Example of lowlife behavior

[Nitroman]

Yes, easy picking is what they were, the only problem is I was supposed to be the one who had the easy part, since I was the sucker that did all the hard work! You are right though, with firewood prices up there and still climbing . I don't like wasting stuff I cut, so I always take good size branches. The only require a little bit of cutting, once stacked up , and no splitting, so it works for me. Usually anything 3 " or bigger goes home with me. Of course, they left the 3 " ones, and got all the 4 , 5 and 6" ones. Funny thing, not sure what I would do if/when I catch the aholes in the lot, though I am considering carrying some kind of weapon with me when I head there, cause I am usually solo. Not a capital punishment offense mind you, but sure deserving of some "negativity". As for visible proximity to the public , no way. 100 yds off road, down no traveled logging road into private woodlot. I told cops who park on lot frontage for a speedtrap, and they told me they had not seen anyone in there for 5 years ! And from the proverbial live and learn dept., never again. I cut it, it goes home same day or the branches stay on, and it lays where it fell.

By posting the above in a public forum, ergo, it is now forever in the public domain, you have set yourself up if something ever did go bad.

Best defense: cell phone, post the property, set-up infrared deer cams up in the trees so when they ingress/egress you can get a license plate. If you do run up to this. Sit on the road and call 911. Stay in your vehicle, if they threaten you for not moving, do as they say while on the horn to the police repeating what the thieves are telling you. If they do come after you and you have to use self-defense, be sure to have that phone on to 911.

 

[foxeye]

I can't help you stop the theft, but I can tell you how to find out who did it, and possibly punish them at the same time. Next time just drill a large, 2 inch aproximatly, hole in the end of a log. Make it as deep as possible, a foot or more if possible. Get a piece of large diameter section of copper tube about a foot long, depends on how deep the hole is. Solder caps on both ends and drill 1\4 inch hole in one end and fill with black powder. Tamp powder as solidly as possible and insert cannon fuse and glue into hole. Place pipe into hole in log and make a plug for hole, cut off plug and place log in middle of pile. If some one steals wood you will soon read about it. If wood is not stolen make SURE!!! you can identify the log. JR

well with my luck I would be out of town, and my wife would feel the need to go grab some firewood and that would be the piece she grabed......Now weather that would be a good thing or bad thing is all depanedant on your relationship with the wife, but its certainly not something I would not want tobe part of with such a comodity as wood is......Perhaps if it was my stash of gold or platinum I may take that chance, but firewood.......I doubt it! I think what wold be a better solution is to drill thata hole etc but put in some sulphur and tamp it in really hard. Plug it up and do the same to a few more logs. The smell and smoke alone would probbaly stop whoever it is from sucking eggs and stealing wood from that area again. No one owuld get hurt or killed but it sure would make one heck of a mess and smell...

 

[jra1100]

Sorry

I admit it I have a dark sense of humor, but I figured that everyone would know I was just kidding. Besides everyone knows that black powedr is more expensive these days than firewood. JR

 

[tfsiii]

Well the loser(s) who stole it absolutely knew they were stealing it. Coincidentally, there have been stories in the local paper this winter of people cutting wood on conservation land, and the police were investigating that. Nobody has chainsawed in that woods for over 15 years, except me and my friend. I have no problem writing my strong dissatisfaction on the public record, and in fact, the reference to bringing some type of weapon to the woodlot with me is more for my protection from the trespassing , thieving lowlifes than retribution. Heck, they are probably such loozahs they have already tried to burn the wood, boiling water instead of heating! I would certainly call the police if I did encounter them, and the cops I told about it said they would pass the word to their fellow officers. I drive by there regularly now, and check things out. Funny suggestions about how to booby trap the wood. I actually thought of setting up a nice pile, not too big mind you, and peeing on the ends every chance I get. Then let them take that home !!! Kinda foolish I know, but it just burns me every time I think about it.Thanks for letting me vent. I really like this forum. By the way, I cut with a new 359 having blown up a jred, and my friend uses his trusty 20+ yr old 034 AV . That saw is unreal! You can't kill it!

