Encounters with trespassers when hunting

[kansasbowhunter]

Just curious if any of you have ever had any run-ins with trespassers on your hunting property while you were hunting yourself??? What did you say to them???? What was their reaction???

2 years ago I was bowhunting on a piece of property that only I have permission to hunt. It was a slow day and I had not seen any deer when all of a sudden a small 100" 8 pointer came running by my stand. This stand location was on an inside corner and he stopped for about 5 seconds and looked back towards the direction that he just came from. He then bolted across the field.

I just sat there wondering what the hell just happened and then I heard something walking up the trail that the deer had just came from. Suddenly I saw some idiot with camo and a backpack walking right towards me, when he got underneath me I yelled "MAY I HELP YOU".

I honestly think he soiled his frickin pants I scared him so bad. He started stuttering and responded by saying that he thought he was on the Holland Quary property (which is adjacent to my property) and that his friend had permission to hunt it. I immediately got down out of my stand and confronted him face to face. I asked his name and escorted him to the fence that he had crossed to get to my property. I made sure he understood that he was never to step foot on that piece of property and also told him that I would report him to the county sherifs department. I also told him that knowing a friend that had permission to hunt a piece of property did not give him permission to hunt that property.

I should have stuck an arrow between his legs....

I have never seen him since....

 

[Liv4Rut]

I had the same thing happen sort of, i was sitting, in a ground blind and i was watching 13 bucks and countless does out in this field, and i looked back to my left and i seen a guy in camo sneaking up to the field and he stopped on the fenceline and set up, i was like well thats wierd, but i didnt really care because he was on the right side of the fence. i kept watching the deer, then all the sudden all the 40 deer i was watching just came flying by me, i had deer after deer running within 5 yards of me, i thought cool at the time, i was trying to draw my bow, and yell at them to get them to stop but nothing worked. i just sat there and thought man what happened, i heard that guy shoot once at deer on our property. then his hunting partner emerged out of the other side of the field and was walking accross ours to get to where his friend was, they both meeted up in our field, its not my property, but the landowner told me to kick everyone out that i catch on his land, so i approached the too, and told them they were on the wrong property, and they said they knew, but all the deer were over here so they were gonna hunt over on the place i was hunting and do a deer drive, i just told them to get off. well then the guy got kind of pissy, and we kind of started yelling at eachother, then he left, never seen him since. kind of funny how people get mad, when you kick them off property they are not sposed to be on huh lol

 

[Husker]

Dad and I were turkey hunting one morning on a piece of land(260 acres) that we had sole permission to hunt on. We set up on a gobbler before 1st light and proceeded to get his attention. We had him gobbling back and knew he was about 75-100 yards down the draw from us. Then right about fly down time we hear a rumble above us in the field. Here across the field comes the neighbor on a 4 wheeler driving down to the edge of the woods. He proceeds to hop the fence and walk thru the woods down past our position. When he gets to 15 yards I said "HELLO" he jumped bout 5 feet in the air. When I asked where he was heading he said down to the gobbler he had heard. When I mentioned he was trasspassing, and we were trying to work that bird, he responded that he didn't care and went on his way. He must have had a long walk out as I then walked up the hill and rode his 4-wheeler down to the landowners house and parked it. Told him what happened, and said he would take care of it. I got my bird later in the day on another part of his section and never heard the outcome.

 

[GunnerJon]

I have had to kick people off our property while deer, pheasant, and while turkey hunting.
The most recent one happened this fall when a bunch of family and friends and I were hunting pheasants on our farm. We had just worked a big grass strip and then headed down to hunt another strip when way off in the distance I see a vehicle parked accross our section and two guys and a dog working their way down to one of our honey-hole spots. I yell "They're going out hunt our place!" I was pissed cause they were headed right to where we were headed next. I dropped all my gear and took off running to the nearest truck.....which happened to be about 3/4 of a mile away. Needless to say, I am not in the shape I thought I was. By the time I got to the pickup, I was about ready to pass out. I hopped in and gunned it up over the hill, through the hayfield and right through the cut corn field. The two guys had already worked their way about half way through the grass. I hammer the truck right up to the guy on the edge, and to my amazement I see the oldest man I have ever seen hunting....had to be around 90 years old. It didn't matter if he was the Pope, I was mad. I asked them if they were lost because they were on private property. The old man and his son ( I assume) came over to the truck and immediately looked guilty. They kept saying "you have a nice place here. We thought we would hunt it, it wasn't posted" I told them that I didn't care and to get their stupid dog out of the grass (it continued to try to flush birds while I was chewing them out) I followed behind them in the truck til they got to thier brand new Darango and I saw they were from Oklahoma. I said a few more choice words in between their "I'm sorrys" and they left.

