Owning vast acres of whitetail nirvana or shelling out multiple Benjamins for a lease isn’t in the cards for me. That’s fine. I like public land hunting. The problem: Bang-on-door permission is getting harder to come by, and more hunters are flocking to open-to-anyone dirt. And while most hunters are great people, there is always the occasional jack wagon in the group. Last fall, for the first time, I had a pair of trail cameras plucked off public ground. Here are three tips to thwart sticky-fingered camera thieves.

1. It’s tempting to hang a camera over a scrape on the edge of food plot or open meadow, but remember you aren’t on the neighbor’s private 40 anymore. Get off the beaten path and seek out distant creek crossings, trail intersections and the like. Not only will this method keep your cameras safe, but you’re also likely to happen-chance upon a real hotspot.
2. There are throngs of camera attachment devices on the market that allow you to hang your cameras high and angle them downward. Invest in a few of these. Elevating a camera and angling it down keeps it above eye-level, and reduces the chances of the IR flash spooking game. Remember, on some public land it’s illegal to damage trees, so purchase camera attachment devices that use a strap. One model that works well is the HME Trail Camera Holder Strap-On. I always carry a single climbing stick with me to make hanging cameras easy. With a single Lone Wolf Climbing Stick I can position a trail cam high enough to avoid detection from possible thieves.
3. Use a python-style cable and lock up your cameras. Most thieves are lazy, and though they could return with a pair of bolt cutters, chances are they won’t. A lock in combination with a high-hanging camera will dampen a thief’s ambition.

And while this final suggestion isn’t a tip on preventing theft, I’ll pass it along anyway: Go cheap! There are a number of game cameras on the market that function fine. Don’t break the bank; look for cameras in the $90 to $120 price range.