Respect?!?

[skent]

I wouldn't mind that at all! If someone enters the property with the intention of introducing themselves, asking directions, or coming to out house and announcing themselves. . . .FINE and DANDY. I break out the Red Dog beer, Woodchuck Cider, or lemonade and share a cool one (or a snort of brandy if its cold out)

What bothers me is people who know they don't belong, have no intention of asking to pass, and then turn around on your grass/crop (sometimes getting stuck), basically being nosey.

Interesting side note - the property that was put up for sale last week that started this thread sold in four days for the asking price. . . . .2.6 acres (cannot be divided), all wooded, (about half is on a 25 degree slope-get out your tiltmeters - oops - wrong thread), 800 feet off the main road, asking 59,900. I didn't think it would sell that quick. Oh well - look forward to meeting whoever. . . . .

Steve

 

[JayT]

John, you seem to be on the money with your logic. My personal favorite sign was on a Sunday afternoon ride with "The Boss" that still makes us laugh. It read: "Gee Honey, this must be somone's driveway!"....... We turned around.

 

[Ingo]

Well I don't know how good the logic is, but I do know it made me turn around (like you).

John

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Try a sign worded something like this.

CAUTION - SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE - YOUR TIRES, MY r****

Good luck!

As a citizen, you are entitled to make a citizen's arrest of ANYONE you personally witness breaking the law. Sometimes the duly constituted authorities don't want interlopers on their turf B U T it is the law. I have a similar problem and have been told that arresting someone for trespassing is a waste of time and it will not be prosecuted. Of course if the trespasser should attack you with a deadly weapon then that is a much more serious crime.

I have 10 stocked fishing ponds (talk about attractive nuisance). Again no help from the boys in blue except the one deputy who will threaten to call their parents if it is kids (yes, this still works in rural Oklahoma, at least some of the time) I am considering posting a very high fishing/picnicking fee so that not paying it would be a serious theft. I really don't mind folks fishing when they don't start fires, leave dirty diapers, or scatter bottles and cans E X C E P T for liability issues. If I permit folks to come on the property and they get snake bit or whatever, then I get sued. Not everyone is like that but it only takes one.

Again, good luck,

Patrick

I have a 1/2 mile of hwy frontage and get a lot of litering. Again, virtually no recourse or assistance from the duly constituted authorities. Hence a video camera with a telephoto lense and a sympathetic neighbor who is a deputy sheriff. He runs the tag and calls the owner with the implied threat that NEXT TIME there will be a $1000 fine. There are so many liter bugs that I haven't noticed any change.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

CBD,

That is an amazing story. "GRANDFATHERED?" Did they think this was a zoning issue? Don't know where you're at. Here, we have better luck with the DNR on such cases than the local sheriff. Conservation Officers usually are much tougher. We purchased 15 acres for our "farm" two years ago. We looked first at a 60 acre farm at the end of a dead end road. Almost bought it. Kept thinking I could split off 30 acres and pay for the property. The farm house was in awful condition but there was this beautiful barn I still drool over. The property was really cheap and the old guy that had it had just had a stroke and was in a wheel chair at a nursing home 400 miles away. This was a heaven sent dream.

Then I talked to some of the other people in the area, and the property's caretaker. It seems the folks living in the next to the last house on the road, were the grandsons of the farm's previous owners. They did not LIKE the fact that Granddad had sold the property 40 years ago. They felt it STILL BELONGED TO THEIR FAMILY. They had busted down the fence to get to the main road so they could get to their favorite BAR without going out on the public street. At the back of the property they had torn up a small pond so they could have a mud bog for their trucks, complete with busted up parts strewn about. I checked with the police and these individuals are well known for loud parties, gun shots, fist fights, etc.

Needless to say, I didn't buy there. But that was 2 years ago, and no one else has bought it either. We haven't got totally moved onto the farm yet, and where were at now is 12 miles away in the middle of the National Forest, so its a pretty rural area. Still, we've had Trout fishermen walking through our yard because they were going to the restaurant. (River 1/2 mile away, restaurant 1/2 mile the OTHER way, nice wide road with path along side it). Last summer my wife caught people putting garbage bags out on the corner of our drive. She asked them what they thought they were doing and they told her "You have garbage pick up and we don't want to carry it home to the City". Not only dumb, but REALLY DUMB! you don't talk to the Boss like that. No only did she help them put their trash back in the minivan, but she gave them a good description of where they should REALLY put it. All I could do is shake my head and grin.

Anyway. Thanks for the great story.

SHF

 

[cowboydoc]

Only problem is that around here DNR won't do anything about trespassers. They just tell you to call the sheriff.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Trespassing, no. Poaching yes. DNR here can search you on suspicion. I had a new resident ask if the DNR needs a warrant to go into your garage. Seems his had been searched. I investigated, and after consultation with DNR, sheriff and attorney, the opinion is that they can, as long as there is suspicion. For DNR, that can be a neighbor claiming he saw you skinning a deer.

Are you SURE your trespassers aren't picking endangered flowers?

SHF

 

[cowboydoc]

/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Have to remember that next time when I call them. I know there's going to be trouble on that piece of ground as I've been told it's the best hunting spot in the county.

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

We have a local joke here-- You can shoot your neighbor and do 10 days, but take a turkey out of season and spend the rest of your life paying for it. I feel for ya. I got em here too. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif. Don't suppose they're RELATED do you? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

SHF