You’ve spent a lot of money on a piece of property you and your family and maybe a few close friends to hunt on. You’ve erected a storage shed or barn to keep your 4-wheeler, tree stands, saws, mowing equipment, etc. in so you’ll have it there when you need it so how do you make sure your stuff will be there when you get back? Although nothing is 100% theft proof, here are some tips to help secure your property and hopefully deter thieves from ruining your hunting paradise.

  * Make sure to take as many of your valuables with you to eliminate the risk of them being stolen.

  * Make sure all your valuables are locked away. Spending a few more dollars on quality locks and dead bolts will deter thieves and vandals that much more. Though costly, installing a security system is another way to have peace of mind that your possessions are safe. It only takes a little more to go first class.

  * Place trail cameras around your “storage” area. The cost of cameras that send the photos through your mobile phone carrier have come down a lot in price. It may be a pain having photo after photo sent to you but having the photos uploaded each time one is taken instead of all of them at a certain time may be the way to go as some a-hole may take off with your camera before it sends the pictures.

  * Record all serial numbers from all farm equipment, ATV’s, generators, log splitters, appliances, electronics, etc. Buy a small electric engraver and engrave distinguishing marks on all items in inconspicuous places or apply labels made from a label maker and stick them in hidden places. Keeping a record of serial numbers will help police recover stolen items. And don’t forget to mark your tree stands, ground blinds and trail cameras.

 * Take photographs of all items and keep them at home. Also take pictures of the engraved markings or labels you’ve attached to your property to help you remember what is marked and where it’s marked. Photographs can help police identify stolen items.

  * Make sure you have insurance. Keep your policy up to date and make sure it covers the stuff you own and includes ATV’s, tractors and equipment, boats or any item that may not be covered under a standard homeowner’s or renter’s policy.

 * Make friends with a people who live in the area or a neighbor and ask them to keep a watch over your property. Offer them a trade like a place to ride their horses or allow them to cut hay in one of your fields, in exchange for keeping an eye on your place.

 * Post no trespassing signs at all entrances and along property lines of your land. Some states have purple paint laws but you still need to mark all of the entrances of your property.

 * Install gates at all entrances to your property and keep them locked. Criminals are less likely to steal large or heavy items, such as appliances, if they have to carry them long distances.

 * If possible, store your ATV’s, tractors and equipment, mowers, and boats inside locked sheds or barns. Then lock and secure these items inside the barn as well. Put tongue locks on trailers. Run a cable through the wheels of your 4-wheeler, mower, etc. and lock it. Kind of like locking up a bicycle. If thieves break in, having everything locked up separately may frustrate them and deter them from stealing everything.

 * Hide keys (or keep them with you) to outbuildings, gates, ATV’s, tractors, etc. If someone breaks into your house or cabin, you don’t want to provide them with easy access to everything else on your property.

  * If a break-in does occur, contact local law enforcement immediately and stay clear of the crime scene until they arrive. Moving around the crime scene and touching things may destroy critical evidence that might be valuable in the case.

  Hopefully some of these tips will help you avoid a break-in or at least slow down the bad guys and help reduce the damage.

  My 2021 deer season had been going great going into the Illinois firearm season. I had taken a 9 point buck in Missouri with my crossbow the second weekend of October. It was my first Missouri deer and first ever crossbow kill. Then I had filled my Oklahoma muzzleloader tag two weeks later at my friend David’s ranch by scoring a 10 pointer. The lingering question in my mind, and I mentioned it to no one so as to not jinx myself, was could I finish out my season by taking a buck with my slug gun on my home turf?

 My cameras at The Ranch had showed many promising bucks including a super nice non-typical buck with a drop tine on his left side and a kicker up on the right. I was really hoping to see him in person and hopefully he’d give me a shot. I’ll say right now, I never saw him. I am hoping I find his shed antlers though.

