unexpected company

D

Dr Crane

New member
So I make the extra effort to get exclusive private land permission to take my daughter out for her first time deer hunting. Landowner is the father of guys I grew up with, nice guy, everyone thinks he's a little nutty. More than happy to give us permission, told us exactly where to go and said no one's hunted the land in the past 10 years.

We get there all set up at 5am and about 6:15 this guy comes walking in about as graceful as a rhino and sit down about 75 yds away. Being new to the sport myself, not real sure what to do, but after seeing a couple of white tail flashes out of range I decide to go see this guy. I ask him if he's lost because as far as I know my daughter and I are the only ones with permission to be there.

He says he has written from so and so and has been hunting here for 7 or 8 years. I pull out my map and say see that tree over there? That's this tree here on the map which puts us here which is on George's property that we have written for. He says so and so called the electrician and the sheep farmers wife and they said it's ok. I said well the electrician is Randy and the sheep farmer is George. and so and so's land is 3 property lines away.

So he gives me a song and dance about being out there for the sport blah blah and do I have a problem with him being there. I say well it's not my land but I'm trying to give my girl the best experience I can and we will be back next Thursday Friday and Saturday an we will be sitting right THERE. Now the whole time we're talking he was visibly shaking and stuttering...and he was about in his late sixties so we just packed up and left. I tried to be nice and cordial to the guy... did get his name... left on friendly terms.

Told the story to George the landowner later in the day and asked what he'd like me to tell this guy if I see him again.. he told be to ask him if he was bulletproof. He was not kidding! So I tell my girl I guess that's hunting in Connecticut and the old timers were around before all the rules etc..


But ya know...***?
 
This is exactly the type of situation that a GPS, a cell phone and a game warden can perminantly remedy.
 
I used to have a buddy who's have said something along the lines of...

"Gee, the last guy that was here and told me that was trying to get himself killed. Do you want to die today?"

Tony was sorta like that; he had a sort of way about him and would ramble on like he was mostly curious about something, but he'd get his point across.

I agree with the above though; a cell phone and a game warden would solve the issue pretty quick.

Daryl
 
I was brought up I you want to use something of some ones you ask just don't assume you can. I hunt at my work that is private property(Rock Quarry/Sand pit)signs post all around the property. No trespassing/no hunting/ blasting area. Last week walking up to my blind noticed the windows were down. When i got closer i saw a guy in there, he comes out to greet me and i asked him. Thats a nice blind you got there and do you have permission to be in here hunting and he said yes. He told me he just got the blind set up. so I said to him so you Mr. Keith (leave Blank) He said no the blind is a buddies of his I told him I don't know you. And you better leave before I call fish and game and the owner of the property. The guy had the balls to ask me if i would give him a ride out to the gate of the property that is about 1/4 to 1/2 mile away Cause he didn't have a key like me to drive in. My work has contacted local PD and if there are cars parked out by the gate to have them towed. Only 4 people have permission to hunt in there and i know them all. People today just don't know how to ask any more. Its just take and this is what i want to do. Yes it is hunting season every body wants there deer. How hard is it to stop talk to the person that owns the property and ask, may i hunt on your land Sir. If he says no don't get all ****** of shake his hand and say thank you for you time Sir and leave.
 
The next day the landowner George called me at home and said "you have a cell phone right? Well if you see this guy again, call me in front of him and tell him you are calling me and I am going to call the game warden!!" So I guess we'll see what happens. I did think about posting the land for him after I went back up there and found all the property line fences and pins. I'll let you guys know what happens Thanksgiving day!

What's a good GPS to get?
 
I'd bet you never see him again. From the description on how he acted, he was embarrased he got "caught". If no one had been hunting the place for 10 years, he figured no one was going to find out.
 
A cell phone that takes pictures is the best. Before I walk up to a trespasser on my property I get the picture taking mode on my camera ready. After walking up to him, first thing I do before I say a word is snap his picture. Then ask if he knows where he`s at. Usually some BS answer follows in which I tell him if he`s caught back here again I`ll press charges on him. Sounds rude but I`ve had just to many bad experiences and close calls with guest`s and trespasser`s.
 
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I'll bet that too. I think he was just trying to save face. If he had a different attitude, I would have kindly suggested he simply ask the landowner for permission. I'll bet he would have gotten it.
 
i have had folks "wander" onto the parents farm back home during hunting season. when confronted they said they must have got lost (even a guy that was in a fixed tree stand). I just tell them to get lost or they would be sorry.

One dude i caught dragging a deer out of our property to a road (private road by the way) said he was hunting his buddies land. I said really, who is your buddy? he came back with some name I never heard of and I said well your buddy doesn't own this land and he sure doesn't own this road. he stammered that his buddy said he did and I said, well last I knew my dad owned the this section of land, and the other 2000 acres around it :cool: and this was a private road and he was trespassing and poaching from private property. at that point he froze up. i said leave the deer and get the heck off our property (i also clicked the safety off my gun at the same time). he litterally ran the last couple hundred meters to his truck. I proceeded to get his license plate number with my binoc's and dragged his deer back to my truck and used the cb to radio our neighbor (who was the county sheriff and give him the details of the guy, his license plate and to have him call the game warden).

in the end, the SD G&F prosecuted the guy for poaching (he had a tag, but not for that part of the season) and they gave him a fine and took his truck and guns away. Then the county prosecuted him for trespassing and leaving the scene of a crime, taking a game animal out of season and illegal use of a private road for the means of committing a crime. I think he got 2 yrs prohbation and a fine if memory serves me correctly.

nowadays you have to worry more about druggies and meth labs in the woods than folks illegally hunting.
 
few people care about anyone else. once upon a time a person had the obligation to follow the law and the rules. However due to varyious liberal educational/feel good programs from chicago and california, very few people have any idea that rules are to be obeyed.

most people will hunt once on a piece of property and think they have the right, the second time they will feel they own it. as a result they can get violent nad hostile to the legal landowner when they run into eachother.
its nothing like taking a walk in teh afternoon to scout for sign in summer to find a trespesser HUNTING deer on your property who tells you to f--- off.

