Wood Thief

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Glad you caught him red handed rather than find your hard work gone missing later. Prof. I don't know what it is about firewood that people think it is alright to take off of someone elses property. Guess they must think it is "trash", like picking a rock off the ground.
 
Please dont booby trap your wood or your property. If some moron decides to steal wood and he gets hurt due to a booby trap its your liability in most states even if he was there with criminal intent. (I am not sure about alaska). In the northeast, there are recreational liability laws that prevent folks from suing the property owner if they are injured on no account of the landowner but if the landowner deliberately leaves a trap in place then they are potentially liable. I realize it goes against the shoot first ask questions/Clint Eastwood approach but in most states it can cost you money in court and possibly a big chunk of cash if they win. The best legal thing to do is write down the ATV registration numbers and report them and get them on video and post on you tube, then find some local place to put links to the video. A few blown up pictures of the thief hanging up on local bulletin boards might also be effective.

Do note that in state with recreational liability laws, posting land negates the waiver so check with a lawyer unless you want to shell out a bundle on liability insurance.

On the other hand the click click of a pump action and a shot fired well away from the thief would feel awful good but an individual in NH got thrown in jail for doing something similiar to a someone trepassing on his property.
 
It dont matter whether I you catch the thief loading up YOUR wood or see/smell it still smoldering in their firepit the next morning ;) the end result will be the same......
 
One the various problems nowdays , can't protect your own with out getting in deeper s.... because you did. Doesn't make any sense to me
 
Yeah, I made him dump it, I pointed out what an a$$ he is and called the cops just to let him know I was serious. Didn't press charges, but just wanted to shake him up and communicate that stealing wood is a crime!

Wow you were kind to that guy. When you made him dump it did he load it on your vehicle?
 
The last time somebody tried that on my property I chased them off with a baseball bat ! Looking back with all that firewood I have no idea why I grabbed a bat. ==c Glad you caught the scum bag who tried to steal your families heat !

Pete
 
Fortunately for both me and someone else, I've never had a problem with folks stealing wood. But then, we live on a dead end road and that helps a lot. I was told by a couple neighbors too that word had spread through the neighborhood that it is not wise to go trespassing on my land. Same goes for dogs that are running loose. That really gets my goat and whoever owns such dog or dogs will know it is not to be taken lightly.
 
I sometimes worry a bit because our good stacks face the road. When I meet someone and they ask where I live, I start with "the antique cape across from XYZ Street" and at least half the time they say "the one with all the wood?" eek.
 
exactly, the fella knew what he was doing. Question now is how much else has he taken from your property? If he was in there taking already cut and split wood he knew enough to go in there to find it in the first place, as if he had been in there before. Seems suspect to me. I like the way you handled it but would still be fairly concerned for repeat unwanted visits when your not around. I hope you got a good look at him and maybe his info for future reference.
 
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I might start branding my wood!!
 
he probably saw it while out scouting for a place for his deer stand and came back to get some "free" wood. Might want to put up a trail camera to make sure he isn't hunting on your property as well.

+1 on the trail cam idea.

cass
 
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One the various problems nowdays , can't protect your own with out getting in deeper s.... because you did. Doesn't make any sense to me

Good that you caught him and got your point across...makes me so damn mad when people do things like that. It makes me even madder that our fine judicial system is out to protect him as well. Its what we get when the government is all lawyers....:mad:
One of the problems of progressive liberalism.......used to be the criminal was treated as he deserved, nowadays he's "had issues in life that has led him to commit this theivery that were uncontrollable by him" so it's not his fault......makes me sick....

Wow you were kind to that guy. When you made him dump it did he load it on your vehicle?
I can guarantee you, he'd be stacking it in the bed of MY truck, and maybe even filling the truck up with more off of the pile. Game camera would be installed at that site from there on after....
 
One of the problems of progressive liberalism.......used to be the criminal was treated as he deserved, nowadays he's "had issues in life that has led him to commit this theivery that were uncontrollable by him" so it's not his fault......makes me sick....

