What is with this?

[Philo]

Sorry guys, have to do a little venting here.

Hunting 3B on Saturday and about 3:30 here comes a four wheeler down the edge of the woods right towards me. Some lady comes down there to see if I had permission to hunt on this land. Well, she didn't own the land and I was never on her land or even close to it. (I had permission to hunt there and have had permission for about 5 years)

It seems like every year for about the last four years or so someone has come in and investigated my permission status to hunt when they don't own the land I am hunting on???

What causes this need to play junior game warden? Why is it anyone's business what I am doing on someone else's land?

Isn't this a question of manners? I would never even think of doing something like that. I believe the correct thing to do is to call the land owner and inform them that someone is on their property and let them handle it.

[chucker34]

Agreed 100 percent. Not your property. None of your business.

Last year, from my treestand on my property, I watched road hunters go up and down my next door neighbor's driveway/road (rural area) looking for deer to pop. It's a seasonal cabin for the neighbor who wasn't there. I had a pretty good idea these guys shouldn't have been there and were counting on him not being there to catch them. I very much wanted to get down and ask what they were doing but it wasn't my property and none of my business. Just mentimoned it to the neighbor in passing the next time I saw him. He took care of it.

[FOOT]

Same thing happened to my son and myself this past fall turkey season. I have hunted this land for the past 3 years with the permission of the owner. In fact my son and I are the only ones he allows to hunt.

Well, second day of the hunt about 9:15am here comes a guy on a 4 wheeler. I nodded and said hi and saked if he was a relative to the owner. His reply was to staer at me for about 20 seconds and then say NO. I then asked what I could help him with and he replies by asking me if I have permission. I said Yes and he said I'm awfully close to his property. I was at least 100 yards away from a fence line.

He didn't have a home on the land it was only for a corn field and woods, he didn't hunt.

I told him I'd be careful and not shoot toward the corn field, was he going to be picking ? His answer was NO just don't shoot toward my land. Before I could say anything he buzzed off to visit my son on the other side of a gully.

His conversation went pretty much the same with my son except my son was about 700 yards away from his property.

When I stopped back to visit the land owner after the season and drop off a gift for hunting his land he went balistic when I told him what happened. He thought we were the one who drove the 4 wheeler onto his land and he was about ready to tell me we couldn't hunt there anymore. He also told me I could hunt anytime I wanted just call him first and if that guy ever came onto his land again he was going to charge him with trespass.

[catman71]

i have had stuff like that happen. these people are bored and need to boss someone around. very common. A little off topic, but i have a farmer friend near Little Falls. He has 40 acres and has some pigs. about twice a week the old guy that lives down the road pulls in his driveway, goes half-way and backs out. One day in town my friend saw the old guy and asked him why he does that, thinking maybe he is just confused. the old guy said "I can't see what you're up to from the road." !!!! just an old busy-body....jeez.

[chucker34]

One more story to share - prompted by "these people are bored and need to boss someone around." I often bowhunt right in my backyard. We built a house in a rural area last year and our backyard is large, dense stand of woods bordering cropland and more woods. Anywhoo, while the construction crew was working on our house last year, one of the nosy neighbors came over and gave them an earful, telling them they were being too loud, working too early in the morning, and "screwing it up for the bowhunters." Holy cripes was I teeed off when the crew called me at work to tell me. I have never seen this guy bowhunting down there. And if he was, the deer would have headed over to his tract of woods if it was too loud. He just likes to cause problems. These are the people who sit and listen to the scanner all day and watch you from their front windows with their binoculars.

[Johnny_Namakan]

Hey guys, I wouldn't say these people are bored and looking to boss somebody around. They are looking out for their neighbors as they hope their neighbors would do for them. That's the problem these days, too much of the "it's not my problem, why should I worry about it" attitude. Just this weekend, I was on my Mom's property up in Cook just checking things out for her while she was gone, and a truck pulls up behind mine. it turns out it was a neightbor who saw my truck and didn't recognize it and decided to investigate. i was happy he did that. He went out of his way to look out for my Mom. i call that kindness and concern for others, not bossy and bored. It seems the only people who complain about being bothered while hunting are those who don't own land themselves. Now i understand not everybody has the opportunity to own land, but don't get mad at the landowners for looking out for each other. Frankly, i wish it was done more often. There are still areas where a sense of community is deep rooted and people look out for everybody else. It's like the "neighboorhood watch" program. You don't see it around much anymore, but there once was a time when people weren't only concerned about themselves, but about others as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure some of you have some stories that can prove that some of these people were simply bored and bossy. But that's the minority, not the majority.

[bigbucks]

I agree this is ridiculous, but there are neighbors who do kind of watch each other's places for them that may need to be told if one has people coming when they won't be home. It doesn't sound like this is that kind of situation though.

