found evidence of Possible trespasser/poacher on my land.

[hobgob]

So I just got back from a weekend of deer hunting here in KS. It was a good time. Saw a few young bucks and plenty of does, decided not to harvest a doe yet.
Now to the point: here is the situation, it is My second day hunting, between morning and afternoon hunts. I go to investigate a permanent tree stand that my dad and I built about 7 years ago to see what its condition was and if it was stable enough to hunt out of. The stand is about 260 yards from our southern property line. The first thing I notice when I get into the stand is 6 empty nickle .30-30 shells that are so damn shiny im suprised they were still hot. No one who has permission to hunt on our land has hunted this stand in years. Further more, none of us use .30-30 for deer. I collect the shells and investigate the area for footprints. Ground was too hard to show any prints I guess cuz there were none. I go to check out the fence on our southern property line and find out that the summers floods have knocked parts of it down and there is a well trodden path that leads straight into our fields. Aside from some jerk being a bad shot, he has been hunting on my land without permission and poaching deer or other game.
My plan: I already have an idea of who the culprits may be. However, just to be sure I am going to hold onto the spent cases and put up trail cameras on the southern property line next to this path and at our gate to catch a photo of a license plate or face. Turn them into the authorities.

Sorry, I had to rant somewhere! This kind of thing really makes me angry.
Anyone here had this problem? how did you deal with it?

BTW, This is not the first fishy happening on our land. I ran into a guy on our property during turkey season 2 years ago. there was a lack of communication between some of the other parties hunting on our property> I knew there was going to be a friend hunting on our western fields, but not exactly where. Anyway, I was walking to my stand and to my dismay, someone is in it. they wave to me, so i assume it is my friend and back off. I find out later that it was not any of our hunting party.
Also last month someone jacked around with one of our boats as well.

We do have quite a few no trespassing and no hunting signs posted on our property lines.

 

[WardenWolf]

Is trapping legal in your area? Post some trap signs and be done with it. I guarantee that'll keep them out.

 

[Sinixstar]

I'd suggest a more overt approach - rather then just being sneaky and putting up cameras and trying to catch people in the act.

It sounds like word has gotten around a bit that "oh yea - you can head over down this way, through the broken fence, and it's a great place to hunt..."

I'd work on getting the fence fixed, putting up some (more) signs - and making it as painfully clear as possible that it's private land....

 

[homers]

Also post private property, no trespassing signs on every stand you have on your property.

 

[hobgob]

I forgot to mention that the fence fixing was a part of that plan too. However, fences are easily hopped.

 

[Eagles6]

Why don't you post it? If adjoining properties allow hunting someone may wander on to your land without realizing it. Also could be some a$$ who doesn't care. Just put "No Hunting" signs along the property lines. You can put up game cameras to see if anyone ignores the signs.

 

[hobgob]

we do have signs posted on our gate and property lines

 

[jaholder1971]

Bring along a can of purple paint and paint every third fencepost. In KS it's as good as a No Tresspassing sign and lasts longer.

 

[bejay]

would just make sure its posted well like every 100 yards you may be able to use purple paint, and fix the fence while a fence can be crossed its much more likely to be crossed when its laying down if it is not posted near by.
if you see someone on your property confront them find out who they are and tell them its private property and they are not allowed to hunt on it whether you turn them in is really up to you but generally a warning to do so is all thats needed.
game cameras could get stolen and who ever you catch on the camera is only useful if you do know them or are able to find out who it is.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

I have no use for trespassers and/or poachers. I have confiscated stands on my property and leased property before.

The best thing you can do is stay within the law as far as posting it, with the required amount of signs, paint, etc.

Worst feeling in the world is to be stalking or slipping, and realize someone may be on the property illegally. Especially if they shoot at movement and sound without being certain of a target.

I caught two coming out of the area I use as a target area one day. I have signs up, one of them had been told at least twice to stay off the property. Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[CSA 357]

IFyou dont hunt it, someone will! thats sad, but so true

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

First of all, possible? That's beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Second, you have to ask yourself "What is my goal?" If your goal is simply to STOP further trespassing, then just repair the fence and post a lot of signs and see whether that solves the problem - that's the quickest surest way - this will probably solve the problem. OTOH, if your main goal is retribution, then follow through on your plan with the trail cameras and whatnot. But you have to think through what the *mostly honest* trespasser is thinking to himself: "I'm an honest guy, but there's no signs AND no fence, so obviously, it's ok to trespass - if the owner didn't think this is fine, then he/she would repair the fence and/or post signs." Repair the fence and 97% of people will stay out, even those a little shady looking for greener grass on the other side.

