Trespasser.....what would you do?

[LD1]

Most states require written permission from landowner for hunting....along with valid hunting license.

Penalties are pretty steep if caught without either....like forfeiting the hunting gear you have on you at the time, steep penalties, hunting license being revoked for a number of years, etc.

You have had all good advise so far. Some people are spiteful and hate to see any rash decision come back and cause you more agony.

I'd first try and contact your local game warden/wildlife officer and have them watch the property. They might not be back this year if there was a pile of deer remains....maybe they are done for the year. But hoping they get caught by a warden keeps you out of it when they fail to show proof of permission to hunt.

Aside from that, a note on a tree with contact info and a polite conversation that its private property would be the approach I take. No need to escalate the situation.

The deer remains wouldnt bother me. Nature will take care of that.

 

[Jstpssng]

Here I own the land including everything, of course no body can hunt, fish or chop trees and grass whitout permission from me.

But anybody can camp for three days but you must stay at least 300m from houses and leave no mark.

Any natural pond over 10 acres, as well as any "navigable waters" belongs to the state; we have to allow people to access them for "fishing and fowling" via undeveloped land. That doesn't mean they can use the roads, rather, they are allowed to walk or fly in, and must be below high water mark while utilizing it.
"Navigable waters" means any body of water which will float a 4 foot stick of pulpwood.

I find this type of discussion rather interesting. Laws on this end of the country reflect Colonial Law, as we expanded west they tend to be geared more toward the landowner and less toward the communal good.

 

[oosik]

I will never forget our early years ( 1960 - 1972 or thereabouts ) in Alaska. There was a VERY GOOD reason to not trespass. You could get shot - shot dead. This was especially important if you went out into the wilds - moose or caribou hunting or just exploring. Homesteads could be very large and there were no fences, no gates, no signs, no purple paint. But there was a homesteader. And you better believe - he was well armed. And everyone knew this - only the idiots or fools would challenge this situation. But every year there were a few who had to learn and learn the hard way. Their passing barely made news.

 

[TheMan419]

Since it appears you have been absentee owners for some time I think a bit of a gentle approach is warranted. I would post and purple paint to be sure. Go walk the property before hunting season each year. If you find a tree stand I would take it down and leave it at the base of a tree with a note. I would get a free phone number from google voice and leave that number as a number to all. That way it is difficult to trace back to you. If you choose to leave an email address obviously get a "fresh" one from google or whoever. Have that set to forward the email to your real email address.

In any event with the stands you have in your posession now I would sell them. Not sure what they are worth.

 

[oosik]

About 1987 - we had been here on the land five years - a couple fellows drove in to our house. The gave me the old "saw" - "we have the owners permission". I explained the situation. They said their permission came from the original owner and.... they were not about to leave.

I asked that they wait a minuet - went in the house - got my loaded 12 gage. The conversation that followed was short and to the point. They left but were very mad.

Three days later the County Sheriff arrived and wanted to talk about this incident.

He indicated that I had threatened them. I said - No, I made them a promise and they were unwilling to see it through. My point had been made - they saw the wisdom of backing down. The point being - how could I know if they were there to fish or rob me or do me bodily harm. They were trespassing - did I have to wait and only take action AFTER they made their intentions known. I have the right to ask anybody to leave my property. You say - NO - and act the way these two did - things will escalate. I'm not about to retreat to the house - call the sheriff - wait and hope nothing happens until the Sheriff arrives. Response time out here is right around 45 minuets - if they will even come.

Anyhow - he cautioned me about the use of the shotgun. I indicated that both men had side arms and I was not about to enter further discussion - unarmed.

Bottom line - this "incident" helped establish the No Trespass conditions I expected here on the property. I was fortunate in that I kept my cool. The two were lucky - they could have ended up being coyote food and I just might have had to spend my later years in grey bar city.

 

[Agvg]

I find this type of discussion rather interesting. Laws on this end of the country reflect Colonial Law, as we expanded west they tend to be geared more toward the landowner and less toward the communal good.

Here the right to roam law might be over 1000 years old,as far as i know it was mentioned in laws fro around 1200 but probably much older, whit out it you couldn't travel anywhere in the land.

 

[oosik]

Most interesting. Around here a government law does not give anybody the right to "roam" on private property. With the ability to "roam" anywhere on private property - like it was public land - property taxes must be very low. This is very close to adverse possession -by the government.

 

[dodge man]

I’d probably contact the game warden. Lots of good answers but I generally agree with the start gentle approach.

 

[Agvg]

Most interesting. Around here a government law does not give anybody the right to "roam" on private property. With the ability to "roam" anywhere on private property - like it was public land - property taxes must be very low. This is very close to adverse possession -by the government.

Here i live there are no property taxes on owning land.

 

[oosik]

OK - that explains, in part, the "roam" policy. Here where I live - property taxes are a SIGNIFICANT part of my annual budget.