Several years ago in our area one of our neighboring hunters decided to start a campfire during deer hunting, it was really cold that year. He had some road hunters, who lived in the area, but owned nothing other than a building site, come up & ask him who the heck he was & what he was doing lighting a fire out there scaring all the deer away. He told them his name & that he owned the land & then asked them who the $%&# they were & what the heck they were doing on his land. He then told them to get the heck out of there.

We've booted those same people off my Uncle's land a couple of times during firearm's season. They were either making a drive or about to make a drive while we were hunting. They knew they weren't supposed to be there & they never asked. They tried to use the law about unposted, nonagricultural land, which is true, but completely ridiculous when it's your neighbors & you already know they don't want you hunting there, it's absolutely ludicrous. We saw these same guys wait at the road with loaded guns while other parties made drives.

[Philo]

I don't doubt what you are saying and I understand that some people look out for each other. No problem with that. Wouldn't you, though, if someone was your neighbors land, call your neighbor first to see if someone was supposed to be in there, rather than just going in and disturbing a hunt in progress?

I understand the neighbor's involvement in your case, as your mother was not present to oversee her property. Not the case here, as the landowner lives a short distance up the road and could have been contacted easily. Heck, he probably drove by my car on the road several times while I was in there.

I must disagree with your contention that this issue comes from people who don't own land, however. The issue seems to be one of those who don't own the land wanting to police it. Another example to ponder.

Two years ago I was hunting on the Olmsted/Dodge County line in Zone 3B. About 4:00 here comes a four wheeler through the woods (illegal, I think). It was a kid who asked me what I was doing and if I had permission. I told him I was hunting and had permission from the land owner, which I did and had for several years prior to 2003.

After I get home, I get the call about how I should stay out of there from this kid's dad. The guy that called me didn't own the land and I never even got close to his land entering or exiting the area????? It's hard for me to understand this as a "neighborhood watch" situation.

[Johnny_Namakan]

You're right philo, that doesn't sound like a neighboorhood watch type deal. That IS one of those "bossy/bored" people that seems to create stereotypes for the rest of us. I think what we're forgetting to ask ourselves is, why. Why are people getting involved with other people's land more and more these days? It comes down to the fact that more and more tresspassing is occurring. Public land is decreasing, and hunting pressure is increasing. That balance has pushed people to find new hunting locations. This year alone, my mom's neighbor had to ask five different groups to leave his land. His POSTED land! Why?! It's not that people can't read, it almost seems like it's because they have no other choice. Last year a road hunter shot a 6 point buck on my Mom's land, once again posted, not 100 yards from her house. My Dad went to investigate the shot and found the guy that did it. He was only 50 yards away from my parent's driveway. My Dad couldn't believe it. The deer actually dropped right underneath a tree that had a NO HUNTING sign on it. I thought my Dad was going to kill the guy. The guy shot the deer in direct line with my parents house. This type of behavior has put us all on alert. We see it so often that it's caused some of us to go a little overboard. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.

[Ole1855]

The neighbor's up at my hunting shack live there year round, we have asked them to keep an eye on our place when we're not there. Also they're retired and occassionally travel, when they're going to be gone, they let us know so if we're at the shack we watch their land. On MANY occassions, they have kicked people off our land and we off theirs, I'd say, it's just a matter of looking out for your neighbor.

Ole

[wooly1]

I police my neighbors property because it is out of his sight. He lives over the hill and the land I police abuts my township road/driveway. He has a gravel pit where people dump trash and spark and park. Should I call him every time I see a car or truck there. No. But I do not want pepole thinking they can drive down this road and dump their assorted trash. I also stop people from going into a separate gravel pit where the owner is 15 miles away. They both appreciate my "neighborhood watch". They don't want the unapproved traffic but wouldn't be as vigilant as I am because the unwanted activity is more in my backyard than their own.

[chucker34]

I agree with looking out for your neighbor. It's the method of confronting the POTENTIAL trespassers yourself that I don't agree with. If you think something's up, give your neighbor a call and let him or her know. If indeed you have confirmed they are an ACTUAL trespasser, let the neighbor deal with it. If they tell you they can't because they're out of town, offer to call the CO or sheriff or whoever would come out to investigate on their behalf. This is much safer for you than going to confront the person yourself.

[nofishfisherman]

When confronting people who are tresspassing people need to be very careful and very mindful to be polite and respectful. From what I understand the killings that happened last year in Wisconsin all started becuase Vang was tresspassing and the other group confronted him. I don't know what they said but something had to set him off. So just beaware of how you come across to someone else when confronting them.

[chucker34]

Not to preach on. But to what nofisherman said, something you say can set someone off - even if you don't think its inflamatory. It may not be rational or "right" for someone to come after you physically in response to your words, but they may not be thinking rationaly or within a "right" mindset. I for one, don't intend to be the one who finds out what exactly is going through their head.