I can guarantee you, he'd be stacking it in the bed of MY truck, and maybe even filling the truck up with more off of the pile. Game camera would be installed at that site from there on after....

Scotty, I'm betting that a posted sign that included a pic of you holding that 051AV and your best menacing stare ought to keep the rif-raff out. ;)

Make sure there's a couple small objects in the photo for size reference.
 
What a shame.

The work you had involved!! The nerve he had to steal it! If he burns wood, then he knows damn well the price you paid in equipment, time, fuel, etc... Some people are worthless. Absolutely worthless.

The Game Cam would have been up that evening. Along with other notable things laid on the traild incoming (ATV trails, I would presume?) things like sand lightly laid across, light branches laid across, and light strings (no splits attached ;)). Just to see if someone is coming in at another point of entry!!

Chit like this pisses me off! :mad: 100 yrs ago, this would have been handled much differently. Good for you for keeping your cool. And also for carrying. :)
 
What a shame.

The work you had involved!! The nerve he had to steal it! If he burns wood, then he knows damn well the price you paid in equipment, time, fuel, etc... Some people are worthless. Absolutely worthless.

The Game Cam would have been up that evening. Along with other notable things laid on the traild incoming (ATV trails, I would presume?) things like sand lightly laid across, light branches laid across, and light strings (no splits attached ;)). Just to see if someone is coming in at another point of entry!!

Chit like this pisses me off! :mad: 100 yrs ago, this would have been handled much differently. Good for you for keeping your cool. And also for carrying. :)
well said, Mad Dog!
 
maybe a couple of upside down shingles with roofing nails in them place under some leaves on the entry and exit paths, or some strategically placed caltrops (they used them to hobble horses back in the F& I and Revolutionary War days)

caltrops.JPG


Or, if you cut and burn a lot of locust (like I do), the next honey locust tree you cut down, save some of these bad boys and use them on the trail!!

ca1.jpg


But, all the above items present liability. Hey, when the bassturd tries to take you to court, tell them you processed a lot of honey locust there.....you'll be free from blame.

Just make sure you have honey locust in the stack! Oh and don't forget to remove all the above items from the trails before you run your own equipment there!!
 
Don't know what your laws are there on trespassing, but here in BC you need to clearly mark your property with "Private Property" signs and "NO Trespassing" signs, otherwise people could justifiably assume it could be crown land where unmarked wood just lying around is up for grabs. I have over cut wood on crown land before and had to leave it in the bush because my truck was full. I have no expectation that it would be there if I go back. In fact on several occasions I didn't bother to go back, I just left it for someone else. My fault for over cutting.
The majority of lands we have here are crown lands and private properties only make up a tiny percentage of the lands, so it's not that much of a stretch to assume unmarked property may very well be crown land, especially considering in many cases private land owners have property with access points through their property they must leave open for the public so they can access to crown lands beyond. Gates and plenty of signs are how those sorts of situations are managed.
 
I hate thiefs . . . regardless of what they're thieving.

Glad you caught the guy red-handed and didn't discover this after the fact . . .
 
I was given the rights to some wood on someone else's property. I cleared an area, and the last tree was a huge maple, we dropped it, and cut up the trunk, and then stacked the rounds. Then the landowner came in with the excavator, and we lost access. No big deal, it was off the ground and could wait. One day I went to check on it, and it was gone. I know damn well who took it, it was the guy that lives next door, he burns, has an ATV, and is a hillbilly poophead. I say it was him because of the lack of access, and the one possible route in is so muddy, you could not pass without it showing. Way to far to the road to haul by hand. In the end, I decided not to push it, just not worth it. I'll be on the lookout next time, though. Trail Cam will be out there......
 
I sometimes worry a bit because our good stacks face the road. When I meet someone and they ask where I live, I start with "the antique cape across from XYZ Street" and at least half the time they say "the one with all the wood?" eek.

Be proud Mary. Be proud.
 
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