Unlock or locked house

Small Ice Castle house should I leave it out or take home? lock or unlocked if left out. Been years since I had a permanent last one destroyed but nothing fancy like this one. Mostly just for a weekend.

Take it home. They’re magnets for the dishonest people of society

Take it home with you when you leave the lake.

Something nice like a newer wheel house, I’d be taking it with me. The guys I know that leave their cheap small skid houses out on the lake take everything out and leave it unlocked. Worse thing that can happen is someone uses your shack as a porta potty. Obviously that’s not ideal, but it’s better than a door ripped off its hinges.

This ^^

Unless you have a community where someone is usually able to see what’s going on from there cabin or home.

We always left the firebrand, took the tounge off and left it unlocked. Leave no valuables. When they are locked people kick the doors in.
But knowing the locals on the lake helped that. I would only leave it for a night or 2 though

Ok minds made up will go home every night with me was leaning that way anyway. Another question would you leave it during the day for an hour or so to get bait or supplies if I ran out usually always have it anyway.

I leave mine at the resorts when I’m gone. Fishing 5-8 hours from home every other weekend pulling it home every time is kinda stupid. Always lock mine and never had an issue. (Knock on wood) I normally park them in the big rows with 50+ other shacks

Depends on the area and lake. I’d never do it on a metro lake. I have however, left mine overnight on some lakes in Wisconsin and I lock it.

mrpike1973 wrote:

Another question would you leave it during the day for an hour or so to get bait or supplies if I ran out usually always have it anyway.

I would not hesitate to leave it in this situation, normally then I would lock it because I’m leaving stuff in it.

I would say depends on the lake. Mine stays out on Waconia all season every year for 15 years probably. Never had an issue but there is always people around out there. Small lakes around there that are ghost towns after 8 or so every night houses are always getting broke into.

buddy had a nice castle, left the ice at 11pm, came back the next day at 7;30 am, it was gone, never did recover it.

mrpike1973 wrote:

Ok minds made up will go home every night with me was leaning that way anyway. Another question would you leave it during the day for an hour or so to get bait or supplies if I ran out usually always have it anyway.

I would not hesitate to leave it in this situation. Locked.

Beast wrote:

buddy had a nice castle, left the ice at 11pm, came back the next day at 7;30 am, it was gone, never did recover it.

I have a locking receiver pin/bolt that I put through the front dealio while my house is down so it can’t be cranked up. I assume people that steal castles are bringing their own pins.

I leave mine out over night up at LOTW and it’s always locked.

25 years ago some friend and me had a house we built. We left it on Otter tail all winter over a 8 year span. We had it locked all the time and never had problems.

But then back in high school I left a little 4 x 6 permanent on the river by Breckinridge. Some one through a stump right through my wall.

I have never fished by the metro but I wouldn’t leave a house out in that area either.

Know of a guy who in the late 90s early 2000s that would always take it home everytime

Had a nice permanent we built out on Bald Eagle for several years. Thing was built like a tank. It was with a few other buddies and someone was always coming or going it only sat unoccupied for a couple days at a time. Came out one morning and the door was ripped clean off and that was with a deadbolt. All of our gear gone. People are animals.

I never leave in my house something I’ll miss. Learned the hard way after the first break in. Had 2 other break ins afterwards and very little could be stolen. I found the closer I was to an access with my house is when I had break ins. Surprisingly, there were quite few other houses nearby. When I’ve been a mile into the lake and virtually alone, no break ins. But, I still remove most of my gear.

lindyrig79 wrote:

Had a nice permanent we built out on Bald Eagle for several years. Thing was built like a tank. It was with a few other buddies and someone was always coming or going it only sat unoccupied for a couple days at a time. Came out one morning and the door was ripped clean off and that was with a deadbolt. All of our gear gone. People are animals.

Yep sounds about right and people wonder why I would just rather avoid people in general. A 1000 acres with a lake and a house right in the center of it sounds just about perfect to go to and never leave.

Years back a retired game warden from neighboring county had his shack next to mine . Might have been 5 shacks in a group. His was the only one that was burned to the ice .