# Stolen Trail Cam



## Cold Track (Sep 11, 2007)

I know this happens a lot, and you're taking a chance when you hang one but holy hell it makes my blood boil when some sorry puke steals from me. I had a camera stolen around the Monte Cristo area, but the dummy only found one of the two that were there, guess who knows where the other was? I know what the dink looks like and he stole from the wrong guy. Camera was gone, and the piece of it that has the serial number was broke off and left on the ground. I don't have a lot of money, so replacing it don't happen the next day. I hunt hard to find quality areas with good animals and put in a lot of time. needless to say this camera wasn't just off the side of a hiking trail. I hope this guy has bag enough to try to hunt this area cause I'll be watchin.


----------



## hotspot (Jan 12, 2009)

Post up a pic of this thief for all us to see!!!


----------



## Groganite (Nov 14, 2012)

Maybe he took a crap and was so embarrassed by the huge zits on his butt he couldn't possibly leave without destroying the evidence. And if jumping on it wasnt enough, he took it home to burn it. Really he did you a favor.. -O,-


----------



## tallbuck (Apr 30, 2009)

post of a pic of the sorry piece.... Spreading it on the internet and letting everyone know what kind of slime ball he is will sure help.

Guys like that should not be on the mountain.


----------



## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

I vote +1 for pics of said douchebag!

I'll get my pitchfork and lynchin' rope ready.


----------



## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

Sorry to hear that. I too have some cameras out in the Monte Cristo area. So far I have only had one curious old man come look at it (as far as people go) and he left it alone.

Now one of my buddies had one stolen and one shot over near Soapstone this year. What a bunch of Richard heads!! Some guys just can't handle the idea of someone else entering THEIR forrest to try and take THEIR game.


----------



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I would never condone stealing anything.......but there are too many trail cams in Utah. I don't know how many times I have run into the ugly box on the tree while scouting and hiking. Don't know why, but they bug me. I have a few myself that I mainly use on private property. Not saying that I'm against them or want them outlawed, but I also think that you take and inherent risk whenever you willingly leave your property in a public place. Same goes for treestands, groundblinds, or anything else you might want to leave cluttering up the woods. I bet Utah has the highest concentration of trail cams per acre of public land by far.----SS


----------



## wasatchwillie (Apr 15, 2010)

A person shouldn't have to worry about their stuff being stolen! Whether its a treestand or trail cam or atv or truck, or contents of the truck. public or private, as I am sure it happens on private as well. Its just not right! I have a hard time trying to understand why people do this? My buddys camera got stolen last year, soon after he bought it! He paid quite a bit of money for it, which was hard for him just starting a family! Do they do this because they cant afford one on their own, or do they hope the pics hold a secret spyder bull#2 or something? I don't get it? I myself would not touch someone elses belongings, or try to take over someone elses honey hole, But that's just me! Sooner or later someone is gonna get caught in the act and get a tune up! which they will most likely deserve! That said I feel better now!


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I think the NSA gets its new recruits from avid trailcam users  . I guess we all have to get use to the idea of peoples personal recording devices being left in the public woods running 24/7 :-?...I do know one thing though, When nature calls, you better check all of the trees around you! :shock:


----------



## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

utahgolf said:


> ...I do know one thing though, When nature calls, you better check all of the trees around you! :shock:


F it! I'm not afraid of crapping on camera. Hopefully my pile would keep the game away from the area and steer them towards my chosen hunting area. Just think of the stories they'll be able to tell for years to come. LMAO!!


----------



## crimson obsession (Sep 7, 2008)

We had one disappear this last week on the front above Farmington. Cable locked and padlocked... Didn't matter. People nowadays...


----------



## Kevinitis (Jul 18, 2013)

From a legal standpoint, anything left on Forest Service Lands are considered abandoned property after 14 days, including cameras, treestands, hunting blinds, campers, tents, canopies, etc. That being said, thieves are despicable.


----------



## richardjb (Apr 1, 2008)

Where can this Legal Information on abandoned property be found?


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

richardjb said:


> Where can this Legal Information on abandoned property be found?


Someone asked this question a year or two ago. I found it on the USFS and BLM web site, it took some digging but I found it and it isn't 14 days but 72 hours for personal property such as a camera, treestand, blind, and such. The 14 days is for camping in one spot and in some areas it is less if posted.


----------



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

To make a point:

I am going to tape 2 crisp hundred dollar bills to a tree in a busy area of the forest by Stawberry for good luck this hunting season. When somebody happens across them and takes them, I will cry a river about theives and ethics on this forum and hope for some sympathy. Those bills are my property and public land is mine too you know. People should respect my good luck superstitions and not mess up my hunting mojo.

Get the picture?----SS


----------



## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Springville Shooter said:


> To make a point:
> 
> I am going to tape 2 crisp hundred dollar bills to a tree in a busy area of the forest by Stawberry for good luck this hunting season. When somebody happens across them and takes them, I will cry a river about theives and ethics on this forum and hope for some sympathy. Those bills are my property and public land is mine too you know. People should respect my good luck superstitions and not mess up my hunting mojo.
> 
> Get the picture?----SS


Got it.

Make sure you use a steel box and cable lock so that people would have to go out of their way to steal that cash. Unless of course they just happen to be hiking with bolt cutters in their pack...as I always do.

There is a difference between going out of your way to steal something and having something left right in front of you.


----------



## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

I cant believe anyone would suggest its okay to steal someone else's property. Whether you think there are too many cameras around or just plain don't like them does not give you the right to steal. What a joke.


