How to handle a trespasser?

[wtnhunt]

Caught someone yesterday where they were not supposed to be. The man shot or shot at a deer on my neighbors property, I heard the shot and knew where he was at, not too far from a ladder stand I have in my neighbors woods, which really is kind of dangerous considering I could have been sitting in that stand shooting into the flat right where he has his blind. He thought he was on the airports property. Not sure if the airport manager can legally give anyone permission to hunt property he doe not own, will be calling the twra on that this morning to get an answer.

Anyways, he shot at a 3 point from his description probably the same deer the wife had passed up back during the rifle season. Thought he missed, I helped him look around for blood, we never found any sign. I told the man that his blind I noticed was on my neighbors property, well over the lines. He said he would remove it, but was going to check with the airport manager first to see if he was across the lines. On a hunch I figured he probably left his blind, so I went for a walk with my 10 year old, took the camera with us. Found some real good rubs, took a few pics, and his blind was still there, and also found a climber not far from it that has apparently been there for a while, the climber is probaly right on the line, but there is no where really for them to shoot from the climber except onto my neighbors property. I am going to talk with the neighbor this morning, and see what he wants to do and try and get a price out of him once and for all on the property, so I can put an end to this crap. He is pretty adamant about not wanting anyone back there. He has it posted, but some signs are torn down, but he is retired, he really never gets back there.

I made a copy of the map and left it on his blind with a note highlighting the area where he is and where he is supposed to be. I plan to check to see if it is still there this afternoon. I got a feeling the guy is planning to come back this weekend for the rifle season.

If he does not remove the blind and the climber, what should I do. Can my neighbor give me permission to remove it for him and take it to his house?

[firefighter]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

if it is still there, i would call your local dnr office, the land owner should also call and have them remove the stand so the guy doesnt accuse you of stealing his stuff.......

[Guest Danbo]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

Take the blind and leave a note at the blind location and tree stand. Take pictures. As long as you notified him to remove the blind its yours. Not that you would keep it, but ask him to come to your house to retrieve it. This lets him know you mean business without getting the authorities involved. Legally, once you notify him that he is tresspassing, you can have him ticketed the second time.

Always a tricky issue.

Why don't people just stay on their own property? I never understood why, just becouse you may own a large piece of property , people feel like they can go on your land. I would never walk over to my neighbors 1/2 acre lot and put up a tree stand or blind and hunt from it. Its the same thing regardless of the acearage and distance from the house.

[Guest Antony]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

If you go back in a few days and it's still there, I'd tear down the blind and slap a "No Trespassing" sign on the nearest tree beside the blind.

Or... You can just contact your DNR office like firefighter said and work it out from there.

[johnf]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

I would call the local DNR office and asked them your rights. Here if you find a stand on your property that's not supposed to be there I think you can confiscate it. At the very least I would pack it up and take it to the closest DNR office and let them deal with it.

Why have a guy like that comming to your house?

Hopefully he'll do the right thing and move his stuff to a place where he has permssion to hunt.

[RangerClay]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

Via Chang or however you spell his name has completely changed how we need to deal with trespassers. The North American Whitetail Institute (the seed people) put out a very good magazine. I highly recommend that you read the article by Charles Alsheimer in the October '06 issue on how to deal with trespassers. It is the best article I have ever read on the subject.

[need2hunt]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

Ummm let's see "I have permission to be on an AIRPORT property with a LOADED RIFLE" Anyone other than me see a problem with that statement????

[wtnhunt]

Re: How to handle a trespasser? Update

Talked to my neighbor first this morning and he said the guy from the airport had a discussion with him on this issue just last week. The guy in question was even described to my neighbor as he described him to me. My neighbor said he told them that my family and I were the only ones with permission and that under no circumstances would he allow anyone else, and after talking about the lines, I am sure the climber is also on my neighbors side.

After getting off the phone with the neighbor I called the twra to get some answers to my question about permission being given by the person managing the airport. He said that the county commission was over that and the twra had no authority there, he suggested calling the sherriffs dept. He also told me that if the blind was still there today after having talked with the man that I should pull it and he suggested getting my neighbor to give me exlcusive rights for $1 and that would give me the right to prosecute any tresspassers. Down side there is he said that most violations never hold up in court because the land has to be posted with signs maintained and posted properly trees painted every so many feet between the signs.

Needless to say this afternoon I will take a walk with the neighbor and we will pull the blind and the climber if they are still there.

[johnf]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

We have an airport in NW Arkansas that has probibly 200-300 acres of land with it that are completely undeveloped.

[wtnhunt]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

[ QUOTE ]

Ummm let's see "I have permission to be on an AIRPORT property with a LOADED RIFLE" Anyone other than me see a problem with that statement????

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I questioned that before too. This county airport has about 150 or so acres of which most is the open field along the long paved runway. The woods where it drops off are privately owned pretty well all the way around it, so realistically hunting that property should be pretty limited.

I also asked the twra guy after he said with it being county property that it was up to the commission if they approved for opening it up to hunting for one would that not make it "public" hunting ground to which he said he thought it would .

[Tominator]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

Ummm let's see "I have permission to be on an AIRPORT property with a LOADED RIFLE" Anyone other than me see a problem with that statement????

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I questioned that before too. This county airport has about 150 or so acres of which most is the open field along the long paved runway. The woods where it drops off are privately owned pretty well all the way around it, so realistically hunting that property should be pretty limited.

I also asked the twra guy after he said with it being county property that it was up to the commission if they approved for opening it up to hunting for one would that not make it "public" hunting ground to which he said he thought it would .

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got a buddy that has permission to hunt an airport. The facility is high fenced, so they are having trouble with the deer on the runway.

Shawn, however, is a police officer with a nearby force, and he had to go through some rigorous background checks to get permission to hunt there.

[LETMGROW]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

I would talk with the Sheriff before touching the stand, although my first instinct would be tear it down with the guy in it. HA! HA! Cover your butt so to say. If you get your ducks in a row and you have a problem, by all means PROSECUTE! Make him an example. If you lived up here I promise you wouldn't spoil his Christmas. He'd probably get off with a $ 10 fine anyway!

[arrow32]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

Maybe talk to a Sheriff then take his stuff off the property and keep it. Thats just me.

[wtnhunt]

Re: How to handle a trespasser?

My neighbor did not want me to pull the stuff. He said he was going to have the guy remove it himself. Going to call the sherriffs dept later on this morning and ask about the airport manager giving out permission.