It takes a lot of patience and a lot of money to go hunting these days. The money part is why thieves are stalking an expensive and unusual prey.

Ted Green can't use cheap decoys to lure in real game birds. “Right there is $90.” Lately his decoys have attracted fly-by-night thieves who've cut into his flock. “They took them off the shelves like a supermarket.”

The decoys cost at least $30 each and five dozen have been stolen from storage lockers on Ted’s hunting land along the Platte River near Yutan. “It's close to a thousand dollars worth of decoys that takes about 25 years to build up.”

Game and Parks officers and sheriff's investigators report about a thousand decoys worth more than $30,000 have been stolen in four counties in the past year.

“That's one avenue we've been chasing too, checking Craigslist to see if some legit and if cheap,” said Saunders County Deputy Steve Malina.

If recovered, investigators look for marks that might identify the decoy owners. Most hunters mark their decoys with name or initials in ink or paint, but investigators working these thefts say that's not enough.

“If they can mark them that it's permanent, can't be painted over," said Nebraska Game & Parks Officer Mike Luben. “I'll tell guys use a wood burner, a little wood burner and burn into the plastic.”

Green is hanging several wildlife cameras around his land. The motion activated devices cost him about $200 each. “Poor man's security system.” He hopes to get a shot that will bring down the decoy thieves and make them jail birds.

The Saunders County Sheriff's Department says a reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest. The number to call in Seward is 402-443-8181.