Stolen Trail Cam

[ML_Hunter]

Sigh...So, Cabela's had a TON of game cams on sale for $50 so I picked two of them up, then went to Best Buy where they had 8GB SD card on sale for $15 (I picked up 4 of them  )  I went out last week and decided to set one of them up.  I set it up in an area that seamed to have a ton of deer activity but was about 1/4 mile from a road.  Came back 3 days later to hunt the area and pick up my game can only to have discover it was gone!  I knew where it was at and had the spot marked on my GPS so I'm 130% positive that i'm not looking at the wrong tree.  Just disgruntled that someone would actually take it  .  I knew that one day this may have happened...but really, my first trail cam on its maiden voyage  .  Grrrrrr 
 

[PolarBear]

I was poking around a landlocked chunk of state land behind my place yesterday morning and found a sign asking that whoever stole their treestand, please return it.  I keep hearing of treestands and cameras being ripped off all over Thurston County.  I just don't get why some folks can't leave other peoples stuff alone.   

[woodman]

Sorry to hear that this happened to you. Last year I lost one that was lag bolted to a stump in a metal case. You could see the wood splintered where they pried it off of the stump. Just a reality check as to the kind of jerks that live in this world.

[wayner]

we always lock our cameras to the tree with cable. Have'nt lost one "yet". But if someone really wanted it they could get it. Just keeps the honest people honest. 

Woodman it sounds like they really wanted your camera that sucks

[Skyvalhunter]

two words LOCK BOX

[rasbo]

go where the masses are not...if its easy for you to get to ,or you leave a nice trail leading to it,thats gonna happen..where I hunt, bears are my biggest worry,they mess with damn near anything ,and love plastic and foam seats...its really sad we all have to worry about anything left  out..hide your camera well,if it sticks out they are easy to spot......

[woodman]

two words LOCK BOX

Mine was stolen lock box and all!

[Skyvalhunter]

Then it was too close to the road and visable. If you conceal it or put it further out people are not likely to pack bolt cutters to cut off your paddle lock and the python cable you have on it.

[sportsman002001]

Right there with you I lost one 2 years ago and have been putting a couple cameras in the same spot for about 5 years. This was a spot that you had to hike into and I thought I would never loose a camera when you put in the effort to get off the beaten path. I was wrong. Don't let it discourge you from putting up cameras. 

[woodman]

Then it was too close to the road and visable. If you conceal it or put it further out people are not likely to pack bolt cutters to cut off your paddle lock and the python cable you have on it.

My camera was probably 250 yards back off of a logging road on an animal trail many miles in from any asphalt road on  gated tree farm (Hancock Kapowsin). I think that it must have been someone shed hunting or something and my camera was the victim of chance opportunity. I do make sure the my cameras are in deeper brush now.

[Decker]

I have a friend that labels his "WDFW camera # ...... serial # ...... GPS tracking #......

Says he hasn't lost one yet, and has TONS of photos of curious people looking at his cameras.

Might be worth a try 

[ser300wsm]

That sucks to have stuff you paid for stolen.... Bunch of low life rotten *censored*s...   I have also had stuff stolen... Sorry to hear that....   It seems as though nothing is safe these days guys....  

[Decker]

I wonder...if you are in an area where you think someone might strike, or re-strike and would take another camera...what if you put on in more plain sight (as low-life bait) and then hung an infrared (no flash to alert them) camera up higher pointing at the "bait" or first camera. Maybe you could get a picture of them stealing your camera and take it to the police? I mean really? I -F- with people's crap in the woods. If I find a tree stand, I figure someone's already got me on camera. If they're *censored* enough to take it once, they might try again. I think it would be worth it 

[ML_Hunter]

The area I posted this camera was in a restrictive access area and many people do not hunt the area anyways.  It's brushy, I've almost never seen deer on the road, and seldom see another hunter.  So I felt somewhat safe that it would be there when I returned.  This obviously was not the case.  Next time I will be taking further action to ensure its safety.  I just wanted to put it up for a few days to see really how many deer were in the area. 

Thanks for all of your support.  I had looked at lock boxes when I pick up my game cameras but they were more expensive than the camera.  I've found a few ways to home make lock boxes that i'll look into, and I have a friend who just LOVES to weld, so i'll see what he can come up with. 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I've never had a cam stolen, but I had one monkeyed with and the idiot left a shot of themselves on the camera, but took the card, made some other obscene photo's and put the card back in, lot's of free time I guess.... I check mine very often due to that, I like to think that the more people see me in that area, the more they stay out of that area, seems to be effective, but it's harder to do the more remotely you set them.

[PolarBear]

I have a friend that labels his "WDFW camera # ...... serial # ...... GPS tracking #......

Says he hasn't lost one yet, and has TONS of photos of curious people looking at his cameras.