----------



## richardjb (Apr 1, 2008)

I gave forest service GPS location of a logging skidder that has trees growing up around it for more than several years. It's less than 200 yards from a road. You would think if they were serious about abandoned property, a 5 ton piece of machinery would fit the bill. Or how about a bunch of tires or logging cables? Priorities? In the Sheep Creek area, signs going up Spirit Lake road and the road to Browne Lake say 16 day limit camping limit, no other signs in the area posting limitations. I've never been bothered when I have stayed up there for the entire month of bow season. In fact I left my camper in the parking lot at Long Park Res for a week when FS was doing controlled burns and all they left me was a notice about area closures. There are dozens of campsites that go unused throughout the summer and fall. No one is being turned away for lack of places to camp in this area.


----------



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

silentstalker said:


> I cant believe anyone would suggest its okay to steal someone else's property. Whether you think there are too many cameras around or just plain don't like them does not give you the right to steal. What a joke.


I'm certainly not condoning stealing anything, just pointing out that it shouldn't be a big suprise when you get something valuable stolen after leaving it in a public place. It's kind of a personal responsibility issue. I have seen some fairly irresponsible placement of trail cams and other personal property. It seems some folks think that they can just leave their property in obvious, visible areas and expect that it will not dissappear. Right wrong or indifferent....this is irrational thinking. Referring back to my example: to a theif, a trail cam or tree stand is no different than a couple crisp hundred dollar bills. So protect yourself by not leaving anything that you value in a public place. When you place your devices...if you must....place them expecting people to want to steal them taking care to be somewhat stealthy you know?----SS


----------



## crimson obsession (Sep 7, 2008)

Springville Shooter said:


> I'm certainly not condoning stealing anything, just pointing out that it shouldn't be a big suprise when you get something valuable stolen after leaving it in a public place. It's kind of a personal responsibility issue.----SS


Under this logic, be careful next time you park your vehicle in the shopping center parking lot. If it happens to get stolen or broken into you can only blame yourself, not the thief. After all, it is a public place...

Stealing is stealing, theft is theft. Morality is steadily becoming non existent...


----------



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

crimson obsession said:


> Under this logic, be careful next time you park your vehicle in the shopping center parking lot. If it happens to get stolen or broken into you can only blame yourself, not the thief. After all, it is a public place...
> 
> Stealing is stealing, theft is theft. Morality is steadily becoming non existent...


Come on man....I think you know better than that. For a fair comparison, you would have to leave your car somewhere remote for a long period of time and in most cases, with the windows down and the keys in it. Once again, I am not condoning stealing, theft, or immorality. I'm just saying that some folks set themselves up for trouble by their own folly. Maybe I should start taking pictures of the trailcams that I find in the stupidest places to illustrate my point but I think we have all seen this. I wish that we lived in a magical fairy-tale world where everyone plays nice together and no one takes other peoples things, but that isn't reality. Common sense must be used for self preservation folks. Thats all I'm saying. This issue is further compounded by some who interpret that the law considers items left over a certain time frame as abandoned and therefore illegal....almost like litter.---SS


----------



## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Theft is theft. Don't condone because "thats how things are in the world today"...total bs.


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Stealing might be stealing but leaving something in the woods may be considered littering or dumping weather it is a trail camera or a couch.


----------



## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Critter said:


> Stealing might be stealing but leaving something in the woods may be considered littering or dumping weather it is a trail camera or a couch.


Not really...quite the stretch between the Natty Light cans on the side of the road or a trail cam specifically placed in location on purpose. Don't know anyone using trail cams that are leaving them to rot. Same BS arguments for those who just don't like trail cams...round and round -O\\__-


----------



## wasatchwillie (Apr 15, 2010)

never, ever, leave your horse in the woods( with the keys) while stalking game, you might be walking home!


----------



## richardjb (Apr 1, 2008)

*Horse*



wasatchwillie said:


> never, ever, leave your horse in the woods( with the keys) while stalking game, you might be walking home!


Now that's funny! Hang em High!


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I wish people would start stealing more things from the west desert, like computer monitors, TV's, tires, milk jugs and buckets.:drum:


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

So if I packed a couch into my favorite elk wallow and set it up next to it would you consider it the same as a tree stand?


----------



## richardjb (Apr 1, 2008)

Really? Have at it. I promise I'll leave it alone. Do you have the plastic cover your grandma put on it? Wouldn't want your butt to get wet after a rain. Hopefully it blends in with woods. You should of thought about setting it out there a couple months ago to get the stink out of it? Seriously, my dad put a recliner up in a wood platform stand on his land years ago for his aged dad. Grandpa got his first and only deer from that stand. Enjoy!


----------



## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

My final word on the issue. I don't condone or support stealing. I also don't condone whining about something getting stolen when a person idiotically places it in a conspicuous place where it is likely to be stolen. Prudent folks do all they can to protect themselves. 'nuff said.-----SS


----------



## Duckholla (Sep 24, 2007)

I think I am on the fence on this one. While I think that stealing somebody else's trail camera is pretty low, if you haven't at least made it somewhat difficult for it to be stolen I guess that I am surprised that you would be surprised if it's gone when you get there. Every trail camera today, atleast to my knowledge comes with an option to lock the camera to a tree. Why wouldn't you do that? You spend $200+ on a camera, that could walk off at any moment. Spend another $15 for a cable, and pad lock so it stays in place.

If somebody steals the camera even when it's locked up like this, I suppose my thoughts would be: "They must need it more than I do if they are willing to go to this effort."

I see where you're coming from SS.



Springville Shooter said:


> My final word on the issue. I don't condone or support stealing. I also don't condone whining about something getting stolen when a person idiotically places it in a conspicuous place where it is likely to be stolen. Prudent folks do all they can to protect themselves. 'nuff said.-----SS


----------

