Hay theft?

[D2Cat]

IF the guy is actually a thief, and you tell him to leave the bales and get off your property...the owners don't live there, so the thief will return when the owner's are gone and take the bales. Best to have the sheriff involved and set up some game cameras aimed at the stored hay.

Having the sheriff there is like receiving a letter with an attorney's letter head telling what is being done if you don't so something. Has a bit more pressure to get things done!

 

[Thomas]

Do you need the hay if so come to dollar figure,if hay not needed they take it all at your price and stern warning.

 

[boomer1025]

A relative of ours has 60 acres of relatively poor grassland. They have a cabin/ shed on it. A neighbor went in without permission and made about 50 bales off it. They were planning to leave it natural and uncut. What should they do?

Thank the neighbor for mowing and taking the little grass and weeds there was. If it's left uncut it's going to turn into 60 acres of high weeds an possibly become a fire hazzard. If your relative really wants to leave it natural and uncut have it planted with wild flowers.
Leaving it natural and uncut will turn into a big ugly mess that you or animals can't walk through and look like crap.

 

[Jstpssng]

Thank the neighbor for mowing and taking the little grass and weeds there was. If it's left uncut it's going to turn into 60 acres of high weeds an possibly become a fire hazzard. If your relative really wants to leave it natural and uncut have it planted with wild flowers.
Leaving it natural and uncut will turn into a big ugly mess that you or animals can't walk through and look like crap.

If he had asked first I would agree 100%. However, they didn't; and where I come from there's a word for taking things which don't belong to you. It's called "stealing." Those who do it are called "thieves".
This

They were planning to leave it natural and uncut.

tells it all. Isn't the the landowner allowed to do what they want with their land?

 

[scons]

Around here, this would not be accepted at all. People like that would indeed be called thieves. Best option for those thieves is the local police would be there before the land owner.
If someone would like to cut some grass of a field that looks like it is abandoned, the only option is to contact the owner and talk about it and reach an agreement, everything else is a no-no.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I would approach them, and record the conversation. If it was honest, work something out. If not, I would do my best not to let them benefit from it, and probably notify law enforcment. It also depends what kind of people they are. Some people have less to loose than you do, and it's never a good idea to piss them off.

 

[boomer1025]

This tells it all. Isn't the the landowner allowed to do what they want with their land?

No not really.

I would like to know why the neighbor cut and baled the fields. Has to be an answer and reason somewhere.
Might be more to the story then were hearing. How does the Op know they got 50 bales off the fields? Why didn't the OP ask the neighbor why he cut the fields?
Too many un-answered questions to judge if someone did steal the hay.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

They've owned it about six years. The neighbor has a much bigger spread.

He counted the 50 bales on his acreage. He caught them finishing the baling. I don't know how it came out yet. It's not abandoned. They are there every few days.

 

[CobyRupert]

Has anyone asked if this neighbor regularly cuts the field every year?
Sometime antisocial people assume everything is the same unless they hear otherwise.

 

[airbiscuit]

Baling hay without permission is bad.

Leaving it natural is bad.

Like Henry Kissinger said about the Iran/Iraq war - "I wish both sides could lose."