quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
My thinking is the only reason to mount their stands right at our line is to hunt the entire area around their stand, am I wrong?

Deer like eating, drinking, fornicating, and security.

Hunters like to catch deer moving from their security area (ie where they sleep and avoid hunting pressure) to where they eat. If your land is where their secure bedding is located and their land has food (eg crops or food plots) then setting a stand on the travel corridor near property line makes sense.

in the morning, a buck could be a few minutes late from eating, drinking h2o, or trying to breed does and walk past their stand in legal shooting hours on way back to their secure bedding. The problem with this strategy is the deer is facing your property when shot and likely to run on to your property if it’s not an DRT shot.

late afternoon, could be a few minutes early trying to eat, drink, or breed does and walk past their stand in legal shooting hours.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

Until youhave proof that they were also hunting on your property, nothing you can do about it. Right now, it's all suspicion. That makes the thread title misleading.

No I have not caught them in the act, just circumstantial at this point. It seems odd that only this one neighbor has their stands almost on the line and have to "track their deer" on my property every year while none of the others do. One neighbor who I was close with, and actually bought his property to add to mine, had to run them off a few times. He and his friends hunted themselves and were out in the woods so they kept an eye on them. The arrow I picked up across my trail from their stand, 25 yards in on my property. The blood trail that started on my trail, through my woods.....

I gave the neighbor permission to hunt on my property to get rid of the does. He was to give some of the deer to Hunters for Hungry. One less doe equals three less deer next year.

So he shoots only bucks plus some of his buddies are hunting on me. I also find out he is shooting towards peoples houses in the background. So I told him no more hunting on me.

Later, one of my game cameras has the lock busted off and the SIMS card taken.

Next year, six bluebird boxes are busted and he pulls up the surveyor stakes and mowers 20 feet over on my property.

So I would get several game cameras and hide them mounted at ground level with brush piled in front to break the outline of the game camera.

Good info 41, thanks.

The last few years I have noticed fewer deer than I did 15-20 years ago. Maybe some from disease but a lot is from hunting because EVERYONE around here hunts. Maybe 8-10 years back I rode my SxS down the road on a Saturday and pulled in the (said) neighbor's drive to his house to ask him about something. There were nine doe and fawns laid out in front of his garage that his friends and he had shot that morning. They were all enjoying beer saying they were just starting to skin them to make jerky. I thought that's a lot of deer killed just on one day, on one property.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
have game cameras in a [url=https://battlecameras.com/trail-camera-lock-box/]game camera security box

And then get some old bark and some construction adhesive. Glue the bark to the box, so as to further hide the box itself.

With more info and details I would be thinking of telling them they do not have authority to cross onto your property to retrieve deer. If an injured deer is on your property to contact you. period. Then you decide how to respond.
If you choose to allow them I would occompany them throughout the process. With the history I would be prone to tell them to make sure they drop them on their property going forward.
I would make it clear to not call me to tell me they are on my property tracking an injured deer already.

Since the stands seem to be oriented facing away from your property, I'm in the camp that says they are just trying to maximize hunting on their land, and taking precautions to ensure that a shot doesn't pass over on to your land.

Frankly, depending on the terrain, I would likely have set up in a similar place, oriented to shoot away from you, to the interior of my property, as the safest and smartest thing to do.

Old cross I really need to educate myself on WV law but from what I've been told hunters do have the right to track them on private property. I don't know the details though. I don't know how to tell them to drop them on their own property? I guess suggest they practice more and only take clean shots! Deer hunting started first of this month and continues 7 days a week to the end of the year.
I might start riding my SXS along that trail but to get there from my garage I have to ride toward their stands so I'll be moving any deer in the area toward them which they'd appreciate.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Since the stands seem to be oriented facing away from your property, I'm in the camp that says they are just trying to maximize hunting on their land, and taking precautions to ensure that a shot doesn't pass over on to your land.

Frankly, depending on the terrain, I would likely have set up in a similar place, oriented to shoot away from you, to the interior of my property, as the safest and smartest thing to do.

I dunno but being a right hand shooter I would be fine in either of those stands leaning against the tree from behind it and shooting toward my property. Their property in that area is thick with small trees so not much clear aim for more than 30' or so. I don't have a pic from their stand toward me but it's more open woods.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
With more info and details I would be thinking of telling them they do not have authority to cross onto your property to retrieve deer.

With age, comes wisdom. Well... sometimes Anyway, one thing I've learned in thirty years of property ownership is not to sweat the small stuff. Getting all up in a neighbors face for something that, in the greater scheme of things, is relatively inconsequential simply isn't worth the bad will that can result.

Just sayin'...

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
But I do have a real problem with them hunting on my property.

I don't know how to ask this without sounding antagonizing. I can only preface by saying you're in the right and you don't have to justify your reason, but I'm sincerely curious.

Why?

I personally wouldn't care but maybe there is a reason I should care.

I think the idea of no confrontation without proof, and getting cameras is absolutely the best. You could be making an issue where there isn't one, which could escalate.

And if you have actual proof, there are only facts to present him/them with.

In Texas the states game wardens will enforce trespass hunting issues.
Game camera evidence works well for them.

