Vandals and Thieves

[Ishmel]

I'm just curious, how many guys here have had their permanents houses broken into? What was taken, if anything?

I lost a twenty pound propane cylinder and a door. Should I consider myself lucky, or is it pretty rare to get broken into?

I'm also interested in knowing about those who have never been broken into. What do you do to discourage thieves?

[This message has been edited by Ishmel (edited 11-06-2002).]

[Guest]

Its not rare at all and it really doesn't matter where you are. If they really want to get in,,....they will. I have a hundred pounder that will chained and locked outside. But the big thing that discourages breakings is to take everything with you and don't set up some elaborate locking system.

[SportFishin']

What I have figured out to discourage break-ins is to leave nothing in the Shack at all & leave the shades & windows open so people can take a peek in & see nothing but walls, the floor, & my shovel.

This has worked for me so far and have been fortunate nobody has tried to break-in. I also use a real cheap lock that would take nothing to break so if someone were to try they wouldn't be messing up the door beyond repair.

Later
Chris

[Guest]

In conclusion:
1)Doors poorly locked
2)Windows open
3)Take everything out

[Guest]

And nobody carries mace around where you live either.....Right?

[the big dipper]

BIGGUNS 3
MOST EVERYBODY AROUND HERE CARRIES AROUND A 22-250 WITH A 3TO 9 TASCO.

[Guest]

Now thats an idea! I'm still giggling.
Its really too bad that houses get broken into. If people still carried lead at their hip, I bet we'd see a decline in break-ins

[Guest]

I had an entire small permanent stolen a few years ago, I thought it would be nice to have a nicely constructed fish house, so did someone else apparently. I agree, a basic somewhat cheesy door lock, something they can pop with a credit card or paperclip instead of an axe. Don't leave anything inside, small windows that are cheap to replace, use recycled/free material for as much of the house as possible, a good neighborhood watch, make friends with others that place houses near yours, location, location, location, a house near a highly traveled area or too far off the beaten path invites more trouble than one placed in the "middle ground" most break-ins, in my experience are done by kids or young adults, sometimes on snowmobiles or atvs, sometimes in cars/trucks, sometimes on foot, for the purpose of having a warm place to party for a while. A house that neither appears too nice or too shabby seems best, try to give the impression that it is something you care about. Avoid and clean up any garbage or beverage containers around your site. Keep as little fuel and lighting equipment on hand as reasonable, although if you have a woodstove, they may burn portions of your house. Alternatively, I have found a portable to be the best defense against break-ins and theives, if its not there, they can't use it, destoy it, or steal it. Break-ins on fish houses seem to be a fact of life.

[IcePro]

The best thing I did to prevent people breaking into my ice house was to buy a fish house on retractable wheels.

I was tired of people breaking into my ice house. Now it goes home with me everyday. It actual helped me in my exploreing new lakes. It allowed me to fish lakes I never fished before. Portability at it's finest.

[mistermom]

Years ago I had a 4X8 on Goose Lake up by Rush City. I had a lock. It got broken into and everything stolen. Left it open and took everything out and left a sign saying "Feel free to use if I'm not here." Never had another problem and my holes were usually open.

mm

[the big dipper]

Are you guys fishing in a high crime area or what? Up here in northern Clearwater county,(Pine Lake, Perch Lake,) I usually leave pretty much all of my stuff in the house, no lock, and so far no stuff has been missing.( spears,ice chipper, decoys, stove, propane,chairs, dippers, etc )Of course when I'm angling I take all my stuff home to warm up/dry out, and charge my batteries. When we were kids, most of the old timers would leave their doors unlocked, we never stole any stuff, but once in a while we'd stuff a frozen fish down a stovepipe...

[smartguy]

The best advice I can offer would be to get to know your neighbors (both fisherpeople and lakehome owners).

