So i get to the lease on friday to walk in to the cabin and see the back door wide open and the place in complete Shambles. Everything is tossed around and on the floor. So i immediately know what has happened i have been hit. So i start assessing the situation and it is apparent what they were looking for as they flipped all the mattresses and raised the opening on the attic craw space and took everything out of the closet. The also tossed the pantry entirely so ok they were looking for guns. However we do not leave weapons there just in case this were to happen. This is southern live oak county so i think illegals. However all my canned goods are untouched bottles of waters left. Liquer on the fridge ignored so i start thinking as i am looking and wow they didnt take anything must of been kids. So i start cleaning up no point in calling the SO according to landowner since nothing broke and nothing taken. I get the whole place cleaned up and get ready to go pull sd cards. I start looking for my boots and i can not find them. I call the wife to ensure i had not brought them home the weekend before and she says no i left them under the nightstand. Ok so i am looking and looking and cant find them oh well they made off with my boots not a huge deal. Then it hits me da*n i left my grandfathers buck woodsman from the 60's in its sheath that he gave me 6 months before he passed away in 2010 in the boot. They got that to. Thats the one that hurt the most. So i look harder and they also took 2 spotlights and heres the weird part i had an old metal box with dividers that i had a boat load of nuts and bolts and washers in and its not where i store it. Dam* they took that what the hell do they want with that. Then i am looking and i cant find my 2 sded plano see through tackle box full of self tapping screws of a wide variety of sizes. So what i am getting at is who the hell stealls nuts and bolts and self tapping screws and boots. The knife i can understand. But the left everything else including a pair of 700$ night vision binoculars. What do you think poachers or kids or what.

Doesn't make much sense. I'm still leaning towards illegals. If they took boots, did they take coats or other cold wear gear?

Tweakers?

Are you close to a highway or if your secluded might look into to people who have known about the place or have been there because it sounds like they knew what they were looking for

If it were illegals more clothes and water and stuff like that would have been taken

Didnt leave any cold weather clothes down there just bring them back and forth however there were all kinds of blankets and quilts and stuff that were just trown aroun but not taken. Highway is only about half a mile away and the county road runs about 100 yards in front of the camp house.

Deffiantly not illegals then and sounds more like someone who has done it more then once just by the places that were tossed, I would definitely call on this one just to see if its happening any where else around you

Yes, NEVER leave guns in your cabin or trailer at the deer lease. I also hit garage sales to find tools and other items that I might wish to keep there. That way if the get stolen, the loss is less.

Not illegals
Have the time it's locals or the ranch hands

Trying to make heads or tails out of what was taken is trying to make heads or tails out of my shopping list for Walmart. I buy what I need or want and don't buy a lot of other stuff even though I have the money for it.

Not illegals, or they would have gotten food and clothing.

Not tweakers, or they would have gotten everything worth trading and selling.

Seems like poachers would have taken the NV binos.

So they took boots (with a knife secreted inside), spotlights, and a box of nuts and bolts?

Notice they didn't take anything readily traceable, hugely expensive, but everything they took was useful.

I am betting it is a local.

Nuts and bolts gives them weight at the scrap yard???

yeah i figured it was locals as well but it was pretty ridiculous. Landowners comment to me was if they come back and you are there dont worry we have a bulldozer and an excavator so do what you got to do. Really like LO like like.

I was hit three years ago at a lease in San Saba. All the trailers down a county road was hit the same Tuesday night. They were caught, it was two local teenagers who had dropped out of school. I don't know what happened to them as all they did was mess up my place like yours obviously looking for guns, so I did not stay in contact with the sheriff. We never leave anything such as guns or expensive coats, etc at the trailer. It's a pain carrying everything back and forth all the time, but that's what one has to do in this day and age.

I agree Mr. T with this being the first year on the lease we had determined bring everything of importance back and forth just to make sure

Sounds like some local teens since they seemed to be more into grabbing and go, and get out fast, and afraid someone might drive up on them.
I can see taking the nuts and bolts since it's probably a pain for them to have to drive into town getting them to work on their atv's and other projects.
The scope might have been left because they forgot it in their hurry to get in and get out.

and from the time line the landowner was there on thursday until 630 or so doing some gate work and cattle stuff and when he left everything was ok then we got there about 5 on friday so they had a tight window to get in without being caught but they probably knew that also.

Do yall have ranch hands? Some of those guys will help themselves to anything they want if they need to fix something. Maybe some hippies trying to live off the land out there. Kinda weird they left some of those other things.

no ranch hands the land owner does all the work out there himself and he is a very stand up guy.

Very odd, maybe someone that moonlights as a contractor of sorts? I'd think about a TC on the cabin s well

i am taking 2 down this weekend to put up in hiding to get some pics if it happens again

They probably never opened the tackle box, they just figured it was fishing gear and it was good to go.

Good thought DC

I bet they will return, it was tooo easy 1st time around. That is the main reason I'd file a report with the SO.

yeah i have thought about that as well. Western i have considered still filing a report anyways just to have SO aware. if they come back they will be dissapointed because we brought back with us this last weekend even more stuff so they wont have anything to take.

I'd report it, as far as you know, they caught them the day after at another burglary and saw your "stuff", or have "suspects" and are working a case and any information has potential to be a case maker. Also lets them know what and where things are going on in their jurisdiction.

good point. would love to get my grandfathers knife back doubtful but would be nice.