Stolen from truck?

[MichelD]

The ongoing discussion elsewhere here about a scope breaking on a critical hunt has prompted a lot of suggestions to bring a spare rifle.

I often drive to or camp at the edge of a a cutblock and hike hours away from my truck, or sometimes leave my truck and camp by bicycle and cycle kilometres and kilometres away, sometimes dumping the bike and hiking into the weeds too.

It has never occured (touch wood) but I often worry about someone stealing my old Cooey 410 I left back in the truck. I'd be more than doubly worried if I left a good rifle back in the truck too.

Am I being paranoid, or is there a real reason to fear a truck break-in?

Has it happened to you?

[youngbuck]

Never happened to us but I'm sure it's happened.
I'd venture to say that the culprits are typically not hunters.
We try to stay away from the crowds and therefore aviod such problems.
Also, spare rifles are well hidden from view

[The Hermit]

I worry too. In nice weather I have actually hidden my spare off in the woods close to the truck.

[yote]

We ditch our spare guns in the bush and another thing on the longer outings where there is a camp, ditch any booze too. I think that it's too much of a temptation for some of those nimrods seeing beer and Crown just sitting there with noboby around.

[Sharkey]

I feel that it all falls back to ethics. We were up in the bush recently and drove past a parked truck that had 2 rifles in the cab in plain view and it was unlocked. We just kept driving and hoped that all was well when the hunter came back.
~D

[dawn2dusk]

I think if you have it out of sight and locked in the truck u should be ok 99.9 percent of the time. I still worry though. I have hidden guns in the bush as well but still worried about them.

It is definitly more of worry here on the island due to the amount of people back in the bush. You know there are bound to be a few bad apples out there.

I know one guy that basically welded a gun locker into the bed of his truck just for this reason. But he had an arsonal of guns. I take the bare minimum ie. one back-up gun.

[MichelD]

I used a bicycle cable lock through the trigger guard to the seat frame of my truck and covered everything up one time when I went to a meeting in Victoria prior to going up-Island to see my parents and maybe do a bit of bear hunting.

[RMG]

Of course one must follow due diligence, by keeping your valuables out of site at camp or in your truck. I would think that few have the nerve to even consider snooping around a hunting camp. Hunters all have guns and know how to use them. Just because you can't see me, doesn't mean I cant see you.

[geno]

I often leave a spare rifle or my 22LR locked in the truck, and have never had any problems. just recently my hunting partener left my 22LR in the box of the truck with a few gun case's. the gun caes's i could care less about then, hell i leave my gun case in the box all the time. But the 22LR was left in the box of the truck in a case well we were on a 6 hour hike..
and i was right were he left it when we got back..
but i wouldn't count on it always being like that.. its always better to have it locked up and if possible out of site.

[BlackBear]

A year ago, a friend went out hunting on his ATV. He left the ATV to check out a cut. As he was walking back to the ATV, two people were attempting to load the ATV into their truck. Needless to say, a few choice words from the "invisible man" and the theives decided it was best to leave the ATV. During the discussion, they tried to say "we thought someone lost it."

[The Hermit]

A year ago, a friend went out hunting on his ATV. He left the ATV to check out a cut. As he was walking back to the ATV, two people were attempting to load the ATV into their truck. Needless to say, a few choice words from the "invisible man" and the theives decided it was best to leave the ATV. During the discussion, they tried to say "we thought someone lost it."


I used to ride my bicycle into a spot and leave it with a sign on it that told the potential theif that I was just a hundred yards or so away and could see him in my rifle scope, asked him to step away quietly so as not to disturb the game... never had a problem with it.

[quadrakid]

accidentally left my hunting rifle of 27 years in the truck at midnite in parking lot of motel in hope. five hours later no rifle,costly mistake.

[Allen50]

out in the wood, one is taking his life in his hands to break into someone's truck, were all carrying guns, and you do not know where that person is sitting, or standing when hunting,, do they chance breaking into your truck out in the woods,, in a parking lot they know your inside some place and it only takes min, oe sec, to be in and gone with what ever,, you have to have mighty big ones to go into someone's truck, or camp and walk away with something,, if your dumb enpugh to try. you better be able to suffer what ever happens to you when cough by the person who ownes it,,, you better think twice before doing something so dumb...

