Thieves on the Tulameen River FSR

[Iron Glove]

Saturday my Son drops into our Tulameen cabin, he's spent the prior days camping on the Tulameen River FSR and driving along Lodestone, Lawless and roads in between looking for a bear. Seen lots, didn't see what he liked yet and drove into Tulameen for gas and some TUC Tape for needed vehicle repairs. Pops in for a chat and a coffee then he heads to Coalmont, down Lodestone to his site, a small Rec Site.
Gets to the site, there's a guy and a motor bike sitting in his site, at his campfire, burning his wood. WTF ??
He calmly gets out, walks up behind the guy and asks politely what he's doing. When Son goes on a solo hunt for a few days he looks like something out of Deliverance so the guy is a bit shocked.
Guy said that when he arrived the site was empty other than a stack of firewood. Son then asks where his camp cot, stove, axe and a number of other items were? Guy doesn't have a clue. They look around the site and pretty well all that was left were his 2 jerry cans of gas.
So, he lost his cot and such, fortunately that morning he had put his tent and bedding in the truck in case it rained while he was gone and he always keeps his cooler in the truck because of critters.
So home to Princeton he went, not very happy.
Guess there are Bass Turds everywhere.

[Stroodle]

That sucks. Been robbed at a hunting camp before, sure doesn't sit well. Sorry to hear that.

[Moose63]

That sucks....I wonder it's getting to the point where one of your hunting party has to stay in camp.....

[Muliechaser]

That's sad . Trail cameras or somebody in camp. Hope those sumbitches get there karma!

[caddisguy]

That sucks. Got a good chuckle from the description of your son after a few days of solo hunting :)

Seems to be thieves everywhere you go. I read a lost of posts on social media about guys justifying it too, especially with trailcams and blinds.

"If you leave it in the bush it's considered abandonment and anyone can claim it. It's legal!"

A couple years back my wife left out a blind chair at the top of a little spur road before a washout to zip into the timber for a quick bio relief. Not even 5 mins later I am coming back from a little rifle stroll to see a couple guys in a white truck scoop it. I'm chasing them down trying to get their attention. Either they didn't see me or pretended not to hear or see me. I don't know, so I won't make assumptions or judge beyond saying people should leave stuff alone. I mean maybe if you see a chair or whatever on some spur road week after week but jumping out and scooping gear the second you see it is short sighted at best and thievery at worse depending on intent.

Funny side note. That story above for a split second the idea of firing a shot into the ditch beside me popped in my head as a means to get their attention but that was quickly overwhelmed by common sense about how that could be horribly misinterpreted. Can you imagine, you drive up a spur road and see a blind chair, figure ah someone problem forget it let's grab it... then half a minute later you hear a shot and look behind you and there's some guy running after you yelling. I'd be terrified and probably assume someone shot at me LOL and it's just a chair after all.

And yeah then there are just straight up thieves / vandals, breaking into vehicles, drilling gas tanks and such. So far I haven't been hit by that level of thievery yet, but there seems to be a lot of posts about it happening to others. Pretty sad.

[Ride Red]

Last year my wife and I were at the provincial campground in Clearwater on our way home. Someone took my chair from our camp. Sure enough we walked around just after it happened and here it is with 3 men/2 women at a site. They didn’t expect me to walk in and take it after telling them what will happen the next time. They packed up and left shortly after. These people need one hospital visit to understand that being a thief doesn’t pay.

[Iron Glove]

That sucks. Got a good chuckle from the description of your son after a few days of solo hunting :)

When he goes full out and leaves all his teeth at home all he'd need is a banjo and he'd clear a camp site in a minute. :shock:

[REMINGTON JIM]

Sorry to hear John ! that SUCKS people stealing a Guys stuff ! :-x RJ

[russm]

I had someone steal my stove out of a camp up in cash creek a few years ago,not sure why they'd only take that with everything else there too. Not sure what I'd do if I came back and caught someone stealing my shit

[browningboy]

So why didn’t you shiet kick the intruder? Maybe I read the storey wrong but you came back to camp to find a dude intruding?

[finngun]

That sucks....I wonder it's getting to the point where one of your hunting party has to stay in camp..... yep i think we are there already..take old timer for camp guard...might be really good idea. i woldn't leave big camp alone with all exp gear..generator etc..f,,,g.

