Poachers

[Randy Rooster]

Every year. People hunting my well posted property with dogs and running over it with their atv four wheelers. The 1st and 2nd years there were words exchanged I threatened but didnt do anything more than confiscate dogs when I caught them and call the numbers on their collers to come get them at the end of the day.. I guess I was too much of a push over. Last year I called the sheriff and he ran em off for the rest of the season. this year it may come to more than that.

what do you all do when people poach your land?

[Danaus29]

We never could catch them. Had the game warden out several times. They knew when no one was out there and when someone was they would sneak off. Add to it that they would ruin the hunting for anyone in our family who hunted in season.

I don't know the laws in NC but in certain areas of Ohio you can have animal control pick up the dogs and report the owners to the Division of Wildlife. Lots of stuff I would do personally that would probably land me in jail. Especially to the ATV riders.

[SpaceCadet12364]

When you catch the dogs, have yourself a dog sale.

If the owner shows up, charge them double.

[js2743]

you best check the laws about hunting dogs on your property. in virginia a person is allowed to go upon ones land to retrieve their dogs on foot but isnt allowed to kill game while doing it. i sure wouldnt be happy if you caught my dog and tied it up, dogs can not read posted signs and if left alone will return where they came from.

[ozark mike]

"Add to it that they would ruin the hunting for anyone in our family who hunted in season."

where I was from posted land means just that "posted Land"...if you post your land and you are caught hunting there you will receive a ticket just like anyone else, and that is the way it should be...fact is if you post your land you should not be allowed to hunt on any private or state or government land...but that is not in effect YET but should be...had neighbors that would post their land and go up into northern in Minnesota to hunt...

[Oldcountryboy]

Be patient. If your the new land owner it might take a couple of years before everyone, who's use to hunting on the land, finds out it's off limits. As for the dogs, they can't read signs and may have came all the way from 2 or 3 properties over and the owner may just be coming over to retreive them. There's too many scenarios of why a dog might be on your place in order to make a bad accusation against all hunters and dogs.

[||Downhome||]

when you know someones hunting dont run out and try and catch them in the act, hit the roads and see if you can find thier vehical get thier plate picture of the truck ect,I would leave them a curt note too, chances are they are not your nieghbors,
I'd talk to the nieghbors too as they may have issue with the same or be guilty of,
they may have given permission to someone and can let them know theres boundrys and they shouldnt pass them, Im pretty good at reading folks if I thought it was them poaching on my side I would lay it on thick you got some varmit problems and your out to eliminate them and you really really try but some times you cant help but shoot at noises! I agree on the dogs though they are just doing there job they and the game have no idea of posted signs or boundrys.

[johnghagen]

Just call the game warden when they are there and if you catch a dog give it to game warden and he can take it, and a ticket back.Take dog to animal control and let the owner pay them to get it back.If you are not living on property it will be a long and hard problem.Ozark Mike everyones taxs pay for the purchase and the up keep of state ,public ground and it is open for all.Your own ground that you pay for and will pay taxs on for the whole time you own it is yours and you can't be punished for having it.

[Old John]

They're bad out here, too. Last month at a place up the road from us, someone shot a deer in the night. All they took of it was the head & the rack. They left the rest of it lying beside the road, for the Buzzards. It was 80 or 90 days out of season
That's just pitiful the way I see it.
What kind of Folks would do that?

[||Downhome||]

I was out this morning at at the crack of dawn I hear the shotguns a going all around,
small games open but we dont really have to much in the way of stuff lots of rabbit (I dont hear no dogs thats the only way your going to get any here) but not to many squirels and not enogh for the number of shotgun blasts Im hearing, pretty sure thier shooting deer,whats wrong with that well we are not even into the middle of bow season,
pretty sure the same guys are puting out bait wich is illegal again this year. beyteen the violators and the antihunters Im so ----ed off ya thats right have a ton of folks around here that want to keep the deer as pets so they do all the can to disrupt the hunting.

