Manners will get you far

Status
Not open for further replies.
Enfielder

Enfielder

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
407
Location
Finger Lakes, Ny
My gf lives on a small postage stamp of land surrounded by a private ski resort of which we are patrons and yearly ticket holders. There are more than ample white tails here before the snow flys. Much of the land in undeveloped and creates a perfect habitat for a hunter like me. Sweet, I thought, I’ve got a honey hole to shoot on and it’s not posted in any way.
My mistake is that I never sought permission. That is my bad and after reviewing the law, I am completely guilty of trespass. Mea Culpa. My decisions were based on New England’s laws and attitudes on private land use. If it’s not posted, you’re able to hunt/hike/exist on it legally unless asked to leave, which you then must. What I’m here to chat about is how I was treated by a person who leases the land around mine to hunt. I was moving a tree stand to a spot and doing some light scouting in a creek bottom that my sweetie recommended. This is a three minute walk from the back yard and a place I spend a lot of time in through the out the year. The kids fish the creek for chubs and I dream of the dream buck to step out.
Today, there was a truck parked on the edge of the land down the road 125 yards from the house. I took a walk to drop my stand and I was approached by a guy who was making bee-line to me. He then proceeded to berate and yell at me for being on HIS lease (which it was) and was quite the a** to me. I tried to de-escalate his attitude and he just kept going.

I don’t suffer BS for very long. I know when I’m wrong and I was but I don’t deserve to be yelled and **** talked by a guy who spends two weekends of daytimes in what I consider my backyard extension on land that see zero use beside us and some ATV riding locals. I expressed that I lived here and that we were neighbors and that he could show some respect. Basically, this guy was a total ass and irrational and rude. I get it, he pays for the privilege to hunt but he does not pay nearly enough to be rude to me in my hood. He also threatened to have me arrested. That’s about when I lost my **** and told him to f** off. Nothing he did today in that situation will be good for him.

That being said, if you have a lease and you see someone on it and it’s not posted in the least bit, don’t be a jerk. Talk. Tell the person what the deal is. Being respectful goes both ways.
Now, I walk in my yard and can only think this wanker. My (secondary) weekday morning hunting spot at the comfort of my Gf’s home has been ruined by this rude toolbag. I admitted my wrong but I refuse to accept such disrespect in my neighborhood.
Needless to say, I’m now having all my boys peeing in bottles and saving it up for the magic night before opener. Just kidding, but damn if I didn’t think of it.
I imagine that there will be plenty of discussion here and some of you will have some co trashing opinions. Keep in mind, I do admit what I did wrong, but I never deserve to be treated poorly. I don’t care what you lease or own. Nothing gives you that right. Have some freaking manners.
 
As a rule, it is always time to use good manners until it isn't. And when it isn't is a whole 'nuther subject, but it's best to be judicious.

I suppose coming from the perspective of the fellow who pays good money to lease the land and finding a trespasser on "his" spot, you're the one with poor manners.

It's unfortunate the situation escalated. Land rights are one of those things that cause escalation quickly in my experience.

You trespassed, plain and simple. It's good to admit your mistake and move forward with knowledge won painfully. In this circumstance, it is not correct to fault the guy for being mad...or rude. My opinion.
 
Just for grins and giggles, from a non-hunter, how do you know where leased by others / forbidden hunting properties are? I know the old fashoned way of talking to the folks in nearby houses, or posting signs but when walking thru the woods, is there a sign every 20 feet along the property line? Signs are usually only on the access roads. Fences are a dead giveaway and I suppose they would be marked with posted signs too.

Are the lands marked in such a way that GPS's can know and show their location? Otherwise, how do you know tramping thru the woods hunting or not or just walking?

Do all woods wanderers now carry GPS? I do think it would be a good Idea for those who are directionally challenged.
 
Sometimes you will find trees painted or carved with boundary paint or markings. Sometimes old fences or rock walls are landmarks for property line (sometimes). Most of the time it's pretty hard unless the forest cover type changes abruptly that might signal a harvest up to the property line at one point. That said, if you're on private land....it behooves you to have a general sense of direction and boundaries.
 
