Do You Post Your Property?

[scott_vt]

I have a couple of neighbors that keep an eye on the place when Im not around and I allow them to use the property if they want. So I dont post it and let my friends keep an eye out for me !

Thats ashame to hear about a farmer gettin shot on his own property,some people just ruin it for everyone !

 

[Thomas]

Afternoon Ken.
Some Fish & Game state department offer hunting by Permission Only signs to land owners...I fine its better than posting the land against everybody,and the hunter must always carry permission slip from the land owner while hunting.

Yeah its a shame there always a few bad apples in the bunch,but what goes around comes around as they say.

 

[jrepp]

Louisiana recently passed a new Criminal Trespass Law. Unless you have prior authorization to be on property you don't own you are considered to be trespassing. No posting is required. Exceptions are made for law enforcement, fire fighters and some others.

Link: Louisiana Criminal Trespass Law

 

[shvl73]

Our property is posted, but some ignore it anyway. In NH, permission is not needed to hunt non-posted land, provided laws and regulations otherwise governing hunting are followed. I just don't want people I don't know walking around our small parcel, especially with firearms. If I don't know them, there is no way I would know how carefull they are, how mindfull they are of others property and their level of proficiency with a firearm. It would seem to me that if you don't own the property yourself, you certainly know someone else does. Asking permission and being a gracious guest would seem to be fairly basic manners.

 

[3RRL]

Our property is posted too but it does not good. As a matter of fact, all the parcels where I live have a private road entrance and it is posted "Private Road". Each landowner then has his own driveway from that road. Still does no good. Last year I had 2 guys in a new Chevy truck come driving up my dirt road, past my camp road. I got in my Blazer to head them off, but they turned around and split with me chasing them. They knew for sure it was private property, because of the posting at the entrance. Most just don't care.

 

[wushaw]

Now I know the real reason so many of y'all carry a weapon on your tractors and person...It's not for the snakes and coyotes...idiots...

 

[escavader]

I dont own alot,but my mountain property has apple trees and a good many deer have been shot there.I absolutely do not post.I deal with any problems one on one,if possible.I use others land for atving,and snowmobiling,hiking etc so i wont post mine.The neighbors wanted to move the gate down below my place where the town road stopped.I said do you realize this will stop all the locals from driving up to a favorite fishing hole.I said no way!!I would be the first place vandelized.Isnt it funny im one of the only ones without a gate or cable,or sign,and im one of the only ones who hasnt been broke into,vandelized,or even torched?Sometimes i get a little trash thrown out by fisherman parking on my land,but i clean it up and move on.
When i use to hunt nothing use to po me more than someone whos land was posted,hunting on someone elses.
There is a sign on one of the designated atv trails that reads welcome to---- land,if your land is posted dont come on ours.
my family wears blaze orange when outdoors in deer season as well as the lab
ALAN

 

[K7147]

Ken,
I was up at my camp below St Jay this past weekend. In the local paper they reported that a mistrial was declared. The jury could not reach a verdict. The state has to decide if they want to retry.

Phil

Phil, thanks for the information on that trial. For the past couple of years I’ve found life to be much more pleasant by avoiding almost all media news from all sources. Were it not for chance items from people like yourself my news ignorance would be gloriously complete. I do hope they retry that little bugger and that he gets his just reward.

I also saw a few comments in other posts concerning the liability factor when your land is not posted. Indeed, if your land is posted your are on firmer legal ground in many jurisdictions. However, there is still no barrier that prevents most liability lawsuits even if the plaintiff doesn’t have a chance in H--- of winning. More than one land owner has won a liability case in court….and may have spent thousands of dollars of unrecoverable monies to get that victory.

Once you invite someone onto your property by either implied or explicit consent they become what is known in legal terms as a “business invitee” and you owe them the highest degree of care and consideration. If an invited hunter shoots himself or his hunting partner while on your property…you are on the hook for any potential lawsuit! No matter who is at fault any lawyer worth his salt will always go after those with the deepest pockets. If the hunters are a couple of dirt-bags compared to you as a land owner….guess who has the deepest pockets?