[pointandshoot]

my dad and i were up in the back roads of 100 mile where our cabin is. we parked the truck and went for our 3 hour hike along the roads and trails. all i had was 22 in hand and nothing of value in the truck. we've seen a few people in trucks and dirt bikes since it was thanksgiving weekend...but as usual no need to lock the doors (since there was nothing really to take except the truck itself). well when we got back the drivers door wasn't fully shut and my spare key was in a different spot than i could remember putting it (still not 100% sure though...but i know i shut my door all the way). nothing was taken or messed up, but you still get that pissed off feeling that someone would get in an open red-neck hunting truck during an open season where the owner most likely had a gun on him and might not be far. i was thinking of going out the next day and camping by the truck just to spook them if they came by again...but i had bigger game to go after ;)

[ratherbefishin]

parking lots at hiking areas are targeted by thieves,so you can't discount the same people wouldn't hesitate to break into your truck if they saw it beside the road.My boys were ready to set up an ambush after their vehicle was broken into at the parking area by Niagara canyon and it took some pursuading by me to get them to agree not to do it-they would likely suffer a far worse penalty for assault than the theives.

[4pointer]

If anyone is hunting the mountains above the Loon Lake Rd junction with Hwy. 97, there is a thief running around breaking in trucks. Some fellows we met up there had there guns stolen and windows smashed.

[Wildman]

Personaly..........if someone were to break into a truck, in the bush, in hunting season they have to either have a huge set of @#$$% or be very stupid and have no clue that the person who owns the vehicle has a rifle.

[newhunterette]

Peter has been out hunting and come back to camp to find the tires flat on his truck and his buddy's truck as well as engine trouble - no coincidence - maybe one flat tire but all the tires

he has also been on a fishing trip where him and his buddies were accused of stealing a boat - imagine that all asleep in thier cabins and a boat goes missing from the resort - and the guys got blamed yet all were present and accounted for - guess they hid this big boat up their behinds - the resort owner even had the odacity to call me and another of the wives to tell us he was having our husbands arrested - HAHAHA - too bad he couldn't make it happen and we made sure his resort received plenty bad publicity for falsly accusing people and slandering their names and have never booked with them again

[Sharkey]

I used to ride my bicycle into a spot and leave it with a sign on it that told the potential theif that I was just a hundred yards or so away and could see him in my rifle scope, asked him to step away quietly so as not to disturb the game... never had a problem with it.
Love this idea - who in their right mind would take that bike with this note pinned on it?
~D

[Barracuda]

years ago we had all the Jerry cans stolen from the back of the trailer while we slept in our tents (and yes this was a dry camp so no drunken slumbers) so the possibility of someone stealing stuff is very real .

Thieves bank on the fact that hunters very often assume everyone else in the woods has the same moral values as them so many hunters never take mind of what is left in the open for thieves to take advantage of.

I am sure many thieves see hunters (especially out of town hunters)as easy pickens and all they have to do is watch a camp for a day or two to figure out the scedules of its inhabitants.

[Elkhound]

I hate thieves.....they should still be branded.

[Barracuda]

I hate thieves.....they should still be branded.

on the forehead:x

[BlackBear]

As paranoid as it may seem, in our hunting camp, someone always stays with the camp. The person stays within visual contact of the camp at all times. Coincidently, several deer have been taken right from our camp. So whomever is in camp doesn't really get the short end of the stick.

It's amazing the number of people who drive into the camp to "look" at the camp site while it's occupied. Some have had the audacity to sit down in a chair...etc. Very quickly, they move out once they realize there is someone sitting in the trees. Unfortunately, I find it hard to trust others whether hunter or not. However, I must admit, the majority of visitors seem quite nice and coversational.

[quadrakid]

its unfortunate but every little town in this province has people with severe drug addictions ie:crack or meth . these folks don,t think straight and i personally won,t leave anything i treasure while in the bush un attended if i can help it and no way am i leaving a firearm unattended.

[Murder]

I know why they aren't scared. We all talk tough with our hunting rifles...lmao, but not one of you on here would actually shoot them. And everyone knows it. How long does it take on average to break into a vehicle and steal what you want?...under a minute I would assume. Most of the time people are more than 60 seconds from their vehicle if it is unattended in the bush ie: hiking, mushroom picking, salal, hunting etc. It's a risk we must take. And 99.9% of the time, things are fine. A good 'ol melee attack with the butt of the rifle might be in order though.

[Tikka 270]

I had the oppertunity to scare the living #$%%@ out of a couple of would be battery thiefs I was hunting west of Williams Lake on a ridge above our campsite when I returned from the morning hunt 2 men were attempting to relieve me of my truck batteries, I was too far away to stop them so I shot my rifle in the air to get thier attention they left in a hurry!

[o2fish2day]

Just had my truck broken into at Pitt Meadows this moring. Stole the face plate to my radio and some CDS, binocular bag...

Kinda surprised as it was right on the main road. Looks like someone else got hit too, jean jacket lying on the ground with a bag full of window screens?

Anyways keep your eyes peeled....