[sames14]

I had my truck busted into when camped 60 miles out in the middle of no where in the Blackwater / Nazko area. My first thought when some co#$/×*€/£ drilled a hole in my gas tank, and stole a whole tank full of gas at the Stave Lake boat launch was thank God this didnt happen when i was in the middle of nowhere.
I wouldnt hesitate to break some skull but now i have dash cams and trail cams set up, but then again your shit is gone and at the end of the day good luck getting it back.

[fuzzybiscuit]

I set up trail cameras in my moose camp last fall. I had 1 on the road and on it were 7 different vehicles that came down past our camp a mile from the end of the road. Out of those 7 vehicles a second camera showed two stopped and the occupants wandered around our camp not 60 feet off the road. A third camera mounted behind the grill of my truck showed 2 of the five people who wondered around camp peeked inside our wall tent. Out of all this activity nothing went missing.

I was surprised to have people wonder around our camp like that since it’s not something that I’d ever think of doing.

[Big Lew]

I will admit I've been very lucky! Most of my long life camping was done when very few people worried about
leaving all their camp, fishing, or hunting stuff out in full view even if they planned on being gone all day.
The last 10-15 years have been different...thieves everywhere and they can strike any time day or night.
One couple I talked to had an estimated $14,000 worth of guns, atvs, and camping equipment taken while
they were camping in a popular lakeside forestry site. In the central Cariboo it's almost a certainty that if you
leave your vehicle alone on any of the main roads for even a short time it will be stripped or at least broken
into. At one time I thought it was probably only a few people doing this sort of activity but I now believe it's
many. They know the chances of being caught in the act are low so just grab and run. I also believe that
walking into and immediately around someone's camp is no different than snooping around someone's house
and yard...it's trespassing and should be treated as the same. Trail cams and other security devices should
be allowed in court to press charges.

[Iron Glove]

So why didn’t you shiet kick the intruder? Maybe I read the storey wrong but you came back to camp to find a dude intruding?

Yes, you read it wrong. First, it wasn't me, it was my Son. He arrived back at "his" site to find someone occupying it as to that fellow it was an unoccupied site as the thieves had taken almost everything away. When Son first pulled up and saw the guy he was pretty angry, I asked him if he took his rifle when he confronted the guy. He didn't, said that's not a wise thing to do. I agreed.

[browningboy]

Yes, you read it wrong. First, it wasn't me, it was my Son. He arrived back at "his" site to find someone occupying it as to that fellow it was an unoccupied site as the thieves had taken almost everything away. When Son first pulled up and saw the guy he was pretty angry, I asked him if he took his rifle when he confronted the guy. He didn't, said that's not a wise thing to do. I agreed.

Got ya, still thieves need a good licking!

[Iron Glove]

Got ya, still thieves need a good licking!

Agreed. Hopefully Karma bites them.

[Bugle M In]

And now you all know why I have a cam!
And no, I don't keep it right at the site...well, not all of them.
Hide one on the road.
One way in, one way out usually!
And to get it ripped off, somebody used a vehicle.

I suggest everyone start to do that.
Hard to find a cam that is in a tree, just off the road.
At the site, it may be picked out if one looks.
Mind you, the are probably worried that they will get busted, so they will move quick.

And yes, I record vehicles while hunting anyways.
For many reason, poaching being the main one.

[Redthies]

I saw a post on FB yesterday about an older black 4Runner with Alberta plates being seen stealing stuff out of campsites around Princeton. Might be the same clowns?

I always leave a trail cam hidden looking at my camp, but I also don’t leave anything out or unlocked. It’s pretty ballsy/stupid to be stealing shit from guys that you KNOW are carrying guns.

Friends were down in Washington about 15 years back at a climbing area parking lot that hunters use too. A couple of guys came back from a hunt to find thieves going through all the vehicles. They tied them to a tree with a sign around their necks stating they were the guys responsible for all the vehicle break-ins. By the time my buddies got back to their car they said it looked like the thieves had done a few rounds against Mike Tyson. I would have paid good money to have seen that!

