Thought I'd try a poll. Drove around last night checking trail cameras. At first I thought I had moved one somewhere and just forgot but then when I saw the beer bottles next to my lake, I realized some jerk had come in and fished without permission, littered, then stole my trail camera. I've had trespassers before. Had one try to smash a trail camera that was in a lock box. Never had one get away with one though. So, just curious, ever had a trail camera stolen?
First stolen camera
- Thread starter bjseiler
- Start date
Smelly buck
A good 3 year old buck
Many, I hunt on public land and It's just part of the deal. Now I use lower cost cameras and learned to hide them better. A lot of times it just the SD card that's missing.
mikmaze
5 year old buck +
worst one I had taken, I've lost 3 so far, was an old unit, 110 film camera. I had it out bya real god local spot for me. Set the camera and put a lil yellow gold on the ground 20 feet in front of it on a Sunday, che3cked camera and pile on wednesday, corn was gone, and a 12 inch thick maple right in front of the camera was ripped to shreds by a big ole wall hanger buck. Camera had 12 out of 24 pics taken on the roll of film so I left it and returned on Saturday to hunt. In the dark my heart sank that morning, camera was gone... bits and pieces smashed all around, but no roll of film. Never got that big boy, but dang if I only had a picture. I mount most of mine up high angled down now, low life's can't see em with their hoodies on/ flat billed hats.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
Hey now, I am usually supporting a hooding in cooler weather! No flat bill though!
I think most cameras are stolen not because they want the camera, but because they dont want to be busted for trespassing. I usually set cheap cameras in wide open areas near walk ways, and paths near property lines, so they will easily see them. This lets them know right away that there are cameras on the property, and should deter most trespassers. Now my better cameras are hidden more, and if they made it to my better cameras, they will have passed by several cheaper cameras to get to that point. I will also aim cameras towards another camera so that if someone does steal a better camera, I will get a picture of them stealing the camera. Yes, I do run a lot of cameras, some I rarely ever check, because their sole purpose is for security, and if nothing is missing, I have no need to check the cameras.
This may not work if your woods are thin, and you can wander aimlessly throughout, but that isnt the case in my woods, you may do it for a little while, but you soon would decide that you need to find a trail to get through the woods.
I think most cameras are stolen not because they want the camera, but because they dont want to be busted for trespassing. I usually set cheap cameras in wide open areas near walk ways, and paths near property lines, so they will easily see them. This lets them know right away that there are cameras on the property, and should deter most trespassers. Now my better cameras are hidden more, and if they made it to my better cameras, they will have passed by several cheaper cameras to get to that point. I will also aim cameras towards another camera so that if someone does steal a better camera, I will get a picture of them stealing the camera. Yes, I do run a lot of cameras, some I rarely ever check, because their sole purpose is for security, and if nothing is missing, I have no need to check the cameras.
This may not work if your woods are thin, and you can wander aimlessly throughout, but that isnt the case in my woods, you may do it for a little while, but you soon would decide that you need to find a trail to get through the woods.
j-bird
Moderator
No - never had one stolen.....yet, but I only put cams on my property. I think public land would be a nightmare for things being stolen.
IF/when I start having issues I have a few broken cams that I can use as bait and will then hide my other cams to try to catch the trouble maker. I also think cams where I am trying to catch deer I would hide better and elevate to make reaching them far more difficult without some preparation in advance. Cellular cams also help address this as it will capture the pic of the perp, but you tend to be having a far more expensive cam disappear. Trespassers and essentially everything that comes with them suck!
IF/when I start having issues I have a few broken cams that I can use as bait and will then hide my other cams to try to catch the trouble maker. I also think cams where I am trying to catch deer I would hide better and elevate to make reaching them far more difficult without some preparation in advance. Cellular cams also help address this as it will capture the pic of the perp, but you tend to be having a far more expensive cam disappear. Trespassers and essentially everything that comes with them suck!
I have a sixty acre property, eight miles from my home ground. A few years ago, my son killed a deer with his bow one evening. I went back over to the property at 8 pm - well after dark. I noticed one of my cameras near the stand he was using as we drug the deer to the truck. Next morning, were over there again - at six in the morning hunting my duck hole. We finished up about nine in the morning and I decided I wanted to pull the card from the camera I had seen the evening before at 8 pm. Walked over there and it was gone. Decided to pull the cards from the four remaining cameras on the sixty acres and three of the four were gone. Thief got four of the five cameras over there - and at least one of them in the last twelve hours. I have trouble finding my cameras. How someone else found four of them is beyond me. $150 Brownings.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Stolen cameras. Our forum moderators were much faster and more efficient. They had a balancing act to deal with and handled it well. I realize many won't get your post. The past is the past and I love the collegiality we have today!
Thanks,
Jack
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I'm not completely sure I trust the mods here ...…...………………….
Some seem just a tad shady !! ………...…………...… I won't even mention Bi or Bu's names.
Some seem just a tad shady !! ………...…………...… I won't even mention Bi or Bu's names. 