PWC said:
Do all woods wanderers now carry GPS? I do think it would be a good Idea for those who are directionally challenged.
Click to expand...

pretty much. I don’t know the last time I’ve encountered someone in the woods without a phone.
 
My dad owns a good portion of land. It is posted. That doesn't keep people from invading his property to do all sorts of things, like grow the weed, dump things, and hunt. I have chased many off the property. Sometimes it isn't the intrusion that bothers the most. Its the not knowing someone is there while you are hunting or shooting and the danger it causes rather than the intrusion that causes heated words.
 
Let me guess, you're a Millennial....?

Incredible that you think you are automatically owed 'respect' and that the other guy is in YOUR 'hood'.

Yes, common courtesy is a good thing to practice (under normal circumstances). YOU should have been apologizing profusely, left with your tail tucked and chalked it up to 'lesson learned'. It is not enough to know/admit that you were in the wrong...then turn around and act all butt-hurt because someone set you straight.

You got off easy...if you ask me. Maybe things are different in the North-East...IDK. But if you'd trespassed on property pretty much anywhere in the South, then 'bowed up' to the person legally having access to it....you would have quickly learned another lesson I'd wager.
 
The correct thing to do would have been to contact the neighbor who does own that land and ask if you could hunt it, BEFORE you started hunting it. . If he said no, sorry, I lease that to <Name here> , end of discussion. Don't hunt that land. Maybe you might have asked if you could lease it when the other guy isn't there, etc. That at least might have kept the possibility of you hunting that land in the future open. Instead, in your bravado display in an attempt for "respect", you burnt that bridge forever. Respect is not something automatically given, it is earned. Your attempt to earn respect was no better than any street thug's, except they are usually smart enough to be on their own 'turf' when asserting such, you were not. As Flintknapper said, you should have been apologizing profusely, you might have earned the hunter's respect, and possibly the landowner's. I would not have blamed the hunter in the least had he contacted LE.
 
Flintknapper said:
Let me guess, you're a Millennial....?
Click to expand...

As one who deals with a lot of hunt lease holders….I promise you this extends across generational divide.

It is probably not surprising to you that people feel about trespassers similarly across geographic regions, too.

We’re all more similar than we want to believe. :)
 
MJD said:
As one who deals with a lot of hunt lease holders….I promise you this extends across generational divide.

It is probably not surprising to you that people feel about trespassers similarly across geographic regions, too.

We’re all more similar than we want to believe. :)
Click to expand...

Yes.

But its NOT the 'trespassing' I was alluding to. The sense of entitlement of 'respect' and the all too obvious feeling of having been insulted or disrespected. While not a hallmark of 'certain generations'....it is all too common among some. The reason I asked. It would explain a lot.
 
I'll agree to disagree, @Flintknapper. In my experience, entitlement is not confined to a generation and your specific reference to Millenials is not High Road standard. Certainly respect your right to have an opinion based on your own views....it just seems illogical to paint with a broad brush when self-interested behavior spans generations. That'll be the end of my commentary and we can agree that running up on someone else's hunting lease is universally a really poor idea....and poor manners to boot.
 
MJD said:
I'll agree to disagree, @Flintknapper. In my experience, entitlement is not confined to a generation and your specific reference to Millenials is not High Road standard. Certainly respect your right to have an opinion based on your own views....it just seems illogical to paint with a broad brush when self-interested behavior spans generations. That'll be the end of my commentary and we can agree that running up on someone else's hunting lease is universally a really poor idea....and poor manners to boot.
Click to expand...

Never said it was confined to one generation. Just more prolific in one or more. High Road Standard (I'll let the Mods decide that). Sometimes the truth is not flattering. Yes, agree with you about the trespassing/lease issue. Thank you for your input.
 
Enfielder said:
I don’t suffer BS for very long. I know when I’m wrong and I was but I don’t deserve to be yelled and **** talked by a guy who spends two weekends of daytimes in what I consider my backyard extension on land that see zero use beside us and some ATV riding locals. I expressed that I lived here and that we were neighbors and that he could show some respect. Basically, this guy was a total ass and irrational and rude. I get it, he pays for the privilege to hunt but he does not pay nearly enough to be rude to me in my hood. He also threatened to have me arrested. That’s about when I lost my **** and told him to f** off. Nothing he did today in that situation will be good for him.

