ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office is investigating an increase in ATV thefts across the parish.

"We're a big rural area, we have more side by sides and all-terrain vehicle thefts than we do vehicles. In the past month we've seen an uptick in ATV and side by side thefts," said chief deputy Eddie Thibodeaux.

In just six weeks, the Sheriff's Office has received calls of nearly twenty stolen vehicles. More than half of the calls are for stolen ATVs.

With the number continuing to rise, Thibodeaux says the biggest mistake ATV owners make is leaving the vehicle unattended in the front yard or an open area.

"A lot of farmers out here, after a hard day of work, they leave them out in the front. Some of them even chain them. Locks can be cut, even if you chain them to something in your yard a bolt cutter can take those locks off," said Thibodeaux.

When trying to recover the solen ATVs, Thibodeaux says the biggest setback for law enforcement is locating the vehicle. ATVs are easy to transport in a trailer, and used in wooded or wilderness areas where surveillance is not an option.

"When the trucks are stolen, sometimes they'll run out of gas, or they'll catch them on video. On our ATVs, we're a rural area, to see someone riding an ATV is the norm. So, it is harder to find the ATVs. There's no license plates, the vin number can be changed fast. It does make it a lot harder for us to locate them," Thibodeaux explained.

As the Sheriff's Office continues the investigation, Thibodeaux says if you want to avoid being the victim of a stolen ATV, the simplest tactic is to keep it out of sight.