What to do with trespassers

I use my signage as a deterrent, especially the "No Trespassing" sign above the gate that they have to open to enter the property(unless, they cut fences). I had not had to take anyone to court and hope I don't. I make it so it would be hard for someone to say in court, "Oh, I didn't see the sign". My name goes on the signs, also, so they can't say, "Oh, we thought this was so and so's land."
 
I manage a public hunting area, and from the crap I have to put up with, I fully understand what landowners have to tolerate. I have had to padlock all of my gates, even the interior ones. On several occasions I have had turkey hunters open my interior gates and let the cattle out. I remember one time the cattle went south into the river and took a couple of weeks to collect. Another time they let the cattle out the SE corner, they walked a mile north and exited a cable gate, went two miles west, 1.5 miles south across a very busy highway, and the neighbor put them in his corral. All this on the day they were stocked in the pasture. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
 
pd your absolutely right it allboils down to respect and while their r sportsman who have respect their r those who do not. i don't mannage any land but hunt alot of private land and around here in this day and age it takes alot to get permission. i always try and either invite the landowner along ore offer to help fix fence or anything that he may need help with of course i live in a close nitt county and if your locall everyone knows you so word of mouth from one farmer to others really helps out also
 
With any trespasser I approach politiely and ask who they received permission from. Some folks are trying to be ethical and just got bad directions. Then I inform them whose land they are on and let them know that I can appreciate an honest mistake, but the next time the sherriff is coming out instead of me.

I'm not quick to start a confrontation with a guy who is standing there with a gun. I've also been on the receiving end enough time to know that it's often time an honest mistake. You get permsision from one brother, but he doesn't tell the other brother and you get yelled at. You get permission from the dad, but the son doesn't like it. You get permission from the farmer, but the tenant feels he has hunting rights or vice versa. One time one neighbor gave me permission to hunt his neighbors stuff (unbeknownst to me) because they were fueding with each other and he wanted to rile his neighbor up.
 
Posting Should Do the Trick

A few no hunting signs should keep out the hunters who believe it's OK to hunt anywhere that is not posted.
 
Out of staters always get the blame, but I think the locals are the worst at trepassing. They know the back way into everybodies land and they know about when church is letting out.
 
A lot of the locals sometimes think "Oh they will not mind if I go here". We are always very careful that we have permission even if we know them and think it will be ok.
 
I say fry them all!!!! I have caught over 200 people in the last 4 years and I am sick of it. I work way to hard and spend way to much money for other people that don't have permission and act like they don't know what they did wrong (and everyone of them do)to mess up my hunting ground.

A good ass chewing and the game warden didn't do the trick I had a group of guys hunting my sanctuary 2 years ago ( i haven't even hunted that spot in 6 years)I stopped them and called the game warden we both chewed their ass big time. And low and behold this year the same 5 guys were in the same spot, and so I pressed charges.

In my dealings with tresspassers a ass chewing is just like a slap on the wrist for breaking a law, you don't get a slap on the wrist if you get caught with to many birds or pulled over for dui.

As far as posting the land I post the hell out of it but that doesnt seem to matter either unless there is a sign on every fence post they just say I didn't see the sign, but in SD it doesn't have to be posted, so my suggestion is learn the laws for where you are gonna be hunting and know where you can and can't be. Wether you are a local or a nonresident. LEARN IT,LOVE IT,LIVE IT, everyone else has to.
 
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ford said:
I say fry them all!!!! I have caught over 200 people in the last 4 years and I am sick of it. I work way to hard and spend way to much money for other people that don't have permission and act like they don't know what they did wrong (and everyone of them do)to mess up my hunting ground.

A good ass chewing and the game warden didn't do the trick I had a group of guys hunting my sanctuary 2 years ago ( i haven't even hunted that spot in 6 years)I stopped them and called the game warden we both chewed their ass big time. And low and behold this year the same 5 guys were in the same spot, and so I pressed charges.

In my dealings with tresspassers a ass chewing is just like a slap on the wrist for breaking a law, you don't get a slap on the wrist if you get caught with to many birds or pulled over for dui.