  Opening morning things went pretty smooth. No matter what or where, it always seems I’m running late opening mornings but this day I had plenty of time to drag a scented drag line all around my stand, pull everything up into the stand, load the gun and have everything settled in place before shooting time began.

  About half past seven, I heard my son-in-law Raul shoot. He was hunting the Ground Blind stand again. He had taken his first ever deer, a 7-point buck, from that stand the previous season and was looking forward to hunting the spot again. We had planned that if one of us shot to turn on the radio and wait for the shooter to “call” the other. I didn’t have long to wait before the radio buzzed. He was real excited to report he had just shot a “big” buck and was getting down to track him as he couldn’t see where he was laying. I told him to stay put, calm down and give the buck at least ten minutes to pass-on. I told him there was no need to push the buck in case the shot hadn’t been well placed causing a long tracking session. He did as I ask him and about a half-hour later after getting a good phone signal, sent me a picture of his 11-point buck! What luck! Two years hunting and two bucks taken!

  Around eight my brother-in-law Tommy texted he had hit a buck. He dropped it where it stood and then watched as the buck got up and walked over the side of the hill. He found some blood but no deer. Tommy was still recovering from heart surgery back in the spring and had no business trekking through the deep hilly terrain so I told him we’d be over after lunch to track it down for him. I figured the deer was lying at the bottom of “the hole” and would be a bitch to drag up but figured it was a good problem.

 In the meantime, my morning hadn’t been totally uneventful. At 6:25 a pretty nice buck wondered across the far side of the Pea Patch, a little field across the fence on my left. It was still kind of dark and shadowy over there and I couldn’t pick him up in my scope to get a good look at him so I let walk on by without spooking him. I watched a little 3-pointer wonder through at 7:30 and told him “I’ll see in a few years” as I waited for his momma, poppa or older brother to show up.

 Then around nine, I spotted a deer across the Pea Patch in the trees. It was doe followed closely by a buck! He had his head down and was bird-dogging her. He chased up through the trees then back down and out of view. Knowing they could pop-out about anywhere especially the blind spot around the left corner I got the Remington 1100 up and rested on the side of the stand.

 I watched through my binoculars as the buck (and he was a big buck) chased the doe back up and down the hill again and then again. Wanting to get the bucks attention I cycled my can call a couple of times. The doe stopped and looked my direction. I had her attention but couldn’t see what the buck was doing. He was out of sight. I kept hoping the doe would lead the buck out into the Pea Patch and not over the hill so I could get a shot at him.

 The buck chased the doe up the hill again and I saw another buck in the woods too! I couldn’t tell exactly how big he was but he joined in the game.

  By this time 10 minutes had passed. I know because I had ample time to look at my watch. I had tucked my hoodie under my knees for some cushioning but my feet were starting to ach. Being on my knees in big boots was causing my toes to hurt being bent with pressure on them but was determined to play this whole thing out.

  The big buck came closer to the edge of the field and I hit the can call again. He came right out to the edge of the field looking straight toward me! Not a good shot! I watched him through the scope as he looked for the doe that was calling to him wishing he would turn one way or the other giving me the clean shot. I knew from earlier “surveying” that the trees the deer were in was 90 plus yards away and had the correct reticle on him to compensate for the distance.

  He finally turned around to his right to look back at the doe. To me he was thinking, “Should I stay here with the doe I see or go to the doe that’s calling me?”

 I didn’t wait for him to make up his mind. His turning had given me enough of a broadside shot I felt comfortable with and aimed for the exit wound and pulled the trigger.

 I had been watching these deer for so long and even though my heart was still racing I had calmed myself and steadied my breathing so I the shot felt real good. I didn’t flinch or blink and watched the back end of the buck collapse nearly to the ground! It reminded me of watching a hunting show and someone shoots an elk or deer at a long distance and you see the animal kind of crumple without going totally to the ground. The buck staggered to its feet and took a dozen or so steps to its right and it “crumpled” again, recovered then disappeared from my view as I assumed he fell behind some trees.