Might be worth a try 

My buddy had WDFW stickers and warnings oh is cameras as well, they seem to work so far.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I believe the flash gives them away more than anything. Any passerby on a road within 1/2 mile of a camera could see a flash in low-light. It sounds tedious, but point your flash opposite the nearest roads/ trails if possible.

[huntnnw]

I have put stickers on my cams saying equiped with gps also. I hope you got the other cams on the road lol

[sticky]

You know it is just bad karma to jack someone's stuff like that.  I would be afraid that a bear would eat me after checking the camera I ripped off or I would do a half-gainer from a pilfered tree stand and end up blowing into a straw to get around for the rest of my life.

Payback's a bitch.  And it doesn't always come directly from the one who was ripped off.

[grousetracker]

heres what i do, put two up. 1 high and one low.buy those camera holders that you can agle the camera down from about 15ft up and turn off the flash. if they take your low cam they never see the high one and you have photos of them, had one cam stolen and he was arrested 2 days later. some people are scum. i had 4 stands taken off private property and have photo of him, but no one knows him.

[sakoshooter]

I have a friend that labels his "WDFW camera # ...... serial # ...... GPS tracking #......

Says he hasn't lost one yet, and has TONS of photos of curious people looking at his cameras.

Might be worth a try 

That sounds like a good idea.

[Skyvalhunter]

Where do you get these stickers at then?

[bow4elk]

I had two stolen in one day and one expensive one last year, during the season.  All cabled and well-hidden.  "Hunters" are stealing them.  Or should I say a$$holes with hunting licenses are stealing them.  Better hope I don't catch them in the act.  I've got over $500 worth of bitterness and anger to unload

[TheHunt]

I have been reading this thread trying to think of the possible reasons that camera's are been messed with.  The cameras are unusable because of the password.  So why take them?  The only reason that I can consider is they have hunted that area for years worked it the old school way of finding out what is there and here comes the game camera to find out in two weeks. 

I think hunters are taking them to make you work for the information.  What else would there be? 

BTW, I am trying to use logic.  Since hunters overall are men (sorry ladies) and I am a man, I am assuming I could use logic for why camera's are being messed with.

[bow4elk]

I have been reading this thread trying to think of the possible reasons that camera's are been messed with.  The cameras are unusable because of the password.  So why take them?  The only reason that I can consider is they have hunted that area for years worked it the old school way of finding out what is there and here comes the game camera to find out in two weeks. 

I think hunters are taking them to make you work for the information.  What else would there be? 

BTW, I am trying to use logic.  Since hunters overall are men (sorry ladies) and I am a man, I am assuming I could use logic for why camera's are being messed with.

No, they aren't password protected.  Some may have passwords, but many don't.  My homebrew cams are not easy to figure out but you'd figure it out over time.  I think that people are stealing them simply because they can, and there are more and more cameras in the woods.  You can pretty much go "cam hunting" just as you go "shed hunting".  IF you sell them on ebya or otherwise, you can make some good money with them.  There are CROOKS in every circle and hunting is not exempt.

[woodman]

I have been reading this thread trying to think of the possible reasons that camera's are been messed with.  The cameras are unusable because of the password.  So why take them?  The only reason that I can consider is they have hunted that area for years worked it the old school way of finding out what is there and here comes the game camera to find out in two weeks. 

I think hunters are taking them to make you work for the information.  What else would there be? 

BTW, I am trying to use logic.  Since hunters overall are men (sorry ladies) and I am a man, I am assuming I could use logic for why camera's are being messed with.

Using my logic, I think that they are scum bags that feel they can get something for free that someone else worked hard for.

[mack2255]

and people wonder why!!!!!1

[ICEMAN]

I have been reading this thread trying to think of the possible reasons that camera's are been messed with.  The cameras are unusable because of the password.  So why take them?  The only reason that I can consider is they have hunted that area for years worked it the old school way of finding out what is there and here comes the game camera to find out in two weeks. 

I think hunters are taking them to make you work for the information.  What else would there be? 

BTW, I am trying to use logic.  Since hunters overall are men (sorry ladies) and I am a man, I am assuming I could use logic for why camera's are being messed with.

I would imagine if someone just wanted to keep you from learning an area, they might just take the card and pop a .22 round thru the camera instead of taking it...

[Decker]

I have been reading this thread trying to think of the possible reasons that camera's are been messed with.  The cameras are unusable because of the password.  So why take them?  The only reason that I can consider is they have hunted that area for years worked it the old school way of finding out what is there and here comes the game camera to find out in two weeks. 

I think hunters are taking them to make you work for the information.  What else would there be? 

BTW, I am trying to use logic.  Since hunters overall are men (sorry ladies) and I am a man, I am assuming I could use logic for why camera's are being messed with.

I would imagine if someone just wanted to keep you from learning an area, they might just take the card and pop a .22 round thru the camera instead of taking it...

That would certainly send a message.

[TheHunt]

I did not know there was no passwords on some of the models.   That makes sense of that people can make a quick buck for the stolen camera.