Game Cam

[danspool85086]

I just bought a game cam and am a bit concerned about theft after reading some of these threads.

Was wondering how high up a tree they should be and if you put camo or natural leaves or something

around them to not make them quite so obvious. I was thinking about attaching a note saying " This cam

is protected by password and is utterly useless if you take it, however if you've found it, I will give you an

award as a finders fee for not stealing it" Hopefully 10,000 people don't want it and want a finders fee !!!

Any suggestions for keeping it safe would be appreciated.

[GameHauler]

Well it's kind of like this.

You can put a note in/on your wallet

and when you loose it with a couple of Benjies in it

that note ain't going to do allot of good towards the type

of scum that are doing the stealing of our cams

All you can do is the best you can to protect the cam

but if they want it, it's gone

There are a bunch of PUNKS that go out just for the fun

of looking for and stealing cams and know what to pack

with them to get them no matter how well you secure them.

 

Put it out, Enjoy but plan on it growing legs some day

[Hunterjohnny]

Absolutely. If they want it, nothing you can do. But I would be curious to see what others are making in the way of boxes or security. Mine is really heavy but still just takes bolt cutters.

[Guest 300ultramag.]

Ive never had a cam stolen..... If you find a trail you like... follow it 2 mtns over and put it off the trail about 20 feet.... you should be okay.... although it sucks lugging a treestand and leaving 3 hrs before sun up just to get to ur spot at sun up.... but hey you still got ur cam...

[pwrguy]

I haven't lost one yet. I would agree with 300ultramag...stay away from the obvious spots like water holes that you can drive a quad to. If you put a camera on a spot that a scumbag can drive to, it's just a matter of when it's going to be taken. I'm not saying stay away from these spots, but you better be willing to loose the camera. I like game trails on ridge tops or saddles between canyons that are at least 1/4 mile away from roads.

[stalkincoues]

+3 W/ the last 2. Don't put it on a quad trail or right in the open and easily visible. Try to put it in a place that it would be "pure chance" if someone walked by or found it. I usually put my cams within 2.5 to 4.5 feet off the ground so I am at the level of the game. I prefer the pics this way. Have put a few higher than 5 feet but just more area specific than anything. While up high in the tree they are much harder to spot.

 

I always lock my cams! I have put a note or 2 on my cams over the last few years. I say something like, "please respect my cam/hunt and leave it untouched as I would yours. Thank you" then leave my name and cell phone number.

 

Not sure if this would stop some P.O.S. theif/scumbag but made me feel better and at least give them the chance to think about what they are about to do. But then again I heard a story where a guy I met told me he left a note and number on his game cam. Some creeps stole it and called his voice mail a few times and left disprespectfull messages just to rub in the fact they stole his cam and were not remoresfull whatsoever

 

I have gotten 4-5 people on my cams over the years. I still have all my cams to date, thank goodness! Only 2 or 3 have actually seen em. I ran into a couple of hunters last year that saw my game cam in 24B, got pics of em and left it untouched. I ran into them while heading to check cam. They made it a point to state they saw it but did not mess with it. Looking at the pics they were right.

 

If I can I will try to put brush over the tops of my cams, that I cut off from the tree to help camo them and block the light from the sides. The less likely some starnger sees the luck.cams the less likely they will mess with it. Good

[king4wd]

The key is keeping people from seeing it to begin with. I like the small covert cams that Amanda sells. They're easy to hide. Try buying some camo fabric from walmart and gluing it on there. Set your cams at least 8 feet off the ground. Hope this helps.

 

[CouesWhitetail]

I focus not only on putting them in spots where people don't go normally (not on a waterhole that is on a map, not near a road), but also focus on setting them up in odd spots (on the ground, higher in a tree, under a branch, in some boulders, etc). Almost everyone I know puts them 3.5-4 feet up on a tree over water or salt. If someone finds the water or salt all they have to do is look around at that level on all the obvious trees. However, if your camera is not in the "usual" spot, then they will have a much harder time spotting it. Also, if you don't put them on water or salt, it's a lot harder for someone to find your camera. Use a trail some distance away from the water or salt.

 

As has been said the Coverts are nice and small and easier to hide than most cams. Also with the Covert 2 you can use the Tree 60 to put the camera up in a spot people don't normall look, on smaller branches higher or lower in a tree or bush, or on a log on the ground.

 

here is an example of the tree60 being used in an unsusual spot. This camera is in the roots of trees along a creek bed. If someone did walk down there the odds of them looking in the tree roots at just the right time are slim. Most people look down while walking unless they have a reason to start looking around.

 

 

 

 

 

here are some pics of spots with the Covert 1 set on the ground:

 

 

[jmall]

I use wildview cams because they are inexpensive. They also have a place on the back that you feed a strap through .I take the strap out and replace it with a simpson strong tie , wich you can get at any hardware store, then I buy some torx screws and screw it to an inconspicuous tree or branch. I try to find a solid dead tree or branch to avoid screwing into a live tree. Most people dont have a torx bit with them when they are out in the wild so six or eight of these screws will make it really dificult to remove. I also pad lock the case to keep people from erasing the memory card . I know if someone wants it its theirs but at least it keeps the honest people honest.

[assassin]

There's alot you can do with a 4 1/2 in grinder, a welder, and some junk metal boxes you find laying around. Like old electrical boxes ect... I'm working on a few security boxes for myself.

[willhunt4coues]

http://www.camlockbox.com/

 

Here is the link to all trail camera lock boxes.

[bow.hunter8971]

well i learned about camera thieves today i guess i'll have to go deeper in the sticks or be more creative.

[CouesBuckhunter]

I always have mine locked to a tree in a security box. brushing it up dosent hurt either

[EAS]

For me, it boils down to your hunting habits… if you’re a road hunter and you put cameras where other road hunters pass, your chance of loosing that camera goes way up… myself, I tend to stay away from popular water holes and venture on foot a little deeper. Most places I put my cameras are off the trails so far that I rarely lock them up, and if I lock them up its usually because I know there are bears in the area that like to chew on things that smell different…

I may be wrong, but hunters that put a little more effort into scouting off the beaten trails, tend to respect other hunters efforts/trail-cams if they do stumble upon them. I lost a camera in 4A last month, and that was due to letting a friend use it and leaving it way to close to a forest road...

[CouesBuckhunter]

For me, it boils down to your hunting habits… if you’re a road hunter and you put cameras where other road hunters pass, your chance of loosing that camera goes way up… myself, I tend to stay away from popular water holes and venture on foot a little deeper. Most places I put my cameras are off the trails so far that I rarely lock them up, and if I lock them up its usually because I know there are bears in the area that like to chew on things that smell different…

I may be wrong, but hunters that put a little more effort into scouting off the beaten trails, tend to respect other hunters efforts/trail-cams if they do stumble upon them. I lost a camera in 4A last month, and that was due to letting a friend use it and leaving it way to close to a forest road...

 

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