A sucky record, but a record none-the-less.
Yesterday evening, I bought a Moultrie Gamespy D40 from the new Academy Sports nearby. This is around 8pm. After a nice meal with my wife, I get a little anxious to try out my newfangled contraption. I load it up with 6 d-cells, make sure the settings are correct, and test it. Looks good.
My initial plan was to take it over to my uncle's land and see if I can catch a pic of the big buck that's been roaming around there (he won't let me hunt, so the pics will have to do).
My anticipation takes over and I decide to set it out on the other side of our field, about 200 yards from the house. Who knows, I might catch a pic of something, and, it would be a good trial run. So, around 11:30 pm, I stroll across the field, pick out a good spot and strap that booger to the tree.
Laser-aimed. Check. IR sensor. Check. Switch to Auto. Check. Ready to go.
Around 5:00am I walk the dogs out for their early morning pee. It's pretty foggy. I gaze over at the woods and wonder what magnificent creatures I've captured on film. I notice the neighbor's dog barking, like he does when there are deer moving through the woods on the adjoining property. I'm thinking I should definitely have some pics.
I resist the urge to run over and check the cam until around 11am. The wife and I round up the hounds and take a stroll over to check on my new toy.
"Where did you put it?", she askes.
"Right on that big pine.", says I.
"Man, it's really hidden.", says she.
"Huh?", says I, knowing it's not hidden at all.
"I don't see it.", says she.
"#$%&**!", says I.
"CHENEY!", says she.
I apologize for the cursing, which came spewing forth when I realized that some bedevilry had taken place. My brand new, less than 15 hours old, magnificent specimen of high technology was gone.
I stand there dumbfounded for a moment. Maybe it fell off the tree. I look around in vain. Nowhere to be found. No sign of anything.
I go get my neighbor. Maybe he moved it. Nope.
We look around and try to figure out what happened. We've come up with three possible scenarios.
1. The crackheads that live across the field saw my flashlight last night and went poking around to see what was going on. Being trespassers, and probably having their picture taken, they take the evidence. Or, being crackheads, they take it to hock. High probability.
2. Someone was taking a shortcut across our property before dawn, had their picture taken, and took the evidence. Not quite as high probability.
3. Some jackass is hunting on the adjoining property, is trespassing for access, has his picture taken, takes the evidence. In my mind this is the highest probability.
So, I decided on a few courses of action.
1. I'm going to talk to an old acquaintance in the neighboring community to keep his eyes open for me. He has "dealings" with all sorts of nefarious characters in the local community and we used to be friends many years ago. If someone is trying to hock a game camera, he'll hear about it.
2. I'm going to go over to the property and see if I can find a stand or signs of a hunter. The owners of the property have said that no one has permission to be on the land. Except for me.
3. I'm going to call all of the local pawn shops.
4. I'm going to call down a plague of butt boils on the thief.
%#^&$# thieves.
UPDATE BELOW
I put my money on the crackheads.
im glad im innocent, i hate butt boils!
I choose door #; 3. I'm going to call all of the local pawn shops.
Check the town next door to yours. More likely to attempt to sell/pawn it in the next town. Good luck.
That is crazy.. Hope you recover it. This is exactly why I never spent the money for a camera. Even with my hunting private ground you never know.
John III
Don't tell the pawn owners that you are looking for a stolen game camera or they will tell you they don't have any. Just tell them you're looking for a game cam. Pawn shop owners aren't stupid. They know they get stolen merchandise and the only people they'll hand it over to is the police and only if they come asking with serial numbers and such.
*****LATE BREAKING DEVELOPMENT*****
Bowhuntah was right. A little investigation with my underworld contact has revealed that my suspicion about the individual that lives in a nearby travel trailer, which, coincidentally can be seen from the spot of the theft, was seen acting especially suspicious this morning. The lady that saw him said he looked more shifty than normal and kept looking around him as if someone was after him.
She also mentioned that he kept scratching his ass. So maybe the butt boils are starting to develop.
As all of this information was coming to light, one of the more colorful characters in the crowd (apparently I was amongst the first-comers of what I'm confident will be quite the house party) identifies the individual as a known thief. He then comes up with a brilliant plan.
He'll go tell this idiot that I have a picture of him on my computer, sent, of course, by the very game camera that he stole. He'll say that I just want the camera back and won't press charges if he returns it.
Either that, or we'll go hold his head in the toilet until he coughs it up.
Everyone was 99% confident that this "Murphy" character is the one who stole it. I've decided to let this group figure out how to retrieve it. They seemed to be genuinely excited to help.
More details to come.
As a side note, I called a friend at one of the local pawn shops and gave him the scope. He said I need to file a police report (which I did). The pawn shops wouldn't be able to give me any information, even if someone came in with the camera.
QuoteOriginally posted by Buckeye Trad Hunter:
Don't tell the pawn owners that you are looking for a stolen game camera or they will tell you they don't have any. Just tell them you're looking for a game cam. Pawn shop owners aren't stupid. They know they get stolen merchandise and the only people they'll hand it over to is the police and only if they come asking with serial numbers and such.
I talked to my friend (who works in a pawn shop) about this very thing. He said that in our area the Sheriff's office routinely comes in check items and it would be a foolish pawn shop owner that knowingly took stolen items. He said that they have a database of serial numbers they search on any item that has one. If it has been reported stolen and it has a serial number. They'll catch it without the thief knowing about it. I don't know what they do after that.
It's gonna take a bunch of good stories to get over this dismal episode! Sorry for your loss. Woe be the SOB that gets caught.
*****CAMERA THIEF CAUGHT!!!*****
I'm happy to report that I have retrieved my camera, minus an incriminating memory card. After some stellar detective work, the thief was traced, his phone number obtained, a veiled threat issued, and one Moultrie Gamespy D40 returned to it's rightful owner.
I'm not sure if the guy was shaking from fear or needed his next fix, but he sure was a nervous little dude.
I was hoping to have a picture of his thieving mug to post on here, but all of the pics were deleted and the memory card is gone.
I think I might not recall that butt boil plague just yet.
Well good for you. As a person who has hiked in to hunt a stand before daylight only to find it gone, I can relate. Never got any of my stuff back though.
Chalk one up for the good guys!
I had my picture taken while walking into my stand opening day. The camara was hooked to a tree about 25yds. from my stand(in place for 1mo.)I thought that was pretty sad to scout another guys area.This is private land. I never thought about taking it but I did want to bounce a blunt off the case from my stand. But my GOOD nature prevailed and I just said OH WELL(and shot a buck at day break). Besides, I did not know that angry camara owners would/could call down a plague of butt boils.WWWHEEEW!
Glad you got yours back.
I hate game cameras and thieves!
But to each his own,,, glad you retieved your property!
Glad you got it back! Fricking butt boils!!!!
She also mentioned that he kept scratching his ass. So maybe the butt boils are starting to develop.
Couldn't stop laughing!!
:biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
may all that theifs body hairs grow inward.... i cant stand a thief