In your rig, well your in the field..a question

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
I like to take several guns when I'm hunting but I'm thinking this is not such a good idea anymore these days. I have heard of people coming back to busted glass and a truck that has been emptied. I would be just plain sick to loose one of my guns, or a dog for that matter. Sometimes we change off dogs and leave one or two dogs back in the truck.

What do you guys do?

Have any of you lost gear/guns/dogs from your parked unattended rig?

I NEVER! leave guns or gear in the truck overnight, not even in my own yard. Too many people I have read about on the net have had stuff stolen, specially at a motel.

One of the gun vaults that slide in out in the bottom of the truck bed would be nice. I just don't have that kind of coin. I'm lucky to afford gas these days.

Lets hear your thoughts and experiences.
 
How about will your out in the field. Do you leave any guns, gear or dogs unattended?
 
I have lost one gun out of the driveway. Stupid! I did get it back, almost exactly 2 years to the day. I occasionally leave a gun under the seat in the field. Sometimes a dog in the truck. I have locked myself out of the the truck in the field before so I always leave my keys hidden on the truck. Really Stupid! I should get a hiddakey. What makes me most nervous is when you stop to eat or get gas. A dirty truck with dogs in the back has a sign on it that says Good Stuff Check It Out.
 
Ive been lucky to have never lost anything but Ive always had the dilema of what to do when leaving one of my Goldens in my suburban when its warm out. I HATE leaving the windows cracked so I inevidebly just take them both which goes against why I have 2 dogs. Even in the middle of no where, ya never know. Its real easy for someone up to no good to spot you, in orange, a mile from the truck. Sucks to even have to think that way but... Too many delingquents in the world today.
 
In the remote ares where I hunt,not much problem as long as you watch your rig when it's parked at the tavern. Seems achohol can induce people to do things they wouldn't otherwise. (How's that for enlightenment)?

It's probably a little diferent culture out here on the prairie.Or maybe I'm too trusting.Messing with a guy's vehicle just isn't done. When it's miles between houses,vehicles are a guy's lifeline,not just transportation.You might not know if it's a hunter or a cowboy. The latter have a zero tolerance policy on thieves,could get hurt very badly.And then there's no one to witness your misfortune.Also when hunting rights-of-way,the farmer may need to move your truck to get a large piece of equipment through. I have had to holler "keys are in the gas cap hatch" a couple times.
Most people won't mess with a truck that has a dog in the same area as the gear. Even bird dogs can be possessive of their space. Always park on high ground, if possible. At least you have a good chance of getting a description of the perps and their vehicle. And have the local sheriff and warden's numbers in your phone,in case you need them quickly.

One thing you can always do is leave a note on your truck stating it's under electronic surveillance.And you might setup a trail cam to make it so.

As far as when i lived in Wi., I wouldn't leave my lunch cooler unattended.
 
I only hunt with one gun and been pretty lucky to not have had any incidents. But your story does remind me of something I did not know. Most home owners insurance policies do cover guns, BUT only to a certain combined value. If anyone has multiple guns you might want to consider a rider to cover them.
 
Will leave the 2nd dog and guns in the back of the truck when off the road and on private property. When hunting public, all thats left behind are extra shells and maybe some clothing that gets shed during the day. I'd rather risk my gun breaking in the field versus a stolen gun from the truck.
 
I know there is another post going on about stealing pheasants and beer out of trucks... But here I go, I have thought about this alot, sometimes I leave my vehicle open and I am over 2miles away. I have extra gun may have 1 or 2 of my 3 dogs, shells, e collars, and a bunch of camera equip. I can lock the cab but not the box of the pickup. I guess if they want it they will get it no matter what. My dogs are chipped and I can track my gear bag as long as my phone has battery life. Should be enough to find whoever took it, hopefully. Here is how bad it is getting. We had a employee pass away so we sent a card around so people could write in it and put money in it, left it on the table for the night people to sign and in the morning all the money was gone.... Oh yea not the first time money was stolen out of the office. It never ends!
With all that said I rarely lock my truck.
 
Lazlo said:
.... pass away so we sent a card around so people could write in it and put money in it, left it on the table for the night people to sign and in the morning all the money was gone....
With all that said I rarely lock my truck.
Click to expand...

:eek: That is LOW..
 
Maybe I'm too trusting, but I usually hunt in the middle of nowhere, and usually just leave my keys in the ignition or in the cup holder. Fortunately, I've never had a problem.

Went hunting with a friend one time who said to me are you going to leave your keys in the truck. Well, for whatever reason, I took them out and put them in my pocket, and guess what. No keys when we got back to the truck. I was 3 hours from home. Had to get a ride to a Chevy dealer 50 miles away to get a new key made.