As far as posting the land I post the hell out of it but that doesnt seem to matter either unless there is a sign on every fence post they just say I didn't see the sign, but in SD it doesn't have to be posted, so my suggestion is learn the laws for where you are gonna be hunting and know where you can and can't be. Wether you are a local or a nonresident. LEARN IT,LOVE IT,LIVE IT, everyone else has to.
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FORD, I'm with you on this. Especially with the interests of the public and the violators ruining it for all I think a tough love approach is what is required. Sometimes I think folks are just looking for anyone to give them permission to anyones property just so they can say they got it.

My customers certainly won;t excuse they fact that they are paying for a certain number of days of rest on the ground before they get there and they don't need anyone disturbing it for them.

Boy, you must have really good hunting to catch 200 people in that short of time. Where did you say that was located again......?:D
 
I own a fair amount land. At one time I was like many of you..possive as all hell about my hunting property. I'm just not like that anymore. As I watch people charging $100.00 to $500.00 a day per gun to hunt. It sadden's me to see many people I know who hunted their whole life, hanging it up because of cost and lack of access. I see their kids growning up doing other things instead of hunting. Our voice is now carrying less and less power with out elected. This mine, mine, mine....money, money, money atmospher in our hunting world. Is signing our death notice. Yes, you may have secured your own hunting by buying up property and posting it, but have you really?

Many see our newly elected as our biggest enemy with gun rights & hunting. But IMO we are helping them by limiting or preventing others who would have help support our right to own guns and hunt from having access and affording to go. Give me hell if you like, but without a voice that comes in numbers. that hunting land and the guns you so love have little chance against a growning non hunting, non gun owning population.

I know my neighbors hunt our property we don't live on. They do no damage, throw no garbage out. Etc. I leave them alone and enjoy to see their young kids who are growing each year as I drive by....I don't even know them and have never met them. Just knowing those kids have that place to explore and hunt, gives me a good feeling..because there not on the streets doing God knows what.

Maybe try it sometime, it is a good feeling to see a dad and his kids enjoying what it is becoming a dieing past time.

I have been diagnosed with a disease that will most likely take my ability to walk or hold my gun...let me tell you. When this happens..you will have a whole new outlook on whats really important. Give a kid a chance..let him spend some time with his pops...it will be something that you can take with you for some time to come.

Take Care, onpoint
 
Onpoint, I hope what ever you have is manageable. Or they find a cure for it. I think I know what it is and they have been working on it for a long time.---Bob
 
Thanks for your post onpoint. It was very moving. We hunters owe a debt of gratitude to landowners like you.
 
Thank you all for the kind words

I have something I'm working on that will still let me be involved with hunting & fishing but not so much in the field. It will allow me to continue to be involved with the love of my life at my own pace as I feel up to it

Take care onpoint
 
moellermd said:
So what is the best way to deal with guys who trespass on land that is not yours but don't have permission to be there.
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Nothing a knife and 5 seconds won't fix....they will have plenty of time to think about it when they are trying to figure out how to get to town with two flat tires due to cut valve stems.:) Or if ya have time and they are parked on your land go get a grain cart and box them in and make them call to get it moved....I would say $500 would do it.:)

Permission ain't that hard to ask for....heck even in ND with unposted land I try to find the owner before entering it.
 
goose_caller said:
Permission ain't that hard to ask for....heck even in ND with unposted land I try to find the owner before entering it.
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That's my policy as well. I've been invited to hunt posted land several times because I had enough courtesy to ask permission on the unposted stuff. As with most things in life when you act like a gentleman you're usually treated like a gentleman.
 
Hub; As with most things in life when you act like a gentleman you're usually treated like a gentleman.[/quote said:
You Sir are so right. The more we hunters treat the Landowners with the Respect they deserve. The more welcome we will be. I may carry it a step to far. I may have permission already. But I still stop by and check to see if they have family using it or cattle on the land that day. It just shows you care for their land and their rights.---Bob
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