Locked or Unlocked?

[Bjjams]

When you guys leave your permanents out on a lake do you leave it locked or unlocked? If you lock it and someone wants in they'll end up breaking in anyways, damage the house and steal your stuff. On the other hand if you leave it unlocked this provides an easy way to get ripped off and I think there are more "opportunity criminals" that normally wouldn't go into your house if it wasn't unlocked, but at least no broken windows, broken fish house. It’s because of this dilemma that I’ve never left my permanent out unattended.

[Farley]

If you leave it open then anyone can use it for a toilet. A buddy of mine went out to his fish house one day and found a guy fishing in it! He played along with him for a while, asking him if he was catching anything, what he was using, etc.. before he told him to GET THE F*** OUT!.

We lock ours most of the time. I guess maybee the best way to do it is lock it but take all your stuff out and leave the windows uncovered so anyone that wants to break in can see there's nothing worth while in there.

[art]

I had mine locked and they just kicked the door in off it;'s hinges and tore the hasp out. They took what little stuff I had in there. My policy now is if you don't mind it beind stolen then leave it. I leave mine unlocked all the time but leave nothing in it. So far no one has taken a dump in it. If I found someone in it I guess I'd just tell them it's mine and they can choose to stay or leave. They might be a new fishing partner although you gotta question what kind of guy would go into and fish out of someone elses house. If I needed the room with family or something, then they would have to leave.

[Hammer Handle]

I always lock the house...but never leave anything in it either. Yes, I have had my house broken into...but there is nothing to take.

I also have had people break in to fish. One guy broke in mine...then had to break into another to get a decoy and a pole to fish in mine. the next day...the decoy and pole were still there but I found the owner.

I had a 4-wheeler circling my house over and over last year. Quite annoying. When I left, I sat on shore for awhile cleaning fish. This guy drives up...and breaks in my house to fish. I walked up...and jumped on his 4-wheeler and started it and was going to drive away...but he came out before I got it going. I said if he can use my house, I get to use his 4-wheeler.

He actually was quite embarrassed and he paid me for a new door and left.

[broman]

Hammer Handle, That's and awesome story !!!

[delmuts]

good work hammer!

[huntingmaxima]

Hammer, ithink i would have used his wheeler just to haul his sorry ash to shore when i got done with him. then i think i would have parked it on top of him and called 911

[smartguy]

Several years ago I had a fish house that hold that board insulation as walls. (This was just north of Brainerd.) If someone wanted to break in, all he had to do was punch it or use a sharp object to penetrate the wall.

One year, we noticed a truck driving confusingly around the community spots on the lake. It was obvious they were not familiar with the lake. I could hear the people banging on houses and then moving on . .. it was obvious what was going on.

As we went out there to stop them in their tracks, they took off. All dozen or so houses were broken into, damaged, and had items stolen - except ours. Why? We didn't lock it.

We called some of the owners of the other houses and one of the owners went to "meet" the criminals at the public access. From there, a 10 mile high speed pursuit took place, but the thieves got away.

The next day, those thieves didn't apparently learn their lesson, as they went to North Long Lake to steal more stuff. However, there was no snow, and in their haste to break into houses, their truck lost control and smashed into another house, disabling the truck. The thieves were then arrested, (the idiots had kept all the looted stuff from the night before in the trcuk) . . . all items were given back to the owners.

The lessons we learned:

1. don't lock the house

2. don't cover the windows

3. It helps to know the neighbors who fish next to you

4. sometimes karma works in funny ways

[icehousebob]

When I had a permanent house on Tonka, I would leave some of my stuff overnight because it was on a bay that you couldn't drive onto and you had to sled everything out there. I was fishing one evening and a guy comes in to see how the fishing was, except he didn't look at my fish bucket. He was eyeballing all my equipment and the stuff on the shelves. I caught on pretty quick that he was casing the place. Everything but the firewood came home with me that night. A few nights later, the next house from mine was emptied of all its stuff.

[dirtking]

wow - people fishing out of your house that is a new one to me!

I have always locked my houses with a cheap hasp. Have been broken into once or twice and I just had to straighten the hasp and reattach. Nothing was stole - guessing they were looking for vex's and augers.

[Hammer Handle]

After one person craps in your house...you will lock it again. I had this happen twice with an unlocked house....

[MinnesotaMuskie]

I have been screwed over a couple times on the ice...My perm is like a large tackle box...I take it it home every night...pretty sad.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I live pretty much in the middle of nowhere and I lock my house. However, I think everyone in Murray county has a key to it. I've never had it broken into and I've quite often gone out to it to find people using it. I really don't mind cuz they turned the heat on and they brought beer. These are friends of mine and not total strangers. This is in a really low populated area, too. So, I suppose with less people the risk of break in is less.

[Mudcat21]

I lock the shack with a dead bolt and door knob lock. I fear "Poo" in my shack! Leave the windows open and take everything out. Hide the Schnapps under the shack , out of sight out mind for someone casing the joint.

[Sandmannd]

So what do people do with this new ice houses. Some of the new ones are awesome inside with plasma's and all the bells and whistles of home. I would assume you would have to lock that. Do they just pull it off after every use?

