After a flurry of reports of thefts from hunting camps between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1, Carbon County Sheriff’s deputies have tracked down and busted a ring of suspects described as “all juveniles.”
The theft ring is suspected of stealing from hunters’ camps on the Medicine Bow National Forest over “several years,” Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken announced Friday.
The suspects “were issued criminal summons and released to their parents. Numerous stolen items were eventually recovered, including a firearm, a generator, and a chainsaw,” Bakken said in a statement, which did not specify the number of suspects or their ages.
Bakken could not be reached for further comment before publication time.
Northeast Wyoming residents Owen Miller and Julie Mccallister of Rock River both hunt on the Medicine Bow National Forest. They told Cowboy State Daily they use trail cameras to monitor their camps and hunting sites.
Mccallister said a couple of years ago, “I took care of my theft myself.”
“I showed up at their house” and got the stolen property back, she said.
Stealing Spree
The sheriff’s office received reports of “numerous hunting camp thefts stretching from the McCarty Canyon area all the way to Joe's Park near Jack Creek,” Bakken stated.
The case was cracked when deputies spotted a vehicle that was seen near burglarized camps.
They pulled over the vehicle over near the junction of county roads 401 and 500.
“After initiating a traffic stop and interviewing the suspects, deputies were able to determine that these individuals had been involved in the thefts,” according to Bakken.
“We believe the juveniles in this case have been committing similar burglaries for a period of several years,” he added.
Anyone who is missing items they suspect were stolen from hunting camps in that area is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office.
Surprised It Doesn’t Happen More
Miller frequently travels to the Snowy Range/Medicine Bow National Forest to hunt elk and black bears.
He said that so far, he’s been lucky and hasn’t gotten ripped off.
“I park my camper down there all the time. I do lock my generator inside, though, and hang a cell camera so I can keep an eye on things,” he said.
“I’ve gotten (photos of) moose, mountain lions, deer, bears, and cattle on it so far,” he said. “I did have a guy walk up to it and then walk away last year. Maybe he saw the camera.”
Many hunters are careless with their possessions, he said.
“I’m surprised it (theft) doesn’t happen too often. Guys leave for the day, and everything is lying around their camps,” Miller said.
'Alex Is A Good Man’
Mccallister said that in years past, she and others have been frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of response to theft from law enforcement.
So, she was pleased to hear about the alleged juvenile hunting camp raiders getting busted.
“I’m happy to hear the sheriff is doing something about it this time. Alex is a good man,” she said.
Mccallister said she’s offered other hunters advice for setting up cameras to help catch thieves in the act.
“Ever since the first theft, I started using lock boxes for cameras and placing ‘trap’ cameras up in trees, etc., where humans don’t look and can’t get to,” she said.
She’s an avid bear hunter and noted that it would be foolish for someone to try stealing from a bear bait site.
“They are running a high chance of being attacked (by bears) at an active bear bait site. So, I have fewer issues than most. Also, my baits are not simple to find,” she said.
Other Hunters Stolen From
There have been notable instances of theft from hunters elsewhere in Wyoming this year.
In September, somebody snuck up and stole a suitcase from the back of a pickup parked at the Lincoln Memorial on Interstate 80 as two hunters were dozing in the cab.
Nic Buxman reported that somebody stole his hunting blind while he was on a pronghorn hunt in Natrona County.
And in Lincoln County, somebody stole Dakota Smith’s trophy mule deer head and cape after he hunted hard to bag the deer.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