[nofishfisherman]

You never do know what people are thinking.

You may not say anything bad and still have trouble but if you are aware of yout actions then you will atleast better your odds of not setting someone off.

[shortfatguy]

the whole thing is STUPID! if you see someone hunting on a neighbors land and dont think they should be there you call the neighbor and ask him. if you cant get a hold of the neighbor then you wait until the hunt is over to ask the person if they have permision. you should never go up to a person and ruin their hunt if you dont know they are in the wrong. if i am not mistaken this is called hunter harrassment and is a crime. and for the love of god park the (Contact US Regarding This Word) wheeler in the garage! last day of season i was in my stand overlooking a clearcut located a half mile from the nearest road. there was a doe that had just walked out and was feeding in the slash... al of a sudden she looks up and turns and walks off the slashing. thats when i heard the noise... a four wheeler and a chainsaw! some (Contact US Regarding This Word) was clearing the old logging road so they could get back there to get a deer they had shot earlier! they passed throught the clearcut then about 20 minutes earlier came back through and apparently they needed to trim some more trees cause soon after they were out of site they fired the saw up again! the only thing that stopped me from turning them in for illegal operation was that i didnt have binoculars and even an (Contact US Regarding This Word) shouldnt be looked at through a scope. but if i could hav seen the tags on the wheelers i would have turned on my cell phone and turned them in!!

[irvingdog]

The answer here is simple.

Go over to the home of the people who walk in on you the night before you are to hunt. Or earlier even. Describe your vehicle, your location, the times and days you'll hunt.

Chances are very, very good that with a little time and finesse, it could result in an afternoon of coffee, BSing, and a little more land to hunt. At very least, it's likely they will leave you alone.

And I've proven the point that it could result in a bit more land to hunt.

[shortfatguy]

If you have permission you shouldnt have to go to all of the neighbors homes in the area and tell them who you are and what you are doing oh ya by the way my vehicle is a... thats rediculous! tha fact of the matter is some people only get 1 or 2 days to hunt a year and by driving your 4 wheeler out to see what they are doing you are WRONG! if you dont know if they have permision and cant find out leave them alone until they are on the way out of the wood and then approach them to find out. I have had neighbors tell me i dont have permision to hunt land that i (Contact US Regarding This Word) sure did have permision to be on. some people just have to control everything and thats the way it will always be.

[irvingdog]

So you can either be mad and have no control, or massage the situation and at very least break even.

I'm not going to dispute that there are busy-body jerks with to much time on their hands, I just offer pragmatic alternatives........

[shortfatguy]

not saying that you should be flying off the handle but i think it should be made clear to people who do this type of thing that they need to respect others. if you dnot own the land and you dont know if the owner has given permission then leave them alone till they are done hunting. it is different if someone is investigating a strange vehicle that doesnt hurt your hunt but to ride a 4 wheeler right up to the stand takes a different type of person.

[chucker34]

I'd have to agree with Irvingdog and Shortfatguy. (A) You shouldn't have to let the other neighbors know in advance. ( You might as well be proactive and get to them before they get to you and spoil your hunt. You can't change the other person but you if you play their game - giving them the attention they seek - you can enjoy an uninterupted hunt. It's also a good idea if there's even a remote chance you deer may run over and fall dead on their property.

Note: I'm talking about dealing with nosy busy bodies here, not concerned neighbors who are looking out for your best interest.

[luckey]

Here is my take on this from a land owners perspective. I have no problem with a neighbor "checking" out someone on my property. However, they should do this when the people are going in or coming out and NOT while they are hunting. I usually give anyone who has permission a letter stating this. Also, I would perfer the neighbor gave me a name, license number etc. of someone he "caught" on my property, not just tell me somone was there.

You want to talk tresspass. A number of us own property located over 1 mile from a road. Our road in has a gate about 1/2 mile off the road. Last week someone used a truck to tear down the gate and then proceeded to drive back on to our property. I certainly would have liked a neighbor to question them!

[FOOT]

It's wonderful thing to have a neighbor you can count on to watch your land or even your house. However, they certainly should not be driving their pickup down the middle of a slew toward you to make sure you have permission to hunt their neighbors land. Yes I had this happen to me many years ago.

I've also had vehicles drive up to my goose blind to make sure I had permission, this with flocks coming in. I had a farmer jump off his tractor once to inquire if I had permission to hunt his land. My comment was no and I was not hunting his land. His comment was to smile and ya your right I just wanted to see what some of you hunters might say. He jumped back on his tractor and left.

Then the 4 wheel incident I described on an earlier post.

Clearly these individuals were more concerned with ruining my hunt then checking to make sure who was hunting their neighbors land.

I've also had neighbors wait to talk to me after the hunt to make sure I had permission because they knew the owner was on vacation. I have no problem with this type of neighbor he was respectful and concerned someone was hunting land he did not have permission to hunt.

