Anyone have their camp robbed while in the field for the day?

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

It wasn't a back country camp, but there was a guy here in Oregon last fall that came back after hunting to find most of his camp loaded up in the back of a rig. He only saw 1 of the guys at first. Pulled his pistol...another guy came out of the shadows with a pistol pointed back at him. They had a stand-off, words were exchanged but no shots were fired, and the 2 guys drove off with his belongings. He decided it wasn't worth taking a life. He had a vehicle and perp description as well as a license plate number. Last I heard, only one of the perps had been arrested, and none of his gear had been recovered. The vehicle description matched that from several other camp thefts in the area over the last few years.

I think a lot of guys would not have hesitated to drop the hammer on someone pointing a gun at them. I don't think its worth getting in a gun fight with two guys in the middle of the woods myself.

 

[genesis273]

I’m surprised by all these stories.
I would think stealing from a person who is for sure armed and could show up at any minute is probably a bad idea.

I know that, and you know that, but no one has ever accused a crook of thinking things all the way through! Bad part is, they know we have weapons, but they also figure that we obey the law and won't shoot for stealing property if our life isn't in danger. Note to thief:. If my shelter and/or food is walking away, my life at that point will be in danger. Hence, so will yours!

 

[jeremys4]

Well a crazy buddy of mine will leave his camp for six weeks between archery deer and rifle cow. The only thing he had stolen was his hospital toilet chair. Even funnier is the have a county music festival in Yeringon Nevada, me and my buddy's had our tents set up in a field we left to go get some more beer. When we left there was a girl hollering at us when we drove off. When we came back about an hour later I noticed my zipper was stuck in the fly. I went in to see if they stole anything I had about gen bucks in ones sitting on my table and it was still there. I figured they were looking for beer, then my buddy goes into his tent to find a drunk girl laying in his bed. She had brought a taco salad set it on her chair then spilt a bunch of water all over his bed. It was so funny he was pissed. She had here camp site wrote allover her body I guess for a situation like this.

 

[Mcseal2]

I got so sick and tired of my gas cans getting emptied I switched and put water in my gas cans. Came back one day to 2 empty cans. I smiled for hours.

In college a friend got tired of everyone stealing his vodka from the cabinet above the keg fridge when the beer ran out at parties at his place. He began peeing in empty vodka bottles after he had drank enough to make his urine pretty clear and put the re-filled bottles in the cabinet before the next party. The next time his vodka bottles were laying in the yard empty after a party was the last! He never did learn who drank them but he sure got a laugh out of it.

 

[Ryan2782]

I've always had better faith leave my camp where other hunters are, rather than regular campers. Benefit is, for the most part as stated above, there is always an extra rig parked at camp. But my biggest take away - have an extra gas can of water - and a trail camera up. Absolutely brilliant! Every camp I have from now on will have these. I've always had better faith in humanity, but still wondered why people would see a hunting camp not worry about an arrow or being shot from 500 yards away with a rifle!

Anyone every try one of these? You can install them to truck bed or flat bed trailer - https://denylocks.com/ - Wondering what else I could use it for besides a cooler?

 

[stu_manji]

great idea, awful price point. I get that they're probably sturdy American made but holy cow I already spent $300 on a cooler i'm not paying $150 for a lock for it! this "high end" BS is getting way way out of hand. my mom would slap the s$%& out of me if she knew what I paid for my cabelas cooler, let alone if I bought that lock for it. "I raised you better than that!"

I've always had better faith leave my camp where other hunters are, rather than regular campers. Benefit is, for the most part as stated above, there is always an extra rig parked at camp. But my biggest take away - have an extra gas can of water - and a trail camera up. Absolutely brilliant! Every camp I have from now on will have these. I've always had better faith in humanity, but still wondered why people would see a hunting camp not worry about an arrow or being shot from 500 yards away with a rifle!

Anyone every try one of these? You can install them to truck bed or flat bed trailer - https://denylocks.com/ - Wondering what else I could use it for besides a cooler?

 

[pre6422hornet]

Only once. 2015 NM Muzzleloader season up in the Pecos Wilderness. 5.5 miles in from the trailhead.

We came back to camp after spending the afternoon scouting and found/thought our camp was ransacked. Tent collapsed, sleeping bags thrown about, shirts we wore on the way in and left hanging to dry out were 50 yards away on the ground.