You should not try to deal with an armed hunter or poacher on your land. To many people have been "accidentally' shot while hunting because an honest person decided it was ok to ask the illegal hunter to leave their land.
The only solution is to get photos and call the game warden. they have the legal ability to forcibly evict and arrest armed trespessers.
 
Asked around, I guess the guy's a member of the gun club in town. All by ourselves today. Told the story to the owner of the local gun store, he said that's more the rule than the exception when it comes to hunting in Ct.
 
We have as much a problem of our members of the club moving in on a section that has been checked out.Not paying attention to where they are..!! Very dangerous!:mad:
 
interesting thread,

UnivFrost - you approach a guy dragging a deer and you clicked your safety off, could that be considered threatening? - in AZ?

I would never recommend getting aggressive with a gun in your hand or with someone who has one.
I'm sure responses vary widely by region but here in the NE it's a much more crowded hunting area and even when you start out on public land or private with permission its not too difficult to end up crossing a poorly posted PL , granted he was guilty IN HINDSIGHT but were you really prepared to shoot someone for taking a deer off your property? I've had fellow hunters tell me I was trespassing when I knew I wasn't (and checked later to be sure) never had a deer with me at the time. But always stayed polite explained my opinion and if they remained adamant about it apologize unloaded my gun and ask for the quickest way back to where I wanted to be.
Now if I'm in the right and catch someone trespassing It's the same tone "Excuse me but do you know..." He does anything but apologize and ask the way home I would just take a tag number and perhaps report it, definitely so if he got aggressive.
We get enough bad press no sense making more for ourselves.
 
some ppl just dont care whos land they are on. when my parents bought their section of land, the first couple years we had problems with people on our property. We had the wardens out on several occasions, and ppl did eventually get the point. The worse offenders were a cop and his son. they figured they could do whatever, and actually started calling us down at the coffe shop for kicking them off our land. people like that ruin the fun in hunting.
Back home, its the city guys that can cause the most problems. Its like they think the land is for everybody. They dont understand, we own it and pay taxes on our land. I bet they would get real pissy if we pulled into their back yards and started having a picnic or wandering around. and the cops would likely be called. But for some reason, it doesnt matter in the country.....
 
I wrote up the story of a food plot and stand that mysteriously appeared on my land last year. The guy called me ASAP after I left a note on his stand and put a posted sign in the middle of his trail.. He had a reasonable story and he was as apologetic as a person can get.

I'm not niave. I think he is FOS but he invited me to hunt the neighboring property (300 acres) and he got me into a dove club that I've been trying to get into for ten years. I never hunt the side he was on anyway and now I've got somebody I know helping me police it. Plus, if I ever need anybody to help me with farm work, I know who to call.

You know what they say: keep your friends close... and your enemies closer.
 
"You know what they say: keep your friends close... and your enemies closer."

Kinda what I was thinking, like I said it turns out this guy is a lifer at the gun club in my town that I was thinking about joining. Never found any point in making enemies if it can be avoided... you NEVER know who they know!
 
So I make the extra effort to get exclusive private land permission...
Click to expand...


Over the years, and much exclusive private land written permission, I`ve come to realize this 'exclusive land' is a fantasy of the hunter.

Many years ago I quit hunting public land. Was fortunate enough to get permission to hunt three adjoining farms in Hocking Co., Ohio that everyone told me I`d never get permission to hunt. Owners had never allowed hunting and they had a fortune in no hunting/ trespassing signs surrounding properties.

'Cow-sitting' for one of the farmers when he vacationed helped to get the permission.

I was soooo excited and thankful. Couldn`t wait for opening deer bow season.

I spent many hours that summer scouting these farms.
Learning the travel patterns, feeding and bedding areas
About a month before season, I put up two stands in ambush spots that were sure to produce a monster buck I`d been scouting. Didn`t go back in that area as I was ready.

Opening day went as such:
1) Used vacation day from work
2) Got to farms @ 0530, weather perfect as it had rained the night before
3) Got dressed and checked wind direction, perfect for favorite stand.
4)In darkness, very slowly headed for stand as buck hit choke point right at daylight. Wanted to be settled in stand.
5)Couldn`t find stand
6)Waited till daylight and found both stands gone:mad::mad::mad:. Some dirty POS cut the chains securing stands and stole them.

Turned out, these farmers had many slobs sneeking in on them hunting/poaching as there were several arrest`s made for poaching/trespassing and hunting without permission the rest of the year.

Thats just one scenario of whats happened over the years on these 'fantasy' exclusive hunting properties.

Today I hunt my own property and the first, sometimes second day of gun season is usually spent running these slobs(usually locals) off so my guests can have a descent,safe hunt.

The lack of respect some people have for others rights is an amazing thing so if you`ve got one of theses 'exclusive' hunting properties, you`ve got a gold mine.
 
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