Treestand Theft

[dlabelle0609]

I recently had my treestand and game camera stolen out of the woods. I do hunt public land and leave everything in year round, but have never had an issue before. Very frustrating. Anyone have any ideas on how to keep people from steal your treestand? I had it chained to the tree, but they climbed up and cut the lock. My idea is to build a ladder guard which would prevent them from climbing up, but its not impossible.

Being part of the hunting community, its pretty messed up that a hunter would steal from another hunter. I would never climb into another guys treestand, let alone steal it.


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[pianoman9701]

Sorry it happened. You've got to figure if there are those out there willing to steal our resources, they'll be willing to steal your stuff, too.

[dlabelle0609]

Sorry it happened. You've got to figure if there are those out there willing to steal our resources, they'll be willing to steal your stuff, too.

Agree with you on that. I put a lot of time and money into hunting and trying to up my odds to harvest a deer and someone comes along and steals my stuff. Very frustrating!


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[Skyvalhunter]

Definitely go into it with the thinking your stuff might get stolen. With that being said use chains and locks that can't be cut with bolt cutters. Chances are this dip stick has been in that area more than once and went back to steal your stuff. Put personal identification on all your stuff where its not readily noticed then take a picture of it. Chances are this turd is going to be hunting that area where your stuff was stolen. Sorry it happened but people just have no respect for other peoples belongings. 

[dlabelle0609]

Definitely go into it with the thinking your stuff might get stolen. With that being said use chains and locks that can't be cut with bolt cutters. Chances are this dip stick has been in that area more than once and went back to steal your stuff. Put personal identification on all your stuff where its not readily noticed then take a picture of it. Chances are this turd is going to be hunting that area where your stuff was stolen. Sorry it happened but people just have no respect for other peoples belongings. 

Yeah, im going to invest in better locks and heavy duty wire cable. Be a lot tougher to get that undone. Unless they just want to chop the whole tree down.


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[trophyhunt]

Sucks to hear, if you had/have a ladder stand, maybe take down the bottom half of the ladder when you leave and hide it or take it home.  If you have screw in steps, take them out with you when you leave. Those piles of crap will usually take it if it's easy.

[Stalker]

Never going to condone theft.  However, I thought you had to remove your personal equipment from public lands during the off season.  Have you checked with the local forest service folks? Maybe they removed it.  I've used tree stands for years and never had an issue. I put them in a day or two in advance, take two lengths of my ladder down and lock the remaining portions to the tree. Remove everything on my last hunt day and return it during the late season.   

[OutHouse]

Never going to condone theft.  However, I thought you had to remove your personal equipment from public lands during the off season.  Have you checked with the local forest service folks? Maybe they removed it.  I've used tree stands for years and never had an issue. I put them in a day or two in advance, take two lengths of my ladder down and lock the remaining portions to the tree. Remove everything on my last hunt day and return it during the late season.

I've been told that if it's left for a certain amount of time, the government will consider it legally abandoned and remove it.

[baker5150]

Sadly the only way to make sure your stuff isn't stolen is to take it with you when you leave.  Kind of defeats the purpose with trial cams, but that's the world we live in.

I've seen a couple tree stands in high traffic areas that have lasted years in the same spot. See them every year during season, camping and scouting trips, even named them and use them as markers when talking to folks who hunt the area.
I've also set a trail cam only to find it stolen the very next day, on private property no less.

[bigtex]

I recently had my treestand and game camera stolen out of the woods. I do hunt public land and leave everything in year round, but have never had an issue before. Very frustrating. Anyone have any ideas on how to keep people from steal your treestand? I had it chained to the tree, but they climbed up and cut the lock. My idea is to build a ladder guard which would prevent them from climbing up, but its not impossible.

Being part of the hunting community, its pretty messed up that a hunter would steal from another hunter. I would never climb into another guys treestand, let alone steal it.

What agency (Forest Service, WDFW, etc) is the land manager? Depending on the land management agency you can't leave a stand-up year round.

[dlabelle0609]

I appreciate all the feedback. I do believe the law is that if you leave it up on public land, its able to be used by anyone. I dont think Game Wardens or Forest Service would take it down, unless they were going to log it. I would also hope that if a game warden or someone like that took it down, they would maybe leave some sort of notification that they seized it and for me to be able to come get it. I think the wrong person happened to walk by my set up and took my stuff. Including the stand, camera, and camera box, its about $400 worth of stuff stolen.


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[gasman]

Yeah that sucks big time 
I had a blind and a camera stolen last year out of one of my spots. Had them set up all summer and never once got a single person on camera coming through the area and then when we went into the area on the second day of the season the blind and Camera were both gone. We were pissed. But know that it's on public land.

Also talked to you a few other people in the area who have had treestands and cameras stolen also, so there's a thief hanging around the 1205 up at Rimrock   

[bigtex]

I appreciate all the feedback. I do believe the law is that if you leave it up on public land, its able to be used by anyone. I dont think Game Wardens or Forest Service would take it down, unless they were going to log it. I would also hope that if a game warden or someone like that took it down, they would maybe leave some sort of notification that they seized it and for me to be able to come get it. I think the wrong person happened to walk by my set up and took my stuff. Including the stand, camera, and camera box, its about $400 worth of stuff stolen.

There is no statewide law that says if you leave a stand on public land its able to be used by anyone.

