Thoughts/Advice/Rant about neighboring property tresspasser

[Bigcountry40]

I know there have been several stories/post/threads about this very subject, I guess its my turn to rant, complain and ask for advice. My family owns about 200 acres of fields, tree lines and about 20 yards of woods and the rest of the woods is supposed to be a private nature preserve. I am talking about the woods/preserve. Our fields connect to the woods and I have hunted this 20 yards for about 10 years without any issues/interactions with anyone. I do not trespass onto the preserve and have always respected their land. Past 3 years we have had trespassers and tree stands put on our property (while I live in NC). We took down a tree stand last year that was 12 ft high made of wood and terrible, no one ever came and claimed it, we assumed it was a trespasser. I hunted the woods opening day killed a doe, on the opening day I noticed that the preserve owner had came through the woods and posted new signs that were not accurately posted to mark the boundaries the signs were only place along our boarder. Yesterday, my cousin is running corn and calls me to tell me that someone has put a mernards special tree stand and a trail camera on our property with a no trespassing sign literally 2 feet away. We took down the stand and the camera, the only thing we broke was the lock to take the stand which was clearly on our property. So I THINK/ASSUME after talking and calling around the nature preserve owners have given his brother permission to hunt. I am really irritated with this because the brother clearly knew the boundaries which his family posted and tresspassed on our land to set up the stand and get to the stand (He had to walk through our corn field to set up the stand). So essentially they think its okay to come our land. What this person also doesnt realize is that my 20 yards of the woods and the corn fields are essential to their 50 acre preserve and majority of the deer funnel through our property and typically just bedd down to sleep in the woods. So if this person does have permission to hunt he will literally kick up anything in the woods walking to the good areas to hunt, because I will not allow him to walk on our property. I could not get ahold of the preserve owners and waiting for a call. Basically I think my spot has been ruined because it is such a small area, in NW ohio and can not hold multiple hunters because of the basic layout.

 

["J"]

You can try talking too him and work out that he could gain access too the preserve thru your property as long as you can also hunt the preserve? Could be a win/win situation.... I'd be a little pissed as well that he automatically did what he did....

 

[Bigcountry40]

You can try talking too him and work out that he could gain access too the preserve thru your property as long as you can also hunt the preserve? Could be a win/win situation.... I'd be a little pissed as well that he automatically did what he did....

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, problem is its North West Ohio, the part of the woods worth hunting is 25 acres at best, not very thick and is not worth a lick once the corn is gone; sent control, stand placement (I only use climbers based on wind) are key and its not big enough for sevearl people to hunt regularly. I may just have to eat it for a few years let him fail and get my woods back. My cousin is supposed to talk to the preserve owner today (I live hour half away), my cousin is a good ole boy farmer and isn't great at communicating, so i sort wanted to be there to discuss as well to make sure our needs are met.

 

[finelyshedded]

Damn man, I'd be pissed too! Try what J suggested though, if the guy is sensible he'll agree but if not he's just another douchetard making the hunting community look bad! I mean that if your family were on the fence about letting hunters hunt or was an anti-hunting treehugger this fuckwad just lost hunting privileges for anyone asking in the future and increased the public scrutiny! Ugh

 

["J"]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, problem is its North West Ohio, the part of the woods worth hunting is 25 acres at best, not very thick and is not worth a lick once the corn is gone. sent control, stand placement (I only use climbers based on wind) are key and its not big enough for sevearl people to hunt regularly. I may just have to eat it for a few years let him fail and get my woods back I don't know. My cousin is supposed to talk to the preserve owner today (I live hour half away), my cousin is a good ole boy farmer and isn't great at communicating, so i sort wanted to be their to discuss as well.

Understand... Yeah, you may want too be there on that conversation.... lol....

Do you have other properties you can hunt?

 

[Bigcountry40]

Understand... Yeah, you may want too be there on that conversation.... lol....

Do you have other properties you can hunt?

Yeah I have several places to hunt throughout the state, this spot is family land that I will always be able to hunt it, so I want to maintain/take care of it. where as the rest of my properties are leases or permissions that I could lose tommorow or 30 years from now. This spot was a family honey hole with sentimental meaning.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I don't do well with trespassers, so it's probably best not to follow my advice... lmao

 

[Jackalope]

You said it's a nature preserve. Is it registered as a preserve with the state? If so those usually carry strict land use rules and in exchange there is a tax abatement. Call the state nature preserve people and ask the can and cants of that parcel. You may find that hunting is not allowed or there is strict requirements around it.

Secondly. Go and talk to the owner. Inform him of the problems you've been having. He may not know his brother or whoever is causing issues. Post your property boundary so it's clear. If he rips the signs down that's just more proof of his intent to willfully trespass and removes the "I didn't know" excuse.

3. Quit leaving the stands for them to take back. Take pictures of their location before removal and keep them, hit them in the pocket book. Anything placed on your land is legally yours. Once the idiot reveals himself get the law involved.

