Well after working cattle this weekend and leaving the ranch late Sunday evening, our neighbor calls and asks if everyone had left yet, I replied yes. He stated that someone was spotlighting and shooting a lot on our place. He quickly hung up and called operation game thief and then Jim Wells SO. They found some guys on a county road with guns/spotlights but no animals so had to let them go. It seems as if they have entered the place via a AEP ROW gate that is on the other side of the ranch and close to a county rd. Gate has locks but as many of you know there are a lot of people that have AEP keys down south. What would be a good game cam to put up by the gate to catch them coming in if they do decide to enter in the future.

Sounds like you have a good neighbor.

Several brands have cams with "black flashes", that way they don't see the flash.

Make some signs that read
"Say cheese, mofos.
Your picture and license plate have just been emailed to TPWD and the SO."

Place them on all the gates.

I work in the Oil Industry and many South Texas Ranchers are starting to put up cameras to take pictures at gates. That way they can see who left the gate open and who is coming/going. I personally haven't seen any yet, but I've heard some have been hiding them in Birdhouses...

Good neighbor you have there.

Don't waste time with game cameras. Go big or go home!



(Photo credit: The Duck's Handler)

There are cameras that look like rocks. I know where to get them.

There are also cameras that look like speed bumps and are specifically designed to record license plates of all vehicles that pass over them. A lot of security companies use them in parking lots.

Neither is all that cheap, but could be what you need.

Where in Jim wells county are you located? Our family has property in several locations in that area. Let me know if you ever need any help with anything and good luck with catching the poachers.

I'm assuming that you've spoken with the game warfen about this as well? In addition to your neighbors calling them out?

It would be awesome to rig the gate with flare guns or exploding dye packs so they would fire if the gate was opened before they were disarmed.

Or you could have a spike strip set up just inside the gate.

Both would be great to see with the game cam recording everything.

I need some spike strips for the jackasses that keep cutting across my land in their ATV's. The stainless steel cable I've got across the dirt road has enough slack where they can push it up and drive under it.

Mouth, I assume you've ruled out piano wire...

Mouth, a tightener or some sort should not be hard to install