Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Yesterday there were some interesting exchanges about surveillance cameras so this query is particularly addressed to the knowledgeable folks here actively installing and using surveillance devices. My situation is that I live in a very isolated woodland area and am plagued by poachers, trespassers, atv riders and thieves. They are MUCH smarter than I am. I of course want to deter these human vermin by methods less lethal than calrops or stretching wires between trees to decapitate them. Ha ha. Siccing lawyers on them would work! So to me, that looks like photo data to identify them but what cameras to use? How best to hide my devices so they won't find and steal or shoot them? I went to Best Buy three times but ooops, no knowledgeable sales people. Internet searches don't reveal as much as some of you guys, right? Thanks!!!!!

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

Try Cabella or Bass Pro Shops, they both carry several models, many have anti-theft canisters available and good camouflage too.
Oh, and intelligent info from Best Buy just won't happen, no matter what the product you are looking for.

twindad Loc: SW Michigan, frolicking in the snow.

I had a guy approach me on this same issue just about a month ago. He's got 600 acres that he farms and hunts, and his treestands keep getting stolen. He wanted to know what he could do. I mentioned tree cams and he said he'd already had three of them stolen. There's no electric power available out there, so no way to set up real video cams.
Honestly, unless you're willing to sit in a treestand and catch the SOB yourself, there's not much you can do.
Some people might suggest setting a trap or something, but if you in any way injure a person from anything you set up, you'll be liable criminally.
There was a guy a few years ago in the western suburbs of Chicago who owned a tavern that burglars kept breaking in to through one particular window. He ran bare wires around the window frame and ran 220 volts through it.
The next guy who broke in was killed. Guess who was indicted for murder.
Oh yeah, one other thing - one of my neighbors put up a large sign on a corner of his property that read, "Keep Out, Assholes". So, you might try that.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Yes, as MT says Cabellas or Bass Pro would have something like this (game camera) for people that want to see if animals have passed by. They are motion sensitive and can be set to record for a brief period of time i.e. 10 seconds or so.

Put it high enough that the intruders would need a ladder to steel them and so that they are less noticeable.

I wouldn't go so far as to make a blanket statement that intelligent info from Best Buy just won't happen. That ain't right. I've run into some very smart people and some not so smart people working there.

madshad Loc: upstate new york

depending on what you are willing to spend bass pro cabelas or gander mountain all have quite a selection of cameras. they have a model that you can check from your computer at home.

Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Thanks for your replies. We only have a Gander Mountain and a Dick's sporting goods here. Of course I can look online at the catalogs of the other outdoor equipment but not touch feel. I bought a game camera from each. Pretty nifty! IR! Also a set of supposedly outdoor monitor cameras from Best Buy. The game cameras are pretty big and difficult to conceal. The bullet cameras don't look very waterproof. As a former Minox user I thought there would be less cumbersome equipment available. Is there a game warden who posts here who has had success in dealing with outdoor gangs?

wweary

Go online for Day 6 game cameras (Plot Watcher), which are inexpensive and effective. You can choose photos to be taken every five or 10 seconds, for various times of day (and night, now). Images go on a flash drive, so you plug into your computer and watch them. A day's worth of shots takes no more than a minute or two to review. And you can email the photos.

Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Thank you. One problem I have is that if these guys have hidden cameras set on my property, they can monitor me going to my cameras, then steal my camera(s). I can take the memory cards out of the game cameras I bought, then view the images in my Canon sx50. I just don't want the vermin viewing me visiting my cameras! With the amazing cell phone technology and hidden nanny cams these days, it seems logical there is some teensy wireless weatherproof spy camera availability.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Well, I guess Claymores are out of the question, huh?
Whatever camera you get good camoflague is your best friend. It's not that hard to do. Mount it on a stake in a bush with a few leaves cut away. In a hole in a dead tree trunk, etc. Just taking someones picture as they ride through the woods isn't likely to make your best case. "I got lost. Sorry." "Prove you took that picture on your land". So on and so forth. Set out something you think might be tempting to a thief. Take some shots of it before hand to prove ownership. In your garage, by your house, your name on it someplace. Put it in a likely spot and set up your camera nearby. Then you have a photo you can take to the Sheriff. Why spend money on a lawyer if you don't have to?

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Wow.
I can't imagine jerks enjoying my property as if it were their own......
You must have a lot of land.
Are there many access points?
Pat

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

May be.
But if you own the property then spike strips are totally legal! ;-)

StormSeeker

Do you know how/where/when they are accessing your property. If they are driving in you would be better off setting a camera high enough to hinder being spotted (to show an empty truck bed going in and your tree stand coming out) and one in the same area low enough to get a tag#.

Wild Game Innovations, Cuddeback, Moultrie, Bushnell, and Bass Pro to name a few. I have always used Wild Game with great success and less cost, but you can do some surfing and read reviews. Some cams have a tendency to leak and internal moisture is a killer. Some eat batteries like candy while others operate more efficiently, and with most of them you can use an external, rechargable battery (optional).
Make sure you spend the extra $ to get the infrared so you don't have a visible flash advertising the cameras location, and you may want to tape over the activation indicator lights that many have. You can also choose from many that offer short video or time lapse options.
Heck, with today's technology you can even (at considerable cost) get them with the capability of live view on your computer.

Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Yum! Setting up a photo trap for theft! Great idea to get proof! I never thought of that but now feeling full of fiendish glee! Thanks so much! Also thanks for the concealment ideas.

Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Welll, 70 acres with a road running sort of through the middle plus a side road to the lake my neighbor made. These drivable in a car or truck. But atv's can go about anywhere a person can go on foot, can access at almost any point. They are amazing machines! If you do a search on atv's on Google, you can see how much you would NOT want those destructive driver thugs on your land!

Athanar Wellington Loc: Barboursville, VA

Stormseeker, thanks so much! I love the idea of setting two cameras to get the truck bed from above and license from below. And I looked at the cameras and packaging but never thought about reading reviews!

And MT - uh oh! I live in Virginia, not Montana! Laws are different in the wussy east from your wild west! Perish forbid I intentionally set a non- selective harmful device on my own land to protect my own property. If one of the rampages got hurt, I would be held liable.