 

[buck460XVR]

1.) sounds like the neighbor watched too many deer walk by an empty tree stand.


2.) from the amount of brass you found, odds are he'll be back.


3.) the fence being down may be why the deer cross there. It's an old trick we have used for years...... to lower the top strand of wire to make any easy spot for them to cross.


I'd talk to the neighbor across the fence. The access to your stand is obviously coming from his side. It may not be him, but may be someone he has given permission to.

 

[Art Eatman]

Talking to neighbors is good. That gets the word to any person who's fence-jumping without the neighbor's knowledge. (Always begin with the idea that the neighbor is a Good Guy about that sort of thing.) "Somebody's coming across your land to get to mine; I thought you oughta know."

While it eats into your time, being seen patrolling along your fence lines is good. Just driving along or riding an ATV along the fence line or near to it tends to discourage would-be poachers. Jeeping around the pastures and along my woods road was a regular evening deal for me...

 

[saltydog452]

Using running dogs to chase the game into a ROW or un-posted land is just as bad. Can't arrest dogs though.

salty

 

[ilovebubbles]

when i was a young man here in Oklahoma you could go out and get permission almost any were, now every one wants money so i just dont hunt no more you got land a house and a nice car,but thats not enough,i guess you dont play well with others.

 

[Thin Black Line]

I've dealt with this on properties in two different states over the years.

Quite frankly, you can't put it to a stop until you catch the person in the
act or soon enough after the act with clear evidence so you can make a
good official report. For me it was a gut pile and foot prints in the snow
leading straight back to the person's house when I finally made a report to
DNR. It was the same person, a neighbor, I had known who did it in the past
and who I had Art's friendly "indirect" conversation with once followed by
a more direct conversation twice more after that. They didn't give a cr@p
until it was official.

I understand there are some different cultural things where ppl didn't see a
sign "so it must be ok out on the commons", but I've seen this continue after
it was made clear that it wasn't. "Aw, shucks" don't cut it after that. When
the person continues to do it anyway it just shows they couldn't give a
cr@p about respecting their neighbor in the first place. Let's get real, there
isn't any open land out there. It's all owned by someone.

9 out of 10 of my incidents were ppl who bordered right on my property.
But, I also had a few ppl who would drive in from elsewhere.

You have to have presence and you have to be seen --a lot.

BTW, I NEVER had to point my weapon at anyone to get the point across,
but I was threatened and one of my other neighbors had a weapon pointed
at him by a poacher on his property. There was a lot of nastiness I won't
get into.

So understand that presence may involve risk.

 

[alsaqr]

One of our places had chronic poacher/trespasser problems. Every landowner in that area had the same problem until a brand new Dodge diesel pickup belonging to trespassing deer hunters was destroyed by fire on an adjacent property. No more tresspass problems.

 

[indoorsoccerfrea]

man, those random tragic and totally accidental fires....

 

[mcwjr13]

1) report it to fish and game
2) document every occurrence
3) move or remove the stand in question

Be Careful!

 

[john1911]

when i was a young man here in Oklahoma you could go out and get permission almost any were, now every one wants money so i just dont hunt no more you got land a house and a nice car,but thats not enough,i guess you dont play well with others.

Something stopping you from buying your own, or do you think landowners owe you hunting?

 

[HB]

you got land a house and a nice car,but thats not enough,i guess you dont play well with others.

I know, I just shiver when people say they'd shoot at somebody in their house, I mean, share the wealth.... Oh wait. Not everybody that owns land is rich and the ones that are probably are because they WORK hard. My family has 40 acres of good hunting and recreational land, but both my parents work (ones a parole officer, the other works for a doctor recruiting firm). After I get out of college, I plan on making a purchase around their farm as well.

HB

 

[fireman 9731]

a "no hunting/trespassing" sign right on the deer stand may be effective. as well as a personal note of some kind. type or write it out, laminate it, and put it up in the stand. A personal note could be very, very effective. just mention that its your land, you know he has been there before, you have documented it and plan on notifying the authorities. you can be a friendly or assertive as you want. either way, it will probably scare the crap out of him and he will tell his buddies. They will all get the hint and things will be taken care of.

 

[Rembrandt]

I use a combination of chains, locked gates, live cameras, fake cameras, signs, and word of mouth....."trespass and your photo gets sent to the county attorney".

 

[Geno]

I see the whole matter in a different light. Trespassing is potentially deadly. One sneaks onto someone's land, hides out and goes largely unseen by others. The problem is that bullets are indiscriminate. The landowner or approved others run the risk of hitting the interloper by accident.