Thanks for your thoughts. Better try one camera out before I buy a bunch more. And perhaps the approach of getting it to send to a remote hard drive is a good one too.
sorry you lost your favorite dog too. Sounds really terrible.
What to do about persistent poachers?
- Thread starter Kdawg
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
sorry you lost your favorite dog too. Sounds really terrible.
I wish the local game wardens were aggressive in sending a signal that this behavior is not acceptable, but very lax enforcement of landowner protection laws has been their trend. Every time I have evidence I have presented it in a neat package to them and at best it has gotten a warning. I guess I’ll keep trying and plan out the civil lawsuit Avenue a little more. It’s just that running a pro se (self represented) lawsuit is tremendously time consuming and draining; that I’d rather spend with my children, wife or out in nature/rehabbing my farm.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks for your reply and thoughts. I agree that more hunters is definitely a good approach.Set up and hunt exactly where they hunt. It's your land, hunt as they hunt, hunt on your property right under their stands and have no regrets. Sh*t on their tree stands, throw gear oil all around their stands that are on your property, Set up close to their stands without them knowing and take a shot early and scare the sh*t out of them. I did that a few years ago to a guy that was hunting too close to me, maybe 50 yards away. I was in the stand earlier and then he came in to his stand, had no idea I was there. I took a random shot at daybreak. Never saw the guy again. And he left his stand for me to take.
Game warden involvement is key but their generally not interested in property rights, more toward the poaching aspect. Another idea is to deputize a group of hunters that you invite onto the property. Advertise 400 acres for hunting and there will be calls. Deputize them all as watch dogs on the property as they hint for free. The farm I hunt in the catskills had that system. 300 acres and 13 hunters. We all had the owners permission and all had a piece of paper with a number and all of our names. If somebody was seen in the woods, we all knew we were able to be asked our number to match against the list. If not on there, they were told to leave. If the didn't leave, 13 hunters were after the guy in a heartbeat. It worked for years. Now the grandson has a very few people on the farm and as a result, there have been more invaders and poachers.
Random barbed wire in the woods works too. I've walked into that in the dark plenty of times on the old farm.
these guys are more of the make illegal 4:30 am drives, and shoot them on a property they own. But yeah, old barbed wire does stick around for a long time…
go buy some konnibear 440 leg hold traps set them in areas where they tend to trespass prior to doing this put out a blurb in the local paper and hunting stores notifying all concerned that you are setting traps for coyotes (if allowed in your area) one of them will step into one of the traps and end up with a broken ankle or worse.... tough ****. as long as you have proof that you were trapping for pest animals (you advertised in the paper and local hunting stores) and you use a commercial trap not some hodgepodge contraption that is questionable the worse that anybody can say to you is that you should have used a smaller trap like the 330 vice the 440. the 440 is too big animals will smell it, see it and avoid it, through some leaves over it and listen for the screams.
It's called a dead man's gun. A gun from dead person that is essentially untraceable usually a shotgun works best
- Joined
- May 13, 2014
- Messages
- 710
- Reaction score
- 677
Sorry to hear about your dog.
Really unfortunate how much of a headache one group of inconsiderate neighbors can be for another. Best of luck and it sounds like you have a nice farm.
Really unfortunate how much of a headache one group of inconsiderate neighbors can be for another. Best of luck and it sounds like you have a nice farm.
thenne1713
ArboristSite Guru
REPORT TO/ BECOME FRIENDS WITH LOCAL GAME WARDEN; may take them some time to find the time/ opportunity/ evidence to CATCH your offenders, but judging by TV shows, there can be some stiff penalties and Jail time?
Although I hate the idea of kowtowing, it's the only way. Starting a 'war' with the neighbours does no one any good in the long term and will ruin your experience of living up there.
The Nor Way
MAC 10-10
If you can buy a 400 acre farm (1.2 to 4.8 million $ all wooded to at good farm land...but prices are nuts right now in MN probably different there one way or the other) you will get alot of jealous people who think it's unfair that you have it and not them.....that sucks....but that's this crazy thing called life......anyway.....
Talk to the local cops find out who likes to hunt but has no land and invite them to hunt on your land like it's theirs then say "Oh and by the way these guy(names and addresses) poach here. So you'll want to put up signs and cameras." Your new friends for life will watch you ass and it won't cause you any(as much) pain or cost you any money!
Talk to the local cops find out who likes to hunt but has no land and invite them to hunt on your land like it's theirs then say "Oh and by the way these guy(names and addresses) poach here. So you'll want to put up signs and cameras." Your new friends for life will watch you ass and it won't cause you any(as much) pain or cost you any money!
while you are probably correct...buts its not nearly as satisfying as hearing them scream when they get their foot caught in a leghold trap.
The Nor Way
MAC 10-10
But will you like hearing yourself of one of your family scream when they return the favor??? He wants to live in peace not in fear....sounds like they out number him and he's non-violent(as per first post)
chill out francis, you are taking this back and forth entirely to seriously. Learn when people are tossing jokes back and forth onlline, your blood pressure will thank you.
edited for clarity: I read the OP's post I tossed out a tongue in cheek joke answer and this retread goes all serious. But to strictly answer you... I would go hunting and their would be a hunting accident and that would end the issue as it would be brought up they are poaching and I would claim innocent, simply a bad hunter they would be trespassing and accidentally shot. I highly doubt they even bother to wear safety orange...most poachers do not. that alone would clear me. so go outside and play hide and go seek with yourself.
