Need advice-Someone is stealing our fish

How about just sitting quietly up at the pond in a non too visible place and just checking out what is going on. It may be a young couple, or some kids just needing space from parents, or it may be folk fishing, and not realizing the pond is private.

I'd watch first. Quietly.

Couple of things wrong with that scenario. First, there's the liability of someone on your land. If they get hurt there could be a lawsuit involved, happens fairly often. Second, if they're smoking around your place, could start a fire. Best find out who it is and tell them to move on or at least ask permission, that's the proper thing to do. My father would let just about anyone hunt on our place IF THEY ASKED. If they didn't ask and he caught them, their butts were kicked off the place and told not to come back. It's called common courtesy...

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Keep in mind, the biggest thieves usually are the ones with the keys. Maybe an "employee" is sellin' em.

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Put up a sign saying "Experimental Hydro Waste Disposal with a Biohazard symbol"

No more fishing lol

Not a video, but cheaper than a camera, and reports instantly....the Dakota Alert MURS system. 209 bucks for the first transmitter ( you can have up to 4 per base unit ), and the base unit. Range is several miles.

Dakota Alert, Wireless Alarms and Security

How do you know it is a "low life scum bag?" The man who was caught fishing in the pond near us was, yes, fishing where he should not have been however he is not a "low life scum bag". He is a very nice adult man, about 52 with a wife and kids and a job. He was here checking on his 83 year old Mom and since he had permission to fish back there before, he just went on a walk with a fishing pole.

If you do know it is "low life scum bags" then maybe it would be best to call the Game Warden or Police? Otherwise, maybe it is just a nice neighbor who did not think they were hurting anything.

I don't want any "scum bags" back here either but I sure would not want to accuse someone of something they did not do.

Good luck - since it is a challenging problem.

If the only evidence you found is the cigarette butts, then all you really know is that someone who smokes and doesn't clean up after themselves was there. If they had been fishing, you would probably have found more evidence to indicate that. All you have at this point is trespassing and if the border to your land isn't marked, they might not even know it.

Sounds like you will either have to sink some money into electronic surveillance, or some time into doing your own surveillance to see who it is and what they are up to.

Where was your dog(s) while this was going on??

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If you haven't, already, I would put up a sign "No Fishing" sign. If you haven't, already, I would put up no trespassing signs (or paint every 8th fence post purple). The shotgun sounds nice, but you would be the one in trouble with the law...

Are you originally from MO? As some of the other posters have mentioned, it could be kids, or neighbors that were allowed by the former occupants. Yes, they should get permission, if in fact they realize that someone else owns the place. If signs show up, it gives others a chance to realize that fishing (or trespassing) is now prohibited. You may spend some years with your neighbors... it works a lot better if they are your friends. If they are simply ignorant or misguided, jumping in their stuff is not going to recommend you to the community. If they are miscreants, then you want to handle it through the law (if you can) so that any retaliation would be evident. No use to give them a chance to go shooting at your barn some night, or killing animals or other things without it being established with the law that they were already a problem.

If the signs don't stop it, then maybe the camera's are a reasonable 2nd step to pursue if further for proof for law enforcement.

That's because they typically smoke Camels.

In all seriousness though, a new 'No Tresspassing' sign posted right by where you found those butts will give a decent person a chance to realize their mistake and stop coming to your pond. They might just not realize that it's private, or that it's not okay.

If you can't afford a camera right now, or don't want to have to invest in one, you could just try a 'This Property Under Surveillance' sign. It will drive them nuts trying to find the hidden camera!

Put up a rifle target full on holes on the bank near where they are fishing. On the path leading up to their spot post a "DANGER, SHOOTING AREA AHEAD" sign. Maybe that will help them figure things out.

a trail camera wold be your cheapest option

Do you stock your lake yourself? Around here if the State pays to stock your lake you've got to let anybody who has the desire to fish on your property.

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I work for the Sherrif's Office and I can assure you that in rural Missouri bringing in a baggie of cigarrette butts as evidence of trespassing will give us all a chuckle but not much satisfaction to you. You have to basically catch them in the act and if there wasnt any damage or malicious intent that could be proven they would get a warning. If you caught them fishing in a marked no trespassing property they would likely get a citation.

Game cams are good, make sure your property is fenced and mark it no-trespassing with either signage or purple paint as noted by another poster.

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That's what I want to know. I've never done any formal training with mine, but they patrol the perimeter, check out anything going on back in the woods, and have run off more than a few poachers.

I don't think so.....if it's my property and there's fish in my lake, well, they would not be fishing there without my permission - no matter who put the fish in the lake! And Ky game and wildlife do stock our pond....but it's nestled down in the woods where no one could find it. We built it that way on purpose.....

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then you don't let the state stock it...

Use to be the same thing here, the state would stock at your request but you had to allow access. Don't know if that's still in effect or if those that agreed are still bound to it?

As far as a camera for the original poster here ya go,

The Moultrie Game Spy Game Management System Enables Remote Game Camera Access

We use the Moultrie cameras with good success taking wild life photos. But - when trying to catch humans, be sure to hide the camera where they won't see it and remember that at night, the light comes on. We had humans tamper with our cameras several times. Once they took the memory chip out of it! Hide the cameras.

Perhaps...just perhaps, you're over reacting a little to this find of two cigarette butts?

Not if you get one with a motion sensor.

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We've stocked our pond several times, and had all of our fish go missing each time. The thieves aren't two legged. When the water got low in the pond at the end of summer, we could see bear prints in the mud where they waded in and ate to their heart's content. And when the trout were fingerlings, we had egrets that would come every day and snatch fish up and eat them whole. If we chased them away, they would fly to the other side of the pond and keep eating.

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I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.

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