[MichelD]

So far so good for me though I leave very little in camp if I'm alone. I'm self contained in my truck canopy. But on longer moose trips for example, we leave our tents up, Coleman stove and lamp tree, food lockers and various necessities in camp. We've been okay in Region 6 anyway. No LEH this year so we won't be doing that.

In May buddy and me were bear hunting in a popular Region 2 camping spot. We found a nice unofficial site by a stream so I left my camp chair and a bucket with three 2-litre water bottles in it by the fire pit to say "I'm camping here tonight, will be back." At other times I've put up a tent too. I've seen others do this too. So far it has been respected, but I have a pet axe I've had for about 30 years and I NEVER leave that in camp.

[HikerHunter]

I went for a overnight stay at pierce lake and my window got smashed out by the time i got back. nothing stolen.

[Big Lew]

Several years ago I was coming out of the back eastern part of Sylvester road area when I saw an older small white
car quickly turn around and drive like a maniac back out the way they came which made me suspicious. As I got down
past Davis lake I saw 3 vehicles parked along the road with smashed windows. That white car was too far away for
me to get it's tag but as it was a rather distinctive looking vehicle I logged it into my mind. I saw it again driving fast
up Keystone road with 3 young men inside. Sure enough, a couple of vehicles parked on Hayward Road had smashed
windows. Awhile later I went for a run along the dikes in Pitt Polder, parking at the far end of the big lot by Harris Road
and the Alouette River. I was the only car there, and as I was changing into street wear in the back seat of my car I hear
a car rapidly approaching. It was the same car! Just as the car got close the driver saw me sit up so spun around and
sped out of the lot toward the highway. I can't remember now, but I did get part of it's plate numbers and went to the
RCMP to report. Never heard anything, and I never saw that car again. This why I used to believe that most of the
break-ins years ago were being done by just a few individuals.

[Huntingtyler123]

It’s my worst fear coming back from hunting and having my stuff stolen or truck broken in. Hasn’t happened yet , knock on wood but I set up a trail camera to hopefully get anyone if they decide to steal

[BgBlkDg]

I have never had anything swiped while actually camping, but, a major breakin in our former home in East Van. resulted in the loss of some of my finest and most costly gear and certain items had great sentimental value as well.

Only an imbecile would breakin to our current place as Rottweilers strongly object to such behaviour and will attack miscreants.

I now NEVER camp in campsites and always conceal my camp thoroughly. I am ALWAYS armed as well and trust nobody I do not know well.

[338win mag]

I always camp where I can see my rig from a distance and potential thieves need to be extra balsy to walk up to an exposed camp.
I hide valuables like my spare rifle, chainsaws, etc....I hope I don't catch anyone stealing from me.

[walks with deer]

caught a gentlemen prying my back window open way up harrison west past the lake.
just started my hike when i heard a two stroke dirt bike pull up to my truck.

his name was mitch and he already had jail tattoos.

i stalked up on him like a deerand yelled what are you doing...?
he fell out of my truck onto some rocks ended of with broken ribs on both sides and a pretty smashed up face.
weird part was his shoes fell off when he fell than we couldnt find them?weird.

[Big Lew]

caught a gentlemen prying my back window open way up harrison west past the lake.
just started my hike when i heard a two stroke dirt bike pull up to my truck.

his name was mitch and he already had jail tattoos.

i stalked up on him like a deerand yelled what are you doing...?
he fell out of my truck onto some rocks ended of with broken ribs on both sides and a pretty smashed up face.
weird part was his shoes fell off when he fell than we couldnt find them?weird.

Yes, sometimes 'accidentally' falling down onto rocks and sharp objects is the only thing that
will deter some from being in that situation again. Unfortunately not enough of those lowlifes
are 'clumsy.' You have to be careful when 'witnessing' such incidents though...3 times over the
years I've been strongly advised that there's a fine line between being a 'witness' and being
charged with excessively 'witnessing.'

[Iron Glove]

Yes, sometimes 'accidentally' falling down onto rocks and sharp objects is the only thing that
will deter some from being in that situation again. Unfortunately not enough of those lowlifes
are 'clumsy.' You have to be careful when 'witnessing' such incidents though...3 times over the
years I've been strongly advised that there's a fine line between being a 'witness' and being
charged with excessively 'witnessing.'

