Does your state have a "Recreational Trespass" law for hunters?

[JoeBuyer]

Forgetting laws for the time and how I deal with it, I would say they need to attempt to get permission and if no one is home and there is no consequence to pursuing the animal, they should go ahead. No sense they shoot a second animal just because the first crossed a property line. Now if they are driving their 4x4 through a muddy field to retrieve the animal and creating ruts, that is different. So is saying they shot an animal before it crossed the property line when they didn't. I have had that happen more than once.

 

[Tollster]

About a week and a half ago one of my neighbors was bowhunting for deer on my property, the doe he shot ran about 100 feet after being hit and ended up in an area I lease to someone to grow crops. According to the laws here, if you wound a game animal or bird and it runs or flies into an area on property where you do not have permission from the landowner to hunt, you can be prosecuted for trespassing. Okay now, was I in the wrong to help my neighbor collect his deer, it being on property I hold title to, ALTHOUGH I have a written agreement for the person who farms the land to grow and harvest crops there.

Secondly...my personal feelings are that unless a hunter is intentionally poaching on land he has no permission to be on, he should still have the right to pursue injured game, if only to ensure it meets a humane death and is not left to suffer needlessly.

Any opinions here? Thanks.

Good job,and the humane thing to do. But what if Mr Cornrow was hunting in the same area and busted ya? I feel the same way as you,but there are plenty of aholes that own property who would object, rather than trying to sort things out. They are much worse than they used to be in many ways, and I recon many have their reasons.
I however first like to listen before I spew and many times can work with folks, such as the case you discribed here,and I would rather get along with thy neighbors. Good call!

 

[Bill 55]

JDGreen227 when I was hunting a lot more than I do now I would get a County Plat Map book. The 4H clubs used to sell them It listed all the property owners, and was a good reference for finding new places to hunt. The maps showed a general outline of the property and had owners names on the property and in the index was a list of owners and addresses.

 

[medic1050]

In Ontario you do not have the right to pursue game into areas you do not have permission to hunt. If the landowner refuses permission, contact a conservation officer and they can enter without permission. Don't hunt fence lines unless you secure permission from both sides. IT is just smart and ethical hunting. If a fence is a firm border then move in much further. Scout the area pattern the deer you'll find other places to hang a stand. It just may take a few years.

Additionally as the property owner you are within your rights to grant access for hunting despite someone having a lease to grow crop. Unless the crop grower is also hunting... A quick phone call solves that they'd likely be thankful for a bit less crop loss. The real gray areas come in when the lease holder grants permission to hunt and the land owner doesn't approve...

 

[MossflowerWoods]

County tax records have all the info you need to locate property owners. This is something that could easily be addressed prior to hunting season.

EXACTLY!

Prior Planning Prevents... You know where I'm going.

If you have not fully scouted out the area BEFORE hunting season you are a dangerous fool. My house, and at least one of my neighbor's just suddenly "appears" out of the woods and if you did not know where it was BEFORE you could be shooting into the house!

Any Hunter worth a darn should scout out the hunting location FIRST before season opens.

Be well,
David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

As an aside, this weekend's project is to update the "No Tresspassing, No Hunting" signs on my property.

There is an old and I believe unused right on my prorerty line, facing into my trees. I'm going to MAKE SURE anyone trying to use it can SEE my clearly posted signs...

Be well,
David

 

[JDgreen227]

JDGreen227 when I was hunting a lot more than I do now I would get a County Plat Map book. The 4H clubs used to sell them It listed all the property owners, and was a good reference for finding new places to hunt. The maps showed a general outline of the property and had owners names on the property and in the index was a list of owners and addresses.

Great advice, thank you for sharing that tip with us.

 

[MossRoad]

Great advice, thank you for sharing that tip with us.

Another handy tool is your county's GIS service.

GIS - Geographic Information System

Do a google search for:

yourcountyname, state, gis

or

yourcountyname, state, geographic information system

Most counties in the country now have these. It shows every parcel of land and lists every owner and a whole bunch more information as well.

So, find your property in the system and see what it has about you, then start clicking on neighboring properties and you can usually find the owner's address. Then mail them and ask for a phone number so you can contact them should an incident occur, like retrieving an animal, police search for fugitive, etc...

Its also usefull if you are looking for land to hunt on and want to contact property owners. :thumbsup:

 

[Ken45101]

Ohio law is clear, you must have permission to hunt or pursue wounded game onto land.

From some of the wild shooting I have heard from neighbors, I don't want them over here shooting. I patrol our land most days during gun season. I have found trespassers and last year found where someone drug a deer out to the road. We have horses and dogs here, we used to have a greyhound that even we sometimes confused with a deer. We have also had a dog apparently wounded by a bow hunter (10" slash across his back.)

That said, I've had a neighboring hunter come over and ask permission to track a wounded deer and I was fine with that, even told them they could bring in their 4wheeler.

But hunting close to property lines is asking for a 50/50 chance of the deer going where they don't belong.

 

[TripleR]

Ohio law is clear, you must have permission to hunt or pursue wounded game onto land.

From some of the wild shooting I have heard from neighbors, I don't want them over here shooting. I patrol our land most days during gun season. I have found trespassers and last year found where someone drug a deer out to the road. We have horses and dogs here, we used to have a greyhound that even we sometimes confused with a deer. We have also had a dog apparently wounded by a bow hunter (10" slash across his back.)

That said, I've had a neighboring hunter come over and ask permission to track a wounded deer and I was fine with that, even told them they could bring in their 4wheeler.

But hunting close to property lines is asking for a 50/50 chance of the deer going where they don't belong.

Pretty much and three adjoining property owners have stands right against our property lines. One is a rather elaborate elevated one with covered roof and shooting ports all around. We hunt elsewhere some, so we can't monitor them.