Are you a trail camera thief?

[actionshooter]

I have had two trail cameras stolen by bears and one stolen by an elk.

Found all three within 100 yards with photos of the culprits.

I mean really... you can't blame them, you were spying on them   

[actionshooter]

I am a little concerned about one of my spypoint cell cams, hasn't been active for 2 weeks. I use it as a security camera at our cabin and everything was good, now it has no service and lost power... which is weird because its solar. Either it died or someone jacked it without getting their picture taken which is unlikely... dunno 

 I have never touched anyone's camera, possibly an inappropriate picture opportunity, but never touched one....

[highcountry_hunter]

A few years ago I had someone take the batteries and sd card out of a camera. I happened to be telling a buddy about it and mentioned the general area. He told me he had a camera in that area that they unbolted off the tree (yes, he had it lag bolted in a security box) and they took a chainsaw in to cut his tree down and steal his treestand.
The more we got to talking we realized that both of these thefts happened within a year of each other and about 100 yards from each other.
To this day I wonder if there was some freak show giant buck in there that somebody didn’t want anyone else to know about, or if there was just some general dirt bag POS hunting around that area.


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[duckmen1]

A few years ago I had someone take the batteries and sd card out of a camera. I happened to be telling a buddy about it and mentioned the general area. He told me he had a camera in that area that they unbolted off the tree (yes, he had it lag bolted in a security box) and they took a chainsaw in to cut his tree down and steal his treestand.
The more we got to talking we realized that both of these thefts happened within a year of each other and about 100 yards from each other.
To this day I wonder if there was some freak show giant buck in there that somebody didn’t want anyone else to know about, or if there was just some general dirt bag POS hunting around that area.


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That really sucks. I think some members may think that was a bear messing with you.

[highcountry_hunter]

A few years ago I had someone take the batteries and sd card out of a camera. I happened to be telling a buddy about it and mentioned the general area. He told me he had a camera in that area that they unbolted off the tree (yes, he had it lag bolted in a security box) and they took a chainsaw in to cut his tree down and steal his treestand.
The more we got to talking we realized that both of these thefts happened within a year of each other and about 100 yards from each other.
To this day I wonder if there was some freak show giant buck in there that somebody didn’t want anyone else to know about, or if there was just some general dirt bag POS hunting around that area.


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That really sucks. I think some members may think that was a bear messing with you.

I kid you not, I put a ranting rave on here about it and a guy seriously thought a bear could have popped open the camera and oh so carefully removed the batteries and sd card.


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[huntnnw]

If a cam is missing from a bear there’s always evidence that a bear took it. It simply doesn’t just take the camera from the tree. There’s usually busted pieces from cam , claw marks on tree. Elk love to mess with cams, but once again they don’t take them off tree without busting them and usually however the straps are attached to cam is what breaks and I’ve never had a elk take a cam ever and I run allot of cams in elk country .

[boneaddict]

I've found several that have obviously not been attended to in recent times.(i do with them what I do with every other one, try to give a wide berth)   I can't help but wonder how many people hang them and forget where the hell they put them, then blame someone for stealing them.   Return to the right tree

[GWP]

This one is in a lock box.

That is a great shot!

[MeepDog]

It's a combination of all of it. I've had bears knock them off before, but I've also had obvious human theft of sd cards or whole cameras. The worst time to leave up a cam is modern rifle season. I swear almost every theft has happened during mid October.

[Lumpy Taters]

Made a post about a month or so ago.  We all know bears like cameras. Found several half eaten and pieces spread all around the area.  They didn't take this one they vandalized and left it for me to find.  I agree with th OP it's not just cameras that get taken or messed with.   You would think knowing there is somone that you know carrying a weapon that could show up any second would be enough to prevent but I guess a$$holes just need to fart. 

[Blacktail Sniper]

 

[builtfordtough]

My Bil went and checked his cameras out of Carbanero this am and 1 was stolen.  Same place where they took my sd card a few yrs again.  Live and learn I guess.  I will say it and maybe get some flack for it but there is some white trash hood rats down there that do not care about anything but themselves.  See you in the woods in the coming weeks.

[hunter399]

I pulled down two cams today.
It was kinda on a ridge.
So I put one cam below the road,one cam above the road.
Maybe 500 yards apart from each other,had different animals on each cam. Which was surprising.

But I've had 9 different people on the two cams.
Never the same people on both.
Not one legal buck on each, one spike mule deer ,one time since the beginning of June.

But ya pulled them,if I leave them there I'm just asking to get jacked.
Not even a decent buck around to make it worth it.

[Twispriver]

My hunting partner had a camera go missing in the Manashtash a few years ago. He put it up in July and went to retrieve it when we went hunting in October but it was gone. Fast forward a couple of years and he's hunting the same area and low and behold there's his camera covered in debris and dead batteries but still on the same tree he hung it on. He just looked in the wrong place but he was sure he was right. I think Boneaddict is spot on with his assessment.

[pickardjw]

I've never found evidence of people messing with mine though half have caught people on them at some point. Seems like most people smile and wave if they notice it. Or in this case, "Rock On"