Property Line Hunters

[DwightD123]

Looking for some tactful advice here. This past deer season I had my property squeezed in several directions by guys setting up right on the property line. In most cases they were legal on some it crossed. For those I put a very friendly note asking them to move their stands to where it did not cross property lines. I don't want to be an A-hole and start any wars but I don't want next season to be like this. I have already made contact with who I can and expressed my views for us to give each other some breathing room. Not sure if they are buying into it so I want to be prepared for next year.
If anyone has ideas that will channel deer away from specific areas that is what I would prefer. I have been thinking about felling trees and placing them on the draws these guys sat up on this year as well as clearing the edgelines while letting the interior grow up a bit. I think this will force the deer in different direction and keep them inside a bit more during hunting pressure.
Just to give some insight I have 40 acres and the other hunters have 150,230 and 80 acres so I don't have the only decent place to hunt.
Again I want to avoid going down the war path like setting up stands right where they are, setting up alarm clocks, etc...
I would rather be more passive about it. If it gets stupid and they get pushy I can always take it up a notch but I think I can handle this in a better way and still get the desired results.
Thoughts and ideas are appreciated.

 

[EddieWalker]

Direct confrontation can go either way, and I agree that in the long term, it's a last resort. Do the hunters on your land own the land next to you or are they hunting as friends of the land owner? Hopefully you know the landowner. I would first go to him and express your concerns and have him deal with his guests. He probably would be shocked to find out his guests are tresspassing on your land and hopefully he'll put a stop to it.

Posting it might work.

Walking up to them while they are there and informing them that they are tresspassing sucks, but you might not have any choice. I know of some who shoot guns on their land and make a racket when it's deer season. Get your tractor out, bush hog, cut timber, fix fences. Do anything and everything to make their time out there a total waste of time.

If you have to escalate it, take pictures of them and try to identify who they are. The game warden can only do so much, but if things are slow, they can cause an aweful lot of hurt to a guy who is tresspassing if they want to.

Eddie

 

[Professor Marvel]

Are the people on your line the owners of the other properties or their "friends"? I typically have more difficulties from other people than the actual owners of the adjoining properties. The answer could cause me to respond in different ways.

 

[valley]

I had a great neighbor, his wife tramped around for about 6 years then came back and took his place. I had to have the property surveyed again, she began moving over, had trees cut. Had to put up a fence that wasn't nessary before.
Hope it is guests in your case, if you have good neighbors they'll take of it.

 

[buck12]

If they are actually coming onto your property setup trail cameras. A guy I work did this and presented the proof to his neighbor and asked them to stay on their property. If the offenders are staying within thief boundaries you can talk to them but it may do little good. On our lease I have found stands just inside the adjacent land owners fence that were clearly positioned to hunt our lease but there is not much we can do.

 

[two_bit_score]

DwightD123, how is your property boundary marked? Is it possible they have no idea they are a little bit over the line? Is it actually a little or is it more like 50 yards or so.

What is your real objective? Is it to eliminate other hunters in the area completely or just for them to stay off your property so you can use it yourself?

Have you though about game fencing your property?

 

[scesnick]

I have had this problem in the past. what you didn't specify is if your property is up against other private property of state owned land. If it is state owned land that is easy. Just let the DNR know they are leaving thier stand up on state property and they will be removed. That is how it works in my state.

No need to drop trees just to funnel deer. A bottle of coyote urine is pretty cheap. Most sporting goods stores carry it. Just pour it in a circle about 150yrd circumference around the deer stand in question. The deer will avoid that area like the plague ! The hunter will eventually get sick of not seeing any deer from that spot and move on..
( Caution: only open the coyote urine outdoors and wear gloves)

Read the game laws in your state. In my state if a deer is shot and runs onto private property you must get permission from the property owner to track it acrossed the property. If he says no, you are out of luck.. if this is also the case in your state, maybe let them know they will be trespassing and are not allowed to cross your property if you so desire.

Confrontation is probably the last resort. You have to remember that the are armed if they are hunting. And no deer is worth that kind of confrontation.

 

[forgeblast]

You could always go with wolf/coyote urine, it would scare the deer away. Ahh I saw someone else said that. I have that issue too on my property. I have gone through and reposted my line, and put white paint on the trees that I put signs on to make sure I remember where I put signs. Maby tsc will have a sale on barbed wire you can run on your property line.

 

[JamesHW]

Is the property posted? I see you are in Missouri and did a quick Google and found this: Purple paint law
Landowners may post or define the boundaries of their property by marking trees and fence posts with purple paint. In a court of law, a property boundary marked with purple paint is the same as posting "no Trespassing" signs.

Seems fairly clear that you can go nuts with the purple paint.

Having said that, On my 80 acres I have a fairly good idea of where the line is, but couldn't place it exactly other than in proximity to the corners. Lately I have been getting ore aggressive about posting the borders where I have a good idea where they are, especially where trails travers the border. But I tend to place the posted signs a bit back (like 5 yards or so) from where I "believe" the border is so as to not inadvertantly place the sign on the nrighbors land.

Love secsnick's thought about coyote urine. I might try just pissing around the stand myself, but then the deer will just pass out making it far to easy for the hunters to take them.

 

[Fixemall]

I use a product called "deer off" it comes in a battery powered dispenser and is made from many ingredients like urine, peppers and eggs. Best laugh I get is when I know they are wasting their day only to see nothing.
I have had many illegal hunters on my land and never approach them as I know that nothing good will come of it and the story will always change, I did have a neighbor who would set off large firework type rockets when he suspected illegal hunters on his land, I prefer a more stealthy approach but I have removed deer stands that were on my land including the one that was nailed into a tree with a posted sign on it...

 

[Western]

I think it will depend on how adamant (sp) you are about this.