 

[berryman70]

I feel bad for you, but as someone else said, surprised that this is the first time it happened to you. I have over the years usually cut on my own property and can keep an eye on things, but I've too had wood stolen when I did some cutting on a woodlot that was close to the road (a back road at that) a few miles from my house. Lazy-thieving-worthless-no-good people suck!
Deercam is a very good idea.
Live & Learn

 

[pioneerguy600]

As the price of all fuels rise there will be more of this thievery happening ,it sounds like your roads were not gated. The road I cut on is gated with a double steel swing gate that is locked at all times unlocked only to let trucks in or out In the last year the locks have been smashed or cut off eight times and the more protection put on the gates to thwart lock breakage the more better means the thieves come up with to get in. Acetelene gear and cutoff wheels on mini grinders make short work on padlocks.We lose truck loads of cut and split hardwood left to dry for the season,we pile this stuff in long piles stacked 5-6' high and let the breeze and sun dry it all season then deliver it in the fall. Lost 5-6 cord last year but a friend lost his wood splitter one night and his one ton Ford diesel dump truck a few weeks later,also lost many of cords of wood also. Guess my loss was small compared to his.No one has ever been caught for these thefts and I hope I don`t catch them in the act as I don`t want to do something I would not be sorry for after the dust settled.
Pioneerguy600

 

[treeclimber jul]

Wow

As the price of all fuels rise there will be more of this thievery happening ,it sounds like your roads were not gated. The road I cut on is gated with a double steel swing gate that is locked at all times unlocked only to let trucks in or out In the last year the locks have been smashed or cut off eight times and the more protection put on the gates to thwart lock breakage the more better means the thieves come up with to get in. Acetelene gear and cutoff wheels on mini grinders make short work on padlocks.We lose truck loads of cut and split hardwood left to dry for the season,we pile this stuff in long piles stacked 5-6' high and let the breeze and sun dry it all season then deliver it in the fall. Lost 5-6 cord last year but a friend lost his wood splitter one night and his one ton Ford diesel dump truck a few weeks later,also lost many of cords of wood also. Guess my loss was small compared to his.No one has ever been caught for these thefts and I hope I don`t catch them in the act as I don`t want to do something I would not be sorry for after the dust settled.
Pioneerguy600

Sounds like you need a hidden camera for sure:angry2: :angry2: :angry2:

 

[2000ssm6]

Sounds like you need a hidden camera for sure:angry2: :angry2: :angry2:

Yep, a game camera with out a flash. Try to position it where you can get a plate #.

You could always throw out roofing tacks but remember the right path!:jawdrop: :jawdrop:

 

[Fish]

Reminds me of the time, about 25 years ago, my friend Mel came by to
pick me up to go to Keeneland, it was early April, first Fri. I think.

Here in Lex., ky Keeneland is a religeous experience, but anyway.
He showed up on the front porch, with Vodka and OJ in hand, I let him in,
he sat and watched out "cable" tv, in front of our roaring fireplace.

It was roaring, because our heat had been cut off from lack of payment,
we were in college, and all.

I got out of the shower, Mel, and my two roommates were sitting about,
watching MTV.

I took a piece of notebook paper, and poured a fi####ll of black powder
into it, and wrapped it up. I was chatty, as I casually walked over to the fireplace and threw it in.

After the fireball, Mel was standing behind the couch yelling, and he did not
spill his drink.

But that was Mel, he was dedicated.......

Oddly enough, he is still alive.

 

[2000ssm6]

As the price of all fuels rise there will be more of this thievery happening ,it sounds like your roads were not gated. The road I cut on is gated with a double steel swing gate that is locked at all times unlocked only to let trucks in or out In the last year the locks have been smashed or cut off eight times and the more protection put on the gates to thwart lock breakage the more better means the thieves come up with to get in. Acetelene gear and cutoff wheels on mini grinders make short work on padlocks.We lose truck loads of cut and split hardwood left to dry for the season,we pile this stuff in long piles stacked 5-6' high and let the breeze and sun dry it all season then deliver it in the fall. Lost 5-6 cord last year but a friend lost his wood splitter one night and his one ton Ford diesel dump truck a few weeks later,also lost many of cords of wood also. Guess my loss was small compared to his.No one has ever been caught for these thefts and I hope I don`t catch them in the act as I don`t want to do something I would not be sorry for after the dust settled.
Pioneerguy600

I would take a few weekends and scout the place out, to much stuff stolen there.

 

[Fish]

I cannot even sa y F ist full?

 

[2000ssm6]

Lol

I cannot even sa y F ist full?