 

[alaskanwhtail]

I've had guys walk up to me and say I'm hunting so and so's land and not even pronounce my last name right. Just ask!
Ive never prosicuted nor has any family member but we do walk em outta the woods,and ship em right back to Buffalo.I really don't have problems letting any of the locals hunt cause they are familar with thier weapon and the general area,But those city guys HMMMMP!!!

 

[Scott]

You know Ill probablly take alot of heat over my opinion. Im not a land owner yet, but I just dont see where some guys come from with this attitude of lynching someone over trespassing. Is trespassing right? Heck no, but I honestly dont think its worth getting worked up into a frenzy. Alaskanwhitetail seems to have the right idea. You dont want them there, tell them to leave and not to come back. Believe it or not Im sure there are instances where guys get turned around and get on the wrong property. I know I have. Posting land is pointless. Guys know where they are not suppose to be. I guess it comes down to respect. You either have to respect the land or you dont. When I was younger, I had no problem jumping a fence to "poach" some sheds, but now I have come to realize its just not worth it anymore. One thing thats changed me is putting myself in that guys position. If its his land, maybe he wants to hunt it or look for sheds. I have run into several guys this year bowhunting in spots where I should of been the only one hunting. One time I got back to my spot and there was a guy in a climber already there. I guess I could of screwed his hunt like he did mine, but its just not worth it. He looked at me and knew he was somewhere where he probably wasnt suppose to be. I just waved and turned around. How can you fault a man for wanting the big one or just hunting in general. Whats the point. I guess its a grey line. I have personally never got mad when people came onto our familys farm. I suppose repeated offenders need to be given some proper adjustment, but to ream some guys a** over stepping onto your property just doesnt make sense to me. If anything it will piss them off and make them want to trespass again.

 

[Bowhunter18]

My family has had trouble with people trespassing in the past. Most of our problems are with pheasant hunters who are already trespassing on railroad tracks that are adjacent to our ground, and with people driving the roads taking pot shots at pheasants on our ground. This year I was up in a treestand and saw a truck driving down the road slowly so kept a close eye on them. They parked on a bridge and proceeded to jump out with guns in hand, heading for our CRP ground. They then noticed my uncle who was already watching them through a set of binoculars. One of them got cold feet and headed back to the truck while being razzed by his friend. After a minute of discussion between the two they threw their guns in the truck and drove on down the road. It just makes me wonder what would have happened if they had not seen my uncle watching them. I was ready to get out of my treestand and go have a friendly conversation with them after calling the local CO and the county sheriff. I agree with Scott, trespassers have no respect for the land and for some of them a good talking to might be enough to discourage any future law breaking. As a hunter I feel obligated to turn them in and let the courts take car of it, that’s why the laws are there. It isn’t right for the other hunters who take the time to ask permission and make sure they know where the property lines are if we just let these criminals get by with it. Once again this issue comes down to greed and disregard for anyone but themselves. This issue should not be taken lightly either, as hunters it makes all of us look bad and if we let it happen we are just as much to blame.

 

[horst]

Ok, I got a good tresspassing story.Theres a slough down here about 1 1/2 miles from my house.Theres a property there thats a bedding ground for some big deer at times.Anyway my nieghbor doesnt own it but has the say on who can hunt it, the landowners gone in the winter and my nieghbor watches the place for him.

To get there I walk from town, theres really no place to park if you drive down and walking through the field spooks all the deer so I just leave way before daylight, walk down the field on the other side of the tracks and sneak in the back side of the field edge to the bedding area.

One morning I got walked cear back there and was sitting when I se a truck up on the road stop and someone opening the gate.They come driving back and run all the deer out into the next field so I get up.The truck drives back and this idiot jumps out and starts yelling at me about being in there, telling me hes a deputy sherriff and he should arrest me etc...I got permission so I tell him to goto hell and walk back out.

Turns out he asked permission once, about 4 years before that, and that was to take his son back there to hunt.And hes hunted it ever since, and he usually brings a lot of his buddies in with him.

About a week later I was coming up out of the other end of the slough in my truck.I see three bucks in a thicket on a friend of mines property and Im trying to get a look at them.I drive up and down the road about a half dozen times trying to find a spot i can get a look at them and the deer spook and take off.I drive around the section and see them getting ready to cut behind my friends house so I get my gun out and get ready to try to sneak down the fenceline and get in front of them.

