As many of you know, I've been loud and proud about never having anything stolen from my hunting property. Well, you won't be hearing me say that anymore. After 5 years of owning the property, someone stole one of our SD cards. They left the camera but took the card. My speculation is that it was the owner or someone who knows the owner of the property behind us. In years past we would occasionally get someone walking through on a trail camera who would walk on our property, just over the property line. I think he noticed the camera, knew he was trespassing, and took the SD card in fear that we would report or approach them. I've always been open with the people who live around my property and told them if they want to ride 4 wheelers or mushroom hunt to have at it so long as they don't destroy the land or my property (trail cams, stands, cabin). I also let them know not to be on the property once hunting season starts and they've been good so far. At least they didn't steal the camera but the bad part is, this is the mineral site location where we get tons of fawn and buck pictures. I wish I could tell them to delete their picture and then leave the card in a baggie taped to my cabin door. I just want to see the pictures of the deer. Hopefully knowing that we have cameras out they won't be back but it looks like it's time to invest in anti-theft cages. It feels like such a violation though, I am really pissed but at the same time almost surprised it took this long because people are idiots. :End Rant:
Is it possible you forgot to put a card in when you set the camera. I've done it before and I will probably do it again.
Mine that was stolen last year in private property in Ohio had soaked from June until (whenever it was stolen) November. It was on a mineral site as well, and I wanted the card, because of the potential of what was on it. They could even keep the dang camera.
Was the camera left open? I once thought I had some rude clown take a chip. I had a raccoon that got into the camera and took the chip. I recovered the damaged chip and ziptied the camera shut and got pics of a coon all over the camera.
I don't think it was accidentally removed because we use a USB cable directly to the camera to copy off the pictures and the card was never removed. It's certainly possible but we would have also noticed it saying "no card inserted" when putting it back out the last time. It was also closed and latched when we went to retrieve it so if it were a coon, he was smart enough to close it back up.
It might show back up,guys want to deleat they pic on cam while they look over your hard work. Time to set up a second cam set up high pointed at your other cam. If your card shows up and it has been cleared Google sd card pic retrievel and pull them back up. It works.
I agree man, I got 4 cameras out right now on private managed land here where it is open to access. 3 of the cameras are in lock boxes with python cables and one is just strapped. Every day I wonder if my cameras are still their on the tree. The one that is not locked is about 50 yards off the road so I might go up and check 3 of my cameras even though they have only been out 3 weeks. Of the 4 years that I've had trail cams I can honestly say I've only had 1 picture of a guy that walked right up to the camera. Needless to say, he left everything and never touched it. Funny thing is, I saw him opening day of bow season about 10 mins after I got settled in my stand. He came walking down the edge of the corn field and tried telling me I was on private property. I looked at him and said "good, cuz I've been here for 10 years and if you have issues go and talk with "land owners name" as he knows who I am. Funny how he shut up and went back to his business.
We haven't had anything stole either (fingers crossed). The worst part like you said would be not knowing what was on the camera.
Sounds like it might be time to start concealing them better as your only hope. That or put a second camera well hidden to try to catch the perpetrator. Nothing stopping this person from coming back in a few weeks to take the next card again. Sure you could get cell cams and all but most people cannot afford something like that, especially if you have several you are concerned with.
I'm just glad he didn't take the camera. We will be concealing them better and locking them up moving forward. Hopefully there won't be a next time but the biggest thing is, we don't even care that they walk the property. I was actually thinking of leaving a note in a baggie above the camera letting them know that it's ok to walk the property but just don't damage or steal anything. Maybe they'll be nice enough to return it. This is the worst possible time to steal the card, we usually have awesome pictures of fawns and velvet bucks growing around this time on this particular mineral site.
On my budget I would much rather lose the SD card then the camera. Make sure you use heavy duty chain 3000# and master locks. I was using cables last year and had someone cut a cable and steal the lock box and camera. So I had to switch over everything to chains.
I only have 9 acres of property, so what I have everyone else has anyway. BUT, what is really annoying is that I'm really the only one in the area to put anything into my property and it's a deer haven with nice bedding/cover, mineral/high protein food, and a watering hole. So yeah, partially annoying to know that someone may try to reap the benefits of our hard work.
I own 181 acres where I live and hunt. I've lived here the past 13 years. I have around 8 stands I leave up year round. Last year I had the issue you did....I have 4 cams i keep up year round. Some prick stole my SD card outta my Covert MP6 twice last year. Left the cam though....hmmm. Anyway, I decided to hang a cam up in a tree hidden very well. I got pics of the said prick....good ones too. I wrote a note, put it in a zip lock bag and pinned it to the tree. Turned my cam on video in the tree. 3 days later he comes back.....lol. I won't type what the note said...lol. Two hours later he comes back, puts 3 SD cards in the baggie. To beat all, I knew the him....lol. It was the neighbors uncle. He hunts the farm next to mine. I ran into him at the store a few months after that....I decided to talk to him. He was pretty embarrassed when I ask him was there any good pics on my cards.... Lol. I told him that he was lucky one of my traps didn't snap his foot off...lol. He isn't allowed to hunt his families farm anymore when I showed them the pics. Sent from my XT830C
Put a small lock on it and see what happens. If you have another cam, hang it about 12 feet up the same tree, but pointed down.
That sucks man, unfortunately that happens all the time. I knew what you mean about just wanting to see the bucks that are one the cam.
It's a catch22 put cams up where they get great pics or put them up high pointed down and catch everything..cats opossums rabbits raccoons and birds kind of wears me out also. Had a ltl acorn cam walk off brand new .. The cam was passcoded and he could not get the cam to work but it took pics of him and all the way home and back but he put it on a tree but some 15-20 yards off the mark. Turned out to be my brothers wife's family member who denied it to the end right up until I posted pics of him on Facebook looking into the cam in his living room. No room on my hunting ground for thiefs especially so called family. I say give them a junk cam with a corrupt sd card and let them eat .... When there computer throws up all the better.
Actually, that's not a bad idea. I could put a virus on a dummy SD card and let it destroy his computer. Or maybe get something to send me the IP address and computer information so I could report it to the police.
