A new experience... someone took my trail cam.

[OldNewbie]

This coming will be my third year deer hunting. I talked to a neighbor and got permission to hunt his land. Put up a couple of trail cams, showed some bucks and an assortment of people walking on the same trail at different times of day. No one ever noticed my camera. Then I moved it to check out what I think is a licking branch, to a more obvious spot. 5 days later, it was gone.

I feel like I just started a game of Clue.. Who did it?  My next door neighbors who walk the trail every day?  The owner?   The other neighbor who hunts the same land?  The adjacent land owner 'over the hill'?  The forester who dropped his timber measuring stick in the woods near the tree where I had the camera set? The kids on dirt bikes and ATVs who showed up on camera one day? 

I put my name and phone number on the camera in case one of the neighbors saw it, so they would know it was mine. Maybe they didn't care and took it anyway (I hate to think, but ??).

I'm dying to know what happened to it.. but I guess I never will.

[mmurphy0505]

My friend had 2 Browning trail cams stolen in Pitcher by 2 years ago from the CENTER of his 2,575$ 240 acre deer lease.

All you can really do is put up a bait camera near the same location as the stolen one, then have a wireless can trained on it so you definitely get the pics from the second one even if they steal it

Then prosecute.

Or accidental discharge 

I could go either way....cause stealing someone's cams is REALLY shitty.

Check pawn shops of you have serial numbers.

[Nomad]

Wow that's a lot of people walking around ! 

Its another Hunter in the area .

 

[Cory]

I feel your pain bud some scumbag stole 2 of mine last year also.

 

[kpkot]

Had one stolen from center of my property. I would bet nomad is correct. Its most likely another hunter,  a scum bag hunter.

[left field]

Had one stolen from what was more or less my backyard. The next week the rest went were raised 12' off the ground and locked. So far, so good.

[Deadhunter25]

Over the past few years I have had many cameras stolen. I usually average two a year. So much so, that now i buy cheap cameras in anticipation for them not lasting long in the woods. I also check the regularly so if they are stolen no one gets a month worth of camera pics. So far this year I havent had one stolen though. Most likely its another hunter that took it. Thats my opinion


Inviato dal mio iPhone utilizzando Tapatalk

[genesee_mohican]

I've had 4 stolen, all on public land more than a mile off the road, and no where near a trail.  I now use python locks, or lock boxes, or both!...... on any cam I put out. I also try to place them up above the line of site (12 ft or so)  and point them down, and camo them in with sticks to break up the outline which helps a lot too. I usually don't use the big strap that comes with the cam, as that gives it away from all sides.  Don't let the bad apples ruin your pursuit. Instead, adjust the way you place cams out. Make them less conspicuous and lock them in place. Good luck.

[Jeremy K]

I would buy a broken one as bait and use a good one up high to keep tabs on who has the sticky fingers.

[kpkot]

59 minutes ago, genesee_mohican said:

I've had 4 stolen, all on public land more than a mile off the road, and no where near a trail.  I now use python locks, or lock boxes, or both!...... on any cam I put out. I also try to place them up above the line of site (12 ft or so)  and point them down, and camo them in with sticks to break up the outline which helps a lot too. I usually don't use the big strap that comes with the cam, as that gives it away from all sides.  Don't let the bad apples ruin your pursuit. Instead, adjust the way you place cams out. Make them less conspicuous and lock them in place. Good luck.

How often do your cams capture other people where you have them on public ground?

[genesee_mohican]

I run about 6 cams, and some are out year round. In 7 years or so, I can count on one hand the number of times I get a person on trail cam.

 

[Big John]

I have not lost a trail cam but, I put them up high enough that they are not reachable from the ground. After hearing of this happening for some time when I bought trail cams I built a platform that has an angle plate that gives me the view I need and, the height to keep it away from thieves !

[Salmon_Run]

Last fall I placed several on state land and never had an issue. This late summer my neighbor placed his ahead of my schedule and he went about a week later to check his and found a business card from a state ENCON officer in place of one of his cameras.

Seems an anti saw the camera and contacted the ENCON about our cameras being on state land. My neighbor contacted the officer who arranged to meet him to "give his camera back"

Well, when my neighbor meet the officer he was ticketed for "littering" and issued a summons for local town court by the officer. 

So this year I didn't place any of my cameras on state land and my private land is very remote. It sucks that others can't leave property alone and one is out a piece of equipment.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Salmon_Run
spelling error

[wfmiller]

I had one stolen a couple years ago behind my old house. The neighbors took it I'm sure, they are anti-hunting freaks and hated that I hunted back there.

[LetEmGrow]

You know why it is easy for people to find your cameras?

1.  They are too easy to see (obviously)

2.  The sun creates a glare off the lense.  They are easy to spot then.

Be aware of the angle of the sun through the day and don't hang your camera in a spot that is pointed towards to sun.  The angle of the sun in New York is usually South of overhead throughout the day.  So face them North.  
 

[phade]

Last fall I placed several on state land and never had an issue. This late summer my neighbor placed his ahead of my schedule and he went about a week later to check his and found a business card from a state ENCON officer in place of one of his cameras.
Seems an anti saw the camera and contacted the ENCON about our cameras being on state land. My neighbor contacted the officer who arranged to meet him to "give his camera back"
Well, when my neighbor meet the officer he was ticketed for "littering" and issued a summons for local town court by the officer. 
So this year I didn't place any of my cameras on state land and my private land is very remote. It sucks that others can't leave property alone and one is out a piece of equipment.

