What would you do??

[stretch]

So I need your guys and gals input. So my uncle has 300 acres that I have permission to hunt with no houses on this land and the closest to the property line is about 1000 yards away but there is one thing. It's within city limits. So I looked up all the rules about hunting within city limits and it says no so I went and talked to the city police chief and told him about the land. He knows exactly where I was talking about and he said he didn't see a problem with me hunting it and if I were to get called in he wouldn't issue a citation. But here is the real kicker. When I got permission we were told no one else has permission so we started putting out stands and found deer stands on the land and ended up finding out who owned them. We told them that they couldn't be out there hunting cause they didn't have permission. When they found out they freaked out saying that if they couldn't hunt out there they would call me in every time and would take photos of us out there and bother the cops till they issue me a citation. I have talked to the neighboring land owners and they said they didn't care if I was bow hunting out there. Oh and also all this land is mainly farm fields with about 50 acres of woods.  

Now what would you guys do?? The police chief doesn't care nor do the deputies or the local game warden. Would you just cave and let them back on?

[eyeguy 54]

crazy,  sounds like they have been trespassing for a while. If you have permission, hunt away I say.   If you want to share with them, they should go and ask permission. 

[DonBo]

crazy,  sounds like they have been trespassing for a while. If you have permission, hunt away I say.   If you want to share with them, they should go and ask permission. 

​Yep, what he said.  ^ ^ ^

[nofishfisherman]

I would wait until the guy is out there hunting and then call the sheriff and have them issue a citation for trespassing.  Or go in there and remove all of his stands and drop them off at the sheriffs office with the guys name and phone number and tell the sheriff you collected these from someone trespassing on the private land.  Let the sheriff call the guy to inform him that he can come down to the station to pick up his tree stands along with his trespassing citation.

If they don't have permission to be in there you can't let them get away with making up the rules and calling the shots. You've already talked to the sheriff and he's on your side so I wouldn't give this guy an inch.

[eyeguy 54]

this day and age I would not mess with his equipment unless I owned the land. your first sentence makes good sense. 

[nofishfisherman]

He could have his uncle remove the stands then as he is the land owner.  His uncle would probably have to be the one to file trespass charges against the guy anyways.

[stretch]

we have already taken all of his stands down and we even talked to the dnr and he said go ahead and do it. also we  told him that he isn't allow on the property and my uncle has even talked to him. he just doesn't quit complaining and saying that we shouldn't be able to hunt out there cause its within city limits even though its 300 acres.

Edited June 13, 2015 by stretch

[nofishfisherman]

I saw let him squawk all he wants.  You've talked with the sheriff and cleared things with him so the guys complaints are going to fall on deaf ears.  I'm guessing he'll make a call or two and then lose interest and move on to another hunting spot.

[mrklean]

If you are good with the cops go ahead, my guess they are just trying to scare you off there trespassing spot.

[Wensel]

So the local Police don't care if you hunt the city limits???

My guess is MNDNR has trump over the local jurisdiction, to me its off limits to both parties.

 

[jstrommen13]

Also if he does come out and bother you at all the dnr can give him a citation for harassment

[stretch]

I have talked to  the police chief and he said that everything is ok and good luck this fall hunting out there. Also I have talked to the local conservation officer that patrols the area and he said that if the police chief didn't care then he wouldn't care. So needless to say I am ready for fall to come.

[Powerstroke]

The DNR has no say over where hunting is or is not legal as it pertains to city limits. Those rules are set by each locale. That is why you contact the city/township when determining legality of hunting within city limits. 

As others have said, I would not worry about the tresspasser. He needs to mind his own business and and as someone who works in LE, I would have no problem telling that person exactly that. 

 

The only true recourse the whiner neighbor has is reporting the issue to the city council and trying to create a lot of scuttlebutt there. In that case, I would consider speaking to the local city council and see if they will enact a rule that allows bowhunting on property of a certain size (there is a west metro suburb that allows this on as little as 5 acres) as long as you have owner permission. Having some sort of common sense rule like that will make you completely legal and give you a little more power to tell the neighbor/tresspasser to mind his own business. 

[DonBo]

So the local Police don't care if you hunt the city limits???

 

 

​There's plenty of towns, cities, municipalities that allow hunting. 

[Wensel]

 

Posted 19 minutes ago · Report post

  On 6/16/2015, 8:28:24, Wensel said:

So the local Police don't care if you hunt the city limits???

 

 

​There's plenty of towns, cities, municipalities that allow hunting. 

 

The ones i hunt are lets say "regulated" not a free for all.

[1eyeReD]

Ask your uncle to give me permission too and I'll be sure to call the sherrif anytime I see a guy without permission!

[stretch]

powerstroke - yes I am in contact with the city council and also the police chief is in contact with them too.

 

yes the chief said if we had any issues to give him a call so I am not worried and so far with all the cameras I have out there I haven't seen any odd activity.

[Scoot]

Good info and advice above.  I'd give the whiner a deadline- say the 4th of July, to have all of his gear off the land.  If he doesn't have it off of there by then, he can't get it without trespassing.  If he's caught trespassing, you'll call him in and press charges for trespassing.  I'd make the sheriff aware of this too.  After that, I'd get written permission from your uncle and have it with me when I hunted there.  I'd also put a hidden no flash trailcam pointed at my vehicle when I hunted there.  Beyond that, I'd hunt away.

Good luck!

[stretch]

Scoot - I have already told him and to get his stuff out and if I find any they will be taken down. Also the sheriff already knows about all this and how big of a pain the neighbor is. I'm not worried about the written permission since the sheriff already has talked to my uncle and he told him that we had permission to hunt his land. Yes all my cameras out there are no flash and I have some where I park my truck. So hunting season can't come fast enough.

[tealitup]

As a former City Council Member we enacted a 5 acre rule for bow hunting; it was highly contested by certain people who did not want to see bow hunting as a means to cull the herd.  Some even asked for sterilization for the doe population.  However, it went through.

I say this because it was all started by someone who wanted to bow hunt on his own property.  He came to the City Council and asked for an exception to the variance on no hunting, which was granted. Remember these are ordinances, and not criminal laws through the state (exceptions can be made).

I would encourage your uncle to talk to the City Administrator and ask for an exception (in some cities the administrator has the power directly without going to the council).  Have all of the neighbors sign an agreement; present to one city council member to sponsor the application; and do it quickly.