Anyone know these people?

[yakimanoob]

Cant see the video (im at work) but if I find a skeleton cabled to a tree, Id take it down and clean it up "the litter".  Maybe not if I see a camera on it as it might click in my head what it is.   Ive removed and cleaned up all sorts of weird animal parts hanging from trees.   Ive seen people hang some really weird things in the woods.   I like my woods clean and do my best to pass on a good hunters image.  Most of the time its in abandoned hunters camps.

You'd do this the first time you came across something?  I pick up plenty of trash, including a few cables, but I would never take down something that was obviously set up a certain way (the dude had to break the skeleton apart and lift it off the tall stump, then break the skeleton further to get the cable out); at least not the first time I came by it.  They didn't so much as look around for the camera -- it was at eye level in a big non-camo metal box about 15' away with a thick black python cable around it. 

I don't know.  I just have a hard time seeing an honest, experienced outdoorsman like yourself doing what these folks did. 

[Curly]

I'd also not label the couple as thieves. 

Did they steal the cable?  I don't know that I would say they did. 

They obviously took it, but they probably thought it was abandoned.  They had no idea the camera was there overlooking the carcass, so they must have thought some hunter had strung it up there during hunting season.  And how long had it been since hunting season was over???........they obviously thought it was abandoned.

[vandeman17]

I'd also not label the couple as thieves. 

Did they steal the cable?  I don't know that I would say they did. 

They obviously took it, but they probably thought it was abandoned.  They had no idea the camera was there overlooking the carcass, so they must have thought some hunter had strung it up there during hunting season.  And how long had it been since hunting season was over???........they obviously thought it was abandoned.

My question to those who assume they were doing a "good deed" and must have "assumed" it was abandoned, what leads you to this? Is it because it was a respectable older looking couple? What if it was a couple 20 somethings or teenagers dressed in scrappy clothes, would you come to the same assumptions?

I pose this question not because I disagree but just curious how some on here are convinced they were doing this will good intent... 

[Curly]

Well, I really try to give the benefit of the doubt to most people.  But I admit that I am also stereotyping a bit in this case due the look of this older couple. 

But the other thing is the timing.  The carcass has obviously been there a long time.  They probably thought nobody was coming back.

[yakimanoob]

The carcass had been there for 42 days, just for the record.  The cable was a nice vinyl-coated one with a master lock on it, wouldn't have had any rust, etc.  I get it that people come to weird conclusions, and I wouldn't be surprised if they thought they were cleaning up the place.  But they weren't, and they're no less thieves because of their intentions.  They took something that they had no right to take, ergo... 

And I'll say again, I'm not hoping for jail time or even a fine here.  Just want my cable back and wouldn't mind having a LEO knock on their door to teach them to think twice next time.

[CAMPMEAT]

someone going to create a plenty of fish account with that pic and see if we can turn that frown upside down??

Be sure to use your account you already have...

[Elkcollector82]

The carcass had been there for 42 days, just for the record.  The cable was a nice vinyl-coated one with a master lock on it, wouldn't have had any rust, etc.  I get it that people come to weird conclusions, and I wouldn't be surprised if they thought they were cleaning up the place.  But they weren't, and they're no less thieves because of their intentions.  They took something that they had no right to take, ergo... 

And I'll say again, I'm not hoping for jail time or even a fine here.  Just want my cable back and wouldn't mind having a LEO knock on their door to teach them to think twice next time.

Seriously! It’s a $25 cable. You got great footage from it. Take the footage and be happy. They had no idea the cam was there. So they took the cable. To clean up our woods. No big deal. Have you checked the local lost/found Facebook sites or any other sites  to see if they posted on there. Or did you just jump to conclusions and couldn’t wait to blast them with the title “THIEVES”

[vandeman17]

The carcass had been there for 42 days, just for the record.  The cable was a nice vinyl-coated one with a master lock on it, wouldn't have had any rust, etc.  I get it that people come to weird conclusions, and I wouldn't be surprised if they thought they were cleaning up the place.  But they weren't, and they're no less thieves because of their intentions.  They took something that they had no right to take, ergo... 

And I'll say again, I'm not hoping for jail time or even a fine here.  Just want my cable back and wouldn't mind having a LEO knock on their door to teach them to think twice next time.

