Is one's Wyoming campsite safe from thieves?

[Western Traveler1]

I'm heading to the Bighorns on the 11th for an archery elk solo hunt (Unit 45, which opens on the 15). I found several pullouts (option A, B, C) to set camp. The unit must have a zillion of them outside the wilderness area. I'm used to setting up camp and not worrying about it for the duration of my hunt, but with so many various tags issued I expect it to get crowded (there were camps set up all over when I did my scouting a couple weeks ago, most just summer camping).
I have seldom ever locked or put things away in the past but was recently warned to lock my generator on a trip to the Coast (though I am not taking it with me) Just curious if things have changed that much? Has anyone had problems in the past? I'm coming from a place we don't lock anything...

 

[shootbrownelk]

I lock up anything I don't want stolen. These days you never know. An acquaintance had a yeti cooler stolen in the Dubois area. He had it in the bed of his pick-up, it's a lifted truck, so the thief/thieves had to walk up and look in the bed to see it. He thought it'd be OK. Had he put it in the cab, they may have broken the windows to get in. This maybe the new normal these days with expensive gear.

 

[BuzzH]

Don't leave your beer in the cooler at trailheads when hunting spring bears. The cooler will be there, but the beer may not be.

Other than that, never had a problem.

BTW, the only problems I ever had were in Montana. One at Bean lake near you, someone stole my entire cooler. Had a landowner south of Chinook, walk into my camp and start snooping around...he's lucky he didnt get his ass shot or kicked. He didnt know I was there and was no question up to no good.

 

[teej89]

I lock up anything I don't want stolen. These days you never know. An acquaintance had a yeti cooler stolen in the Dubois area. He had it in the bed of his pick-up, it's a lifted truck, so the thief/thieves had to walk up and look in the bed to see it. He thought it'd be OK. Had he put it in the cab, they may have broken the windows to get in. This maybe the new normal these days with expensive gear.

I just don't understand how someone can walk away with their selves after stealing someone else's equipment, it's just mind boggling. I bet they get pissed as all hell when it happens to them too.

The amount of cameras and treestands I've walked up on before, granted I'll give the camera owner some funny pics, and the tree stands I'll climb in to see their perspective, never did it ever cross my mind of oh lets steal this even tho i could and could get away with it.

 

[JLDemo]

Only thing I had stolen in Wyo is all my fire wood I split and stacked next to my camper and they emptied my portable fuel tank. My fault for not buying a lockable fuel cap. I leave my camper at my camping spot for several weeks at a time and always lock up stuff inside. Never had my camper broken into and for the most part, I've had a great time talking with and visiting my camper neighbors. But I wouldn't leave anything out of high value unchained or locked.

 

[VikingsGuy]

I just don't understand how someone can walk away with their selves after stealing someone else's equipment, it's just mind boggling.

I am even more amazed that folks risk stealing from the heavily armed. We even had one moment in ND where somebody came into the hunting cabin at night while a group of us were sleeping and stole several shotguns that were just propped up in a corner by the front door. If they had woken some, I would guess somebody would have gotten shot in the heat of the moment.

 

[esracerx]

One year I was in the process of moving camps. I left my atv trailer locked at my new camp site, and hunted that evening. We have a shower tent with portable water heater hooked up on the trailer with a water tank. Trailer was locked. Water heater wasn't. Get back and want a nice warm shower....because I'm a precious flower and can't. I'm fairly certain I know who took it, but can't prove it. He is an outfitter and we talked the day after. He actually came to us and said he was there, but his reasoning didn't make sense...then he continued to bash my outfitter and said he's gonna run him into the ground. We had run into this guy the previous year so he knew who my outfitter was and we had the same camp. Everything valuable is bolted down or locked now. This year we're setting a trail cam up in camp just for this reason.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

Not saying where I camp, however, I have never had anything taken. NOTE: I did lock my $$$ cooler to the tree and did not leave any thing valuable around. Camped there probably 6-7 times without incident.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[dcopas78]

I lock up everything I can and set up trail cameras

 

[6mm Remington]

Keep everything locked up as best as you can and keep expensive items out of sight too as that really helps. I lock my generator to the camper. So far that's worked but they can always just cut the chain. They would sure hate to have me come back and catch them taking things. It would not work out well for them! We need to do this for our neighbors in the woods too and keep an eye out for someone poking around that shouldn't be. Best of luck to everyone this fall.

 

[cgarner]

When I as about fifteen my family lived in South Carolina. I wanted to go dove hunting so my dad took me to a secluded public area down a long dirt road. When we got back we noticed someone stole the trailer ball that was attached to the bumper of his truck, not just laying in the bed. My dad didn't get mad, he said if someone needed a trailer ball that bad then they are welcome to it.

I have little faith in people that think know one is watching them. I lock up everything except my sleeping bag and tent.

 

[JWP58]

Wouldn't chance it, lock up what you don't want stolen. And odds are if they really want it, they'll take it anyway.