 I watched the doe walk toward the buck to see what was wrong with him. In my mind I thought of her saying “What’s wrong? Aren’t we still playing? Come and chase me some more.” She finally ran off into the trees out of sight. I had no idea where the other buck went. My attention was fixed on seeing if I could spot the buck through the brush and trees. I could just make out part of him and knew then that I had just taken my third trophy buck of the year! I couldn’t believe it!

 After having a snack, collecting the cleaning bag, climbing down, and answering nature’s call more than fifteen minutes had passed as I headed across the Pea Patch.

  As I got to the edge of the woods I spotted the buck lying about 10 yards away to my left. Just as I was about to step around a bush some noise caught my attention further inside the trees. It was a deer! It ran up the hill through the trees and stopped broadside checking me out. I figured it was the doe. She had stuck around. I raised my gun up and put the scope on her. There was a little sapling in my way so I took one step to my right and gave her a good look as she looked at me. The shot was clear so I pulled the trigger.

  The deer disappeared! Did it really just drop in its tracks? I watched the hillside looking for a flag running away but there wasn’t one. I had dropped the doe where she stood at nearly 50 yards away! Holy cow!

  First thing was first. I had to check on the buck and get him tagged. After taking some pictures and making him legal I set off up the hill to find the doe.

 Walking up the hill I could see the deer was lying exactly where it had stood. My heart sank as I saw that it wasn’t the doe but a spike buck! I could see that the spikes were longer than three inches. It’s illegal to put an antlerless tag on a deer with spikes longer than three inches in Illinois. “Damn! I’m in trouble now” I said aloud. With the type of terrain and background behind the deer, I just didn’t make out the little spikes. There was nothing I could do about it now so I drug him down to the other buck and field dressed them both.

 As I was dressing them, there were deer running all around. One even came down the fence row close to my stand and came across the Pea Patch toward me before turning and disappearing into the woods. “Dang deer running everywhere now” I thought.

 After dragging them both out closer to the road I headed to the truck to congratulate Raul on his buck and fill him in on my hunt.

 Raul was able to help me look up the local Conservation Police Officer’s phone number on-line and I gave him a call. I explained my predicament and gave him my location. He said he’d be there in about ten minutes to check it all out. While we waited for him, we both got our permits, licenses and FOID cards out for his inspection.

 About fifteen minutes later, CPO Logan Spinka arrived. After introductions I told my story again. I finished like I had on the phone, that I was ready for my citation. He looked my deer over and said, “You’re real close to on the length of these antlers. Do you have a tape measure in your in truck?” I retrieved it and sure enough they measured four inches long. My initial instinct was correct. I was in trouble.

  He could tell I was sincere in my story and that we had nothing to hide. I even offered to take him over to where it had all happened and show him around. He declined and said he would write me a written warning and allow me to tag the spike with the antlerless tag.

 I felt it was the right thing to do to turn myself in. It isn’t worth trying to pull a fast one and getting a fine or worse, getting a fine and my gun and equipment confiscated. Before he left I invited him to stop by any time this summer if he sees my gate open. To me it’s better to be friends with the local CPO than be on their bad side.

 So I had done it. I had taken three bucks, technically four, with three different weapons over the season. I had taken my first ever deer with a crossbow in Missouri, a 190 pound nine pointer. A ten pointer that weighed 138 pounds in Oklahoma with my muzzleloader and finally a nine pointer with the slug gun in Illinois. That one topped the scales at 158 pounds field dressed. Oh yea, the spike came in at 74 pounds dressed.

 I gave my brother-in-law the spike and a shoulder from the big buck because we had meat in the freezer. I ended up making burger from the rest of the buck and passed some on Tommy and my sister along with some other cuts.

 I still had an either-sex tag to try and fill during the Illinois muzzleloader season. I was still hoping to see the big non-typical but that story and more tidbits from this hunt are for another chapter. Until then, Jim Bob.