Seriously! It’s a $25 cable. You got great footage from it. Take the footage and be happy. They had no idea the cam was there. So they took the cable. To clean up our woods. No big deal. Have you checked the local lost/found Facebook sites or any other sites  to see if they posted on there. Or did you just jump to conclusions and couldn’t wait to blast them with the title “THIEVES”

Maybe you should just send him a check for $25 bucks then and make it all square since its no big deal

[yakimanoob]

Seriously! It’s a $25 cable. You got great footage from it. Take the footage and be happy. They had no idea the cam was there. So they took the cable. To clean up our woods. No big deal. Have you checked the local lost/found Facebook sites or any other sites  to see if they posted on there. Or did you just jump to conclusions and couldn’t wait to blast them with the title “THIEVES”

Jumping to conclusions, by the definition you seem to be using, is inevitable.  You jumped to the conclusion they were cleaning up the woods; I jumped to the conclusion they took something they saw and wanted.  As I've stated clearly, I'm not talking about criminal charges here.  I'm just looking for information so I can get my cable back. 

I'm genuinely surprised by two things here:

1) the implication that these people did nothing wrong.

2) the propensity for people on the internet to be upset when someone says something they don't like.  You don't think I should want my cable back?  That's fine.  But the goal of your post and others on here seem to be to get me to stop talking about it.  I don't understand that.  If you don't like this thread, just ignore it. 

[yakimanoob]

And to put your collective minds at ease, yes I have checked the sites I can find and asked around locally.  And no, I haven't filed any kind of report on this or talked to the LEOs.  If I get a name of someone I don't know and no one feels comfortable mediating, then I'd ask the rangers for advice on how to handle the situation -- if I should approach them or they should, etc. 

Best case, someone knows them and can reach out to them asking for the cable to be returned, and since they were just cleaning up trash they'll return it to me promptly.

[yakimanoob]

You got great footage from it. Take the footage and be happy.

Did that.  Posted it on a separate thread for everyone to enjoy, and linked it here as well.  And if getting this kind of footage means giving up a $25 cable, you bet I'll keep doing it every winter without a second thought.  If this goes nowhere, it was $25 well-spent. 

But none of that implies I shouldn't try to get my $25 back. 

[Holg3107]

I'm confused a bit here? You mentioned you would like a LEO to pay them a visit... For what exactly? Assuming this is on public land, they found and removed garbage from public land. I'm not seeing any sort of violation of any laws here aside from you littering on public land. I understand your goal of placing the trail cam and carcass there but you had to know what you were doing came with certain risks. While I understand that you may be upset that your cable was removed I really don't see any way of justifying it. I'm very curios what an LEO report would look like here that wouldn't implicate you...

[Oh Mah]

I can see this thread going no where,I don't think anyone on here thinks its ok to take something that don't belong but lets look at this from an uneducated about hunters point of view.
Did they think what you were doing was illegal? (not but they may think it was)

Did they think someone tied game to a tree to return for the meat later but didn't(wasting)

Did they think it was trash and left abandoned?(they didn't see the cam)

Did they outright steal a cable left on a tree?(cable $25. cam $100)Did not steal cam.

You said you have not contacted any LEO on this matter,Maybe you should.They may have turned it in to be investigated(if they don't know anything about hunting)

                                                    

[yakimanoob]

I'm confused a bit here? You mentioned you would like a LEO to pay them a visit... For what exactly? Assuming this is on public land, they found and removed garbage from public land. I'm not seeing any sort of violation of any laws here aside from you littering on public land. I understand your goal of placing the trail cam and carcass there but you had to know what you were doing came with certain risks. While I understand that you may be upset that your cable was removed I really don't see any way of justifying it. I'm very curios what an LEO report would look like here that wouldn't implicate you...

Unattended items are not garbage. It is not illegal, to the best of my knowledge anyway, for a private citizen to place a camera, use bait to lure critters into the frame, and secure that bait with a cable on public land. 

Everyone here, I assume, would agree that they were thieves if they had taken the camera.  And no one would argue "yeah they took your stuff but they left your SD card so just shut up and be happy with your cool footage."  From my perspective, they took a part of my setup.  Which part they took, and the relative cost of that part, and their intentions in doing so are immaterial to the determination of wrong-doing. 

The stuff about a LEO knocking on their door is just to shock them into realizing what they did was wrong.  If that never happens and I get the cable back with a lecture from them on why I shouldn't leave trash in the woods, whatever.  I know I may never get an apology from them, but I like to go for gold so...   

[yakimanoob]

You said you have not contacted any LEO on this matter,Maybe you should.They may have turned it in to be investigated(if they don't know anything about hunting

I've been thinking about that.  Honestly my thinking was to check here first in case someone knew them and I could get it back without making a big deal of it.  But then I let myself get sucked in to arguing on the internet... 

If they don't know anything about hunting, I hope they leave the bolt gun at home for their next hike...  just sayin'.