Camera security

[greyphase]

Had my trail cam about a month until it was stolen. What can I do to prevent this with my next camera.

 

[MRBB]

placement is key
any higher risk area's and your going to have to worry about them growing legs and getting stolen

if your camera can be fitted to a GOOD bear proof like metal box that you can BOLT thej whole thing to a tree, and the metal BOX can be locked and the metal BOX< also protects the lock from simple bolt cutters
there the best set ups I know of(typically they were from cuddleback camera's, but know a few after market company's were making some too)

I have had about 30 or so cam's stolen over the yrs, tried about everything, from placing them HIGH up in tree's(almost 20 ft high)
and the metal bear boxes that again protect LOCKS< have been the best for not getting stolen so far
HOWEVER< that doesn;t mean camera's were still OK
had folks SHOOT them, had pone guy cut whole tree down to get camera?

or had camera's box and all bear with things like bats or metal pipes or who know's what was used, camera was still there, but destroyed while trying to knock them off the tree, I use 1/2' thick lag bolts to lock boxes to tree, add cable locks as well!

keep in mind that if in PA and on state or federal lands, its ILLEGAL to bolt a cam to a tree?

the newer remote camera's that send pic's to you directly, can help with thefts, and MAYBE get you a pic, or know when one is being taken, but there not perfect

I have said for YRS, that trail camera makers would benefit from adding GPS Tracking systems in camera's
and for a FEE< they can turn on and track camera's
as I gather most folks that have camera's get one stolen at some point, and would sure be nice to pay someone a visit that took them!
never mind calling the cops!
and GPS Trackers cannot be that costly as every darn phone has one, and think if the $$ a camera company can make offering the service to find a stolen camera!

in higher risk places I only use cheaper camera's now, as odds are sooner or later one will be stolen
worst part of things is, I BET< most camera's stolen are stolen by fellow hunters, what a shame!

 

[trampledbyturtles]

placement is key
any higher risk area's and your going to have to worry about them growing legs and getting stolen

if your camera can be fitted to a GOOD bear proof like metal box that you can BOLT thej whole thing to a tree, and the metal BOX can be locked and the metal BOX< also protects the lock from simple bolt cutters
there the best set ups I know of(typically they were from cuddleback camera's, but know a few after market company's were making some too)

I have had about 30 or so cam's stolen over the yrs, tried about everything, from placing them HIGH up in tree's(almost 20 ft high)
and the metal bear boxes that again protect LOCKS< have been the best for not getting stolen so far
HOWEVER< that doesn;t mean camera's were still OK
had folks SHOOT them, had pone guy cut whole tree down to get camera?

or had camera's box and all bear with things like bats or metal pipes or who know's what was used, camera was still there, but destroyed while trying to knock them off the tree, I use 1/2' thick lag bolts to lock boxes to tree, add cable locks as well!

keep in mind that if in PA and on state or federal lands, its ILLEGAL to bolt a cam to a tree?

the newer remote camera's that send pic's to you directly, can help with thefts, and MAYBE get you a pic, or know when one is being taken, but there not perfect

I have said for YRS, that trail camera makers would benefit from adding GPS Tracking systems in camera's
and for a FEE< they can turn on and track camera's
as I gather most folks that have camera's get one stolen at some point, and would sure be nice to pay someone a visit that took them!
never mind calling the cops!
and GPS Trackers cannot be that costly as every darn phone has one, and think if the $$ a camera company can make offering the service to find a stolen camera!

in higher risk places I only use cheaper camera's now, as odds are sooner or later one will be stolen
worst part of things is, I BET< most camera's stolen are stolen by fellow hunters, what a shame!

Agree with everything but the last part.
They r not fellow hunters, they r thieves and should be prosecuted as such.

 

[MRBB]

I agree there thieves, but my experience is there also hunters, that are typically trespassing as well, and thus get caught on cam, and they steal them to try and get away with there trespassing as well, as just stealing the camera for what ever there reasons?
the sad truth is, after yrs having a gun shop , working in a deer butchering shop, and hunting so long, I have heard countless stories from fellow hunters, that , prove my above views!
not all are hunters, but from what I have heard and seen, a LOT of it is !

 

[Telemark]

This time of year it could be trespassers going after mushrooms.

 

[weekender21]

This time of year it could be trespassers going after mushrooms.

I have at least one picture of mushroom thieves!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yoderjac]

Had my trail cam about a month until it was stolen. What can I do to prevent this with my next camera.

Nothing will prevent it. Lots of things you can do to deter it. It boils down to a balancing act. You don't want to add $300 of security for a $100 camera. If this is on private property that is posted, you've got bigger problems than someone stealing the camera. When we were having trespass issues, I actually had hidden black flash trail cameras pointed at obvious trail cameras. I found constant vigilance, reporting, and prosecution was necessary to get a handle on trespass. The word eventually gets out that you are not a soft target.

With cheap cameras, cable locks keep honest folks honest. Anyone who really wants it will get cable cutters. For higher end cams, steel boxes, motorcycle class chains and matching shrouded high grade locks can help, but rather than a tree, you need a cement base with rebar for mounting. A chainsaw defeats any hardware attached to a tree. Low end cameras have security codes that are easily reset by thieves who know what they are doing. High end cams like the ones I'm using require expensive equipment to reset and basically need to be sent back to the company if you lose the code. These cams have true serial numbers that are associated with the original owner via product registration. If a camera comes in for reset, and it is not the original owner, they contact the original owner. Keep in mind these more extreme measures are only reasonable for $1,000+ cameras.

Mounting cameras high angled down works for point source things like rubs and scrapes. If you put them high enough that you need to bring a ladder, it can help. Most folks aren't going to bring a ladder if they even see a camera mounted well above their normal line of sight.

There are lots of little tricks, but you have to balance the cost with the value of the camera you are using.

One more thing to keep in mind. On occasion, when I first started using trail cameras many years ago, I had several "stolen" that I later found right where I put them. Many trees look alike

Thanks,

Jack