That being said, if you have a lease and you see someone on it and it’s not posted in the least bit, don’t be a jerk. Talk. Tell the person what the deal is. Being respectful goes both ways.
Click to expand...


Where I live, land does not have to be posted. It's your responsibility to know where you are, and who owns the land or has the access rights to said land. If you do not have permission from that person, to be there, you are trespassing. Period. As a responsible and ethical hunter, not only do you need to know the game laws where you are at, but also the trespass laws. Period.

The minute you trespassed, you were the one being the "jerk", a total "ass and irrational and rude". He had every right to be ticked off. Don't matter if he's never there. If he pays for the right to be there and you don't... he's not the "bad" guy for being upset. Your presence there could have ruined his hunting opportunities and wasted one of his one or two weekends off from the job he has, that pays for his lease. Many hunters like to leave "good" spots alone without constant human intrusion. Having "neighbors" that think they have rights to be there, just because they have lift tickets to the area Ski hill, does not help create a "sanctuary" that so many hunters believe is necessary for a good spot. I've been on both sides of the fence in the 55 years I've been hunting, trespassers, for good reason, do not deserve "respect". If your feelings got hurt caused you got yelled at, maybe next time, show some respect for those who own the property and stay the 'ell off unless you have the proper permission. Buying a hunting license or living next door does not give you that permission. It was not the lease owner that needs to learn more manners. JMTCs.
 
Private property is private property, it you do not own it,lease it or have permission to be on it stay off of it.
Just because you live next to it means nothing.
The guy that chased you off the property pays for the use of that property and shouldn't have to worry about other people harassing the wildlife on that property.
He paid for the lease and has all the rights that go along with it.
A couple of spots where we hunt in Upstate New York there are property's that have hunting leases, on a couple of occasions there have been fist fights with trespassers.
Out here in Western Washington State duck & goose hunting is a big to do.
Between Snohomish and Monroe some one bought up a butt load of River front farms and sells duck & goose hunting leases.
They cost $20,000 a year, it you step one foot on any of that property you will be arrested for trespassing, second time you will get your azz beat by their private security.
People pay for the land use and don't want intruders on it at any time for any purpose.

I was told a couple of states if you did not have written permission to be on private property and were caught hunting on it you just acquired a felony ticket,
Trespassing with a deadly weapon.
When dealing with illegal trespassing things go go real bad/real fast.
Just because you live next to that property gives you no right to trespass on it for any reason.
You were the disrespectful one when you stepped off your rented property on to the leased property.
 
When I lived in Southern Michigan State ground for the most part is clearly marked. Recently I moved to Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. I found myself starting over in regards to hunting ground. There is a lot of State land here but not marked at all. I decided to download ON X hunt on my phone and it has been well worth the 35 bucks a year. It shows me exactly where I am and lists owner of private ground. Also I can drop waypoints and a lot of other cool things.
 
It was his hard earned money that paid for the hunting rights of that property plain & simple which equates to stay there hell off.
If I paid for a hunting lease which I never would I would be irate if I found some on the property acting like they have rights to it as well.
 
Many States, Wisconsin is one, a land owner does not need to "Post" his property to have you prosecuted for trespass if your on his land. Usually you will get a warning but not always.
 
I think we are done here, we post about manners and then we don't use them.

A reminder, we don't allow profanity, or spoofed profanity, so if the filter catches it, such as *******, don't post it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

drobs
Called the Sheriff on some Road Hunters last night.
2 3
Replies
74
Views
3K
RetiredUSNChief
RetiredUSNChief
H
  • Locked
This deer season has been somewhat vexing.
Replies
3
Views
575
Gunnerboy
G
P
  • Locked
What is the smallest amount of hunting land you would buy?
2
Replies
28
Views
5K
Charshooter
C
D
  • Locked
Access to hunting land, do we do it to ourselves?
2 3
Replies
61
Views
2K
PapaG
P
H&Hhunter
  • Locked
Bad hunting manners!
2 3
Replies
67
Views
4K
koja48
K
Back
Top