Some years back there was a classic case in California where the land was posted by the owner. To prevent access to his large property by vehicle he placed logs across three access roads. A father and son hunting team ignored the signs and while stepping over the barrier log the father tripped and shot his son in the head. The son sustained brain damage but did survive. The required medical care and expected future medical expenses were estimated in the millions of dollars. Both hunters sued the land owner claiming that the log was the cause of the shooting as it was a hazard placed there by the land owner. The plaintiff attorney found a tiny defect in the way the property had been posted and a sympathetic jury found for the two trespassing hunters. The judgment was far in excess of the land owners liability insurance and he was on the hook for the rest!
Thankfully, the judgment was greatly reduced upon appeal. Even so, the land owner was out over $150,000 in legal defense costs. Can you imagine his plight if his land had not been posted at all?

At this point I’ve done my homework concerning posting and liability aspects of owning a larger piece of private land. In retrospect I should have posted my land on day one! The neighbor who I still allow to hunt my property? He has an above normal IQ range and was more than happy to sign a waiver of liability at my request. He also agreed to only use a shotgun. He signs an in/out log so I know when he’s on the property and he and I both feel comfortable with the situation. Besides, his wife makes the best cranberry relish I’ve ever tasted!

Ken

 

[Jstpssng]

I dont own alot,but my mountain property has apple trees and a good many deer have been shot there.I absolutely do not post.I deal with any problems one on one,if possible.I use others land for atving,and snowmobiling,hiking etc so i wont post mine.The neighbors wanted to move the gate down below my place where the town road stopped.I said do you realize this will stop all the locals from driving up to a favorite fishing hole.I said no way!!I would be the first place vandelized.Isnt it funny im one of the only ones without a gate or cable,or sign,and im one of the only ones who hasnt been broke into,vandelized,or even torched?Sometimes i get a little trash thrown out by fisherman parking on my land,but i clean it up and move on.
When i use to hunt nothing use to po me more than someone whos land was posted,hunting on someone elses.
There is a sign on one of the designated atv trails that reads welcome to---- land,if your land is posted dont come on ours.
my family wears blaze orange when outdoors in deer season as well as the lab
ALAN

Here in Maine we've been blessed with free access, eh Alan? Unfortunately those days are changing. As more land gets posted or subdivided, more pressure is put on the remaining land; hence more problems leading to more posting...

My land isn't posted; there's an old road across my field that people have been using for years. The town road is an official "ATV access trail" from nowhere to nowhere. Although my road isn't part of the trail there is still regular ATV traffic across me , Despite the recent ATV laws, so long as noone abuses it that use will continue.

 

[Captinjack]

I hate insurance companies - I don't post my land as I believe in open woods - if you sue me, you nor your progeny will collect a dime. I learned a long time ago that you shouldn't make any laws that you cannot enforce. Posting doesn't mean a thing for most people. Respect is far more important.

When encountering another hunter without permission (in WV it's a state requirement to have written permission and the landowner has the authority of a game warder to apprehend/disarm/ and take to the judge any trespasser) I act like the village idiot and tell them that I don't work, hunt all the time here, and generally make a loud nuisance of myself. At no time do I tell them I'm the owner or to get off my property! They leave (and never come back) as I have disturbed their hunting and that %*$$es them off big time, but they know that they can't gripe as they don't own the land.

They decide for themselves to leave and never come back as the place is inhabited by a nutcase and that getting up early in the morning and hunting the place will be unproductive as there is a real "#$$hole" hunting the place at all times.

If you just throw them off, they are challenged and think they have to get sneakier to get that "big buck" that the landowner is trying to protect. Rudely interfere with their hunting and they will never come back and they'll spread the word to others.

It's worked well with me as this is what I've done and I've owned my property for over 20 yrs. and I don't have a trespass problem and I don't post my property.

I live 265 miles away from my property and am only there on the odd weekend so posting is inefective. My adjacent property landowners know that they can come on/across my property anytime they wish...........which is all they want. They never do, but they know they can if the situation warrants.

That's the difference between many folks.........the locals need to know what the situation is and they'll look after your property if they know you are not a horses' butt.

This keeps your place from burning to the ground and having everything robbed and that beats the dot the i's and cross the t's insurance companies everytime. I don't have $.10 of insurance on my place.

I apologize for the rant, but some things just need to be said. I know my situation is probably not like most folks, but..................it's all just a matter of attitude. We are all folks here on this planet earth and none of us are gonna get outa here alive. Relax, take a deep breath and try to understand what is really important in LIFE 101.