Yup, I wonder how we would react if we rounded a corner on a trail while hunting and saw somebody "interested" in the truck.
Obviously we would be armed which presents some "interesting" possibilities, none of which would be advisable.
In the situation that I addressed in the original post, I'm glad my Son didn't approach the guy in his site carrying his rifle. The guy was innocent but toss a rifle into the equation and who knows where it could've gone.

[Big Lew]

Yup, I wonder how we would react if we rounded a corner on a trail while hunting and saw somebody "interested" in the truck.
Obviously we would be armed which presents some "interesting" possibilities, none of which would be advisable.
In the situation that I addressed in the original post, I'm glad my Son didn't approach the guy in his site carrying his rifle. The guy was innocent but toss a rifle into the equation and who knows where it could've gone.

Yes, sometimes actions are like words spoken in the heat of an argument, they can't be taken back.
Fortunately for me 2 'falling down' victims were well known to the police and I was given the benefit
of the doubt to how much I had 'witnessed.'

[Stormy]

Whenever I park my truck near my camp / Tent I leave this note in the window

“I”m a hunter and have a rifle with a scope - if you are reading this right now - there’s a very good chance you are in my cross hairs”

I have never lost anything from my camp or had my truck vandalized in 15 years of camping in BC

[Bugle M In]

Yes, there are "looky lews".
Don't know why, but some folks are just plain "curious" but not thieves, however, if I were to come around a corner, they may have wished they hadn't got up that morning!
(and it would be a shame if they were just curious minds and not thieves as I doubt I would believe them at that moment in time)

And yes, most thefts are from a "small group" folks working an area!

So yes, GET CAMS, put them in location that are well hidden and one or 2 down the road, in case the camp ones are found!
Because many of these thefts are done by a small group, getting them charged and the word out there it's them really helps!!
Also, if convicted, you can "personally have their names"!!! as they will be documented for public record, and deal with them any way you want some day down the road:lol:

Get then F'ers off the roads!! get pics and film, protect your gear!!

[Frango]

A couple of years ago I was alone in camp.I was nursing a cold.I hear a truck pull in thinking it was my guys it was not.Two guys in a beat to shit Tundra pulled in and started looking around.They went and checked the Moose hanging then proceed to notice the keys in my quad .One guys says lower the tail gate help me get this quad in.He says lets take the generator too.That's when I popped out with a shotgun and asked if I could help. They just about shit themselves and started telling me they came looking for a friend who said he was camped some where near here. I said oh whats his name? as I new everyone who was around. They gave me some name and said they would keep looking.I pumped the shot gun and said ok don't come back here as I am the friendly one. The others are not going to be as polite.

[walks with deer]

lucky for me in my case i was hunting and put my rifle on a tree before i approached i wouldnt dream of chambering a round near a theif that would be illiegal.
it was weird when he fell my buddy tripped over him shitty for the theif his steel toe boots seemed to contribute to his injurys during the fall. we would strike said theif and risk charges.

learnt this lesson years ago same theif arrested 7 times on job site back in there stealing 24hrs later...one day theif tripped split his face open and my security guard found him onconcious.he was hauled away in ambulance cuffs on..weird

[338win mag]

Better get used to swinging a sack of door knobs because,, if Idiots get their way the Police will be defunded, requiring the Citizenry to take matters like justice, into their own hands.

[mpotzold]

I've been camping in BC since '65. The only "camp robbers" we have ever had were whiskey jacks.

Stayed in tents or other shelters until the end of the 60s & then living in campers since.

Sometimes I leave a message on a note in big letters attached to the camper door like "Gone for a short walk or ride -Will be back soon".

Have come across a few camps where an old timer was the camp cook & a guard from potential thieves &/or animals. Always had a friendly encounter.

We never met hunters that had their camp broken into or robbed.

Camping near busy roadways with easy access/escape one is asking for trouble.
Our camps are usually located in secluded areas far from local traffic.

Here’s our typical campsite layout-As seen in the photo some of our food, clothes, gas, diesel, propane …..are stored under a large tarp with a side tarp to partially enclose it.
The chainsaw/s, generator/s & extra gun/s are locked in the camper.

We never had a bear problem either.

