Killing an owl and a vulture? Did you contact the game warden?

Both are federally protected.

“Good fences make good neighbors”.

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Originally posted by ridewv:

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.

<snip>

I just read the other post you made about not being a hunter yourself; hope you and the neighbors work everything out and as a hunter myself, thanks for not making trouble for the guys out there who do.

quote:

Originally posted by SW_Sig:
Killing an owl and a vulture? Did you contact the game warden?

Both are federally protected.

No I learned of both cases well after the fact when he boasted of it. I asked "why in the hell would you shot a vulture or owl?" He just looked embarrassed and said "why not, there are lots of them anyway"?


I get vulture chicks in an abandoned tree stand most every year.

fwiw and a whole nother topic. Most who hunt love wildlife. Do not kill for sport. Many, most do for meat and the enjoyment of being out and the challenge of the hunt. All hunters I know are first and foremost conservationist at heart. I would much rather see big game harvested and used than predation and killed off by disease. I respect your choice to not hunt.

I think you are getting some good advice here. You need to take a deep breath and determine if there is an issue other than your issue with others hunting game animals.

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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.

Those are my thoughts as well...
If they set up stands near the property line and orient toward their own property they are likely being respectful of your property while maximizing their hunting opportunities.

We do the same on my buddy's property, taking care to shoot safely in a downward trajectory, toward a hillside background. A 30-06 round can travel quite a long distance if you aren't careful.

I have seven or eight neighbors that surround my 70 acre generally wooded recreational property, plus several hundred yards of road frontage.
Before I bought it, the former owner leased the property to a group of out of state (New Jersey) cops. The NJ guys monitored the progress of the land sale right up to the closing.
The land sale closing took place one week prior to the gun deer season opening day, and I immediately posted the entire property per my state laws. (New York)

The day the property got the new posted signs, the NJ guys stopped by and asked if they could still hunt the property. They were politely told no.
Then I got called a fucking asshole and worse.
They could have purchased the land when it went up for sale, but chose not to do so.

The second day of gun season, we got several inches of snow. I walked the boundary line with the NJ guys, and soon found ATV tracks on my land, with blood and deer hair left behind where
they had dragged a deer with an ATV.

At that time there was no cell signal, or land line telephone at the property. I had to leave the property, and called the NY Department of Environmental Conservation Law Enforcement Division.

Within an hour, the DEC Officer and I walked down into my woods so I could show him the ATV tracks and deer hair/blood. He also brought a German Shepherd dog, trained in "sniffing" out dead deer.

At the boundary line with the NJ guys, we ran into the out of state landowner, who was on his side of the property line. The DEC officer asked him if he knew anything about the ATV tracks/hair/blood.

As expected, he denied knowing anything about the ATV tracks/hair/blood. The DEC Officer thanked him, and we left so I could show him the actual ATV tracks/hair/blood.

We followed the ATV tracks/hair/blood for about a half mile, until they left my property and continued out of sight. I told the DEC Officer, my property line is here, and that's the neighbors land.
He told me "you are deputized" and WE are going to follow the ATV tracks/hair/blood.

The ATV tracks/hair/blood led to a barn on the neighbor's property, and inside were two bucks hanging from the rafters, and both were untagged. He bagged and tagged hair/blood/DNA evidence.
He asked me to help him move the dead deer out of the barn. We moved the two carcasses fifty yards or so from the barn and hid them in brush.
He didn't want the NJ guys to come back to the barn and move/remove the dead deer evidence.

On the way back to his patrol vehicle where he could use his more powerful vehicle radio, we found the same group had parked several pickup trucks and blood/hair was in the truck beds.
The DEC Officer bagged and tagged hair/blood/DNA evidence there also.

When we got to the patrol vehicle, the DEC Officer called in reinforcements. State Police, County Sheriff's, and more DEC.
When I left the property that day, I made a point of driving past the NJ cops deer camp. I counted 7 NY LEO cars/trucks.

Those NJ cops/pricks were fined thousands of dollars, firearms got confiscated, and hunting licenses got revoked.

It is very hard keeping trespassers out of your property if they are motivated. I never go to my property without being armed, and I'm not talking .22 rimfire.
I have chased trespassers out of my property to my property line, and then had to stop, or then I would be trespassing.
I at least had the satisfaction of seeing them wade across a creek waist deep in the winter.

Trespassers will keep you busy, it can become a full time job. Trail Camera photos help.
You can call your local Game Warden, but unless you have concrete proof of trespassing, it's a waste of time.

Word gets around with those fine folks that will trespass on land they don't own.
The best deterrent is a "reputation" that you will press charges against them.

Don't let your distaste for hunting lead you to look for problems where there are none.

And you do have to recognize, as I am sure you do, that they may hunt on their land even though you would act otherwise.

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Originally posted by jhe888:
Don't let your distaste for hunting lead you to look for problems where there are none.

This ^^^^^, because, in all honesty, that's surely what you appear to be doing.

Your neighbors know the rules of your property. Unless you have cause to believe they're violating them, I'd suggest it'd be best if you stopped trying to buy trouble.

