I second those recommendations. In the I.T. security/administration field (my job), a similar concept/tactic is known as a "honeypot".
Not to send the thread in a different direction...Years ago, before I moved to my farm I came out one day and found my rope that I kept across my road was down, not a big deal since a couple of friends were allowed to go out there. The frontage has a pasture fence the entire length of the town road and three rows of white cedar trees and several posted signs. I drive to my barn which can't be seen from the town road and there is a Cadillac there with the trunk open and a number of seedlings in cardboard boxes in there, then I see a really old guy coming out of my woods with a shovel and another box of seedlings. I was in disbelief and said nothing. He was making a bee line for his car and looking at me in an angry nasty way. I was about 15 feet away from him and the car, he got to his car and just said hello to me and started to put the shovel in the trunk. I asked who the heck he was and his reply was that he got what he wanted and was leaving. I got in my truck and backed up to the gate and blocked it, walked over to my neighbors and called the police. The guy was screaming mad when he saw that I blocked his way out. The cop got there and calmed him down then talked to me, when he heard my side of the story he asked what I wanted and I said he can either re plant the trees or pay me $10 a piece...the cop thought that was fair...he talked to the old guy and he went off like a rocket at the cop...eventually the cop quieted him down and he walked over to me and handed me a 100 bill and asked me to move my truck...and I did...It was one of the oddest things that ever happened to me...never found out who that guy was or ever saw him again.
Shack...that is indeed strange! We have had this happen on occasion, but instead of shoveling up trees, they are planting plants in the ground. Sweating like mad, earth in the forest all tilled up, fertilizer and manure spread all around! Of course this was years back, now everyone grows it so they don't need to plant that stuff in the middle of nowhere. It just boggles my mind though that they don't think people keep an eye on the place. It might be in the middle of nowhere, but it is still our back yard.
My neighbor up the street had a yard hydrant at the back of his yard...about 500 ft from the house...he used to use it years ago when they had fires and cook outs years ago. So the guy had not used it in 8 or so years and he had let things get overgrown...a couple of years back he started reclaiming that part of his property and he noticed that the handle on the yard hydrant was up and that there was an old hose attached to it and covered with all sorts of weeds...he tried to pull the hose up but couldn't do it...so he started following it and eventually found a union to some 3/4 inch black well pipe...he started following that...had to be about 500 ft and he walked into the edge or a plot of pot...lol...he called the sheriff and the neighbor's 20 year old kid got busted....life in the country...ain't it grand...
That other forum has really gone south.Seemingly there was suddenly an influx of posters that just come across as outright Richard-heads or nincompoops.
Dennis, I don't think the "they" was the general membership. It was the owners of the forum who's ego was challenged by your knowledge. They just couldn't deal with the conflicting knowledge so they dissed you.
Funny story! I was in the grocery store the other day and a guy was ahead of me in line in and was buying (2) bunches of roses. He was about 30, logger looking kind of guy, and not the buying=flowers-type-of-guy, so I pipe up and say, "Buying flowers is cheaper than divorce, isn't it?" To which he said, "This is the cheapest place to buy them." I said, "Oh no, no, no...that is at the local cemetery, but there is too much snow out there now." The cashier started laughing, so I said, "Oh that is nothing, you can get engagement rings there too, but it takes a lot of shoveling to get it." She just shook her head, along with the others around me, but as cheap as I am, I honestly did get all my engagement rings from a jewelry store. We did have a guy in town that had no problem shoveling, then pawning the loot. He would find these old backwoods cemeteries because no one would notice the disturbed ground, and the jewelry would be really old antiques. No thank you...I'll just sell a few cords of firewood for some extra cash!!
I agree with Stuckinthemuck's post. The police are likely not going to do anything without evidence, but you should file a non-emergent police report in case it's happening to other neighbors or it happens again. I also would put up the game camera and not change the lock yet. In fact I'd try to make it look like you haven't been there so the thief will feel like you aren't around much and more likely do it again. Regarding trail cameras, there are some inexpensive ones but I've noticed there are are some that will send photos to your phone or email as soon as the photo is taken, or you can schedule it to take photos at certain times. This could potentially allow you to catch them in the act or call the police while it's happening. Unfortunately these cameras cost about $200-300 and require a monthly subscription for about $10 per month. I hope you catch them, all thieves should be shot
I'm the same way brother. But those that deserve this treatment from me, won't get any help from church either.
Depends on what your goal is. If it is to catch the thieves, then by all means, the camera etc. is the best way to go. But if your goal is to just stop the thieves, then change the lock and put a few signs up that you have cameras monitoring the site. You don't really have to put up the camera, just the signs unless they get really brave and brake in anyways.
I can understand being upset at someone for taking something that I worked hard to produce, but then you get over it. If you spend 20 years being upset at someone for taking a few sticks of wood; then honestly you've been made a fool of for 20 years, not just once.
I had some young punks come onto my land uninvited. I came home and saw their car down in the woods, and I heard them target shooting. The last thing I was gonna do was go down there and confront them--either armed or unarmed. So I laid some 1" roofing nails along the only drive out. Checking the nails after they left it looked like their tires picked up at least one. They never came back.
Intent is to catch red-handed. Word will quickly spread that charges have been pressed. Posted sign about 60 feet away from pile. Can't miss it. So yeah, there's that. The main suspect neighbor has an affinity for firearms, as do I. Hostile confrontation bad idea. Oh no, I won't be 'upset' at someone for twenty years. It will be as if they do not exist. My only memory of them will be that of someone who would steal from me. Mistakes are to be forgiven, this was no mistake. Some folks don't mind being slighted or taken advantage of...I'm just not one of them. I would not expect forgiveness if I were to act in such a manner, therefore, no quarter is given.
On a road that I frequent about once per week, I noticed the gas company had tree guys go through and cut trees on their ROW, at one intersection there was a nice pile of firewood in these peoples yard, all cut to length and stacked...but very close to the road. I seen it 2 weeks in a row and thought to myself, I should put a note in their mailbox, "call me if you want rid of the wood, I'll come get it" but I didn't do it. It was so close to the road I thought someone is gonna take it if they don't move it back soon...well, I went by today and the wood is gone, in its place a sign..."please return our wood"
Update on this story. Pulled the camera last Saturday. As far as I can tell, no further wood has disappeared and the camera confirms. Guess I'll have to wait till this winter...and I'll be ready this time. Had 89 videos on the cam, about 80 of them are of one squirrel who must fancy himself a Hollywood star? He seems to purposely loiter in front of the cam at least once a day. Been experimenting with better concealment.
