Unclebuck257
Platinum Member
Alan, under the circumstances you have described, you had NO CHOICE but to handle it as you did. It's unfortunate that the destruction happened, but to be honest, you had no idea who and what you were dealing with. Those kids could have been relatives of the owners. Sounds to me like you folks that own property up there need to have a meeting to set down some guidelines as to what you will and can do to help one another from now on.
About 3-4 years ago, a similar situation happened right around us here, on 80 acres owned by people that lived quite a distance away. There was no drought that year and a group of older teen kids, maybe 10-12 took up partying in the middle of that 80 acres, several nights in a row. They were very loud, had a large bonfire, and it quickly got out of hand, in many ways. We figured it was the grandkids of the owners who have also come dove hunting out here on that property in the fall. We let it slide the first night, but the second night it got louder and wilder and with that huge bonfire on the third night, some of us stopped caring IMMEDIATELY who they were. Phone calls were made quickly to other neighbors, (since the Sheriff wouldn't do anything because of it being private property) and several of us went over in our vehicles. No sooner did our convoy headlights hit those kids in the middle of that 80 acres, than they scrambled to put their clothes back on, and got into their vehicles. They spun out, did wheelies, and tried to go out the only entrance/ exit to the property that we had just come in. We let them go out behind us, and the sight of them speeding down the county road, away from us, was the last time we ever saw them again. No face to face confrontations, no violence, and we put out the bonfire immediately too.
Later I ran into the ranch foreman of the ranch that owns that 80 acres and he knew nothing about the kids or anything. I explained what happened and why the Sheriff wouldn't enter private property. He immediately went down to the Sheriff's office and gave them written permission to enter the property anytime they needed, or wanted to, if the neighbors (us) saw anything going on at the property, out of the ordinary.
Sounds like your neighbors need to ALL give that same type of a permission to your county sheriff. You did the right thing under the circumstances you had. Now it's time to change those circumstances for the good of all your neighbors though.
About 3-4 years ago, a similar situation happened right around us here, on 80 acres owned by people that lived quite a distance away. There was no drought that year and a group of older teen kids, maybe 10-12 took up partying in the middle of that 80 acres, several nights in a row. They were very loud, had a large bonfire, and it quickly got out of hand, in many ways. We figured it was the grandkids of the owners who have also come dove hunting out here on that property in the fall. We let it slide the first night, but the second night it got louder and wilder and with that huge bonfire on the third night, some of us stopped caring IMMEDIATELY who they were. Phone calls were made quickly to other neighbors, (since the Sheriff wouldn't do anything because of it being private property) and several of us went over in our vehicles. No sooner did our convoy headlights hit those kids in the middle of that 80 acres, than they scrambled to put their clothes back on, and got into their vehicles. They spun out, did wheelies, and tried to go out the only entrance/ exit to the property that we had just come in. We let them go out behind us, and the sight of them speeding down the county road, away from us, was the last time we ever saw them again. No face to face confrontations, no violence, and we put out the bonfire immediately too.
Later I ran into the ranch foreman of the ranch that owns that 80 acres and he knew nothing about the kids or anything. I explained what happened and why the Sheriff wouldn't enter private property. He immediately went down to the Sheriff's office and gave them written permission to enter the property anytime they needed, or wanted to, if the neighbors (us) saw anything going on at the property, out of the ordinary.
Sounds like your neighbors need to ALL give that same type of a permission to your county sheriff. You did the right thing under the circumstances you had. Now it's time to change those circumstances for the good of all your neighbors though.