 

[Bigcountry40]

You said it's a nature preserve. Is it registered as a preserve with the state? If so those usually carry strict land use rules and in exchange there is a tax abatement. Call the state nature preserve people and ask the can and cants of that parcel. You may find that hunting is not allowed or there is strict requirements around it.

Secondly. Go and talk to the owner. Inform him of the problems you've been having. He may not know his brother or whoever is causing issues. Post your property boundary so it's clear. If he rips the signs down that's just more proof of his intent to willfully trespass and removes the "I didn't know" excuse.

3. Quit leaving the stands for them to take back. Take pictures of their location before removal and keep them, hit them in the pocket book. Anything placed on your land is legally yours. Once the idiot reveals himself get the law involved.

Its not technically a registered preserve, but the owners have animal rehabilitation center in the front and they never allowed hunting in their woods and had a sign calling it a "preserve" made out of pallet wood 20 years ago lol. We took pics of the stands and camera and have never gave any of the stands back, we currently have two stands sitting in the pasture that we took down. I have always had a policy of not bothering the land owners and did not want to draw attention to my hunting area, but we are waiting to hear back from the "preserve" owners and find out if it even was their brother. I really think it has to be people with permission from the "preserve" owners, no one would be that stupid to put a camera and stand in that obvious of a spot if they were trespassing.

 

[xbowguy]

I don't do well with trespassers, so it's probably best not to follow my advice... lmao

I'm in the same boat. Had a bad experience with one in my driveway awhile ago. I'm glad nobody can prove what I said that day.

 

[MK111]

Sorry to hear of your problem. I had the same issues when I bought my farm in 1991. All I hear from the rabbit dog trespassers was 'I've been hunting this farm for 30 yrs'. I told them couple time 'not anymore'. Then they would stay on the adjoining property and let the 2 beagles run my farm. I caught the 2 beagles one day and held them for 1 hour. They kept calling the dogs but never came on the property. Then I called to the 2 guys 'I caught your dogs, and the next time I'll shoot them and keep the electronic collars'.
They must have believed me and never seen them back again.
Like they guy said hit them in their pockets and they should wise up. Most trespassers are just cheap asses.

 

[Bigcountry40]

So I had the pleasure of speaking to the Preserve land owner and his cousin, who the landowner (Bill) gave permission to hunt. They were not happy that we took down their stand and camera even though it was on our property, Bill suggested that my cousin and I stay out of the woods altogether because we only own 20 yards. I politely but firmly told him to pound sand and we eventually came to an agreement that nothing will change and both of us may enter the others property to recover a deer. But in speaking with Bill he also advised me that his cousin has put up 4 tree stands(some our literally 10 foot off the ground lol) basically all on the back 25 of the 50 acres woods. This will ruin the hunting for the most part and I tried to explain in detail scent control, how to enter exit and how the deer move/travel in that woods; I was better off talking to my 18 month old boys lol. I just find it very ballzy that you have the nerve to put up no trepassing sign every 10' in the woods and then literally set up a stand 2 foot from one on our side of the property facing our corn fields. His excuses and rhetoric were all bullshit and he basically just is trying to control every thing for his cousin/family. Oh well I wonder how he will feel about the permanent stands that will be going up for the 1st time next year now that we have come to a agreement.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I just find it very ballzy that you have the nerve to put up no trepassing sign every 10' in the woods and then literally set up a stand 2 foot from one on our side of the property facing our corn fields.

I've dealt with this at our farm. Property gets leased, lessor decides to post it every 25' feet, including hanging signs on trees clearly on our side of the fence, then proceeds to hunt close enough to the line they can spit on it. Meanwhile I have a one stand, that has been there for 10 years, that is even remotely close to the line, despite having 1,900' of shared property line. It screws me too on the scent control front as it gets hunted on a S wind, which then blows all the scent on to our farm and makes it such that I should not hunt our ridge top when someone is on the line. It effectively scraps 20 acres of our 80 when this happens.

Sorry to hear of your frustrations. I know I can sympathize.

 

[MK111]

Sorry for your discussion with the owner went like that. The worst thing is to give up and let them run all over you. Ever think of taking a gun with you and every time you see them hunting too close start target shooting? Not at them of course.

 

[hickslawns]

At least you spoke and have an understanding. The door has been opened. Maybe with further conversation it will lead to you educating them which will help all parties.

The stand on the property line FACING your property? That one would be tough to swallow. Recovering deer off each other's property is one thing. Shooting across the line takes it too far. Time to unleash your weiner dogs on him and bite his ankles off! Haha

 

[finelyshedded]

Dang man! Sorry to hear this! At least you talked to them and y'all know each other now and where you stand. Still sorry to hear this....

 

[rsmith]

Wow, terriable situation to hear about going on. Kind of got the same thing going on right now with just stupid neighbors. But don't let it get the best of you, maybe put up a red neck blind style permanent elevated blind/tower set up in a spot if you can. It just sucks about other people not being on the same level of understand about eithical and smart hunting. The deer will learn to skirt around his stands though and should hopefully draw them to a different opening where you can put in a tower stand set up. Sorry to hear about that though man just don't let them get the best of you.