Here Come the Thieves Again

[Wood Doctor]

Got nailed this past weekend. Must have been really late at night. I had just split some beautiful ash that I had cut Friday, split, and crib stacked. Hardly even visible from the road, they still managed to get into the back yard and haul off half a pickup truckload.

Please be on the lookout and tell me, do signs like "Private Property" or "No Trespassing" work or do they just attract more thieves? I cannot use a dog because I'm not the property owner. I share it with another friend and now he's worried about his collection also. Nearest sheriff is miles away. What is your recommendation?

 

[jrider]

Game cameras. One on the wood pile far enough away to get any license plates and another high up and out of site on the other camera

 

[LoveStihlQuality]

Stealing wood, saws, tools, rustling cattle....all hanging offenses. Or like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction "It'd be worth him doing it for me to catch him doing it!"

LoveStihlQuality

 

[amberg]

Thieves see "No Trespassing" signs and say ( These people must have something worth stealing, lets check it out)

 

[turnkey4099]

Just one suggestion. If you have a yard light on all night, turn it off. All it does is give the thieves light to work by. Neighbor lost a new pickup loaded with electrician tools due to that. They were far enough off the highway that the perps wouildn't even have known a house was there were it not for that useless light. Truck was parked close to the bedroom window, they didn't hear a thing.

 

[Sagetown]

Game cameras. One on the wood pile far enough away to get any license plates and another high up and out of site on the other camera

Game cameras work, and the law backs them up. One man had a game cam located near an old barn at a dead end trail. Some guy is caught on camera dumping a bunch of tires there. License plate gave a clear tag number. The law found the culprit, fined him, and made him retrieve the tires, and dispose of them properly.

 

[Shagbark]

I had an issue with people dumping on my property. 4" spikes every 6" in a piece of native lumber solved the issue. Had to straighten nails every weekend and re-set it for several weeks.

 

[Sagetown]

I had an issue with people dumping on my property. 4" spikes every 6" in a piece of native lumber solved the issue. Had to straighten nails every weekend and re-set it for several weeks.

Farmers in the bottoms drove short pieces of steel T-Posts into the ground along their road frontage alfalfa fields.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Good comments from all. Please keep them coming. Cameras mean getting the law involved. I'd like to avoid that. However, a close friend said, "First they steal the split firewood. Next they haul away your log splitter."

He may have a point.

 

[brenndatomu]

Good comments from all. Please keep them coming. Cameras mean getting the law involved. I'd like to avoid that. However, a close friend said, "First they steal the split firewood. Next they haul away your log splitter."

He may have a point.

Yup, they gon just keep gettin braver.
I like the game cam idea, even if you don't turn it into the law...maybe you know 'em...see who it is and put 'em on notice...go ahead, try it again buddy...
I also like the random board or branch with nails in it...just make sure you don't forget to pick it up before you or others that actually belong there go in/out!

 

[Dogsout]

I have off site split wood storage and put up a game camera right away. In the first year I got great pictures of 2 people helping their selves to my wood. Odd thing is I knew the first guy as he lives about 3 blocks from me, but the other one I never could identify him. Since then nothing in the last couple of years. I may be wrong but I believe that thieves talk amongst their tribe and as word gets out that your not an easy mark, and you don't appreciate scum bags stealing your wood they tend to leave you alone. Also I spent $40 on a cheap solar motion detection light that lights the building up real good for about 1 minute. Cheap insurance in my opinion.

 

[Hinerman]

How about a motion detector that sets off an alarm in the house while you are there? Not going to work if you are not there, unless it calls the Sheriff.

 

[Sagetown]

Or a motion detector connected to a player and a pair of out door loud speakers playing 'Machine Gun Bursts'.

 

[IyaMan]

Game camera plus a sign announcing "This area watched by hidden cameras".

 

[unclemoustache]

You can't have a dog but what about geese? I understand geese make great watchdogs and set up a racket when someone invades their territory.

 

[Sagetown]

Game camera plus a sign announcing "This area watched by hidden cameras".

Ummm; that may not be a good idea.

"Hidden cameras? Oh; I see one over there. Shoot it."

However; a sign stating that might work. They'd never know if there was a camera or not.

 

[wampum]

Game cameras do not always work.A little over a year ago an arson set fire to a house in a very rural area that my buddy rents.He lives in town and only once in a while actually stayed there. The game camera got the guy lighting the fire.But the fire did not take the guy came back 2 hours later and reset it.And the camera got him again.So far they have not caught the guy.The house burnt to the ground.

However about 6 months before the same game camera caught 2 guys stealing his UTV.They got them guys and he got his UTV back.In my opinion which with a $1 you can buy a coffee at McDonald's.If possible put up a camera that works off of wifi. Then have the camera notify your phone if it detects anything.

 

[wampum]

We had a robbery on the coldest day of the year in Feb.2015,it was 8 below. They stole 3 cars that night drove them and got 2 of them stuck that they abandoned.They did not get any of my vehicles but the went through my truck.

The state police told me a good deterrent is your cell phone.It will not catch everyone but it may scare a would be thief into leaving you alone.He told us if any strange vehicle came on our property to take a pic of the license plate and make sure you snap one of the vehicle.

I have done this several times now and it really shakes some folks up.They ask what I am doing,I tell them the truth.If I get robbed these pics go to the cops.Usually they leave pretty quick and so far we have never seen any of them again.

 

[wampum]

You can't have a dog but what about geese? I understand geese make great watchdogs and set up a racket when someone invades their territory.

Even better is guineas I hate guineas because they are so loud when an intruder comes on the place.Man or beast.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Or a motion detector connected to a player and a pair of out door loud speakers playing 'Machine Gun Bursts'.

right on!, Sage

rat-tat-tat-a-tat-tat-tat!!! and also maybe the chopper's background music in Apocalypse Now ! ~