Stolen Trail Camera - What to do?

Nanky · Oct 26, 2016

I have a buddy that just had a trail camera stolen off some public land down here in SD. I have a camera in the same piece of land, it's locked up, and hopefully still there on Friday morning when I go out there. Anyways, if yours got stolen would you report it to the police or the G&F or both? Just curious what others have done. Thanks!

Deerwatcher · Oct 26, 2016

Always make a report, I am in law enforcement you just never know what might turn up.

BrokenBackJack · Oct 26, 2016

Yep, report it.
Leaving things on public land is quite often going to get taken. Bad enough on private land even if it is posted you sometimes have idiots going through there and taking things that aren't theirs. Damn thieves!

Phill Latio · Oct 26, 2016

You can buy dummy cameras with just the shell, pick up some of those and fill them with a combination of the nastiest body fluids u can make, make a spring loaded mechanism to launch the goodness all over them when they open the camera. You will see a drastic decline in stolen cameras I guarantee it

KDM · Oct 26, 2016

Sucks you have to deal with thieves and sorry to hear you buddy got swindled. However, a trail cam box on every other tree with only 4 cameras could be fun. Make a ginormous shell game of "Find the Camera" ya Schmuck.

Account Deleted · Oct 26, 2016

Sorry to hear that bud. I have just quit using them all together honestly. Once you know how the deer use an area, I think it makes more sense to not use them to keep scent to a minimum.

Mort · Oct 26, 2016

Hate to hear crap like this.....tees me off to no end....why do mutha f ers gotta take what not theirs??? F'n theives where yo go now a days...its getting REAL sickening..bastards...

deleted_account · Oct 27, 2016

I've had two stolen this year. one of the hazards of hunting public land I guess..

LBrandt · Oct 27, 2016

I hear the faint sound of dueling banjos in the back ground, they will get their deliverance in the end.;:;boohoo

ndbwhunter · Oct 27, 2016

Had a few stolen two years ago, and have been hesitant to use them since. These were stolen off of private ground. Report it to law enforcement, but don't get your hopes up on finding it. Maybe you'll get lucky and get a picture of someone on your camera.

BrokenBackJack · Oct 27, 2016

Hillary if elected will vow to stop the thieves (all except for her) ! :;:stirthepot

Duckslayer100 · Oct 27, 2016

Sucks for your buddy. I personally would never leave anything on public property over night. That just screams "steal me."

On a side note, I ran into a trail camera for the first time ever a couple years ago on a piece of public land I've hunted since 2002. Decided to sit across from it for the noon opener, since it was a good spot that I'd hunted a half dozen times. The camera was swinging open, so whoever owned it had pulled the card and batteries but left the actual camera (God knows why). Got there about 10:30. At 11:45 a kid comes down and asks what I'm doing there. I thought the blaze orange jacket and rifle in my hand was a clue, but I spelled it out for him. He got pissed.

"Well that's my trail camera, I'm sitting there."

I kind of looked at him funny and asked him how long he'd owned the public property we were hunting.

God I hate rifle season.

Still_Learnin' · Oct 27, 2016

I've always left my stands and cameras on public land for most of the season. I lock everything but that only deters the honest hunters. Only once have I had an issue. In Oklahoma, during the muzzle loader season, someone tried to steal my camera. It was locked so he decided to shoot it instead. Then he tried to steal my hang on stand but it was locked too. Once again, he shot the lock but couldn't get it open so then he decided to cut my ratchet straps and then left the stand hanging by the lock. And then he stole my climbing pegs.

I hate thieves but I'll murder a vandalizing thief!

Rowdie · Oct 27, 2016

You would think a company would come up with a GPS chip in them to track them.

ndbwhunter · Oct 27, 2016

Still_Learnin' said:
I've always left my stands and cameras on public land for most of the season. I lock everything but that only deters the honest hunters. Only once have I had an issue. In Oklahoma, during the muzzle loader season, someone tried to steal my camera. It was locked so he decided to shoot it instead. Then he tried to steal my hang on stand but it was locked too. Once again, he shot the lock but couldn't get it open so then he decided to cut my ratchet straps and then left the stand hanging by the lock. And then he stole my climbing pegs.

I hate thieves but I'll murder a vandalizing thief!

I would give anything to catch someone in the act. I certainly wouldn't murder anyone, but they would get a beating to the point of not being able to remember what happened.

Mort · Oct 27, 2016

Duckslayer100 said:
"Well that's my trail camera, I'm sitting there."

I kind of looked at him funny and asked him how long he'd owned the public property we were hunting.

God I hate rifle season.

What was his answer to the owning the public land...I'd love to hear that one.....

Duckslayer100 · Oct 27, 2016

Mort said:
What was his answer to the owning the public land...I'd love to hear that one.....

Something about "g'darn common courtesy" or some such thing. I was fuming but did my best to hold my tongue. Hunting this public tract gives me anxiety every year. Never know if I'm going to get beat to my favorite hunting location, or if the deer drivers are going to start at precisely 12:05 and wind up walking 10 feet from me.

So far, though, most of my fears have been for naught. See plenty of deer and, usually, the guys pushing send plenty of opportunities my way.

Mort · Oct 27, 2016

Courtesy rule I use is.....if you are there first, you get the spot..isn't that the common sense way??? A trail camera LEFT or put there is not a 'valid' I was here first scenerio....and thats what I would have told him...

I am thankfully I have private land to hunt and don't have to deal with that during deer hunting season.

Lycanthrope · Oct 27, 2016

Phill Latio said:
You can buy dummy cameras with just the shell, pick up some of those and fill them with a combination of the nastiest body fluids u can make, make a spring loaded mechanism to launch the goodness all over them when they open the camera. You will see a drastic decline in stolen cameras I guarantee it

Dummy camera loaded with poison ivy maybe...

Stolen Trail Camera - What to do?

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