Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Trespass Bill

S

Scott

Active Member
Start calling your reps! From the IBA today....

This Years Bills …

HF 2003, TRESPASS - DEER ANTLERS. Makes it a simple misdemeanor to trespass with the intent of taking the shed antlers of a deer. Establishes a civil judgment for liquidated damages based on the size of the antlers. Allows for the discharge of the damages if antlers are returned. Requires damage awards to be paid to the Fish & Game Protection Fund. Allows a requirement of community service. HJC.
 
I hate trespassers just as much as the next guy, but how is taking a shed antler causing damage to your property? If anything they should just increase the fine for trespassing. just my opinion
 
I guess they are calling sheds that are on your land ‘your property’ now. I like the bill, whether the sheds are truly yours or not is another discussion… but anything that will help deter trespassers sounds good to me!
 
brand32-09 said:
I hate trespassers just as much as the next guy, but how is taking a shed antler causing damage to your property? If anything they should just increase the fine for trespassing. just my opinion
Click to expand...

Because once that shed falls off the deers head it is the landowners property.I dont know if damage to property would be right,But it is stealing in my book which is against the law.
 
trespassing is trespassing no matter if its just for a shed or not.. Why should someone else get the chance to take sheds off your ground and then just recieve a slap on the wrist ?? they should make it a bigger fine to get caught with a bag full of sheds so it will discourage all of these people who truck in from out of state and just walk wherever they damn well please. Its almost worse during shed season than it is during shotgun season with trespassing.
 
We definitely need more harsh trespassing laws period!!!
What is it- $100-150?!!?! That's a joke of a penalty & why we have an epidemic of ramped trespassing in this state. Ground that does NOT have trespassing problems is the EXCEPTION, I firmly believe that.

I know a guy who didn't buy a license this year and went out hunting (which is not good, ILLEGAL and foolish)... He got ROUGHLY a $1,500 fine and his weapon taken, etc, etc. He was not trespassing, he didn't even have anything killed and he had permission. I'm NOT saying those penalties shouldn't be there like that BUT... VS trespassers who maybe get $100-150 fine!??!?! Don't get anything taken away either. We need harsher fines and I know a lot of folks who want to get this organized and put through. We have an epidemic in Iowa with trespassing & poaching in EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD!
 
Trespass

Is this a reduction in penalty? If anything they should be pushing for tougher laws.
 
I am just not sure how you can actually prove that the shed came off of a certain peice of ground, all they have to do is say well I picked it up there on the other side of the fence, which is why they should just increase the fine for trespassing. I just see this as being very hard to enforce, whereas trespassing is black and white. Once again, just my opinion.
 
In the thread about this bill in the Legislative Forum I wrote that you should put out as many trail cams as you can to catch trespassers with sheds because a picture is worth a thousand words. My original emails to the Representative who introduced this bill, who also happens to be my Rep, I wanted increased fines for trespassing and mentioned that people were losing trail cams, stands and shed antlers to trespassers. I suggested that shed antlers be given the same protection as live animals.

What it boiled down to was this bill. He had to make it fit somewhere in current code. I got snail mail from him today where he acknowledged this is a start.

What I will also remind you of, it ain’t what it’s worth to you, it is the perceived value to the judge that sets the fine. So keeping trespasser off your ground by increasing the allowable fine is great in theory but with the right sob story the Judge is gonna say “Go forth and sin no more” and that will be it.

Another point, the “damage to property” is more (in my opinion) in reference not to physical damage to property, rather “fiscal damage” to the owner. The owner must be made whole in all ways for a loss, so if it is proven that a shed poacher sold your sheds the poacher would have to make you whole i.e. repair the damage which would be paying you for what the assessed value of the sheds were.
 
Last edited:
As an update the bill was moved to the House Judicial Committee and then to a Subcommittee of Glen Massie of Dist. 74 Warren County, Glen.Massie@legis.state.ia.us Kim Pearson of Dist. 42 Polk County Kim.Pearson@legis.state.ia.us and Mark Smith Dist. 43 Marshall County mark.smith@legis.state.ia.us

Two ways to go, contact your Rep with your views/opinions/desires on this bill and ask them to contact the members of the Subcommittee or contact the members of the Subcommittee yourself. I’m gonna do both.


Before you try the links only Rep. Pearson's works on my computer email system. I included all of them beause most if not all of you are way more computer literate than I and perhaps you can figure out a way to make the links functional.

 
All this information on the bill is EXCELLENT!!!
On a side topic... To catch folks, Bonker spoke about this. I do that and what I suggest is putting out lots of trail cams- hidden- where folks enter land - I put mine up higher with some climbing sticks. I could care less if people know my land has these as they ain't gonna find em anyways & out of thousands of trees they could be in, they aren't going to know. I also have cams hidden that won't be seen on sheds, etc. I take the video mode on my phone and record me placing the shed (takes 15 seconds) and showing the location, showing the shed itself for identification, etc and showing the camera position.

Instant cams that email you are also nice if folks have the means. Then, you know right when someone is on your land & you can react.

I'll admit- it's a little bit of work to do this BUT isn't anything with hunting and managing land? If folks don't take that initiative and little bit of work- rarely does the problem get stopped & they'll be frustrated and getting ripped off/trespassed on for years.

The laws above are also a great step. I sure hope this goes through, of course we need to support, promote and get involved too. This will be one step in right direction. We need much more aggressive anti-trespassing laws in general.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom