If you are a hunter, chances are you have a trail camera. There are many methods for securing your hunting gear, but the most important thing is having fun in the field. The same goes with your trail camera — make sure it does not get stolen! This article will walk you through what those things are and how to keep trail camera from being stolen.
To keep your trail camera from being stolen, you must first determine what actions you can take to prevent or slow down a theft. There are several ways that a thief could steal your trail camera:
How To Keep Trail Camera From Being Stolen
The first step is to pick the right location and post it in the most vulnerable spot possible. If the location is on the roof of your house, then maybe you want to place it near a window. Most people will understand and not worry about surveillance cameras if it’s placed outside and on their property. The next step is placing some bait at the same time; we’ll talk more about this in a moment.
Stake out the location of your trail camera. A “stake out” is simply staying at the exact location where your trail camera is located for an extended amount of time. This type of stake out is intended to prevent an unknown person from finding and potentially stealing the gear. With this method, the thief is still within the area of your trail camera. It may help slow down a theft if you are able to take an action against the thief, such as making noise or yelling at them to leave.
Hide your camera under a tarp or other cover. This prevents you from getting too close to the site before locating it so that you may take appropriate actions against someone who has staked out your location. It also helps cover any low-lying bushes that could conceal your trail camera if not carefully placed.
As part of your standard checks, remove the batteries from your camera every few days. This will help keep someone from stealing anything else at your location, not just the trail camera.
Check your trail camera often. The more often you check it, the less likely someone is to steal it. The longer you wait between checking, the more likely it is that someone might steal your trail camera.
Secure your trail camera to the tree. If you use a strap or wire to connect your trail camera to the tree, make sure that it is tight enough that someone could not get it off effortlessly.
The following tips are geared toward making your trail camera more difficult for thieves to steal:
Stick with basic colors when choosing patterns for outfits for your trail camera. Stick with the colors of natural rocks and sticks in the area of your camera’s location. Also, consider “camouflaging” your trail camera by securing a brush on a wire or tree branch to the tree that your camera is on.
Be conscious of the number of things you have hanging from a tree. A thief could use one item as leverage to break off another item attached to the same branch. Make sure that nothing is too low-hanging on the branch.
Use zip ties instead of string or rope to secure your trail camera — those can be cut relatively easily. However, make sure they are not too loose.
Add a small piece of fleece or bedding to the top of your trail camera. This helps to mask it from view. You can also place a small plastic lid on top of your camera to prevent the camera from being damaged if someone were to strike it against another object.
Hide your other hunting gear in bushes or under loose tree limbs near the location of your camera’s placement.
If it is possible, make sure there is a fence or tree near your camera to help slow thieves down if they were able to steal your trail camera.
Use a combination of methods. This will make it more difficult for someone to steal the trail camera and the additional items you have on and under the tree and bush.
If you’ve caught a thief and want to know what they thought about it, then go ahead and ask them. The more you know about their actions after the theft, the better the case is for you.
Hopefully this article has helped you as much as it has helped me, as well as others who may be reading this. I’ve taken the time to go over what you need to do in order to ensure that your camera is not stolen, but if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
