Protecting your investment?

[bigstew]

How does everyone else protect your trail camera's?

I had one stolen last year.

Any ideas?

Thanks and happy new year

[Drillbit]

Giant ACME leg-hold below it? Wiley Coyote style.

Only way to do it right!

[BiG Boar]

Get a second trail camera to put up watching the other one. That way one camera takes photos of the other one being stolen.

[hunter1947]

There is no way of protecting you cams I had two stolen on Vancouver island two years ago I had them where shale pickers passed through I am sher they where the ones that took them the only thing that I can give advice on is to put the cams in a remote area.
I moved to Cranbrook almost two years ago I have 8 trail cams that where out the last two year and never lost one I think because the reason is I put them 8 trail cams in areas no one else will go this helps big time believe me H-47..

[cdnshooter13]

Trip wire to 12 gauge. Don't forget to pre-dig a hole;)

[Ourea]

You are well advised to get yourself a lock box and a Boa cable, even go as far as to lag bolt the lock box to the tree as well. I would never consider hanging a camera that isn't well secured ..... like many others I learned the hard way.

It's ironic how everyone preaches trail cam etiquette yet cams are stolen regularly.:evil::evil::evil:

Lock 'em or lose 'em!

[russm]

I work in a sheet metal shop so its easy to get some steel and bend it to make a cam protector and then paint some sort of cammo design to help it blend.

[Ambush]

I built this box for my Scout Guard. It's mostly for bear proofing, but it will keep most folks honest. Keeps the snow and frost off the lenses to.

The box is lag bolted to the tree, under the cam and the cable goes through the box and cam groove. I'm going to add another cover to protect the SD card.
There is a hollow behind the box which contains a grenade. The pin is tied to the box and the grenade to the tree.
Should be a blast stealing my camera.:mrgreen:

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Cam_box_2.JPG

[rocksteady]

I built a lock box for mine and the box lag bolts to the tree beofre the camera gets in....8" lag bolts are pretty tough to get out of the tree unless you got the right socket wiht you.....Made it out of some scrap steel I had in the shop...Will try to take a picture and post it for you...

[bigneily]

I just got a cam for christmas also, Looking forward too seeing how you all are " keeping the honest person honest" don't want mine to walk away also..Neil

[hunter1947]

I made thistrail cam lock box a couple years ago ..
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Picture_109.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

[sobirch]

If a guy had some spare change this might work. Who knows maybe the next generation of trail cams may actually be real trees not realtree camo pattern

http://www.my-spycam.com/SS-SPR-DU-Outdoor-Speaker-Rock-PE.html

[SambOz]

Trail cam theft is a big problem in Aus. also. We were talking about it a while back and a (ozdeer) forum member mentioned the following model, I've no idea the quality of the pics but thought they were worth mentioning. It would be pretty much impossible to find the other part of the cam. within a 50ft radius in our bush. It was a cam. called a Spypoint tiny w.. I found them on ebat btw.

You might have part A missing, but part B might have a pic of the thief on it, and that would be very nice !!!

Hoping the mention of the name of the cam. is not viewed in any way other than for info.

"The thing that makes this camera totally unique is the wireless transmitter. Mount the transmitter up to 50 feet away from your camera and keep your pictures safe and don't contaminate your hunting area. Each picture is remotely recorded to the SD card in and kept safe in the Black Box receiver. The adjustable distance sensor and automatic infrared level adjustment will ensure that you get the perfect shot on your trophy animal. The compact size makes this camera very easy to hide making this camera an excellent choice for any type of surveillance. "

[gbear]

You are well advised to get yourself a lock box and a Boa cable, even go as far as to lag bolt the lock box to the tree as well.

Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that this doesn't always work either. A couple years ago, I had a lock box that was lagbolted to a tree, put the camera in it, put a python lock through the lock box and throught the camera, and then put a pad lock also on the lock box. Came back to check my trail camera one weekend, and the whole works was gone, even the lag bolts.

I agree that this type of set up should eliminate the opportunistic thief, but for someone who doesn't care, as in my case, they must have come back with the right tools to take everything. Really sucks.

I have thought about having a second camera in place to watch the first one

[snowhunter]

Installing GPS tracking system should work, as well as being a good selling point. Smaller units would make detection of the trailcams harder as well.

Then there is the whole question of legallity of acting like "I am like a Big Brother watching you", while hunting in the great outdoors ? If they cannot be stolen, due to locks and protective shields, the trailcams can still be vandalized by hunters who do not like to be watched. How many of these gizmos have been used for "target practice" ?

Do these digital gizmos produce better hunting skills and increase the hunter success, or are the just another toy for gullible individuals, with deep pockets, who respons to fancy advertizing, that tells them that the key to hunting successes is to own fourtrax, camo, short magnums, "scentlock" clothing, expensive scopes and binoculars, etc etc ?

No matter how well hidden, most skilled hunters can detect trailcams while hunting. You leave an expensive camera in the bush, with no name or address, or claim to ownership, on public land, and then expect that everybody respects your property, and no one touches or remove it ? Thats very naive.

[betteroffishing]

have to say i do agree snow hunter , it would suck to have it happen to me , but in that i dont own nor use one it is maybe easier for me to see the big picture. leave only footprints is the responsible outdoorsmans code and if you leave a camera bungeed to a tree , well thats more than footprints no matter which way you slice it. im not meaning to beat up on those who do use them , im just shocked that its surprising to anyone that their 200.00- 300.00 dollar bills go missing when left out in the bush tied to a tree for months on end is all.

[woodsman]

I built this box for my Scout Guard. It's mostly for bear proofing, but it will keep most folks honest. Keeps the snow and frost off the lenses to.

The box is lag bolted to the tree, under the cam and the cable goes through the box and cam groove. I'm going to add another cover to protect the SD card.
There is a hollow behind the box which contains a grenade. The pin is tied to the box and the grenade to the tree.
Should be a blast stealing my camera.:mrgreen:

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Cam_box_2.JPG

Aren't you the handy man! Very nice setup, I really like it. Thanks for the tip and pic. BTW, I bet you also fabricated the shrapnel to fit in that grenade. LOL.