Isn't it pathetic? I figure it like this though...if there's nothing of mine in the woods to be stolen...then people can't steal my stuff. Therefore, unless I'm hunting private land, I use a climbing tree stand. It was expensive and it takes a little more time to set up, but it has been well worth the investment all around when I get to my hunting area and always have a stand to sit in.

As far as trail cams go...I'm not buying one until they can make an affordable camera with a good anti-theft device...like LoJack for trail cams! Until then, my best advice is to NEVER put a trail cam out on public land.

I'd rig up a method to lock it up. Perhaps the old hidden game camera pointed at the stand that they couldn't see would work as well. That might help the authorities catch the thieves. Its always risky to confront strangers in the deep woods... especially when firearms are nearby.

I hunt public land and have only loss one stand, since then all my stands are locked. Now I provide ready to hunt stands to whomever comes along. Opening day of gun season there were 3 hunters in my first three of four choices, now I'm locking the platforms to the seats of my lock ons. I do not visibly mark the trails to my stands, I do sometimes use reflective pins to aid in low light maneuvers. I have other hunters flag my trails to my stands, goofy people.

I know what ya'll mean my brother who had to save up to buy a two man ladder stand so he could start his son deer hunting and be with him, set his up about two weeks ago on his land and showed up opening day and it was gone! He can't afford to go buy another one. I felt so sorry for him he was upset.
I understand because I've had two taken in the past also. I just think some piece of crap stealing it when he works every day. it just burns me up.

People like that should be made to pay double what they stole, plus jail. It makes me sick to see things like that. A guy I know had a trail cam chained to a tree, and theifs took some bolt cutters and stole it. You ought to set something else out there, then hide where they cant see you. Put a couple loads of rock salt from a 12 ga. I doubt theyll be back.

I had a stand stolen from private property. There was one other guy hunting the property and I asked him if he seen anything he said no. I seen the other guy hunting the land a month later with someone else who had no permission. I stopped to ask him about it and noticed my stand in the back of his car. He said a game warden told him to remove it. I said BS this is private property. I want my stand now. He wanted me to come back after he was done hunting. I demanded it then. The land owner escorted him of the property. Oh did I mention He was in one of my other stands during the conversation.

Should have called the game warden and had Him removed!