The $15 Insurance Policy EVERY Sportsman Should Have

A few weeks back when gas prices where hovering near $150/barrel, I pulled my gas-guzzling SUV into the closest service station and began to fill up.   By the time the hose finally “clicked off” indicating my tank was nearly full…much to my chagrin nearly $80 had racked up on the pump’s TOTAL indicator.   I took pause, and realized that never in my life had I put that much money into a single fill of the gas tank.   It was depressing, to say the least, but I commiserate about a topic we’ve all experienced as of late.

As I drove away from the gas station I began to think about just how easy that $80 of gas could be removed from the tank by some would-be thieves.   In most cases, unless you caught the crooks in “the act,” you would have no proof of the crime, either.   Seriously, how many people have probably already had gas stolen from their parked vehicles and not even recognized it?

By this time my mind was really getting active and I thought about all the times I’ve been out in the middle of nowhere hunting or fishing…sometimes quite some distance from my vehicle.   I never used to worry about leaving my vehicle, well, that is until about three years ago when my trust was forever broken by some opportunistic punk.   You can read more about that incident HERE.

No, in today’s world sportsmen are ripe candidates for experiencing theft.   Often we leave our vehicles near a road as we traipse into the woods for deer or along some grassy waterway trying to roust a pheasant or two.   Worse yet, the criminal thugs can watch us go out-of-sight and then commit their crime.

DSC00115That’s why I purchased a $15 locking gas cap available at most auto supply stores.   Is it the perfect answer…no, but with a battery powered siphon and 10 or 15 minutes of time I know that a thief could leave me high and dry taking most of my vehicle’s gas.   And really, how hard would it be for them to do just that.   Bad enough they steal the gas with it’s high value…but who’s to say the crook will even leave you with enough gas to drive back to town.

A few year’s back I thwarted another crime as I came out of the woods and discovered a truck parked near mine.   The thugs were obviously scoping out what was in my truck…but when one of them seen me emerge from the woods they wasted no time driving off.   Problem is, I was still 300 yards away and could have done little to prevent the situation if they decided to smash and grab.

Each spring now when I go trout fishing along my favorite streams I try not to venture too far away from my vehicle.   Yea, that sucks…but I know it sucks a lot more to come back to your truck finding a window smashed and equipment stolen.   Let me tell you, folks, it only has to happen to you once and it will forever change the way you feel about being violated like that.

This fall when you leave your vehicle make sure all valuables are out-of-sight.   Remember, the locks on car doors are there only to keep honest people honest.   A locked door will not deter a thief in the slightest.   I know some who prefer to leave their vehicles unlocked…figuring it’s cheaper and easier to let them open the door and take what they want than to smash glass and do other damage in the process.

The point of this blog post is hopefully to get you to stop and think.   If you’ve been a victim of a crime nothing I’ve told you in this post is really new.   On the other hand, if you still are one of those trusting folks who believe it won’t happen to you…I only hope your luck continues.   Odds are your day is coming.

Taking action starts by doing the little things…like purchasing a locking gas cap.   It also means using some common sense and not taking necessary chances.   Remember, if a thief wants something and you’re not there to defend your property…chances are pretty good they are going to get it.   In the future, however, I’ve just made a vow with myself not to do the little things that makes it any easier for criminals to accomplish their goals.

2008 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.