We always leave 3 or 4 chairs that surround the campfire.
Also we always carry cameras & sat phone & SPOT if needed.


https://oi1305.photobucket.com/albums/s558/land51/pd17fqfr_zpsvklnayez.png~original

[antlerking]

Saturday my Son drops into our Tulameen cabin, he's spent the prior days camping on the Tulameen River FSR and driving along Lodestone, Lawless and roads in between looking for a bear. Seen lots, didn't see what he liked yet and drove into Tulameen for gas and some TUC Tape for needed vehicle repairs. Pops in for a chat and a coffee then he heads to Coalmont, down Lodestone to his site, a small Rec Site.
Gets to the site, there's a guy and a motor bike sitting in his site, at his campfire, burning his wood. WTF ??
He calmly gets out, walks up behind the guy and asks politely what he's doing. When Son goes on a solo hunt for a few days he looks like something out of Deliverance so the guy is a bit shocked.
Guy said that when he arrived the site was empty other than a stack of firewood. Son then asks where his camp cot, stove, axe and a number of other items were? Guy doesn't have a clue. They look around the site and pretty well all that was left were his 2 jerry cans of gas.
So, he lost his cot and such, fortunately that morning he had put his tent and bedding in the truck in case it rained while he was gone and he always keeps his cooler in the truck because of critters.
So home to Princeton he went, not very happy.
Guess there are Bass Turds everywhere.
That’s what happens when you tell everyone to come to your area from large urban areas your going to get some bad apples. Not everyone on social media is your friend.

[Banker]

Sorry to hear about your son's loss. I have been lucky over the last 40 years with no issues.

This has me a bit worried as 4 of us won a group LEH in 7-28 for 2 moose this fall. 4 man camp with three weeks supplies. We will need to bring 250 liters of extra gas and a ton of equipment. We were planning to split into two groups as we have e-scouted 14 prime locations and will be on site for up to two weeks. If we were robbed while out all day, it could be a life threatening issue as we would not have enough fuel to get back out.

Looks like we will need to change it up and make it a three man hunt while one stays back at camp each day. Unfortunately this will cut our chances of tagging out by half, but the advantage is a well prepared meal waiting at the end of each day. Odd man out might be able to fish the lake we camp at as well. Fresh trout always make a good meal. With one guy staying back, we should always have a good supply of firewood and a clean camp as well.

It's a shame we need to worry about such things, but your story (and others on this thread) has made me think it over and the risk in our case could be life threatening.

[Iron Glove]

That’s what happens when you tell everyone to come to your area from large urban areas your going to get some bad apples. Not everyone on social media is your friend.

The area involved wasn't quite a quick trip off the COQ or anything like that, one would have to be familiar with the area so quite possibly a Local.
It's interesting tho' that within a few days of this there were reports in the Princeton area of an old SUV with Alta plates allegedly swiping things from a Municipal Camp Ground.

[walks with deer]

Sorry to hear about your son's loss. I have been lucky over the last 40 years with no issues.

This has me a bit worried as 4 of us won a group LEH in 7-28 for 2 moose this fall. 4 man camp with three weeks supplies. We will need to bring 250 liters of extra gas and a ton of equipment. We were planning to split into two groups as we have e-scouted 14 prime locations and will be on site for up to two weeks. If we were robbed while out all day, it could be a life threatening issue as we would not have enough fuel to get back out.

Looks like we will need to change it up and make it a three man hunt while one stays back at camp each day. Unfortunately this will cut our chances of tagging out by half, but the advantage is a well prepared meal waiting at the end of each day. Odd man out might be able to fish the lake we camp at as well. Fresh trout always make a good meal. With one guy staying back, we should always have a good supply of firewood and a clean camp as well.

It's a shame we need to worry about such things, but your story (and others on this thread) has made me think it over and the risk in our case could be life threatening.

fuel cache way behind camp camo tarp..go hunt

[Leaseman]

I have hunted 8-5 area for a very long time....

For awhile it was a well hunted area with many camps....

Never was a problem, never has been a problem, but like anywhere, get closer to areas where lots of people frequent, you will run across the odd bad apple.


Just like hunting, get off the beaten path as far as camps go. We have had a problem there, but got robbed/attempted to be robbed 3x in 7-11

[338win mag]

Sorry to hear about your son's loss. I have been lucky over the last 40 years with no issues.

