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When hunting public land

TheYote

TheYote

Active Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
137
Do you guys ever worry about someone messing with your truck? Been lucky so far but have know a few hunters that have had their trucks keyed, hit or tires slashed for who knows what reason. I’m pretty picky about where I park now because of it
 
I’m always concerned with vehicle vandalism while on secluded public land spots. Never had it happen though
 
That camera idea is great. My cousin has had some incidents where he hunts. Luckily he interrupted them.
 
Only issue I've ever had was I had shot a nice buck so I met my brother back at the trucks where we left our climbers in the truck bed to go get my buck. While dragging him out we crested the last hill and a car took off. Turns out they were stealing my stand but we were just in time to keep them from stealing my brothers stand.
 
Gator said:
Only issue I've ever had was I had shot a nice buck so I met my brother back at the trucks where we left our climbers in the truck bed to go get my buck. While dragging him out we crested the last hill and a car took off. Turns out they were stealing my stand but we were just in time to keep them from stealing my brothers stand.
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See another argument for saddle hunting...... seriously though that stuff sucks!!
 
Gator said:
Only issue I've ever had was I had shot a nice buck so I met my brother back at the trucks where we left our climbers in the truck bed to go get my buck. While dragging him out we crested the last hill and a car took off. Turns out they were stealing my stand but we were just in time to keep them from stealing my brothers stand.
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That's why we always hid our stands 20 yards inside the woods when going back to get a deer. People will do anything
 
It's a risk. To mitigate I do a couple things.

  1. When hunting out-of-state, back into parking spots (no front plate required in MI) because sometimes the locals don't like out-of-staters.
  2. If you can get to a spot from 2 different lots, and 1 is near a residence, favor that lot.
 
I've never had a problem, and I've been hunting public since I was about 12. I think a lot of it boils down to implementing some common sense. I don't leave anything in my truck I don't want stolen. I actually DON'T lock my doors, because I don't want my window smashed over a phone charger or something stupid. I guess they could take my battery, but that's cheaper and easier to fix than a busted window! I also hunt from a $500 truck, so if it gets keyed or dented...whoopie doo.

There is one WMA near me I don't hunt. Scouting it, there were way to many shady characters cruising around at 2pm on a Wednesday in crapped-out cars or walking pitbulls for my liking. The syringes in the parking area were the nail in the coffin.

I did have an interesting situation last season. I was hunting a WMA in a different county. Way more people than I unusually share the woods with, and about 3 hours away from my house. A guy who parked about 100 yards away from my truck had a stand stolen out of the back of his truck. Apparently they hit several people on that road. I had a kayak on the roof, a bike on the rack, and some minor gear in the truck (it was a weekend trip, so I kinda had to break my rule). I reckon a kayak is hard to fit in a truck discretely, and the bike was locked.
 
The only time my truck has been messed with that was associated with hunting was when I had a tire slashed in the parking lot of my girlfriend's apartment building the night after I went hunting. I guess I got up too early that day and woke the people up on the first floor and they didn't like it.
 
Like @Bigterp said.....another advantage to the saddle....
I have cheap combo bike locks that I used for tree stands, game cart, cooler, etc
I never had anything taken
 
Over the years I have had a few issues with people messing with my vehicle during hunting season. Every time It was someone trying to show me that this is their spot. If you hunt long enough on public land that is going to happen now and again. During steelhead and salmon season is where I see more problems. A few things I have learned the hard way ........... don't have anything of value that can be seen from the outside of the vehicle. If you are a decal guy, peel those things off. It is always the nice trucks with all the fancy decals on the back window that get broken into ...... when you advertise you have $500 waders and a $1000 rod your vehicle goes to the top of the list for theft. I drive an up north truck now and it is a POS but it goes places you would not take a good truck. All dented and rusting ........ 10 years now and not one problem with theft or vandalism. When it looks like you don't have any money you don't get a second look from thieves.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Bingo. I try to look poor an sketchy enough to scare the yuppies, but not so rough I get undue attention from the warden. ;)
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No lie there. Last year I was at a very remote spot, deep it the swamp and had just got back from a morning hunt ..... not a soul around, or so I thought. Sitting on my tailgate in my long underwear cooling down from the walk-in and out pops the most breathtaking female CO you have ever seen. I mean smoking hot. She takes one look at me and her hand goes right to her pistol. The look on her face said it all. I did get my hands into plain sight pretty quick. Showed her my license, ID, bow, inside of my pack and opened up the cab for her to inspect. ....... her hand never left that pistol. Turns out some guys were poaching brook trout out of the creek and she was laying for them.
 
I agree with above, definitely don’t want to be obviously “Not from round here” in the places I hunt. I try to look like everybody else.

I did recently put an EWO sticker on my truck, I couldn’t help it. Maybe if they know what it is and that I’m a saddle hunter, they’ll realize there’s nothing in the truck, lol.
 
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I hunted out of a subaru wrx for years; I had an aluminum Floe trailer when I needed it. That trailer was one of my favorite possessions. Last year I hunted a private farm in central Ohio.... the parking area is a low spot along a creek, not real visible from the road. One evening I left the trailer there and camped at a campground 15 mins away. I came back in the morning ready to hunt and the trailer was gone. I’m still depressed about it, hard lesson learned. The prior year we had a cell cam on that drive but not last year unfortunately.
 
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