Nothing wrong with the deer/hunting stands being right up on the property lines... The problem arises when the hunters shoot across the property line or the wounded animal crosses the property line..... I would suggest contacting the Fish Wildlife and Game Warden service for assistance.... In some states the Game Wardens do not need search warrants to enter property be it land / vehicles / buildings / etc. in search of game law violations.... and have just as much if not more arrest powers than a police /sherrif/ state police officer.....The OP stated about finding a arrow inside your property line which would be excellent evidence especially if it had NO blood or hair that was proof that it had not fallen out of a running animal .. That is the type of evidence needed for prosecution.....Just like good game camera video.. Check state game laws about crossing property line in tracking wounded animals onto someone else property.... If your property is properly posted against hunting / trespassing are you going to push prosecution????? Remember fences CAN make good neighbors just as fast as making enemies...... Good luck............... drill sgt.

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Originally posted by jhe888:
Don't let your distaste for hunting lead you to look for problems where there are none.

And you do have to recognize, as I am sure you do, that they may hunt on their land even though you would act otherwise.

I'm not looking for problems at all but I won't look away from them either. Interestingly of my 6 neighbors there's only the one who erects stands 15' from the line and they have 200 acres of their own. My preference of not hunting on my property has zero to do with how I feel others can do on theirs. Hunting (legally) is legal and to an extent necessary and what anyone wishes to do on their property is not my concern nor my business. My bitch is with those who hunt illegally (occasionally hearing gun shots at night now) as well as those who don't respect the property of others.
Six years back I caught the BIL blatantly hunting on one of my trails. When I stopped he immediately turned red and stammered that he was just out for a walk, with a high powered rifle and wearing blaze orange. He is now gone but this gives you an idea what goes on.

I hunt a friend's land and have permission to hunt on one of the adjacent property owner's lands. There is another land owner whose land abuts my friend's and he has made it clear there is no hunting allowed on his land. I have two stands that are close to his border, but about 10 yards in. I have regularly seen, and passed on deer that were on his property (I have harvested plenty that were on my side of the line). 5 years ago I passed on the largest buck I've ever seen - it was just over onto his property. He does grant permission to track wounded deer that run onto his land, but I've never had to approach him about that. The guy's a jerk (not because he does not allow hunting on his land, but for many other reasons I won't go into) and everyone around the area hates him but my take is it's his land and his rules; I have no excuse to violate that ever.

It sounds like you need to build a fence so you can legally persist in your anti-hunting views.

This photo was taken on my trail cam last week. The property line is about 10 feet into the brush behind the deer. My stand is about 10 yards to the left in a tree that gives me good lanes on that mowed area left and right of the photo. The deer in the photo is probably 15 feet from the property line and if I had a good shot I'd take it. Not exactly open area to the line though like your situation.

I guess I wasn't totally clear in my other post.
I am a hunter, and have no problems with my neighbors hunting. However, I do expect them to stay on their property.
Several of my neighbors do have my permission to go on my property for retrieving deer that have run across the boundary line after being shot/stuck with an arrow.
But most of my neighbors do not have that permission.

I pay the property and school taxes. I also pay for the Consulting Forester. I do the property maintenance.
I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor and money, specifically for myself, family, and invited guests. Trespassers are trying to steal my fruit.
I will have them prosecuted if I can catch them.

Look at Cuddeback trail camera's. They set up a built-in mesh Wi-Fi system, and the "chain" of camera's communicate with one another and the base station.
The furthest away camera sends the pictures/video it takes to the next closest, then up the "chain" of camera's ranked by distance away from the base station.
The base station is in your home.
By the time the trail camera thief steals the camera and/or SIM card, the pictures/video it took while it was being stolen have already been sent to the base station in your home.
The system will also send real time lower quality thumbnail photos to your cell phone if you set it up that way, even if you are not at home.
Trail camera thieves will also be dedicated trespassers.
Cuddeback systems are not inexpensive.

quote:

Originally posted by cee_Kamp:
I pay the property and school taxes. I also pay for the Consulting Forester. I do the property maintenance.
I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor and money, specifically for myself, family, and invited guests. Trespassers are trying to steal my fruit.

100% on all that. I'm just a simple man and for me if I don't have permission that's the end of it. I would expect the same from others were I a hunting landowner.

quote:

My bitch is with those who hunt illegally (occasionally hearing gun shots at night now) as well as those who don't respect the property of others.
Six years back I caught the BIL blatantly hunting on one of my trails. When I stopped he immediately turned red and stammered that he was just out for a walk, with a high powered rifle and wearing blaze orange. He is now gone but this gives you an idea what goes on.

Talk to the local Game Warden about the situation. See what his advice is.

I can say that on two different properties I have hunted from a tree stand either close to, or actually backing up to, the property border. I was watching my property, and had no intention of shooting behind me. So it's definitely a thing.

I hunt property lines and I don't shoot into my neighbors land. Don't assume that they do.

Fact is, certain spots in fences make good funnels (low spots, etc) and you can pattern deer by where they like to jump fences (they often leave hair or other evidence.)

Also, timber typically has firebreaks cut in at property lines so when you're hunting dense timber, those are clear places where you can actually see.

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Originally posted by ridewv:
I suppose I could put up cameras pointed at their stands.
OK maybe they only hunt 180 degrees toward their land, and if a prize buck was 30-40' the other direction they would just watch it walk away, but I seriously doubt it.

It's hard to see in the images but their property had been more recently timbered and is thick with small trees so pretty difficult to get a clean shot.

I guess it's just me but if I hunted and my neighbor asked me not to on them, I'd not erect a stand 15' from their property.

Having hunted small midwest properties most of my life I have sat in stands and watched deer across property lines more times than I can count. You know how many times I have shot across those property lines? Exactly zero… including at “prized bucks”. Sure there are some bad apples in the hunting community just like all others but you seem to be painting with a broad brush.