I find this story suspect. Not saying it didn't happen but it just doesn't pass the sniff test.

First, hunters are not the only people who use trail cams. Birders are a big and growing consumer base, as are research groups - i.e. Birds of prey, coyotes, etc.

An anti bitching about a trail camera seems really far fetched. Add in the "littering" angle and it is hard to believe. Is there a rule on that specific public land about not leaving up items (I.E. carry in out)?

Crazy story.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Salmon_Run]

1 hour ago, phade said:

I find this story suspect. Not saying it didn't happen but it just doesn't pass the sniff test.

 Add in the "littering" angle and it is hard to believe. Is there a rule on that specific public land about not leaving up items (I.E. carry in out)?

Crazy story.

 

Yep, this entire episode has left us fuming mad in the area of our camps. First it was a different ENCON Officer than the one we all know that handles that area. There is thousands of acres of state land, marked trails in the area and old stone walls from an abandoned farm. Last year the wild apple crop was crazy and my neighbor and I placed multiple trail cameras in the area and got hundreds of bear pics. This summer a camp was sold on our town road and a clearly "anti" moved in.

She called that my dogs were running deer, my dogs are labs and AKC Master title hunting dogs and would never give a minutes attention to a bear or deer. They are very obedient and always in sight. I was given a "warning" to keep my dogs under control. I run and exercise them on the old road and ponds on state land.

Then my neighbor set about to place his trail cameras out a little earlier than last year and I wasn't with  him. He set them out surrounding the old orchard and near the stone wall as they were heavily traveled last year by bear. He puts an address label inside the battery box with his address and name.

About two weeks later he checks on his cameras and one was missing with a business card in a sandwich bag there where it hung. He called the ENCON and was told he needed to meet him to get his camera back.

He met with ENCON who told him he was sick of this woman calling him about us and wrote him a ticket for littering on state land. The officer told him he left property(trail cam) unlawfully abandoned on state land and he wrote the ticket to "placate" the caller and he should answer the ticker personally in town court.

My neighbor was livid to say the very least and hasn't had his court date yet.

Last week my daughter had her hunters ED class and I asked the ECON Officer teaching about any such law, his reply was it was a far stretch for littering and there are no laws prohibiting trail cams being used or left on state land.

We all feel like we are being harassed by this "anti" that moved into an area where hunting camp are. We pulled all the cameras and I placed mine on private property to be safe.

Total crap !!!!

[ApexerER]

You guys that place your camera's 10'-12' high. What do you do? Carry a ladder with you to check your camera? That seems like a huge PIA

[genesee_mohican]

10 minutes ago, ApexerER said:

You guys that place your camera's 10'-12' high. What do you do? Carry a ladder with you to check your camera? That seems like a huge PIA

Oh it is a pain for sure. I'd much rather have the cam 3 ft up on a tree because the angle on game is much better and it's easy to do, but after losing a few cams on public land the game has changed for me. I use tree steps or take in a few sections of muddy ladder hang on steps.

 

[Nomad]

A single climbing stick will allow you to hang out of reach. Also don't wrap the strap all the way around the tree, so,it's not visable 360 . Use a bracket or cut the strap to a few inches and  use roofing nails to,hold it to,tree .

[loworange88]

I have never had a camera stolen(knock on wood).  I have had hang on stands stolen though, so I understand the frustration.  What I have done with my cameras, not yet on my two newest ones....is I have an engraving tool that works similarly to a tattoo gun, and I scrawl my name and initials right into the plastic, on multiple faces, inside, and outside so even if the serial number sticker is scraped off....good luck sanding out all the engraving.  My thought is that if I were a thief who tried to steal a camera to sell for a lousy few bucks, that if its engraved with names and initials on multiple faces, it would be too much trouble to move easily, and hopefully its left alone.

[Five Seasons]

you'll probably never know and it's likely not a hunter. what i think it boils down to is that people don't like being filmed. little do they know how "on camera" they are every day.

[LetEmGrow]

10 hours ago, ApexerER said:

You guys that place your camera's 10'-12' high. What do you do? Carry a ladder with you to check your camera? That seems like a huge PIA

Your camera also may not work if you hang them that high.  It will not pickup the heat signature.
https://www.ohiosportsman.com/threads/trail-camera-too-high-up-tree.70064/#post-791929

[Taylormike]

We've all had them stolen one time or another, if not, it will happen eventually.  I hate to be a pessimist but it seems inevitable.  The only thing i do to minimize my hatred for those pieces of $hit is purchase cameras less than $79.00.  Unfortunately they still win.

[fasteddie]

22 hours ago, ApexerER said:

You guys that place your camera's 10'-12' high. What do you do? Carry a ladder with you to check your camera? That seems like a huge PIA

All of my trail cams are on private property . In Walworth , on a friend's property , I have a ladder that I made and I keep it chained to a tree ( not the one a camera is in ) as he only has 9 acres .Presently , I have just one elevated on a tree because there is no way to lock it . I couldn't do that on my SILs 67 acres . Too much work to haul a ladder around .