cole. >> reporter: for nearly three decades philadelphia native michael hoffman has owned what he calls 2 acres ground here in the rolling hills and running water of solely vanoffman, 60, a carpenter by trade and battling cancer, lives by a stream in a small home where the wildlife he and his sons have taken hang in the front room. >> if you were out on ranch you carry a little arrival like this. >> reporter: he's an avid hunter an gun collector. by mid year, 2010, his collection had grown to 44 firearm. >> winchesters, all revolve verse, 45 revolve verse from the cowboy days. >> reporter: then one day he returned from a medical appointment. >> when we got home we realized we were robbed. >> reporter: what did you see when you got in your house. >> a disaster. >> reporter: his back door had been kicked in, and all his rivals and revolve verse were gone from the gun cabinets and saves he used to secure them. >> the one door was peeled all the way open. and the other one it was peeled down at the top and they took the guns out of it. >> reporter: hoffman says, he quickly called the state police who patrolled the tiny community, and he posted a $5,000 reward. a