My small ranch got burglarized. I don't live there fulltime so it's more of a target. I loss a chainsaw, weed eater and some other stuff. Luckily none of the ATVs were stolen. How do you guys prevent this? Do you have any good ideas? I'm going to add a camera to the gate but there has to be some smart, low cost ideas to catch these sorry bastards next time!!!

Please help!!!

Cellphone cameras and they will probably be back for the UTVs at a latter date, when they have a trailer

Cell phone trail camera. Walmart has a SpyPoint Line W for $197 in stock down here in South Texas. IIRC it was Verizon 4G in the stores down here. Put up some "Video Surveillance" signs and maybe a fake Video Cam mount up high around the camphouse also.
I had someone beat the lock of my gate on my place in Live Oak county and pull into my place on Friday morning last week. Several spots of spilled diesel and trash where they parked at. I think they were stealing diesel from a company oilfield truck and transferring it. I found a half empty coke can near a pasture gate going into the water lot, so they either checked the cattle out around the trough or cleaned up at the trough. Did not steal anything as far as I can tell but still bothers me they beat the lock off the gate and then left the gates open. Glad they did not open the pasture gate and let the cattle into the area where they were at and then out onto the highway.

beartraps. tuff to explain to the ER doctor when they go in.

Motion activated siren. Not hard to rig. Let you nearest neighbor know so they know what to do when they hear it.

Flash bangs and Willie Pete. Yeah, you'll have to rebuild the house, but MAN, YOU GOT THEM GOOD!

Dam I hate a thief.

No real answer on how to catch them - just wanted to say sorry this happened to you. It stinks!

Several years ago, on a place in central Oklahoma, burglars came in the week after deer season ended, but before we had moved campers and gear. They cleaned us out! Two campers, the shop, and ranch house were all hit on one night. To add insult to injury, they disarmed the alarm system and stole the security cam base - this was before cloud storage. None of our stuff was ever recovered.

I have Arlo security cameras out both at our ranch and in town... I am liking them really well. They automatically trip on motion and take a video clip and upload it to their server. They send you a text and/or email notification when it goes off, and a link in the message to view the clip. Plus you can just log in to the camera and view it live at any time.

Camera set up is several hundred dollars, but storage and the messaging service is free, which I like. And you can have several cameras on the same setup. You do have to have wi-fi to go this route, though.

I also have had good luck with SimpliSafe alarm systems. It is a wireless alarm set up, where you get a base station and whatever sensors you want, and then install it yourself. It is really easy to install (I have done three of them now). Monitoring for is $15 per month I think. If the alarm goes off, they will call you, and then call the cops if they cant get ahold of you. For me, the alarm systems have cost about $500 by the time I got the base station and then a whole bunch of entry sensors. You can put smoke detectors and leak detectors (water sensors) on the same system as well.

I had a break in at the ranch a few years ago, and the siren from the simplisafe scared them off. The cops showed up after they were gone, but at least they left without taking anything valuable.

Tougher to explain at your trial.

the only thing I hate worse than a liar is a thief, either one should be staked to ant hill

Never close the gate. That just lets burglars and thieves know there's no one there. Find a nearby friendly person who can stop by a couple of times a week, make stuff look different and bark off some rounds. Park a vehicle there like there's someone there. It's local dirtbags who break into things. If it looks lived in they won't want to get shot stealing things. Tell anyone around there you meet that you're living there full time now. Word gets around.

Motion lights, cameras and get a storage container and lock everything up. That or build a deadfall pit.

Thank you very much

I have hunted on ranches where everything of value was placed in a container. I was amazed at the things you can place in a 40ft space. The lock was fixed where you couldn't hit it with a hammer or cut it with bolt cutters.

A thief will lie and liar will steal.

I figure if someone is going to break in, they are probably local and likely to case it first. On that though I took an old Street Jeep to leave at camp. I move it every now and then to look like someone is there. I did have one break in a year ago. I bought at old trashed camper for cheap from a list member and moved it to my lease initially for storage. I had not cleaned it out yet, It was still in trashed condition, and had nothing in it to take when someone kicked and pried a large outside compartment door open and crawled through under a bench pushing up the wood base and cushions to get in. I had set a broken TV above that bench. It looked like the TV may have fell on them during the act. I was disappointed they did not take the TV.

https://ring.com

I got one of these ring doorbells. It has a camera in it and it turns on with motion, and stream on the internet 24/7 all you gotta do is check it from your phone. You can talk to whoever is at your place with it as well. Heck of a deterrent when you can say hey [censored] I am on my way to the ranch you better take cover

Agree with everyone about cameras. Video evidence is a noose in court.

Get you a few goats to mow around La Hacienda. Add a Great Pyrenees or two to look after their "herd". Problem solved

Great pyrannese are excellent guard dogs! But dogs require you to be there every day.

Insurance....Insurance....Insurance.

It stinks that you have to deal with this and lots of good ideas on alarms/camera/prevention.

Insurance and leave nothing of sentimental value. It also helps that we have a grass lease, and the rancher goes by almost daily and lives a 1/2 mile down the road.

Two badass Pit Bulls....

So sorry for your loss.

Speaking of sentimental, I loss some of my grandfathers old hand tools. They probably aren't worth much, however, they were pretty special to me. I hope the bastards break into the wrong house next time.... When the right person is ready and waiting

"Never close the gate. That just lets burglars and thieves know there's no one there"

That is kind of like, don't lock the doors on the house is it not?.