Snowmachines on Private land

[PlumCrazy814]

I think it was a set-up as well. It is too hard to believe that a local snowmobile rider does not know that they are going on private property.

The owner may have over-reacted in this case but I am certain that he is frustrated by years of tresspass/damage.

It's sad because I would bet that the landowner would have been ok with it had they asked.

 

[Scooby074]

Are you chastising the land owner for trespassing on his neighbors land and giving the snowmobilers a free ride? Aren't the riders somewhat culpable?

Im chastising the land owner because he escalated the situation by leaving his property with his firearm, then doing the very thing he was mad at the snowmobiliers for doing.

I never said the snowmobilers deserve to get a free ride.

 

[wawajake]

Your grasping at straws Scooby.............farm neighbors are going to typically be quite okay with each other using a neighbors access road at times...........especcially when chasing yahoos like these two.

And as for slapping the snowmacine driver in the head.............he was wearing a helmet ! ....no harm could even take place! One other aspect we forget is these folks wearing helmets cannot be recognized and identified, so farmers need to get up close to get identification (or numbers off the machines) and if that takes a gun to bring them to a stop ..............so be it. I hope the judge is a person who has had similar understanding for the kind of disrespect the young yahoos of today now have.

 

[Scooby074]

Your grasping at straws Scooby.............farm neighbors are going to typically be quite okay with each other using a neighbors access road at times...........especcially when chasing yahoos like these two.

And as for slapping the snowmacine driver in the head.............he was wearing a helmet ! ....no harm could even take place! One other aspect we forget is these folks wearing helmets cannot be recognized and identified, so farmers need to get up close to get identification (or numbers off the machines) and if that takes a gun to bring them to a stop ..............so be it. I hope the judge is a person who has had similar understanding for the kind of disrespect the young yahoos of today now have.

Could be that the neighbour didnt care... maybe he did?

Maybe the neighbour should have chased the "farmer" down in his truck carrying a shotgun?

The issue isnt that the snowmobilers technically trespassed (although do you consider someone making a wrong turn and ending up in your yard a "trespass", especially when they make an effort to quickly leave? I sure dont.) its that the "farmer" chased them down carrying a gun, which he used to threaten them, then he physically assaulted them, and vandalized one of their vehicles, all while being a "tough guy" full of 12Ga courage. . Thats an order of magnitude more severe than a mere, accidental trespass.

Id love to be the judge on the case. Theres video evidence. If the snowmobiliers made an accidental turn, then made a reasonable effort to leave, he hasnt a leg to stand on. Even if they killed his cat and raped his Alpacas while singing "We are the Champions", he hasnt a leg to stand on as far as his actions are concerned

 

[Looking4new]

IMHO I think the farmer was very wrong in letting the shotgun leave the gun cabinet. You don't need a shotgun to write down numbers off a sled.
The statement, 'you are trespassing on private property, please leave' is all that needed to be said and take down the numbers off the sleds.
IF they don't leave or give a bunch of guff, then call the cops, and let them deal with it after giving the cops the numbers off the sled.
We pay them through our taxes 'to serve and protect', so they can just do some serving and protecting.

 

[Gunny]

Here, the knock on the helmet could be charged as 4th degree assault, certainly not justified in a simple trespass case. If I had been called out, the trespassers would each have been given a citation, the property owner would have gotten one for himself. That's what we pay those big bucks to the judges, let them decide which is the greater wrong.

However, if damages were done and could be proven, then it would be criminal trespass, but still wouldn't justify a laying on of the hands, the owner should have backed away and let his tax paid civil servants handle the issue.

I used to have a problem with 4 wheelers running up the river bed and across my property. It is a navigable stream and as such, is open to the public, but once you step onto the bank, you're trespassing. My issue was that they were cutting deep ruts and spinning donuts in a river bottom that is highly erodible since it floods at least twice a year.

Since there were so many people doing it, it seemed to me that the simplest solution was to just fence it off. It does get to be a pain unlocking and locking back a gate that I'd rather not have there in the first place, but at least now I don't have a problem with the 4 wheelers. They still run the river bank on either side of me, but they don't get across my property.

 

[wawajake]

I see a few people here have no idea about dealing with snowmachines (or ATV's ) that when they see they are being pursued or waved down by a land owner (so he can get identification) again and again... just take take off with a spray of snow or mud , while merrily having fun and doing damage at landowners expense.There is no way you can get the license numbers off a machine going at any speed and distance from you and police are an hour or more to show up if at all. Furthermore no where in the vidieo (which keep in mind is editted by the snowmacine rider that had the video cam) does it show gun is loaded or pointed at anyone. Sad to see the lack of support for valid landowner concerns... I guess the "just do it" ...me me me point of view has leaked into even tractor rural sites like ours!

 

[Dutch445]

here is 480volts thread earlier this winter:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/300799-stopping-snowmobile-without-injury.html
it's hard to tell from the video, but it didn't look like a snowmobile trail from what i saw, maybe a farm
access road. around here, the trail system is maintained with state funds which come from sled registrations,
and it is made very clear to riders to stay on the trail, otherwise you are trespassing. i can't speak for
an area like Saskatoon CA, it looks very rural and i find it hard to imagine not being on private property out there.
the guy is a little ticked off, but the sled driver seemed to know they were in trouble as soon as he saw him,
so i don't buy the fact that they "didn't know" they were on private property.

 

[juiced10]

I see a few people here have no idea about dealing with snowmachines (or ATV's ) that when they see they are being pursued or waved down by a land owner (so he can get identification) again and again... just take take off with a spray of snow or mud , while merrily having fun and doing damage at landowners expense.There is no way you can get the license numbers off a machine going at any speed and distance from you and police are an hour or more to show up if at all. Furthermore no where in the vidieo (which keep in mind is editted by the snowmacine rider that had the video cam) does it show gun is loaded or pointed at anyone. Sad to see the lack of support for valid landowner concerns... I guess the "just do it" ...me me me point of view has leaked into even tractor rural sites like ours!

Yet in this instance they did stop? So your concern they all just run isn't valid. If they intended to run surely they would have picked now with a gun wielding landowner. Yes, people have problems with snowmobilers but striking one while holding a gun isn't respectful either. Definitely two wrongs here and hope both learn lessons while the rest of us stop grouping all snomobilers as disrespectful trespassers.

 

[juiced10]

I see a few people here have no idea about dealing with snowmachines (or ATV's ) that when they see they are being pursued or waved down by a land owner (so he can get identification) again and again... just take take off with a spray of snow or mud , while merrily having fun and doing damage at landowners expense.There is no way you can get the license numbers off a machine going at any speed and distance from you and police are an hour or more to show up if at all. Furthermore no where in the vidieo (which keep in mind is editted by the snowmacine rider that had the video cam) does it show gun is loaded or pointed at anyone. Sad to see the lack of support for valid landowner concerns... I guess the "just do it" ...me me me point of view has leaked into even tractor rural sites like ours!

Yet in this instance they did stop? So your concern they all just run isn't valid. If they intended to run surely they would have picked now with a gun wielding landowner. Yes, people have problems with snowmobilers but striking one while holding a gun isn't respectful either. Definitely two wrongs here and hope both learn lessons while the rest of us stop grouping all snomobilers as disrespectful trespassers.