LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — With Christmas only days away, authorities in southeast Nebraska say thieves have been targeting rural properties’ fir trees.

Every year, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office fields a handful of reports of evergreens taken from acreages, presumably destined to serve as Christmas trees.

Authorities say homeowners’ best defense is to spray fox urine on the trees they want to keep. The urine puts off little smell when the temperature is below 50 degrees. But if a sprayed tree is brought inside, the smell is overwhelming.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the city of Lincoln both utilize a fox urine mixture to protect their trees from thieves.