Poachers and trespassers

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I'm not 100 percent sure about the law in Arkansas I've never been able to find anything out about how close a stand can be to a property line but I've got two people that have stands right on the fence. They have their property leased just to hunt on and that's where most of my problems come from they just cross the fence and unless your on foot or horseback it is hard to catch them.
 
I'm not 100 percent sure about the law in Arkansas I've never been able to find anything out about how close a stand can be to a property line but I've got two people that have stands right on the fence.
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Yes, you need to know the law. Here in Wisconsin, you can have a stand right on your property line, but you cannot shoot into someone else's property without permission. The minute your bullet/arrow crosses the property line, you can be considered trespassing. Same goes for allowing your dog to cross the fence-line in hopes of pushing game to your side. Wisconsin used to be like many states and have confusing laws about signage and fences.....but not anymore. They have gotten very aggressive towards trespassers and have done much to enforce the rights of property owners. You no longer have to post your land, lands are considered posted unless one has written permission to enter. Being lost is no excuse because you are responsible for knowing where you are. Trailing a wounded animal is not a legitimate excuse either as even then, you must have the land owner's permission to enter. Check your laws and continue to bug whoever it is that is supposed to enforce those laws. Take pictures and record when trespassing occurs. Do not do anything illegal yourself such as setting traps or damaging property. Make yourself visible during times when trespassing may occur or give the impression someone is there. You are not the jerk for demanding your property rights, the trespasser/violators are the dirtballs.
 
Not too many years back, Ohio instituted a hunting law that requires hunters to carry written permission on them while hunting private property. It's a pain in the @#$ but I'm sure that was the results of them getting tired of hearing every excuse in the book, and false rumors such as "If you are tracking a wounded animal, you can cross property lines. "Trespassing" is a different offense than "hunting without written permission" and a personal can be charged with both. Private property is not required to be posted, but it sure makes for a much better case for prosecution. I believe they do require landowners to post signs so many feet apart if they border public hunting land.
 
I would lease it if that suits you. We lease 1800 acres or so, and although you will never keep everybody out a few extra hands working to that end helps. We basically pay the property tax which is cheap I know compared to some leases. If you want a copy of what a contract looks like I can email you ours. It is rather involved for the protection of the owner. We buy our insurance through NC Forestry in a program underwritten by an insurer that they work with and the club is a member of the NC Forestry Assc. Arkansas may have something similar.
 
I'm on good terms with the wardens in my area, but when you actually need one to check out reports of shots on the properties I oversee they are generally out of the area. I take care of different properties for the landowner and have had problems on all of them at one time. The first time a trespasser is caught here, they are issued a warning by the wardens or sheriff deputy whichever is involved, as the folks in charge of prosecution won't waste the court's time for it.
I picked up a chair a couple days ago that was hidden next to a tree and behind a bunch of brush in the woods. Next to it was a snuff can and a spit bottle...real classy bunch of guys sneaking into the woods around here.
 
My Dad and I actually confronted a group late one Friday night on the road in front of our property. Wood Peckers were nothing but, yes sir, no sir polite and the ring leaders dad was a judge in our county! I give them enough credit as to the fact that we think they stayed off of our and our neighbors property. Letting them know our neighbor was a retired Secret Service agent may have helped also.
Scum of the earth they are.
We also gave the local game warden a key to our front gate so he could hide out in the brush for the road hunters.
 
I have a neighbor that had a similar issue with someone hunting on his property without permission. He told me that normally he would not have cared since he doesn't hunt, but the guy had damaged his fence a couple times. He put trail cameras up, but was never able to get a good picture showing either a license plate or the person's face. When he took the pictures to our county sheriff to see if they could get anything with just the image of the guy's truck the sheriff said that they did not have enough to go on. He told me that the sheriff seemed very intrigued by a large buck that happened to walk through in one picture though. Long story short, he leased the land to the sheriff and a couple of his deputies and one of the deputies just happened to be hunting the next time the poacher showed up.
 
I guess a lease would just be the best way. I like to hunt but I can't hunt it all by myself I just hate for people to come in and kill all the young bucks or does that still have fawns on their side. Can you put rules on a lease?
 
I have always been amazed at the numbers of people who willingly trespass on property that if they asked for permission and maybe helped the landowner a little would be welcomed. Of course those same folks don't usually care to put out any effort to hunt either.
 
Lwh4207, it's common for the lessor to set conditions in the lease, as to what can be hunted: Size, sex, number of points, whatever, for deer. And, yes or no for other game or non-game animals.

Similarly, a group of hunters on a lease can set "group rules" of the same sort.
 
How about some of these strategically placed...

The-Claymore-Mine-vs-The-M14-in-Vietnam-1.jpg
 
:) I like that idea!

Clearly a pucker factor walking up to one unexpectedly.

And I see they're only $25 each.
 
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