[shae1986]

Do you want to know what i love. Well i'm sorry i don't care if you want too or not. .

I love it when people claim they own the land you are on when they really don't. I like messing with them and playing the game and then letting them know that i know who owns the land and that they are tresspassing.

I cant believe some people, now, if i am hunting and the landowner comes out, thats great, it a good time to increase the land owner hunter relationship. The landowners like to know what going on with their land. But when non land owners, unless they also have permission to hunt the land also, come out they have no buisness being out their. It happens aand i hate dealing with it but by the time they are on their way out their it is too late to do anything. But everyone be safe hunting in the upcoming weekends.

Andrew

[Froggy4371]

Well I have two parts to this. First I have had people come to my deer stand while bow hunting on my grandpa's land and ask if I had permission to hunt it which I did because we lived right next to each other! And then proceed to tell me that I did not have permission to hunt it and try to kick me out of my own stand that I built. If I would have been alittle older then 14 I might have really had a problem with this and tried to do some nasty things cause we are from a small town and we know everyone BUT we did not know this person! Now the land is mine and I like my neighbors watching it and letting me know who is out in the woods cause I live 10 miles away. But they are very polite and if they see someone they do not know they try to find out who they are after there hunt or just get me a license plate number.

Here is another little story that I thought I might share. About 5 years ago I was heading out to the woods (at that time my land, was grandpa's) to bow hunt and where I park there was a truck there. I walked to my stand trying to figure out who's truck it was, and when I got to my stand there was a guy in it. I politly asked who gave him permission to hunt there. He explained that my grandpa did. I then asked him when he was given permission and he said just the day before. I then looked at him hard and asked if he cared to change is story and he asked why. I (almost)politly explained that my grandpa had died 10 years before that!!!!! He just got down with a huff and left and I have never seen him again.

Sorry for rambling but I just thought you might get a laugh out of that one.

Froggy

[bigbucks]

Some people really have some stones. They don't have any brains, but they've got nerve. I can't figure out what they're thinking.

[FOOT]

Where I deer hunt by Battle Lake the area is bounded by a gravel road on one side, fields to another, swamp to another and a wide wide wide tree lined fence line to the 4th.

Where I sit I can pretty much cover the entire area except the swamp, its pretty thick. A couple of years ago someone from St. Cloud bought the land directly next to the wooded fence line. His property runs right up to the fence about 5 feet into the woods with another 35 feet of woods on the side I hunt. The property I hunt is owned by 3 brothers who are kind enough to let me hunt it while they hunt another section.

The first year the guy goes and plants NO HUNTING signs on the trees adjacent to the corn/bean fields, clearly 35 + feet onto the 3 brothers land. I was up on Friday before opening doing a little scouting and discovered the signs. When I told the brothers they got PO. With their help we took down the signs and re-nailed them where they should have been.

Opening day as the sun came up I could see the signs were back in place, posting the brothers land. As we always meet for chili at noon I told them about the signs. This time they really got PO'd. Back out to the field, pull the signs down and toss them over the fence. They stopped by the guys place and talked to him and told him not to post their land anymore and to remove his permanent stands, he had 2 in place.

Sunday morning, guess what there were the signs.

Back to the home farm, tell the brothers, back to the woods line, verify the signs were there, back to the guys house, he says when he bought the land the guy he bought it from told him he had permission to hunt anywhere he wanted in the woods and he wasn't going to change things.

One brother with the coolest head got us all to leave right now. Back to the wood line, break all the no trespassing signs, install their own no trespassing in the correct place, grab the chain saw and cut down and cut up the 2 permanent stands, throw them back over the fence, call the local CO, wait for the CO and the St. Cloud guy to show up and then get it settled once and for all.

Haven't had a problem with him since then. Could never figure out why he was so h--- bent to try and force his way onto someone elses land. Takes all kinds I guess.

[Studer]

My uncle owns 200 acres and even when I go out there, with permission of course, I take a sheet of paper, write my name on it and write my uncle's name (landowner) on it, and tape it right to the window of the truck. If nothing else it will stop them from coming right up to your stand. By doing this, I have never run into any problems or had anybody come up to my stand. Whether they saw my truck and note or not? Who knows!!

[Philo]

Studer - I like that idea about pasting a permission statement in the window of your vehicle. Might serve to avoid some of the issues we have had while hunting.

[Philo]

Foot-that story about the no hunting signs don't really surprise me. Seems like some people want to control their land and other's.

Interesting stories all around. It seems as though this problem is universal and not limited to me. That is somewhat comforting, I guess.

I would be interested in some game warden stories on this issue. Anyone reading this work as a CO and encounter complaints such as these? What would the CO response be to a nonowner of land complaining about potential trespassers? Would a CO interupt a hunt to investigate a complaint of possible trespassing from a nonowner of the property?