[Bjjams]

Mine doesn't quite have all the bells and whistles and I could take most everything with me but the main thing is my heater. I would be furious if I had to fork over 600 bucks for a new one. I wouldn't really even care if the house was stolen because I have insurance for that, but if it gets damaged it would never be the same. I guess for the most part I'll have to keep pulling it with me everywhere.

[anyfishwilldo]

I used to have an 8x20 on Mille Lacs. I made the mistake of locking it once. They just wrecked the door and the door frame. After $150 and 3 hours, I never locked it again. I think there was people fishing in it 5-6 times when I got there. The one nice thing about that, holes were open, and it was heated up. Every time there was people in there, they gave me some money, apologized, and went on their way. I figured it didn't pay for me to get mad and throw a fit, that is when you will start finding poo in your house. If people don't make a mess, or steal my stuff, more power to them to use it.

[Scott M]

My grandpa used to get his house broken into all the time. They would leave everything-all they were after was booze. Now he has a huge metal bar on the door lock. It's all but impossible to get in, knock on wood. You guys that keep getting broken into: Send an email to "It takes a thief" on Discovery channel. Who knows, maybe they'll give you a security upgrade

[fisherking01]

I used to lock mine, got ripped off, now I do not lock it, just take stuff with me. I've had people in mine several times, usually someone I know. On one occasion there were several people having a party and fishing. I didnt know any of them. I talked to them for a while, they offered me a beer, I finished that and asked for another, they refused, kinda told me to be on my way. I hung a lock on the door and started jacking it up to take it with me (they were inside), and they started asking me what the ???? I thought I was doing. I told them moving my house. They threatened to smash the door, so I unlocked it and we had a discussion about fisherman's ettiquite, and it was impolite not to furnish the house owner with all the beer he wants regardless if you know who he is or not. They appologized for their actions, gave me some money for using the house, let me drink their beer and even let me fish in my own house. Never seen them again which puzzles me, they were catching nice fish.

Watched four young individuals check a house next to mine, it was locked so they hooked it up and moved it about 20 yards and set it down. They then proceeded to fish in the holes that the house was over. About an hour later a guy is walking out to the house they moved, and they left, said hi to the guy and took off. When the guy unlocked his house and looked inside, not realizing it was moved, comes back outside and kinda looks around puzzled, gets his auger and goes to fishing. Never heard anything about it!

[Spice1]

2 seasons ago I had a permanant little 6X8 on Byllesby. Nothing fancy, enough room for 2 holes and my lazy boy, so I had a comfy chair and somewhere to sleep, I had enough room behind the chair to store my tackle box and enough on the side to store a 20# lp tank. I had a Blue flame wall mounted heater that I took with me and my power pack and portable TV and DVD that always went home with me. The only things that were left in at night were rattle reels, photon lites, the Lp tank and the tackle. One night after fishing late it was broke into, they rode a snomobile in and must have had an empty 20# lp and a bolt cutter with them. They stole my full lp tank and my photons, never found the tackle box, but heres the kicker...the left me their empty 20# tank!!! Mine was full but had the old unfillable valve on it still. I got a new tank with a new valve and tank guage strip on the side!

[JustinG]

Wow!! I have never heard of someone just "using" someone else's house!!! I guess that is one nice thing about living way up north!!! I have been putting a house out for 10 years on all kinds of different lakes and never had a single incident!! Guess it makes you think, though!!

Justin

[IFallsRon]

A couple years back, the clowns were breaking into houses on Rainy and leaving behind a pile of ashes.

[StrosLit31]

Some of these stories are pretty funny to say the least... I couldnt imagine someone taking a big duece in the house or if i found some random in the house. But it's sad that this happens every year. I left my house out on Mille Lacs last weekend, until the next weekend and when i got there they took one full 20lb tank and left one empty tank on the outside. I guess i was just glad they didnt break into the house. This is my 3rd year with my house and this was the first time leaving it out. Just cant win. Pay more gas to bring it home and then haul it right back up or just pay for a new propane tank

[fisherking01]

I also had my lp tank switched on me. I filled it and hooked it up, next day it was empty and there were tracks leading from a neighboring house to my tank and to his. I switched them back and let the kid know it's not too hard to figure out with fresh snow! he said he knew I would know but didn't want to go to town cause the fish were biting.

[MnIceman]

If I leave the 20 lb. at the house , I lock it to one of the tow points with a coil cable . I always lock my house . I build the door so it swings out , using a locking door knob and a bolt lock . On the hinges I bolt them to the frame with carraige bolts and then peen the threads by the nuts on the inside . I have windows on all 4 walls and leave them uncovered . The house gets emptied out when I'm gone for more than a few hours except for a couple of metal folding chairs, a coffee can , extra blocking and an old tea pot. There is always foot prints at all the windows . One time someone beat the s*** out of the door knob with a hammer but did not get it open . The knob still works today . Other than someone drilling holes right in front of my door , the worst that has happened is someone drove their car through the back wall one time . I opened the door and looked right on out. Good thing I had a bigger piece of cardboard and a hand stapler in the truck . Didn't totally ruin that trip.