks."
A neighbor just sent me this article......I didn't research any.
""Featured Sep 28th 2021 at 7:30AM Craze for drug made from catalytic converters alarms Congo's capital The drug is obtained from crushing the ceramic honeycomb core of the converter
KINSHASA, Congo — A new craze for a drug derived from crushed vehicle exhaust filters is rattling authorities in Kinshasa, triggering a campaign to stamp out the concoction and a related rash of car part thefts.
In August police rounded up and paraded nearly 100 alleged dealers and users of the drug "bombe," which means powerful in the local Lingala language, following a call to action by Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi.
"This social phenomenon calls for collective responsibility by the whole nation," Tshisekedi told ministers at a weekly meeting.
In an abandoned shack in a suburb of Kinshasa a young man seeking oblivion slits open a bag of brown powder, blending it with a couple of crushed pills using the back of a spoon, before snorting the "bombe" mixture, with his friends.
Within minutes the trio are swaying slowly, scratching themselves in a catatonic state that experts in Congo say can cause users to stand motionless for hours, or sleep for days.
"We used to drink very strong whiskey ... we were restless and we would hurt people," said Cedrick, a 26-year-old gang leader in a white designer shirt.
"But with bombe, it calms you down, you get tired, you stay somewhere standing up or sitting down for a very long time. When you're done, you go home without bothering anyone."
Car owners, police, and drug experts aren't so sanguine.
The brown powder is obtained from crushing the ceramic honeycomb core of automotive catalytic converters, the device that cuts the emission of toxic gases in vehicle exhaust pipes.
Mechanics blame rising demand for the drug on a rash of thefts of catalytic converters, which are coated with metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Kinshasa-based mechanic Tresore Kadogo says between five and 10 clients come to him every day with the same problem.
"We check underneath the car and the catalytic converter is gone already, it's been cut off," Kadogo said. "This drug bombe is hurting our clients, especially recently."
Users mix the crushed honeycomb with vitamin pills and typically add sleeping tablets, sedatives or smoke it with tobacco, but nothing is known about how it works, or its long-term effects, said Dandy Yela Y'Olemba, country director of the World Federation against Drugs.
The metals in catalytic converters can cause cancer, Yela warned. "It's not a substance made for us to consume," Yela said. "Are we engines, or are we humans?"""
Maybe the manufacturers of the CCs should add arsenic to them and the problem will resolve itself.
Smoking CCs? Really????
Just read an article were a guy had a Prius fall on him and killed him. He was stealing the catalytic converter.
Boo woo! You do stupid stuff, stupid stuff happens!
They just busted 15 people here in San Jose who were stealing/fencing cats.
A few weeks back, a meth head stole 3 cats from work vehicles parked near my gym. He came back for another and got caught by the owner of one of the businesses that was impacted. Due to the current supply chain issues, it sounds like with will be weeks/months before some can be replaced.
