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Why do people have to be jagoffs? (stolen trail cam rant)

C

casts_by_fly

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2022
Messages
239
Location
NJ
Per the title, just why? I've been careful to not leave anything on the public hunting areas where I hunt. I never leave a stand or steps in the tree unless I'm coming back in the morning. I've never been one to run cameras until last season when I started putting out a card only camera behind my house. A friend who doesn't hunt gave it to me (they were missing their cat for a week) so I thought why not put it out and see what comes through. I learned a lot about the deer in the neighborhood.

I put it out last Monday the 4th on a WMA nearby. I hunted over it on Wednesday and when I was dragging out my deer I considered pulling it (I won't be hunting there again this year) but thought I might as well leave it until I'm ready to move it. Never know what it will pick up. I went to grab it today and its gone. Friday afternoon and Saturday were busy in that area as it was our gun season. It wasn't too far from a parking area (the deer don't mind) and I didn't have a lock on it. Why would I? Who takes a cheapie trail camera. I guess I have my answer.

The worst part is that its basically useless to whoever grabbed it. Its pin locked eletronically. So they basically got 8 AA rechargable batteries and a 32GB SD card. And a paperweight.

Anyone want to recommend a good camera lock? I already asked about cell camera plans in the other subforum. I like using one now and there's no going back. I hunt enough public land that i guess I'm going to have to lock things up.

thanks
rick
 
If someone wants it they’ll get it regardless of a lock unfortunately. Best to hang it a stick high (out of reach) on a tree that matches the camera or in the shade. Skinny trees can help.

I’ve often wondered if there was a way to load a virus or firmware of some sorts onto the sd card. Throw a little karma back ;)
 
opportunity some times turns honest people into not so honest people unfortunately. When i use cameras on public i always bring a climbing stick with me so i can hang it high an angle it down. Ive used python locks previously but hanging em high as been enough lately..
 
I would either hang them high or lock them. Or both. Just that extra layer seems to keep most of the lazy thiefs honest. And keep them out of high human traffic areas, and especially on high human traffic gun season days.

Those two layers of security have been enough for me in most cases. I've only had a couple nabbed over the years, cost of doing business. Bears on the other hand wreck one or two of mine every year.
 
I have cameras stolen in the past and it burnt me up bad, soured my hunting experience. I don’t want that at all. I have since tried to put cameras in more remote and harder to get to spots, and up in a tree when feasible. With that, I haven’t had one stolen in a couple of years.
 
I gut shot the first deer I shot with the recurve last year and it was a big ole buck. When I returned to my vehicle after backing out, I realized that someone had stolen my catalytic converters out of my seqouia. It ended up costing me hundreds of dollars to fix around Christmas. I wish thieves would just take the stuff without damaging and causing more trouble for me. But they’re thieves, so what do I expect? If they want it that bad they can just have it; if they take your shirt give them your cloak too type of thing.

Moral of the story: expect your cameras to get stolen and be thankful your cats haven’t been stolen… yet.
 
That sucks man. as everyone else says, hangin em one stick high is usually enough. most people won't see them. Pro tip (learned the hard way): get all your cams off public before turkey season. You think gun season is bad, Turkey hunters are even worse.
 
I don’t use trail cams. If they were banned, it wouldn’t be a hiccup for me at all. Still it’s so discouraging to keep reading about hunter interference/theft.

Why do people have to be…?

#1 Lack of personal integrity. #2 a culture emphasizing outcomes over values.

Other hunters have helped me out in the past, in big ways, and I pray there’s more cut from that mold than the self-serving type that tarnish what it means to be a hunter.
 
All my cams are 100$ tops on public. It's simply a matter of time till one is snagged. Its part of the public game unfortunately. I always get mine out right before the orange army hits the woods.
 
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Had this camera stolen earlier this year. The other 4 at this height made it through without an issue. Sure does make a guy question the type of people we share the mountains with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I lock all mine even on private land. I have had several attacked by bears and honestly if not for that cable they would've been gone just from the bear. I run external 12v battery boxes on mine, and the last one the bears got, I had to go about 30 yards away in a thicket to find the battery box with chew marks all over it. The cam was barely hanging to the tree by the cable lock.
 
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