Stolen Trail Cameras

[trimman83]

I'm gonna put myself out there for potential abuse, but I'm gonna write how I worked this situation.

I had two cameras stolen from my place on the east side of Indy. I'm not on property to keep an eye on things. It's 25 acres 20 minutes from where I live. Tonight my buddy sends me pictures of cameras being offered for sale on OfferUp. He had never even seen my cameras. Yes, easily identifiable as being mine. I end up cutting a deal with the seller and we plan to do the deal in what was less than an hour. I had already initiated a police report and talked to LEO for advice. Called a couple friends, calmed my wife, packed my weapon and had my Son In Law meet and lay back in the lot with a camera and his weapon.

Car shows up and its a mom, dad and chubby Mexican son. Kid gets out and parents stay in the car. I look over my cameras and give the kid the $120. I really wanted my memory cards but they are gone. Before the kid gets back in the car, I tell him I'm glad to have them back and I wish my cards were there too. I told him to tell his dad not to be a thief any more. I say I am happy to pay the $120 because the first time they cost me 3x as much. I tell him several other thigs too. He listens intently and nods in agreement with all that I say. We part ways with none of us spilling blood over an exchange of very little money.

Later I text with pop a few times back and forth. I told him I wished a better life for the kid. He says he got the cameras in a trade for labor and apologized......but kept the cash. Lie or not? I don't know. I have plenty of pictures of trespassers before my cameras were found and stolen and I can't say I ever saw any of them in the pics. My gut says it wasn't him.

Prosecution, revenge, future vandalism and headaches over very little just wasn't anything I wanted to pursue or involve myself in. I have stands on the property, and park my truck near the road while on property. I'm gonna write off the one-twenty as expenses this season.

I kinda wonder what other people would have done.

 

[pitbulld45]

I think you handled it well. It would be hard to prove he stole them, the police could speak to the father and see if he would or could tell them who he did the labor for.

 

[4651feeder]

Problem is the actual thief no matter who it is now probably knows you got your cameras back and will be looking for another easy score.

 

[bobjones223]

And this is why cellular trail cams are awesome.


"What do you mean you didn't take them? Isn't this your picture on my phone taking it off the tree?"

 

[churchmouse]

Be slick when you put them back up. Camera covering another camera just go Army ranger and camo it up.
BIL did this and busted both his asshat neighbors taking his cameras and other things. It was so much fun to watch the deny until pics were provided.

OP up did well. Maybe junior learned a lesson maybe not.

 

[trimman83]

I think I made my mistake by placing both cameras over food plots, to see what time of day and direction of travel. One was kinda in the open. The other was high in a tree and camouflaged by green vegetation. Once they found one watching a food plot, they went to the other food plot and looked harder.

I'm posting the property better with signs and markers, and will place the cameras to monitor movement on deer trails off the beaten human trails. I'm also placing fake/old cameras higher in trees, 30' or so. I've got extra antennas to attach to the old cams.

I did buy and hang a cell camera. I wasn't happy with the trigger speed. I was missing deer I know walked by. I also thought if a guy knew where they were, even after having been filmed, he could just come up behind it and cover the lens while he stole it. Being 20 minutes from the property, I could lose it before I could react. I'd have proof of a trespasser but not a thief.

 

[MRP2003]

You definitely thought it through and remained calm. Probably a lot calmer than I would have been. I would have asked the father who he got the cameras from. Between the video and the text messages, you could have gotten him into a situation of being potentially abiding a criminal activity and he would have told you the name of the person pretty quickly. It’s never too late even if you can’t prove the other person stole them. At least you would know and could check old pictures you had of trespassers

 

[KittySlayer]

Good on you for being an adult and not letting emotions override logic.

How sad dad and mom use their kid as a mule for stolen goods. This isn’t their first rodeo.

 

[phylodog]

Any way you could run an electric fence line randomly throughout the property around 5' off the ground? That would be tough to see, especially at night when most thieves crawl out of their holes and go to work. They have solar fence chargers, I'd mount the charger 12'-15' off the ground. It won't bother the deer and would make for an unpleasant experience laying an electric fence line across someone's eyeballs.