This has me a bit worried as 4 of us won a group LEH in 7-28 for 2 moose this fall. 4 man camp with three weeks supplies. We will need to bring 250 liters of extra gas and a ton of equipment. We were planning to split into two groups as we have e-scouted 14 prime locations and will be on site for up to two weeks. If we were robbed while out all day, it could be a life threatening issue as we would not have enough fuel to get back out.

Looks like we will need to change it up and make it a three man hunt while one stays back at camp each day. Unfortunately this will cut our chances of tagging out by half, but the advantage is a well prepared meal waiting at the end of each day. Odd man out might be able to fish the lake we camp at as well. Fresh trout always make a good meal. With one guy staying back, we should always have a good supply of firewood and a clean camp as well.

It's a shame we need to worry about such things, but your story (and others on this thread) has made me think it over and the risk in our case could be life threatening.
Bring an extra person along who doesn't want to hunt but enjoys the camp life.

[sky-gunner]

Not saying this is the case, but alot of young kids, especially around grad season buy shit from Canadian Tire, go get hammered in the woods, and then abandon some of the gear they can't be bothered to bring home. If the tent and such was gone, perhaps they thought it had been abandoned? Just a thought, I try to give people the benifit of the doubt. As a side note, drove through the tulameen area yesterday for the first time, what a beautiful area and road.

[russm]

Sorry to hear about your son's loss. I have been lucky over the last 40 years with no issues.

This has me a bit worried as 4 of us won a group LEH in 7-28 for 2 moose this fall. 4 man camp with three weeks supplies. We will need to bring 250 liters of extra gas and a ton of equipment. We were planning to split into two groups as we have e-scouted 14 prime locations and will be on site for up to two weeks. If we were robbed while out all day, it could be a life threatening issue as we would not have enough fuel to get back out.

Looks like we will need to change it up and make it a three man hunt while one stays back at camp each day. Unfortunately this will cut our chances of tagging out by half, but the advantage is a well prepared meal waiting at the end of each day. Odd man out might be able to fish the lake we camp at as well. Fresh trout always make a good meal. With one guy staying back, we should always have a good supply of firewood and a clean camp as well.

It's a shame we need to worry about such things, but your story (and others on this thread) has made me think it over and the risk in our case could be life threatening.

Dig a hole for gas cans and cover with branches somewhere a little ways from camp

[Ohwildwon]

Dig a hole for gas cans and cover with branches somewhere a little ways from camp

? seams like a lot of work. Whey not hide them in her bush,

there’s always lots of bush around there

[MOOSE MILK]

Friend of mine has several cams out around his property and has pics of ornamentals with fish nets catching young quail also pics of them and some whities looking in his camper, actually had one sleeping in there. Gave the vids and pics to RCMP nothing happened they didn't give a $hit.

So thinking what good is setting up cams around camp other than just getting a look at yer stuff heading down the road.

I hook up 12 gage shot shells filled with cayenne powder to bait gas cans and other camp gear...so far no one has tried to rip off my stuff. I also have the cams set up in the hopes we get a few laughs if some lowlife grabs a Jerry can!

[fozzy]

I set up trail cameras in my moose camp last fall. I had 1 on the road and on it were 7 different vehicles that came down past our camp a mile from the end of the road. Out of those 7 vehicles a second camera showed two stopped and the occupants wandered around our camp not 60 feet off the road. A third camera mounted behind the grill of my truck showed 2 of the five people who wondered around camp peeked inside our wall tent. Out of all this activity nothing went missing.

I was surprised to have people wonder around our camp like that since it’s not something that I’d ever think of doing.

Holy crap, some people have balls and zero ethics.
knock on wood nothing has ever happened to my camps over the years. I do lock up everything though.

[DragonCui]

By law, we can not even use our firearm for self-defense... If you shoot the theft then be prepared for a long year’s lawsuits... unfortunately that is the fact.

[firebird]

I’ve never been robbed or thought someone was poking around my camp but loosing your stuffs not the worst thing that could come of it.

Potentially the thief’s could be leaving you in a life or death situation, especially for older folks. You come out and your trucks fuels been drained. How many times have you heard people get lost or stuck in there truck and die on a logging road. Or you come out of the bush wet and tired and your shelters gone. etc

they could screw you over enough that you could be fighting to live