Needless to say, I'll stick to my old way. I think I put the keys between my chaps and pants, rather than in my pocket. The best part of the whole deal was, as I was sitting there making phone calls on my cell, the truck's horn beeped and the doors locked. Something stepped on my keys that were in the 4 feet tall switch grass. I was so pissed at the time, we actually looked at each other and started laughing. Nothing else to do at that point. Just another funny hunting story, or as my old man calls them, "character building experiences."
 
My last trip out, I had 4 guns (2 shotguns, a varmint rifle and a TC Encore Muzzleloader). A full bag of fishing electronics, ($4K) my laptop computer, a handheld and a vehicle GPS, a SLR digital camera, and a digital recorder, and a whole bin of dog Ecollars, vests, firstaid etc and 2 kennels in the back, with insulated jackets on them... I think I wouldve been more happy of they stole the truck, and left the gear.:)

I dont think twice about locking my truck and enjoying the hunt.... but, I havent been burned ...... yet.

It is rare that I have all that gear along, but this trip was a multispecies trip.
 
think about it- why not carry a spare key in your hunting license pouch-

If I'm leaving one or two Britt's in the vehicle dog box- I don't plan to be out of sight- gun- nope- seen the results a time or two of busted windows
 
Truck key in wallet, all the time. And, yes, I have locked myself out, long ago.

I have insurance, and, lock guns in truck. Never been bothered. Don't worry about it.
 
Had a guy try to break in the house and steal some stuff. He tried coming through the garage to gain access to the house and the minute he shut the door the gsp I had at the time pinned him against the door and would not let him till I got home.When I got home I seen the damage done to the lock and did not know he was against the door on the inside when I tried to open it. The dog let him move enough for me to open the door and he paid me for the damages.
 
This is what I do. I have a truck key on a wire in my pop up pickup topper.
Extra guns are on the top bunk along with important stuff, topper folded down tight. Lock the truck doors. My topper is locked, 1 dog inside, [usually]
Cooper is a 95 pound Lab and has three confirmed kills on adult Coyotes. [I'm not kidding] Someone want's to break in my topper:eek: SO:confused: where do I send the remains.:cheers:

Actually you folks worry way to much. I've been doing these trips a long time. Like since 1960 I've spent some 4 years of my life on hunting trip adventures.:)Had a nice Cabelas outfit stolen while drying at the pickup. and my Brother and I had a bunch of uncleanead pheasants stolen way back when in SW Iowa. Shyt happens ain't gonna worry about it.:cheers:
 
mnmthunting said:
This is what I do. I have a truck key on a wire in my pop up pickup topper.
Extra guns are on the top bunk along with important stuff, topper folded down tight. Lock the truck doors. My topper is locked, 1 dog inside, [usually]
Cooper is a 95 pound Lab and has three confirmed kills on adult Coyotes. [I'm not kidding] Someone want's to break in my topper:eek: SO:confused: where do I send the remains.:cheers:

Actually you folks worry way to much. I've been doing these trips a long time. Like since 1960 I've spent some 4 years of my life on hunting trip adventures.:)Had a nice Cabelas outfit stolen while drying at the pickup. and my Brother and I had a bunch of uncleanead pheasants stolen way back when in SW Iowa. Shyt happens ain't gonna worry about it.:cheers:
Click to expand...

I love your style but a missing $3,000 gun that took me near 50 years to be able to afford or one of my family members(my dog(s)) just spooks me these days. Grant it, I never have had anything taken but I had $175 to 1,000 guns back then. It's sad we have to even be thinking this way. I hate to say this but I have caught more so called friends taking my things then anybody else. Once I was at a friends home and we were BBQing. For many years I have bought what is called a cruisers double bitted axe at auctions. They are very small and you can't find one no where in a store today. There I sat as he went to his shed to get a ax to chop some BBQ wood. My eye's about fell out of my head when he brought my missing cruisers axe and started chopping wood right in front of me well I drank a cocktail. I never said anything but it wasn't unlikely, that after he would leave my house. Inevitably sooner or later I would find something missing. Sorry for the high jacking of my own thread, but those we know can sometimes be the perpetrator.
 
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I am concerned about my valuables left in the rig while I am afield. I don't worry about it at the motel because my rig is right outside my room door. Love those old fashioned motels. While in Elko fishing one spring, my float tube was stolen off my roof rack while I was in The Star having dinner.
 
you know i have been ripped off a time or two. What i have learned is that i carry my expensive gun with me and i leave my cheap back up in the unlocked truck. What i have learned after replacing a couple of windows is that they will get in if they want to. As far as hotels, the dogs, guns and other valuables go inside with me. I refuse to stress to much over this stuff. My job stresses me enough without worrying the whole time I am gone. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I just try to protect myself as much as possible.
 
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