As the summer begins to turn to fall, hunting enthusiasts are gearing up for the new hunting season.

As hunters begin gearing up for the winter hunting season, over the past few years, authorities have noticed a rash of thefts involving hunters and their equipment. DeWitt County Sheriff Jered Shofner says most of the time these thefts occur on private property.

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One thing hunters can do is record the serial number on their equipment. If there is not a serial number on the particular piece of equipment, Sheriff Shofner encourages engraving a six digit number of your choice and keeping a record of it.

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Once that six digit number has been established and a hunter may have a piece of equipment stolen, the Sheriff's Department can enter that serial number into a database of stolen items that is country wide that monitors recovered items that have been stolen.

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Even though the hunting season is still a few months off for most hunters, Sheriff Shofner says now is the time to begin taking precautions in case a hunter's property is stolen. He notes most reports are made during the hunting season.