Dirty mouth? Clean it up with Orbitz! :computer2:

 

[Mad Professor]

Years ago I was cutting cordwood on weekends at our property to put myself through college. We had a new neighbor who asked about wood and we had several standing dead ash on/near our property lines. I told him I'd drop a couple on his side of the line and he could buck them up /have them. I came back from school the next weekend with a few orders for wood that that I had cut/split/stacked/dry only to discover new neighbor had took his truck down my wood road and cleaned me out ( I tracked him to his house). The wood road acquired a new gate and his bordering property line got throughly posted with bright orange and yellow signs. I got a call about the signs (which I maintain till this day) and I just said "someone stole all my cordwood I was counting on to pay my rent at school this month, you see anybody on our property with a truck I want to shoot them? the police are looking for him/them.............he never came clean about the theft and is no longer welcome on our property.

 

[Toyjunkie]

You need to get some old harrows and place them near the end of the road where you would have had your wood stacked, far enough away that someone wouldn't hit them unless they were backing up to get the wood. Now place them upside down with the spikes and let the grass grow over them. Now the next time someone want to get some "free" wood from you it will cost them a set of new tires and maybe a tow. Just remember where they are or you could be a victim of your own trap. Now this won't kill or hurt anyone and if they are trespassing on private property they are going to get what's coming to them. If someone did get nailed by this and tried to come after the property owner for the cost of the flat tires you can just say that these were just old farm equipment that was abandoned there years ago.

 

[pioneerguy600]

All the theft has occoured in the middle of the night, usually during rainstorms or foggy-misty conditions and months apart for the wood theft but only weeks apart for the splitter and truck theft but the same conditions for them as well. Don`t think daylight cameras would work,flashes would give them away after dark and infrared don`t give good clear images. Pioneerguy600

 

[aandabooks]

At the end of last season, I cut a large oak up and left it in two large piles as I couldn't get the truck and trailer in to get it out. Farmer planted corn and the piles sat there all summer. Barely noticeable from the road with no corn, completely hidden with corn in. The day after the farmer cut the outer perimeter of the field I get a call that I might want to get that wood out because he had chased a couple of guys off the previous evening. Needless to say, I loaded up and went to get the wood while the farmer was still combining the field.

 

[Just Mow]

yup, hate to break it to ya, but wood sitting close to the road is considered free wood by most.....especially if it is unattended.

I'm not saying I agree, just saying that wood left unattended by the road around here would be gone about three minutes after you left the property

Hey, I gave you rep and the screen got brighter.

 

[kevlar]

Lessons learned the hard way.... only cut what you can haul.

Amen brother!!!

 

[Mr.]

Throughout winter, have been cutting in friend's woodlot , when able to get in road. Snow conditions this season limited # of days, but still got in there several weekend days. Knocked down and cut up good sized red oak and rock maple trees. Lugged out to road and trucked rounds home for splitting. When i am doing trees, I stack all the good sized branches for cutting and trucking home in spring. By Mid March, had several good sized , neatly stacked piles, of ready to cut branches. Since the trees that I cut had large crowns, there was probably 1-1.5 cord of small roundies!
Last week, I headed over there, and what the ....! most of the piles were gone. Only a few of the smallest sticks left. Some lowlife, scum sucking dirtbags stole almost every stick. It would be one thing stealing wood that was laying around, but again, I lugged these sticks to the road through the snow, and stacked them up for cutting. They were not visible from busy road that property abuts, so it is not like I had the piles on display. Heck, they didn't't even take advantage of the rack setup i built, and saw them up, they just ripped piles apart and trucked them off whole. Loozahs......... from now on, if I knock down a tree, I take every piece I want, and leave nothing. Been doing this for several years, never had a problem like this. Made my day...NOT

Must have been democrats....

Fred

 

[Cliff R]

Yep, same thing happened to me many years ago, so over the years I NEVER leave anything cut to length unless I can haul it....till last summer, broke my own rules.

I was working on a waterfront lot WAY down over a really steep hill. It was wet and slick, so I went ahead and cut up two really large oak trees, and left them. This was late in the week, and the weather turned bad over the weekend, so I didn't go back till middle of the next week, when the ground dried up some.

Sure enough, someone took the oak, I couldn't beleive it, not visible from the road at all, and due to the steep grade and mud I never figured anyone would even try. I was only pissed off at myself, for cutting more than I could haul away and not going right back after it the next day.

Let's face it folks, firewood cut and left on the ground, even on private property and back off the road some, is open season for many. Even if they aren't typically a "low lifes", most will lower themselves when it comes to stealing firewood. If they get caught at it, rest assured they will just say that they figured it was FREE since someone just left it there.....FWIW......Cliff