Well, let me just say that first and foremost this is a hunch but a pretty strong one at that. I have been hunting the family farm for quite some time now. I have been hunting in a corner of the farm that butts up against a piece of property that is the neighbor's pines. I have been hunting this spot for at least 4 years now. I have always run cameras down there and had tree stands and a blind down there. Safe to say I get the best pictures at this spot. Well, I put a camera down in this spot like usual. First card pull had over 1000 images. Second, none. First thought maybe the batteries were bad or I didn't put the card in right or I forgot to switch from standby to on. Understandably, I check the camera, batteries, even walk in front of my camera to make sure it takes pictures. Boom, everything checks out. Check the camera four days later to make sure everything is still on track and I have 127 pictures. Everything seems great. I go out tonight to check this camera and set up a camera over a scrape line. I get to my camera and 000 pictures. I am livid. So, my initial thought is someone is messing with my equipment and I think I know who it is. My neighbor, who owns the pines. He recently built a house just across the road from the farm and I don't think he likes me close to his pines. So instead of placing my camera over a scrape and trying to enjoy this season, I placed this camera in the woods hidden from view the best I could in hopes of catching who ever is messing with my stuff. I hope to high heavens that its just my own doing or the SD card is bad. If its the neighbor I am going to confront him man to man. I am not doing anything illegal. I know the whole situation with my stand location is not the greatest but I'm not shooting onto his property. Like I told my wife this evening after I settled down, with or without trail cam pictures I am going to hunt that location no matter what because the deer love it. thanks for reading, any advice is welcome
That sucks. Hope it's just an equipment error for you so you don't have to deal with it all. Best of luck.
Tough spot to be in since it sounds like what you're doing is legal. Disputes with neighbors aren't fun. Hopefully it's mechanical failure and you can enjoy your hunting season
You should be able to lock your camera so that the SD card/buttons cannot be tampered with, check to see if there is a spot where you can put a lock on the camera. Atleast the camera isn't stolen right?
I like your idea of a hidden camera. just be respectful and keep your cool when you talk to him......I hope that it is not him messing with it....I hate for anyone to have neighbor problems.... good luck brother!
Man I guess it has to be in context. If your neighbor was hunting on your property line, I'm sure you'd be mad, like anyone would. And on the other hand, if you were hunting the property line bordering his, I'm sure he'd be mad. Only If you both were hunting the line at the same time, I guess. I would go talk to him and see whats going on. If your property isn't posted or flagged, maybe the neighbor is walking the property line.
Yea dont get fired up just yet. Those cameras arent the most reliable thing ever created. You know there will be deer there. Not worth getting into a peeing match. If he is tresspassing you can call him out once you have proof..... then if he continues you can get all John Wayne on his @$$.
Place two cameras...one obvious one over scrape or wherever so the neighbor can see it, then another one a bit away up in a tree aimed down at the other cam. Carry a ladder out there and put it up a ways if you can...then unless he's super aware he'll get caught. Good luck. I will say this line hunters can be annoying. My neighbor loves to hunt what he calls "his" tree line even though it's clear that the tree line is the border...puts up a treestand on the line 10 yards from one I've had for 3 years...then says he's been hunting there and owned the property for 20 years and then I say oh yeah my family's owned this and hunted it since 1832(which is true). Next year he moves his ladder stand 10 yards North and 3' on my side of the line...what a DB! Do I do anything? No...why cause this guys a tool and has way more time on his hands than me...if I make him move it won't really change anything...in his mind he can think whatever he wants. What we did do is compromise now whoever texts first that they are going to hunt that area gets first dibs...it's only came up 2-3 times. Plus he'll let me walk his side of the property line off season on a nice mowed lane vs a swamp trek or a canoe paddle across a lake to get to the back corner of my property...bottom line be neighborly and compromise. Don't put it past me to drive out there in my Jeep opening day right under that ladder stand though if he's in it. If I happen to have a need for a woods bowel movement it will be under that ladder stand just sayin.