A couple years ago, in the Brainerd area, I saw a van approach a cluster of a dozen fishouses one night. My fish house was in this group. I didn't recognize the vehicle, so I paid attention to it and even went outside to hear what they were doing - they just acted so weird. Once they left, i walked the 1/8th of a mile or so to the fishouses to realize that EVERY one except mine was broken into. I immidiately ran back home and called several of the owners to these houses, and immidiately one owner drove his jeep to the public access to try block the van from getting off the lake. The van got around him, but the chase was on for a good ten minutes before the crooks got away.

So why was my house NOT broken into? It was small (4'x6'), looked like dump, and IT WASN"T LOCKED. In it, I had a hand auger and a CD player, plus some rods, yet the thieves never touched the house. Hell, it was made of that boarded insulation, so what good would a lock do? Just punch a hole in the **** wall!

So, to make a long story short: Know your neighbors, leave it unlocked, take out the valuables, and leave the windows open.

***By the way, as for the thieves, they were caught the very next day after their van slid into a spear hole while stealing more dump on a neighboring lake!***

[This message has been edited by smartguy (edited 11-07-2002).]

[shadrapla]

i had 4x6 fishhouse broke in at rice lake in brainerd and person did too all my fishing stuffs and threw them in holes so i had to move my fish house move and took me about 2 hours to get my stuffs like tip up scoop i lost ice chisel several fishing rod so i move it to crappies area and 1 week later someone drive truck and push fishhouse out of spot my fish house is totalled since i dont own fishhouse i have no prolbem with portable shelter

[This message has been edited by shadrapla (edited 11-07-2002).]

[This message has been edited by shadrapla (edited 11-07-2002).]

[Ishmel]

My grandfather used to hook an ignition coil from an old car to a battery with a wire running around the outside of the house. I think this would probably be illegal now.

[Guest]

I have a 4x8 house that I have had on Lake Bemidji for years. Lots of problems with break-ins on this lake. Sometimes I put a lock on my house, other times I didn't. Houses all around me had break-in problems, but mine was never touched. My place is so small, anyone can look through the window and see what's inside, which nothing was inside. Friend's houses were tampered with, broken windows, doors, etc...but his windows were up high and the thieves couldn't see inside, so they did what they felt was necessary.

Don't use glass for windows either, it makes a mess when it shatters. Plexiglass works great, hard to break and usually the thieves pull it out and leave it for you to easily fix.

In some counties some of these break-ins have been charged/convicted as burglaries, a nice felony charge. Is it really worth it to break into my 4x8 shack and steal a chisel, then sit behind bars over it?

[Finlander]

I know a person that had there house broke into on Big Sandy lake. They took all there stuff and turned on the heater full blast that had a 100 pound tank that was full.
When they found the house, they found it melted and frozen about a foot in the ice.
Another place that is a bad place is Medicine Lake. If they can't break open the door they tip the whole house over to get what they can from the holre in the floor!
We just put a bolt where the paddle lock should go and never had a problem with break-ins. They see the bolt and figure that there probobly isn't anything in there worth stealing in that house!!!
The "Farking Ice Holes" that break in will get shot at if I see them sneaking around my house. You can bet on that!!!!

------------------
F-STOP

[nunzio]

CD;
Lake Bemidji is a tough lake to have a house on. A friend of my father-in-law had his house broken into 2 times before it was burned. Need less to say he doesn't fish there any more.
-nunzio

[smartguy]

I wouldn't have the balls to put a house on Lake Bemidji. It's not worth the hassle.

As already mentioned, Rice lake in Brainerd is pretty bad, too. Both lakes are within city limits, so this should come as no surprise.

[This message has been edited by smartguy (edited 11-07-2002).]

[Guest]

This will be my first year with a permanent on Mille Lacs. How bad is the break in scene on the big lake?

[wishiniwerefishin]

I would have to agree with Finlander. Medicine lake is horrible to have a permanent on. Used to have one till it got broke into every time i got it fixed again. I found out that the best thing was to take everything with me and leave it unlocked.

[Guest]

I never heard it too be a very big issue on mille lacs. But it does happen out there just like everywhere else.