I get the joke, Ken. Reminds me of the watermelon conundrum:
Farmer has a problem with people stealing watermelons. So he posts a sign that says “one of these watermelons has been poisoned” The farmer is pretty proud of himself till he returns the following day where he finds the sign has been changed: “TWO of these watermelons has been poisoned.”
Big Daddy
ArboristSite Operative
I understand your non-violent nature, but if someone shot my dog/ "best friend", I would be very tempted to shoot them, and would have had I seen it. That being said, I surely would in fact spend the money to catch these POS/poachers knowing they are the culprits who shot my dog and have them jailed.
So sorry to hear of you losing your BF to scum.
So sorry to hear of you losing your BF to scum.
Big Daddy
ArboristSite Operative
Let me just say this, to many people around this globe little dogs are like their children, I know mine is. So just hearing about this boils my blood.
Yea I agree. It's crazy to even think guys could be so disrespectful. Like I said in another thread if your trespassing that must be where you want to be buried. Maybe I watch to much rifleman, bonanza, Gunsmoke, and wagon train lol. Steal a horse or trespass was the most heinous crimes of the day punishable by death
On our property we have the ph numbers of the guys who have property around us and if we shoot a deer that goes on their property we call 1st for permission. There all good guys but it's the right thing to do and they do the same.
nygrappler
ArboristSite Lurker
Skip the retaliation. It will only cause you legal issues and result in escalating the situation.
1. Put the No Trespassing signs up at appropriate height per the game warden. Hide cameras near/above to document them ignoring them and/or removing them. Also, put a second set of No Trespassing signs up higher on the same tree to magnify your point to game warden/law enforcement.
2. As stated, have your attorney send certified letters to these families advising them they are not welcome on your land and if they are found, will be prosecuted both criminally and civilly to the fullest extent of the law.
3. As many have stated, invite some other law-abiding hunters (especially law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and other respected community members) to your property who will respect your wishes and act as watch dogs. Advise them of the activities involving these criminals driving your property pre-dawn. The folks you invite to hunt will be motivated to be up early to keep this from occurring as it will drive the same deer off your property that they are hunting.
Sorry about your dog. Avoid retaliation as it will result in you becoming the focal point of law enforcement.
1. Put the No Trespassing signs up at appropriate height per the game warden. Hide cameras near/above to document them ignoring them and/or removing them. Also, put a second set of No Trespassing signs up higher on the same tree to magnify your point to game warden/law enforcement.
2. As stated, have your attorney send certified letters to these families advising them they are not welcome on your land and if they are found, will be prosecuted both criminally and civilly to the fullest extent of the law.
3. As many have stated, invite some other law-abiding hunters (especially law enforcement, first responders, veterans, and other respected community members) to your property who will respect your wishes and act as watch dogs. Advise them of the activities involving these criminals driving your property pre-dawn. The folks you invite to hunt will be motivated to be up early to keep this from occurring as it will drive the same deer off your property that they are hunting.
Sorry about your dog. Avoid retaliation as it will result in you becoming the focal point of law enforcement.
If your planning to be passive then start by disrupting them in their home life and the areas they enter through, bulldoze your property line creating a road or fire break so a 4 wheeler or truck can drive through at will and give clear line of sight for cams. Planting specific species of plants can have a huge impact on ones ability or choices to stay out of areas. Go into those areas of your property often and make lots of noise like shooting, tannerite etc at weird times like midnight in those areas. have those sections logged and put in livestock with a very juiced up electric fence on the property line. You can even move trailers or tiny homes into those areas and rent them out to tenants or vacationers. You can also get fake bird nests, hornets nests, bird houses etc to hide cameras in the most active sections, use repeaters if you go wireless so loss of signal is not a issue. Even a few ring style cameras where you can activate sounds and speak to the trespassers will send the message. More than likely these people will be friends/family with the local law enforcement and fire/ems. I would get a lawyer involved to establish building multiple cases at the same time and be prepared to go after the county for not enforcing the laws or prosecuting. I would get 3-4 large dogs like german shepards or akitas and never be without a side arm.
Maybe it’s a jealousy thing. The family has holdings of 1700acres within a 3mile radius but other than baiting deer illegally they do nothing for their habitat and nutrition and the deer look different on my land. And that, more than just the land, is what they want without the expensive inputs; could be wrong.
I got a “deal” on this place… that being it was well under 1 mil, had been on the market for 12 years, all the buildings had open roofs, foundation problems and major structural problems, and the previous owners had mental health issues and hoarded. I’m still hauling off truckloads of their “finds”. All of the buildings had structural damage from being overloaded with junk. Fields were plowed but not harrowed, overgrown with small brush and lots of fencing debris on the fence lines. Every aspect including a crazy neighbor takes away from value and so I could afford it. The offending family could have purchased it based on the money they have spent since then on property. Damn lot of work and equipment and time but it’s making progress. Maybe they are jealous of that? Who knows.
Similar threads