You can cut the trees ect tra, but that may likely bring the deer in more if it provides more of the type browse they prefer.
Predator urine may work a few times,but deer usually wise up fast and know urine just means something has been there.

I think you will have to just make it known, as you have, that it is not appreciated. Then let them decide what level you need to escalate things. I also think you should have contacted your local Warden, so it wouldn't be "hearsay" later, but a known fact that this has been a problem. It could have just been an honest mistake, you said you're "peace" so I would save my energy and wait and see what is happening a few weekends before next season, then deal with it accordingly, include your local Law enforcement agency, some guys don't "get it" until there talking to the law.

 

[forgeblast]

Pack Alarm
I have watched people on youtube make their own from cheap alarms.
If you google "bear camping alarm", you will get a lot of ideas, the only problem is running the trip wires. I have also seen alarms made from rat traps and .22 blanks.
The people who play airsoft seem to have come up with a lot of these.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I walked the trails near the edges of my place recently and found a bow hunter about 20 yards from my land. Turns out the guy was from my old home town and I know his mom.

We hit it off and I don't think I will have any issues.

If you want to keep them away from your land, put your orange on and hunt your property lines near where they are set up. If you tramp back and forth enough they will get the message. If nothing else you will scare all the deer away from that area.

 

[Ken45101]

I go out the first couple of mornings of gun season with the ATV or RTV900 and patrol the perimeter. I figure that lets the neighbors know that I'm serious, and they probably don't want to be hunting where I have the 4 wheelers running. Only one time have I found someone and he apologized and left. Hopefully he told his friends.

We do have a perimeter fence and I put up signs.

In Ohio, it is criminal offense to hunt on land without written permission.

We have horses and I don't want some of the wild city boys shooting over here.

We did have one neighbor walk over and ask for permission to track a deer they hit. I have no problem with that.

I have no problem with hunting, deer are too dangerous on the roads, but I do have concerns with the shooting I hear, 2-3-4 quick shots in succession. They have to be shooting wild. I know I have good luck, but every deer I've shot (4) have been "one shot stops".

Ken

 

[scesnick]

I have removed deer stands that were on my land including the one that was nailed into a tree with a posted sign on it...

Ha !!!! I have two stands I aquired that way. Each time I took them ( right out of my apple orchard ) I left notes for them that if they wanted their treestands back to give me a call and the sheriff and I will gladly discuss the trespassing fine and compenstaion for the damage caused to my apple trees.
For some reason neither owner has yet to call to get them back.... lol.



BTW- you got a link to that Deer repellent????

 

[LD1]

In Ohio, it is criminal offense to hunt on land without written permission.

Not only that, but it has to be ON you at all times while hunting.''

IF you have written permission, but forgot it in your hunting truck, a nasty warden could really throw the book at you if he wanted. Seizing your guns, bows, atv's etc.

There not all like that though. But ohio DOES have some pretty strict gun laws and game wardens that can do about whatever they want:confused2:

 

[DwightD123]

The owners that I have been able to contact said it was people they had given permission. I got the hunter's numbers and they were the ones who "might be ok with scooting off the lines" but I didn't get a solid feeling. One in particular set his stand up 60 yds from my stand that had been there for years. I have not been able to get ahold of one side so don't know if it's owners or not. The ones that crossed the lines were moved so it's no longer a trespassing issue as much as a decency issue. With 40 acres it gets surrounded quick and yes I could start setting up stands right on theirs but I sure hate wasting my own hunting time making these guys miserable.
It comes down to etiquette and common respect....Perhaps I can learn to live with it but it sure is taking alot of the fun out of deer hunting my farm. Its aggravating having stands on every draw coming in.
Next issue is when they shoot they fire up the four wheeler and drive it right next to my dad's stand no matter what time. I told my hunters we don't do that. If the deer is down we wait til dark or midday to pick it up so as not to ruin other peoples hunts. It's another clue into these guys not caring how they are affecting my area.
I thought some type of land management could dissuade deer from funneling past their stands.
I can't afford a game fence.
The line is obvious so mistake would be unlikely.
I get the feeling I will need to make a stand with some of these guys and others will be decent and we can find a way to have mutually good hunts.
Has anyone cleared property lines that were good deer habitat and funnelled them elsewhere successfully?

 

[Ken45101]

But ohio DOES have some pretty strict gun laws and game wardens that can do about whatever they want:confused2:

Sometimes they go too far, lose their jobs and get a criminal conviction...

Ken

 

[Western]

Dwight, I have cleared land specifically for deer. the results iw as looking for and got, was more deer browse. Since deer like to feed wood lines and field edges since there usually is an abundance of forbes (sp) I think you may be asking for more trouble/work than it's worth. 40 acres isn't "big" as far as a deer is concerned and you already know they can cross that in seconds. I know of a couple of guy's that had a similar issue and they where unable to get cooperation from a neighbor or two, so that is the fence line they high fenced, more as a deterrent since deer can easily go around.

You have a dilemma and as long as they are not trespassing, little you can do. Happens in Texas all the time, I don't know if it's greed, laziness or what, but it does often appear like a lack of respect. Bottom line though, hard to expect others to act and be like us.

 

[DT86]

I don't hunt but have friends from town that do. One morning they called and said someone was already sitting in their "sweet spot". So I got up and went to investigate, sneaking up on him behind a hill and let 10 quick shots from a SKS into the ground. We reloaded and approached him to see just what the h*ll he thought he was doing. Turns out the neighbor (which I have problems with a lot) told him it was his land and this ol' boy, who didn't know otherwise, had been hunting on us for several years!

When I approached the neighbor he thought it was no big deal until I asked him how he would feel if I told people they could fish in his pond that is with in 20 feet of the main road.
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