Depending on the public land you were on it's illegal to leave stands up year round. As an example, this is the reg for WDFW lands:

WAC 220-500-130
(1)(a) It is unlawful to dig pits for the purpose of hunting waterfowl, or to cut trees or attach artificial fasteners (such as wire, staples or nails) to trees for the construction of camps, blinds and tree stands on department lands.
(b) All nonnatural materials used in the construction of blinds or tree stands must be removed from department lands at the end of the hunting season.

Some federal agencies say you can't leave property unattended for longer than X amount of hours. So if your in an area with a 72 hour unattended reg and last occupied your stand on Sunday, on Wednesday/Thursday an officer could come and scoop up your property.

[hal]

if you have the resources, scribe your metal equipment with name or something you reconize where it is hard to find and set out a spare camera just focusing on the equipment.

[sternwarning]

Hide a game cam in a very tough place to spot...pointed at your gear. So at least you may get an idea of what this DB looks like. I agree with above statement, probably isn't the first time they've been in there...

[Seabass]

I wish I had a method to protect stands and cameras. I would certainly share that with everyone I knew. I have had cameras and stands stolen and it sucks! Every stand or camera that has been stolen has happened during the season. The bad guys look for them that time of year because that's when they are around.

You guys that think Forest Service officials patrol the MILLIONS of acres of land in this state looking for tree stands are delusional. They have better things to do.

[Goshawk]

It's gotten bad enough that I always put up 'cams in pairs. One for the trail, the second one to watch the first one. During season, cams and ladders are stolen weekly.

[JL]

Usually, it's either hardcore Anti's, or the other extreme, the deeply inbred type. Most people in between are pretty decent... I'd say. Sometimes you just have to follow them in and take care of the issue one way or another.

[Trevor91]

I had my camera stolen this weekend as well. Had it cable locked to the tree and he must have broken the cam to get it off. They also took my salt blocks and covered my critter lick with a pile of dirt....... Pissed me off because it was my most productive site.

[Thefishguy77]

I had my camera stolen this weekend as well. Had it cable locked to the tree and he must have broken the cam to get it off. They also took my salt blocks and covered my critter lick with a pile of dirt....... Pissed me off because it was my most productive site.

That sounds like an Anti.


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[millerwheeler]

They sell collapseable ladders  put stand up way high a d pack the ladder in and out as for camera I got nothing

[Tinmaniac]

My locked truck has been broken into.My locked house has been broken into.How can anyone be surprised that a treestand or anything else left behind on purpose would be gone when they return?

[millerwheeler]

My locked truck has been broken into.My locked house has been broken into.How can anyone be surprised that a treestand or anything else left behind on purpose would be gone when they return?

 Well I believe m9st of us think people are decent . Most hunters and people outdoors are great . It's  trying to believe the best in people

[woodswalker]

My locked truck has been broken into.My locked house has been broken into.How can anyone be surprised that a treestand or anything else left behind on purpose would be gone when they return?

The Claude Clay solution...

I've had locked trucks broken into, severely vandalized and stolen.  Camps ripped off from just the firewood to the alcohol/food to the actual camp like chairs, bags tents and cots.  Sometimes a surprise in the woodpile can show one which camp took at least the firewood.  House has been vandalized, broken into and things stolen.  The local law doesn't care, but would get all butthurt and accusatory to the point of arrest if something were to happen to the Perp.

Its a looking glass situations...black is white, light is dark.

But its nothing that a carpet scrap and a backhoe cannot solve. 

[KFhunter]

There's plenty of people who've done just that, but it seems their anxiety ramps up, they look over their shoulder and get paranoid.  They live their lives in constant fear of being discovered, found out not to mention judgement day...even semi devout atheists can have nagging thoughts about judgement day.

no thanks, my stuff isn't worth a life of living in fear if I had someone buried in my backyard.

[bigtex]

I had my camera stolen this weekend as well. Had it cable locked to the tree and he must have broken the cam to get it off. They also took my salt blocks and covered my critter lick with a pile of dirt....... Pissed me off because it was my most productive site.

That sounds like an Anti.

Anti hunter or just another hunter who views your bait as competition for "his" area.

[buckfvr]

No one should have to tolerate having their property stolen.  The issue will be if you catch them in the act.  For myself, I try and think about that possibility when Im relaxed and rational so that I have an idea what I might do...........Im still thinking.....

[HikerHunter]

Yeah that sucks big time 
I had a blind and a camera stolen last year out of one of my spots. Had them set up all summer and never once got a single person on camera coming through the area and then when we went into the area on the second day of the season the blind and Camera were both gone. We were pissed. But know that it's on public land.

Also talked to you a few other people in the area who have had treestands and cameras stolen also, so there's a thief hanging around the 1205 up at Rimrock   

I had my tent and some camp gear stolen last year in that area. I make sure to only leave behind the least valuable items, but it still sucks!

[fishngamereaper]

Never going to condone theft.  However, I thought you had to remove your personal equipment from public lands during the off season.  Have you checked with the local forest service folks? Maybe they removed it.  I've used tree stands for years and never had an issue. I put them in a day or two in advance, take two lengths of my ladder down and lock the remaining portions to the tree. Remove everything on my last hunt day and return it during the late season.

I've been told that if it's left for a certain amount of time, the government will consider it legally abandoned and remove it.

I've talked to more than one land manager/ agent with stands in the back of their trucks..leave it to long and don't expect it to last ..and they have no obligation to notify they seized abandoned property..pack it in pack it out..