On the flip harassing hunters is also an offense frowned upon.

Did anyone advocate harassing them ?

Found this:

CHAPTER 20. NATURAL RESOURCES.
ARTICLE 2. WILDLIFE RESOURCES.
§20-2-7. Hunting, trapping or fishing on lands of another; damages and restitution.
(a) It is unlawful for any person to shoot, hunt, fish or trap upon the fenced, enclosed or posted lands of another person; or to peel trees or timber, build fires or do any other act in connection with shooting, hunting, fishing or trapping on the lands without written permission or do any other act in connection with shooting, hunting, fishing or trapping on the lands without written permission in his or her possession from the owner, tenant or agent of the owner.

(b) Any person who hunts, traps or fishes on land without the permission of the owner, tenant or agent of the owner is guilty of a misdemeanor and, liable to the owner or person suffering damage for all costs and damages for: (1) Killing or injuring any domestic animal, fowl, or private game farm animal; (2) cutting, destroying or damaging any bars, gates or fence or any part of the property; or (3) leaving open any bars or gates resulting in damage to the property.

(c) Restitution of the value of the property or animals injured, damaged or destroyed shall be required upon conviction pursuant to sections four and five, article eleven-a, chapter sixty-one of this code. The restitution ordered for private game farm animals shall be equivalent to or greater than the replacement values for deer listed in section five-a in this article.

(d) The owner, tenant or agent of the owner may arrest a person violating this section and immediately take him or her before a magistrate. The owner, tenant or agent of the owner is vested with the powers and rights of a natural resources police officer for these purposes. The officers charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter shall enforce the provisions of this section if requested to do so by the owner, tenant or agent of the owner, but not otherwise.

(e) The provisions of subsections (b) and (d) of this section related to criminal penalties and being subject to arrest are inapplicable to a person whose dog, without the person's direction or encouragement, travels onto the fenced, enclosed or posted land of another in pursuit of an animal or wild bird: Provided, That the pursuit does not result in the taking of game from the fenced, enclosed or posted land and does not result in the killing of domestic animals or fowl or other damage to or on the fenced, enclosed or posted land.

I don't think you can assume they are hunting your land simply because their stand is near the boundary. There could be a lot reasons to put a stand there. They may have learned the deer travel through there.

I suppose you could put a camera monitoring their stand, or go look for blood and deer hair on you land. Is posting required in your state? Make sure you do what you need to do to keep them out.

To the OP:

Don’t know you, and I don’t know that we’ve interacted on the forum before, but you appear to be looking for a fight?

You’ve made it pretty clear your expectations and it seems like everyone is onboard. Hell, I’d prefer a neighbor backs a stand up against my line, makes sure that the know for sure where the deer is before they shoot.

If you run into a question, you can always ask to see where the deer was hit; even if it gets up and runs, there will likely be blood where it is initially hit.

Since you posted this on an open forum, I’m going to offer some advice. Lighten up just a bit, try to be friendly with your neighbors and enjoy the fact that you have a privilege most deer hunters do not…their own private land.

Good luck this season!

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
But I do have a real problem with them hunting on my property.

I don't know how to ask this without sounding antagonizing. I can only preface by saying you're in the right and you don't have to justify your reason, but I'm sincerely curious.

Why?

I personally wouldn't care but maybe there is a reason I should care.

Why I don't want hunting on my property? I briefly hunted when I was younger but quickly decided I did not wish to kill animals for sport so I quit. Now I enjoy watching animals live their lives rather than be killed. Unlike some of my neighbors who seem to enjoy killing any kind of animal such as skunks which they shoot, or one who traps then submerges the cage in the stream to drown, opossum, raccoon, crows, owl, vulture, fox, coyote, anything's game to shoot. I don't know why in the hell one would enjoy shooting those animals?

I enjoy watching wildlife of all kinds on the property, fawns born and growing up, a female raccoon with her little ones, the occasional bear, vulture nest in one of the old tree stands, an owl in a stand of pine, etc. My friend and I also like hiking (or SXS riding) the trails with my dog, cutting out invasive plants, X-country skiing when we get snow.... this is why I have it.

“Did anyone advocate harassing them ?”

quote:

Got an ATV/UTV? trail along the property line & joyriding at the ass crack of dawn will get them to move...

I believe this might qualify as harassment under the Texas statute.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arfmel,

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin1069:
To the OP:

Don’t know you, and I don’t know that we’ve interacted on the forum before, but you appear to be looking for a fight?

If you knew me you'd know that's the last thing I'm looking for. That's why I've avoided confrontation to this point.

quote:

Since you posted this on an open forum, I’m going to offer some advice. Lighten up just a bit, try to be friendly with your neighbors and enjoy the fact that you have a privilege most deer hunters do not…their own private land.

Good luck this season!

I'm on good terms with all my neighbors, this is very important to me. For example one previous neighbor (the one I purchased his land from) and I were close friends. But he had a falling out with the other neighbor who he kept catching hunting on his property, fishing in his pond, and another matter. They had strong words and he basically told them to "stay the hell on your side of the property line and we'll get along fine". After that they would never talk, LOL if one wanted to say anything to the other they did it through me.

I am privileged to have my little piece of land and I enjoy it every day!