A cop car pulls up behind me as Im walking down into the ditch and its the same deputy.I walk back up to him and he tells me im in big trouble hes gonna write me up for persuing deer, an uncased gun, and a bunch of other stuff.I argued with him for awhile and he finally ges a call back from the sherriffs office.They tell him I cant be arrested for persuing deer since I wasnt even chasing them and the DNR told them to drop it.

But the little puke gives me a ticket for an uncased gun anyway, even though I was out of the truck and heading into private property on foot when he pulled up.

I paid the fine since it was caper than fighting it but I seen to it he couldnt get permission to hunt anywhere near that slough again by telling the landowners around there what kinda guy he was.I swear to god he musta been sitting back there watching my truck waiting for me to come out, I was in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road he had no busineuss even being on.Sometimes I guesse arguing with tresspassers can come back to haunt you

 

[FurDog]

What a nightmare, you should have never paid the fine.

 

[moose270]

was arrested to years ago, i was hunting when a big buckmid 140's came in i am shot him and my scope was lose. so what was to be a chest cavity shot turned in to a sucking neck wound. anyways he ran over 600 acres and died ten feet over this guys property line. i could have grabbed the tree with the marker on it when i was gutting my buck. the next thing i know i am sitting at camp and the warden pulls up with the state police. asked me a few questions and arrested me. i guess it would have been better for me to leave a throphy rot than recover it. now i makes sure all scopes and what not are mounted safely before i leave the camp. worst part about it is they took my trophy and my gun. they could have gave a rats behind about they way they looked professionally, they belittled me the whole way in.

mike

 

[Old Buck]

Here is a classic that may shed a little light on those who seem to feel trespassing on someone elses land isn't a problem.

A friend of mine saved for years to purchase a piece of hunting property for himself, his family and friends. Even though it is posted he continues to have problems. One day while in one of his tree stands a bowhunter who has just crossed the fence comes sneaking along. When asked what the trespasser is doing on the property he looks up at my friend and says, "You know what is wrong with you people? You buy some land and then act like you own it!"

I wish it weren't this way but I'm afraid the most effective way to deal with trespassers is to press charges. The people I know who follow this plan have few problems in the long run.

 

[Sexcrazedbuck]

Shortfuse, that is a horrible outcome. If that were to happen to me I would be miserable the rest of my life, seeing as though I may only get one chance at a 140's class buck in my whole life.(Not many big deer in NY). I would be knockin on somebodies door in the middle of the night...

 

[moose270]

not many big bucks here either, our dnr allows rut hunting worst thing to do. anyways i have shot two nice bucks, a 162 gross and that 140. i had a 150's in the yard the other night still sporting might be a big year for me next year, i dont want to get to excited though it is a long ways off.

mike

 

[Guest]

I have a couple. There is a lady at work who's hubby owns a couple hundred acres next to the 'Ranch' by Blakesburg. While he was hunting there, a person from the Ranch was on his property. Mind you, the Ranch is a 4500 acre property. I guess I could see getting turned around in there. But he had to jump a fence to get on her land. Being the nice guy that he was, he took some merchandise and an apology in place of pressing charges. So maybe ringing them up all the time isn't such a good idea....or perhaps it matters who you are. As everyone on this forum would know who he is. Hmmmmm.

I was hunting a property that I had to drive an hour each direction to get to. During my pre season scouting, I had seen a buck that would be close to a state record typical...if actually not one! I mean huge! He was a dandy!

Anyway, I had seen him a couple times while hunting....which I could only do once a week due to the distance and work. I drove down there, sat in my stand, and watched the fellow who owned the land harvest a field on the horizon. I saw a truck on the hill and thought it must be his. Anyhow, dozens of deer pass by...with none what I was looking for. When it was just getting good, this truck on the hill comes down to about 50 yards from my stand. I was in one of the 5 trees on this drainage that would hold a stand.....and it was the only drainage connecting the Fox river and that timber for 2 miles. It was a perfect setup. Anyhow, this fellow with a hook arm runs under my tree and levels his rifle on the deer in the picked field behind me. I remember the CO saying to make sure they kill something....it's easier to bust em. So I plugged my ears and waited. Apparently, there were no deer big enough to poach in the field. So as he walks back to his truck I yell at him. He about had a heart attack! He said they ran a coyote thru there. I told him those deer were pretty big for coyotes. He RAN back to his truck (with Missouri plates) and peeled out up the field. The drive was almost worth the reaction. Unfortunately, that land was leased the next year and I never saw that buck after that.....or any other decent ones.


I don't like leasing one bit.....but I've almost pulled the trigger on leasing that place! It would be worth it!