Then we saw the fire pit was dug out and realized by the cow print in the mud that a herd of cattle had wandered through and "destroyed" our camp... That night some cowboys came through and we let them know which direction they headed. Luckily that is it for me.

 

[mitchamafied]

I've never been worried about it in the backcountry, but I have been wondering if I should leave our car camp set up during the day while antelope hunting in Wyoming this fall.

 

[Bluejeep]

Never did have anything stolen, but did have our camp destroyed by some real jerks. Tent all cut up, sleeping bags cut up, food and water dumped on the ground. They basically destroyed everything they could get ahold of. Don't know the reason why. Maybe we camped in "their" spot. Maybe they were anti hunters.

Either way. I would of rather seen our stuff stolen then destroyed like that.

 

[Yellowstoner]

Had a racoon steal freshly baked cookies out of a bear box once. They were extremely good peanut butter cookies (my favorite). I was pretty pissed and vowed vengeance. Never caught up to him though. Cookies were never recovered.

 

[JTHOMP]

Had a racoon steal freshly baked cookies out of a bear box once. They were extremely good peanut butter cookies (my favorite). I was pretty pissed and vowed vengeance. Never caught up to him though. Cookies were never recovered.

Thieves! Last summer a friend and I were camped out for a night a bowfishing on a WMA. We cooked deer tender loins over the fire for supper. A a little bit and left the rest for when we got back tired and hungry. We returned to 3 masked bandits at our site making their get away to the tree line.

 

[BrentD]

I watched some guys stealing diesel from a bunch of Wyoming road crew machines one year. They were a few hundreds of yards off, and I watched them through binos. Couldn't get their plate number unfortunately.

 

[TheNorthStar]

Thanks for bumping this one. Reminded me I need to get some cables and locks for my coolers yet.

 

[prhunter]

Water in the gas cans is genius, until you forget....lol

Thought of this myself

 

[Trslabaugh]

On our Wyoming antelope trip, we are planning on renting a small enclosed trailer for security. I really don't want to deal with the trailer, but I'd rather not have to worry about coolers and such in the bed of the truck.

Am I crazy for taking this extra step?

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

On our Wyoming antelope trip, we are planning on renting a small enclosed trailer for security. I really don't want to deal with the trailer, but I'd rather not have to worry about coolers and such in the bed of the truck.

Am I crazy for taking this extra step?

If you can just lock them in the cab of the truck when you are away from it and for the ride home throw them in the bed. I wouldn't rent a trailer all the way from oklahoma it looks like just for security.

 

[1_pointer]

If you can just lock them in the cab of the truck when you are away from it and for the ride home throw them in the bed. I wouldn't rent a trailer all the way from oklahoma it looks like just for security.

I agree with this. I'd not want the hassle of dealing with a trailer, especially a rental just to secure the coolers. I just keep mine in the bed and have yet to have an ounce of trouble. I just drag the 'lope to the truck, skin/debone and straight into the cooler that's in the bed.

 

[LCH]

That's one reason I avoid $400 coolers.. I don't want to be scared of going into a restaurant or a gas station for fear they'll be swiped.

 

[jeffraines]

Not a hunting story, but worth the mention.

When me and my wife were moving across the country a few years ago we rented one of those uhaul trailers to tow. I'm no idiot when it comes to cross country travel and I knew that a lot of thieves liked to target trailers or moving trucks, so each night we would pull the truck/trailer long ways and I'd park the smaller car right behind the trailer(the trailer had barn doors on it).

We woke up to head out of Salt Lake City and come out to the trailer hitch(with the trailer attached) sitting on the ground under the truck and the mirror on the car pushed in and a few dents in the passenger side. Luckily with the car just inches from the trailer they didn't have enough room to swing it out and grab it.

As far as hunting, I haven't had any issue yet... fingers crossed!

 

[Nambaster]

In 2010 a friend and I parked my car in some BLM land in Wyoming to do some hiking. He left is Swaroski box in the passenger seat as he unveiled his binoculars. When we came back to the car the passenger side window was bashed in and the Swaroski box was wide open in the passenger seat. I am not sure what redneck hill billy thought that we would leave the binos in the case and go hiking but I was pretty mad that they would bash my window out just to check and see if the binos were in the case. When we go hunting now I tell him not to bring the case to his Swaros.