NEED YOUR ADVICE!!

[MILLER TIME]

I live on an acreage that I own that is surrounded by about 200 acres of grass, gravel pit and swamp land. The owner wants to sell it and has given me a chance at buying it but I am sure after the appraisal I wont be able to afford it! So the next in line is pheasants forever. Please don't get me wrong about this but I don't want hunters in my back yard with slug guns. I am a very avid hunter myself but there is responsible hunters and very irresponsible ones as well. I have a dog and 2 young children that I worry about. Does anybody know if I have any rights here besides the 500 foot boundary? Is there anyway that I can protect my family besides forking over a lot of money just to keep us safe? How does this affect the value of my home? I am all for public land but not at the risk of my family. please any advise or comments welcome.

[expl]

If you are so worried about irresponsible people hunting near your home how are you ever able to leave your house?These type of people whether they have guns or not exist in everyday life doing all sorts of dumb things.Drunk drivers,texting drivers,rapist's and murders,dont forget burglars,aggressive dogs,icy sidewalks,the list could go on forever.If your so paranoid about people shooting guns or huntng on land that isnt even public land yet then I suggest you build a bombshelter and take your family and go live in it,there you will be safe from pretty much any harm imaginable.

[shortfatguy]

500 foot boundary?

Pretty sure it can be hunted to the property line. The 500 foot thing is for public right of ways. Not public or private land boundaries.

[Jameson]

500 foot boundary?

Pretty sure it can be hunted to the property line. The 500 foot thing is for public right of ways. Not public or private land boundaries.

Not land boundaries, but we got to be 500 feet from a residence (house) to shoot guns unless you are on property you own. If you are on property you own their is no rule about how far from a home you need to be to shoot a gun. Best to read it in the regs, as I am sure what I wrote is not 100% accurate.

Edit: I did attempt to apply to hunt in a city once where we did indeed need to hunt 500 feet from any property line due to city ordinance. Most properties in the city were unhuntable.

[Jameson]

...Is there anyway that I can protect my family besides forking over a lot of money just to keep us safe?...

Money makes the world go around, unless you can do the work yourself.

What can you do with YOUR land?

Build a berm on the edge and/or plant trees to stop bullets.

Move to the city.

Go on vacation during gun seasons.

[MILLER TIME]

Expl. I guess you have know idea on this topic or have any useful information about anything. So keep your s--t to yourself. For everyone else thanks. I was also thinking about a fast growing tree hedge.

[leech~~]

Expl. I guess you have know idea on this topic or have any useful information about anything. So keep your s--t to yourself. For everyone else thanks. I was also thinking about a fast growing tree hedge.

More edge trees and some nice big bright No Hunting-Trespassing signs posted higher so they can be seen a good ways back along your line. The really scary ones work to keep me away! As I don't want to meet up with the crazy that owns it!

[mechanictim]

If you can't afford the whole two hundred acres maybe just buy the area right around your property. You could then fence it and rent it out as pasture to someone with horses or cattle during the fall months. That would give you some additional distance between any hunters and your house and yard.

[expl]

You asked for advice bigshot.Poor you there may end up being public land next door.You sound pretty knowledgable about irresponsible hunters,is it possible you are or once were a member of their group?When you ask for advice you may or may not like what you get,sorry,but you asked for it.By the reaction you gave to the advice YOU asked for ,its quite possible the hunters should be more worried about you,your a parnoid rage filled individual.Good luck.I hope to H-ll they find a way to buy all the land around your piece leaving you with a mere driveway approach,better watch out when you check the mail all types of hazards out there-cars,slugs,bicylcles,snakes,stray cats and dogs,rusty metal,the list is endless.

[nofishfisherman]

expl, If you don't have anything helpful to add to the discussion why not move along. He asked for advice but I'm not sure what you have offered would qualify as advice.

Miller Time, if you aren't able to purchase the land you will probably be low on options. Whether the land is opened up to the public or if a single individual purchases the land there is always the potential to have problems. I've run into enough bad neighbors to know that one bad individual neighbor can sometimes be far worse than public land as a neighbor. At least if a group like pheasants forever purchases the land you know that the land won't change and you'll only have to deal with hunters for part of the year.

If the land does open up to public hunting keep in mind that it also opens it up for you to hunt and enjoy everyday. You may occasionally run into an one-who-thinks-I-am-silly in the field but that happens every where, even on internet forums, but its also usually the exception rather than the norm.

If you aren't able to purchase all of the land you may want to offer to purchase a buffer around your property. This could be a good idea whether its an individual that buys it or if its bought by Pheasants Forever. It helps buffer you from whatever may happen with the land. The buffer can be planted with trees to give you some extra privacy.

[brittman]

I would fence the perimeter of your property that borders the public land and post heavily. Then mow a 6' strip along the fence and plant evergreens next to the mowed strip. This will create a rather nice buffer.

[NoWiser]

Miller Time, I can totally understand your concern. I would be worried too if I were in your shoes, especially when I started seeing groups line up to do drives. People seem to get tunnel vision when a deer jumps up and the shooting starts.

On one hand I agree with the planting of evergreens. On the other hand, people may not realize there is a house behind them and a slug can easily pass through the branches.

I love to see more public land for all to enjoy, but I can definitely sympathize with your situation. I'd probably just move to the basement if I saw an orange army congregating on the public land.

[Bear55]

I wouldn't worry about it, why live in fear? I'd say your land next to public land is a good thing, wish I had 200 of public out my back door.

[BLACKJACK]

MillerTime, sounds like a 20-40 acre buffer strip all the way around would be your best bet. Check with NRCS about what programs the land may be eligible for, that would help defray the cost. Also check with Fish and Wildlife service, see if the land you buy would qualify for an easement, which would defray the cost.

Also consider that someone else may like the idea of 200 acres of hunting land out their back door, raising the value. Sell it at a premium and then find a different place.

Good luck!!