If you’ve ever left your keys in the truck while running into a gas station before a hunt, then this story is for you. Legendary turkey hunter Mark Drury and his hunting partner Wade Robinson recently had their rental pickup — loaded with $10,000 worth of guns, cameras, and hunting gear – stolen outside a truck stop. The incident occurred on the first morning of a 9-day turkey hunt in what Drury Outdoors’ 100% Wild Podcast host Matt Drury described as “parts unknown out West.”
You can watch the security footage of the grand theft auto in the video below (skip to the 20-minute mark to see the security footage).
After landing at their destination and renting a 2024 maroon Dodge Ram 1500 pickup to drive on their hunting trip, Drury and Robinson hit the woods.
“It was a brand new area. We went out and scouted and found three birds roosted,” Robinson said on the podcast. “We were pretty excited to get back out there the following morning.”
In the morning they headed across the interstate to a truck stop for coffee and breakfast sandwiches. They pulled into the near-empty parking lot around 4:30 and left the keys in the truck.
“In Southern Iowa [where we are from], there probably hasn’t been a truck stolen in three decades in that county. You leave stuff unlocked,” Drury said. “That’s what happened in this case; We left it unlocked and the keys in it.”
The two said they were only inside the store for 2 or 3 minutes, but when they exited the store, the truck wasn’t where they’d left it.
Surveillance video showed the truck whipping out of the parking spot with the driver’s door flapping open.
The rental truck also held all of Drury and Robinson’s gear, which included a Winchester SXP pump-action shotgun, 40 rounds of ammunition, two sets of Leupold binoculars, a brand new iPhone 16 Pro Max, multiple cameras, turkey vests, decoys, and calls. The only clothing they had left was the camo they were wearing. Luckily, Drury had been wearing his mouth calls in a pouch around his neck.
Despite law enforcement responding to Drury’s call within minutes, they could not track down the stolen vehicle.
“Whoever stole it, when they pulled over at their ‘safe space,’ and went through that truck, I bet they about crapped when they saw all the stuff that was in there,” Drury said. “They hit the jackpot.”
Read Next: How to Decoy Turkeys, Advanced Tactics with Mark Drury
Despite the major setback, Drury and Robinson didn’t let it ruin their hunt. They called a buddy who took them back to the airport for another rental. Then, they hit Bass Pro Shops to replace their guns and gear, and Best Buy to find a GoPro camera. And sure enough, they still got their gobblers.
“Lock your truck,” Drury advises. “Or sit and guard it with a shotgun.”
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