This Season just got a lot tougher

Not been a good season so far. I run trailcams most of the year and for the last month pics have been at a alltime low. I thought the colder wheather that we are getting would bring some luck….But I didn’t want it to be bad luck. Got to the woods nice and early this morning and as I’m walking in to stand I pass some of my trailcams, today the first one didn’t go off, so I walked closer to the tree to find it gone. I go to the next camera and it is gone too. I then went to my 1st stand and it’s gone.. Now I’m Madder than Hell…I head to my 2nd stand on the way a 3rd camera is gone and when I got to my 2nd stand it to was GONE…..It’s still dark out, but I start cruisin the woods collecting my other trailcameras. I was able to get 3 of my cams that THEY had not found. …BUT on 2 of the cameras I checked the pics and found 2guys walking through the woods at 11:30am on Thursday the same 2 guys show up at 5:00pm with a boltcutter and a big prybar So They Stole 3 trailcameras with bear boxes and 2 -2man latter stands………BUT THEY MISSED 3 Cameras But The Cameras did not miss them. …….I do not recognize ether of them but I have photos of them and I will be starting a new season of hunting this two down and getting my stuff …………..bottom line is I was hunting in the right, I’ve hunted this spot for over 20 years, I have had permission to be there year after year with no problems. and now there is a big problem…ME…I Will Be Out There And I Will Find Them …….THEY Best Hope They Have My Stuff My season was looking tough but now looks really ugly.

Get ’em Dozer. I had my 2-man stand stolen last year. Sucks for sure. But I’m pulling for you!!! Get ’em!!!

Hope you get those sob’s It would be nice to go into their hunting area and reck their season.

I would post pictures here, Facebook and at every store in your town. Someone will recognize them! Then shame them to death. Then call the cops.

Dozer, very sorry to hear about this.

First thing to do is take the pictures of the perps to local law enforcement. There’s a strong chance these guys will be locals because the scoped the place out and then came back. If that’s the case, there’s also a good chance the law will know them well.

I wouldn’t start searching on your own. Not yet anyway. You don’t want to tip the perps off as it could make the cops job harder.

Again, sorry about the situation. Hope you catch up to them.

Grouse

I agree with grouse!~ take pics in and press charges! let them lowlifes spend some time in the clink..

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Dozer, very sorry to hear about this.

First thing to do is take the pictures of the perps to local law enforcement. There’s a strong chance these guys will be locals because the scoped the place out and then came back. If that’s the case, there’s also a good chance the law will know them well.

I wouldn’t start searching on your own. Not yet anyway. You don’t want to tip the perps off as it could make the cops job harder.

Again, sorry about the situation. Hope you catch up to them.

Grouse

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While this may be true, it’s not impossible to be dealing with someone who lives some distance from you/your area.

I have a family member in law enforcement and actually handled my last theft. We actually thought we had our guy but the ladder stand he had was a single. I lost a 2-man. While talking to him, he mentioned that they were beginning to catch more “out-of-towners” than locals. Think about it….. no one knows them. They don’t hang around. They don’t socialize at the pub. They do little to no commerce. They simply hit an area, learn it, and figure out when to strike. Once the thieves have what they came for, they get rid of it 100-200 miles away.

Whether they resell or pawn, the best defense is to always have the serial numbers for everything you own, and document it and file it away. This is how they were catching most of their “local” thieves. They could investigate private sales for key oddities like missing parts or selling for “someone else”. They could run the numbers against pawn and consignment shop sales and get the seller/buyer info.

I have a new stand…… heavy chained to the hilt and locked down with an Enforcer lock. No one in a hurry to not get caught will have a chance this time! In spite of the measure, I have a serial number on file.

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While this may be true, it’s not impossible to be dealing with someone who lives some distance from you/your area.

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Yes, at this point you’re playing percentages and “local” in outstate MN could mean the county, so I’m not saying the perps are from the immediate vacinity.

The point I wanted to make is before posting the pics on facebook and in the local bars/cafes, take them to law enforcement first. If the perps are from the area, they will probably be recognized as regular customers by the local cops. IMO it’s better to got this route because you could avoid tipping off the perps that you were even looking for them.

Totally agree about recording serial numbers. Another good tip I’ve heard is to put your name and address on a piece of paper, seal it in a plastic bag, and use a long dowell to push it inside the tubing of the ladder for every stand. Makes it very easy to ID the stand as yours if it turns up on Craigslist or in a pawn shop.

Grouse

Post pics someone might know em!! What area is your land? That may help as well.

I would go to the property owner, all the neighboring properties, and ask if anyone knows the guys or has seen them.I doubt they want trespassers and thieves wandering around.

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I would go to the property owner, all the neighboring properties, and ask if anyone knows the guys or has seen them.I doubt they want trespassers and thieves wandering around.

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This is likely the route I would take. I would speak with the land owner and let them know the situation, then approach the adjacent landowners with “I got these guys on camera and was just wondering if you gave them permission since they may need to be clarified on property boundaries” (incase they are acquaintances of the other land owners, you wouldn’t want to tip them off they were stealing as this would likely get your no names). If you get no results I would turn the photos into the cops and then notify those you spoke with that they indeed stole multiple items of yours, as again, no one wants thieves running around their land regardless of stance on prosecuting trespassers. If you catch them, I would no doubt prosecute them for theft and and request the landowner to do the same for trespassing. Its truly amazing how low people are and still do not care one bit

I don’t call 911…just saying!

Lowest common denominator , I am sorry to hear about this. There is nothing sacred anymore .