Well, hopefully like you said its just a camera card malfunction. If it turns out to be your neighbor, approach him or her like a gentelman. Remember, if you come out of the box at this person in a rage, they will be the same to you. You never know, this person might turn out ok if approached like an adult. Good luck brother.
it is one thing if he is just out walking through the woods on the line. but it is wrong when he touches stuff that isn't his. that is where the line is crossed. I use a python cable to lock my cameras on. when you do it take the cable around the entire camera so it can't be opened. slide the cable between the sensor and the lens. pull it tight enough that they can't slip the camera out from the cable. then if you don't get any pics then you know it is location or the camera. remember deer patterns are changing from summer to fall patterns. I had a camera taking 3000+ pics a week. now it only takes 100 or so.
I personally would just pull the camera, you know it's a good spot to hunt pics or not, the camera is just hurting your chances at success and possibly pissing your neighbor off, not worth it.
Hidden camera is a good idea. I would hang it out of arms reach. Also, put a small lock on the camera that you think he is messing with. If he is tampering with it, the only way he can not be busted is to take the camera. Then you can get him for theft too!
Here is the deal.. Any time you hunt your property line you invite trouble with the neighbors.. I know this from multiple issues with many neighbors. Even if you don't shoot deer on his property the deer is likely to die on it as you are on the line... This means to legally retrieve your buck you need his permission to come on his property and get it.. The same for him hunting the property line.. Believe me this is a no win situation if you confront the person -- I shot a 150 buck several years ago and it died on the neighbors place. They had told me that I could not come on their place to get deer... I knew this so I called the CO.. Guess what they got to tag and keep that buck... I personally would take another tack in this scenario. I would not even bring up what you suspect.. There is no good end to that... believe me I know! What I would try and do is get a reciprocal trespass agreement for retrieving deer, and leave it alone..
I've checked cams after a week and had no pics, I didn't necessarily assume someone tampered with it. I assumed the deer were patterned differntly that week.
Retrieve the deleted pictures off the SD card. That will also tell you a lot Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I know its legal to sit on or near a fence, but as a landowner, its pretty irritating to have neighbors put stands right on your fence. I think its just a respect thing. That being said, it does not give the neighbor the right to come onto your property and mess with your camera.
worst case scenario the neighbor retaliates by walking along the pines when you're hunting. that could happen if you don't choose your confrontation wisely.
I have no idea why people think it is wrong to hunt near a property line. It is your land and if you are willing to take the chance that the deer you shoot ends up on someone else's land go for it. I cant imagine someone wanting to keep a deer they didn't shoot in that scenario. I know it happens, but you have to be an idiot to do something like that. Let then retrieve the deer and be don't with it.
ok, i fully agree with everone re prop lines etc.. and think your best bet is get a mutual agreement with him abou retrieving any deer, i hunt a sm tract of land in one spot, and all us neighbors all have this common agreement, "handle your own stuff", work out well and if one of us messes with the other while they are hunting, we just get down and help track.. Couple thoughts.. 1. you said there were no pics on the camera.. so even if your neighbor was messing with um, were kinda assuming that he timed it just right to put everything back together just before you came out, so there would be no pics.. you would think even if he did mess with it , there would be pics from the time he messed with um till the time you checked.. I just had a very similar problem with my wildview camera that only likes non-performance SD cards and only worked with std ones. check if that might be kinda similar to your problem.. either way i doubt hes doing anything.. a "hidden camera" isnt a great idea.. if you catch him, your just gonna be pissed and then confront him and either way that doesnt help. better to just handle the situation up front and try and squash it , before its even an issue. another thing i do from time to time espicailly in situations like this.. put your name and number on your stand.. it seems dumb.. but if hes got an issue with you, hell have all your info and can contact you without stewing about a situation. ive had that help me in the past.
