It's hard to stop a camera thief, but you don't have to make it easy.
We would agree with critics who say deer hunters are becoming too reliant on trail cameras. Scouting is more than knowing that a buck cruises through a particular area. On the other hand, you're really missing out if you aren't using trail cameras as part of your hunting and scouting plan.
Those who hunt public ground or heavily pressured areas might like to use cameras but have decided against doing so after losing cameras to theft or vandalism. It only takes one thief to ruin a lot of hunting ground.
It's difficult to stop a determined thief, but anything you can do better hide your cameras or make them more difficult to steal lessens the chance of theft. That's one reason no-glow cameras are good choices for public land.
Strongboxes and bicycle-type cable locks help, but they still leave the camera vulnerable to bolt-cutters or vandalism by angry thugs. Still, they're better than not having them.
Another theft deterrent method taught to us by friend of Buckmasters Alex Gyllstrom is to elevate your cameras.
Alex carries two climbing sticks with him when he's scouting and placing cameras. When he finds a good location for a camera, he climbs up and places the camera well out of reach.
When using this method, you'll want a camera that allows remote downloading of your photos, whether by cell signal, Bluetooth or wi-fi – unless you don't mind climbing to each camera to get pictures or change batteries.
You'll also need to angle your camera downward to the trail you want to watch, which somewhat decreases its field of view. But that's a small price to pay for getting trail cameras back into your public-land scouting arsenal.
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