People messing with my trail cameras

[ASienkiewich]

Just wondering how many people have this issue. I have not had a camera stolen yet, but this is my second SD card stolen. I already know what’s on the card people… I don’t see the point… Public service announcements LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE.

Rant over. I just hope I catch someone in the act one day


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[Pete112288]

Crappy move on their part for sure. At least they dont steal them or break em. A year or so ago I had someone pull 2 cameras down, take the cards, stuff them in a hole behind the tree they were on and take a dump on them. Worst part about it was it had rained a bunch since they did it so all the crap melted in the rain all over the cameras. Add that to them putting no trespass signs on state land and hiding plywood under leaves on the trail to get there with nails sticking out of it. That was the 2nd time I have had issues. Had 3 stolen years ago. In places that I am sure I was followed in order for them to find all 3 of them. Most the time mine are in such thick stuff so far off the beaten path that I never get people on them or anything.
For sure dirt baggery at its best. How hard is it to just wave at someones cam and walk on.....

[hunter399]

1 SD taken this year for me

[swampbear]

This is a concern for me this year. I pulled all my cameras but 3. 2 on public land, an 1 on private land that has a fair amount of people trespassing. Might go pull them this week or next week. Taking a buddy hunting in that area next weekend. Some people are *censored*ty.

[huntnfmly]

Sorry to hear
The tips I got from this site about that and what I do is use 1 section of climbing sticks / lock box and cable lock and put them about 9ft up the tree

[Grousehunter19]

Just wondering how many people have this issue. I have not had a camera stolen yet, but this is my second SD card stolen. I already know what’s on the card people… I don’t see the point… Public service announcements LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE.

Rant over. I just hope I catch someone in the act one day


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I had a guy steal an sd card outta my camera last year. He kept it for two to three weeks and then put it back.

[trophyhunt]

Some Hunters can't keep their damn hands off other peoples chit, I think if you put out cameras, at some point you'll have this stuff happen to you.  Mine have been in the backcountry off trails, some by a mile and they have been stolen or sd card taken.  Not sure what I'd do if I caught them in the act, depends I guess on my mood that particular moment.  The minimum, I would video them with my phone and put their face all over social media. Or dig a hole, just depends if I've had my coffee yet or not.

[Sandberm]

Crappy move on their part for sure. At least they dont steal them or break em. A year or so ago I had someone pull 2 cameras down, take the cards, stuff them in a hole behind the tree they were on and take a dump on them. Worst part about it was it had rained a bunch since they did it so all the crap melted in the rain all over the cameras. Add that to them putting no trespass signs on state land and hiding plywood under leaves on the trail to get there with nails sticking out of it. That was the 2nd time I have had issues. Had 3 stolen years ago. In places that I am sure I was followed in order for them to find all 3 of them. Most the time mine are in such thick stuff so far off the beaten path that I never get people on them or anything.
For sure dirt baggery at its best. How hard is it to just wave at someones cam and walk on.....

Thats disturbing

[phildobaggins]

I had a trail camera get messed with this spring. They didn't take the SD card or the camera, but they must've hit the camera with their firearm or something because the IR shield and camera were busted. They destroyed the camera and then cleared the SD card. Turned the camera to the "OFF" position, and left.

[Goshawk]

Went through that myself a bit ago.  I kept updating the process until it all got talked over and everyone left with an "adjusted attitude".

Here's the link if you're interested.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,244395.0.html

[pickardjw]

I'm building a small army of trail cams to set out next year and my plans are:

- Python locks for all cameras except my really remote ones
- Elevate them above where anyone can reach without climbing
- Set them back from the trail/clearing so they're not as easily spotted

I think some of the cams are designed now to where the lock would prevent someone from getting in to the SD card slot.

[Ridgeratt]

Have you ever heard the term.

Nothing is sailor proof. 🤔🤔

[Alex4200]

Just for the record, I don’t own any trail cams or do I ever plan on buying any. But reading this thread makes me think it is time for someone to develop a decoy/booby trap type device. Of course non-lethal, but inconvenient enough to make people think twice about messing with someone else’s camera. I am think something like the dye packs banks use. The responses to this post should be interesting

[Crunchy]

We had 2 sd cards taken from our cameras in Oregon.  Rather sad someone would do that.  Next year I will buy locks to keep that from happening.  Not sure why someone wouldn't just carry an sd card reader rather than steal the sd card. Just pop it out, take a look and put it back.

[7mmfan]

Just for the record, I don’t own any trail cams or do I ever plan on buying any. But reading this thread makes me think it is time for someone to develop a decoy/booby trap type device. Of course non-lethal, but inconvenient enough to make people think twice about messing with someone else’s camera. I am think something like the dye packs banks use. The responses to this post should be interesting

I think one that blasts fart spray on someone when they open it would be hilarious, and effective.

[trophyhunt]

I'm building a small army of trail cams to set out next year and my plans are:

- Python locks for all cameras except my really remote ones
- Elevate them above where anyone can reach without climbing
- Set them back from the trail/clearing so they're not as easily spotted

I think some of the cams are designed now to where the lock would prevent someone from getting in to the SD card slot.

python locks are a joke to thieves, first time I used one in the backcountry some azz hat took an elk bone and twisted it right off. Only thing that saved that camera was my bear box that was lag bolted w 3 bolts to the tree. Putting them up higher with a small ladder should help.

[Bareback]

I climbed a tree and put a cam a good 15 feet high in a pretty remote place. Let it soak all spring through fall.  What I noticed is they loose their effectiveness as the distance increases to the trigger point.  I had zero night pictures and limited day, one twighlight. Needless to say after a 5 hr round trip for retrieval I was a bit disappointed at only having 25 shots. One animal and 4 groups of hunters. I did enjoy seeing all the groups of hunters heading back down about 90 minutes later. They must have been enlightened as to the ruggedness of the terrain.

[emac]

I'm building a small army of trail cams to set out next year and my plans are:

- Python locks for all cameras except my really remote ones
- Elevate them above where anyone can reach without climbing
- Set them back from the trail/clearing so they're not as easily spotted

I think some of the cams are designed now to where the lock would prevent someone from getting in to the SD card slot.

Like trophy hunt said python locks are a joke.  Depending on what cameras you get a lock box.  I get all mine from camlockbox.com.  They have been great.  I get bigger master locks for them that fit pretty tight to the lock box.  I try to get ones tight enough that no cutters can get enough bite on them to cut them off.  Not 100% steal proof but they would have to work damn hard to steal them.

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[highcountry_hunter]

Just for the record, I don’t own any trail cams or do I ever plan on buying any. But reading this thread makes me think it is time for someone to develop a decoy/booby trap type device. Of course non-lethal, but inconvenient enough to make people think twice about messing with someone else’s camera. I am think something like the dye packs banks use. The responses to this post should be interesting

I’ve thought about trying to devise something like this with the ink bombs but I’m not an engineer. I’ve also thought about digging a pit trap in front of the camera but the problem is the roots of the tree...this all stemmed from last year somebody stealing my card and batteries but leaving the camera. So I talked to a buddy who hunted in the same area and he said the year before he bolted his camera to the tree with 1/2” lag bolts and they cut his tree down with a chainsaw, stole his tree stand and bashed his camera to a million pieces. Some people think they own the woods
I think one that blasts fart spray on someone when they open it would be hilarious, and effective.