North Slope Uintas Stolen Trail Cams-Reward

inthepines · Sep 2, 2016

I have a unique proposition for anyone that can help me track down whoever is stealing my trail cams on the North Slope of the Uintas. I even have an offer for the person or persons that are taking my cameras. These cameras are not just sitting for the taking, they are locked inside metal boxes bolted to trees.

I run about 10 cameras in several drainages on the North Slope, and I have hunted up there for 10 years. It is very tough hunting for very few animals. I have learned a lot about the areas I hunt, and I am willing to share my trail cam pics and knowledge and information with whoever can help me find out who keeps stealing my cameras. My latest stolen camera was located in the East Fork of the Bear drainage. The trailhead was packed opening weekend of the archery hunt, and I assume it was stolen then. I have taken pictures of every vehicle parked there then and since. I have also placed multiple hidden cameras in the area to hopefully catch whoever did it. I am offering a $200 reward for finding and returning this latest camera. If you are the person that stole this camera or other cameras from me, send me a private, anonymous message, and I am more than happy and willing to give you the $200 for returning what you stole, no questions asked. We can work out a place to drop it off and I will never know who you are. You already can't use the camera because it has a security code. I am also more than happy to give you a digital camera and the combination to my locks so you can check my cameras and have access to the pictures without having to break my locks and steal my stuff. You know as well as I do that it is hard work to hike where you did. It is a lot of work to run those cameras, and I would rather join you and work together, because obviously you will stop at nothing to steal my stuff. I work too hard to create opportunities at animals. It is very frustrating to put in the work, only to have nothing to show for it. If I happen to get pictures of the thief, they will be posted here to be identified.

Anyone with any possible helpful information, please send me a private message.

Thanks

Vanilla · Sep 2, 2016

So frustrating. I wish I could help!

2_Point · Sep 2, 2016

Probably just the Forest Service removing the cameras. Doubt it is legal to bolt cameras to trees on Forest Service lands and even more frowned upon in wilderness areas.

inthepines · Sep 3, 2016

I've run into the forest service multiple times while checking and setting cameras. Illegal in wilderness areas. My cameras are not in wilderness areas.

Timber_Master · Sep 3, 2016

Trail cameras are illegal in wilderness areas? News to me.

fortheloveofthewild · Sep 6, 2016

"Bolting" is the main word here. Forest service may remove cameras if they are "bolted" into the tree.

-"mello"

DeerMadness · Sep 6, 2016

>"Bolting" is the main word here.
>Forest service may remove cameras
>if they are "bolted" into
>the tree.
>
>-"mello"
May even he should quit bolting them if it's illegal to do so.

hossblur · Sep 7, 2016

Personally, if I see your cam, you get a pic of my glorious naked azz. I'm not a huge fan of them. I agree the pics can be fun, but I believe the animals deserve to have the advantage. If your bolting them to trees, DON'T. We got enough dead trees on the north slope. I am curious though, I can't leave my camp for more than 48 hours, or more than 14 days, legally aren't you littering if you leave a cam? It would be littering if I left a 12 pack of Keystone on the mtn, what is the difference?

People need to quit touching other folks shizz. Well known that I despise the AI hunt. I go out of my way to laugh at Denny and his hand maiden Doyle, but I found one of his cams out on the island, looked like the pole(there are only 2 trees out there) it was mounted on was used as a bison back scratch. I picked up his cam, made sure it got a pic of me, then mounted it back up so it didn't get stomped. It was watching fresh water. Then he got a pic of my glorious backside, and I was gone. Leave people shizz alone, in fact, as fellow hunters, watch out for the other guys shizz is my belief.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

SHEDYGAGA · Sep 10, 2016

Hossblur, you are correct.

After 16 days left in the woods the camera is not legally yours anymore.
Even if you catch the guy who stole it, you have no legal case.
An officer who arrests someone for stealing an "abandoned" trail camera, would be putting himself at risk of false arrest.

Thats not to say that taking trail cameras is an ethical thing to do.

Personally I think this just becomes a larger and larger problem in the future.
To date, lots of aftermarket things are being done to prevent trail camera theft, but they don't work.
Lock boxes, python cables, lag bolts, ect.

Even if ALL trail camera manufacturers used passed protection, and remotes rather than internal buttons, these things would still get stolen or destroyed.

I figure that if a thief wasn't able to, or didn't want to steal it, they would just destroy it.

If you have a problem with trail camera theft, I can only suggest that you go higher up the tree.
It makes it a pain in the butt to check the card, but a thief perched 10 ft in the air gives up and has less leverage.

theox · Sep 11, 2016

>Hossblur, you are correct.
>
>After 16 days left in the
>woods the camera is not
>legally yours anymore.
>Even if you catch the guy
>who stole it, you have
>no legal case.
>An officer who arrests someone for
>stealing an "abandoned" trail camera,
>would be putting himself at
>risk of false arrest.
>
>Thats not to say that taking
>trail cameras is an ethical
>thing to do.
>
>Personally I think this just becomes
>a larger and larger problem
>in the future.
>To date, lots of aftermarket things
>are being done to prevent
>trail camera theft, but they
>don't work.
>Lock boxes, python cables, lag bolts,
>ect.
>
>Even if ALL trail camera manufacturers
>used passed protection, and remotes
>rather than internal buttons, these
>things would still get stolen
>or destroyed.
>
>I figure that if a thief
>wasn't able to, or didn't
>want to steal it, they
>would just destroy it.
>
>If you have a problem with
>trail camera theft, I can
>only suggest that you go
>higher up the tree.
>It makes it a pain in
>the butt to check the
>card, but a thief perched
>10 ft in the air
>gives up and has less
>leverage.

Wait so if a camp trailer is left for more than 16 days I can hook up to it and keep it? Sweet!

nvbones · Sep 11, 2016

I do think thats how the law reads, but good luck pulling that one off.

elkassassin · Sep 11, 2016

Somebody Tried that Once!

The Law Didn't do anything!

But the Owner Kicked the Thief's Ass!

I Can Show you where there's been a Trailer Parked for a Month on USFS Ground!

Anybody Interested in Towing it Off?

[font color="blue"]She put a Big F.U. in My Future,Ya She's got a
way with Words[/font]

hossblur · Sep 13, 2016

In my rant was a legit question, can I leave a 12 pack of Keystone on the mtn? Would be nice to sit on a waterhole with more cameras than a porn shoot, and drink a cold beer.

Having the ethics to not touch other peoples stuff, I totally agree with, but somewhere along the line those OTHER PEOPLE need to do the same. If your lag bolting stuff into a tree, you decided your need for pics was more important than my need for that tree. The forests in the west are dying quick enough, we DONT need to help that along. If you found $200 lying on the forest floor, would you leave it? How many of us look at gut piles to see if someone left us a knife? If you leave your Cannon camera would you expect it to be safe? I guess we have a line between it laying on the ground, and a camera strapped to a tree, but I for one aren't in the practice of leaving my stuff hanging on a tree unless I don't want it anymore. Do you think if you leave your gun hanging from a tree it would still be there in a few weeks?
I won't take your trailcam. But on this one I don't get too worked up, you took it on public ground, drilled a hole in a tree, and left it. Maybe next time don't? I hate theives, but I am really starting to dislike how much hunting is becoming a video game.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"