[freedomfrom4]

If you have posted no trespassing signs and 4 wheelers are a problem then put up things to cause them problems. Like spike the path and run chains and wires. Do not run the chains to high though cause you don't want to decapitate someone. My dad has hay fields and doesn't mind a certain few hunting there but he has a strict no atv rule cause it is his hay fields. He has chains across trees that hinder riding.

[Windy in Kansas]

Wildlife and Parks, game warden or whatever the agency in your state is called would love to put a stop to this and if like most officers will spend a lot of time in an attempt to do so even though they are spread thin.

Guns, motorhomes, etc. confiscated in Kansas would get their attention pretty fast as well as losing all hunting licenses for a year or more.

[agmantoo]

In the past, I have had a lot of trespassing issues. As an individual I was ineffective at ridding the problem. I have had a person to tell me that I had too many cattle to create trouble for him and his friends hunting habits. So I tried a different approach that has worked. On some of the properties I leased the the land to responsible hunters. It seems that there is an unwritten acknowledgment among all hunters to respect land that is hunted by others. Maybe it is that violators now have to contend with a group rather than an individual farmer. Either way, the trespassing has ceased. So now, if I want to keep unauthorized people off the land I just post "leased land, no trespass" signs and fabricate a hunt club name.

[Hank]

I agree Agmantoo, find the biggest, baddest you know what in the county and lease him the hunting rights. Problem solved.LOL

Hank
http://www.doublemfarmandchuckwagon.webs.com

[Homesteadwi5]

Dogs crossing onto private land while hunting is not poaching,your not the king of england you don't own the game because it's on your land.Dogs can't read signs,neither can bears.Most places hunters can enter private land to retrieve hounds,but not harvest the game without owner permission.You start taking dogs,you'll run into problems,both legal and probably others as well.

[ronbre]

husband walks up to them with pistol strapped on..and an angry word or two.

[Wolf mom]

During hunting season, I play a portable radio (talk shows) very loud. Maybe you could come up with some kind of alternative like that?

[jross]

Originally Posted by ozark mike

"Add to it that they would ruin the hunting for anyone in our family who hunted in season."

where I was from posted land means just that "posted Land"...if you post your land and you are caught hunting there you will receive a ticket just like anyone else, and that is the way it should be...fact is if you post your land you should not be allowed to hunt on any private or state or government land...but that is not in effect YET but should be...had neighbors that would post their land and go up into northern in Minnesota to hunt...

Let's see here. I worked hard and bought my land, maintain it, and pay taxes on it, but I should not post it and let everyone hunt on it. My hunting and fishing license money plus my tax money went to buy state land, but I shouldn't be allowed to hunt it? You sound like Obama, punish those who are successful.

[SpaceCadet12364]

The thing is, to me anyways.....if you are going to own/run hunting dogs, and you do NOT have a large enough property of your own to do so, you had best have them trained well enough to ONLY go after the animal they are supposed to hunt.

If you are dependent on being able to hunt on property that does NOT belong to you...then you had best get that landowner's permission to run your hunting dogs through that property. IF you get the permission to be there, make sure you stay within whatever guidelines that landowner may have for you to be allowed to hunt/traverse with your dogs.

We had a guideline that, as long as the hunting dogs did NOT chase/harass/attack our livestock....no problem. Once that no longer seemed important to that hunter to observe, well then....there went the permission to have them on the property at all. Warning that time, no harm done. Next time, dog probably won't be so lucky....so hopefully the dog is better trained if you can't keep them under control and off the property.

Dogs cant read, of course....but it's not my job to train YOUR hunting dog. You can't control them, you shouldn't be running them. Either that, or maybe you should look at getting yourself a property to be able to run your dogs on YOUR property, not the property of others.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

[texican]

You can be nice and nothing will change.

You can be mean, and our problems will stop.

Hunt the land yourself. If you don't hunt it, lease it... to a local. If you lease it to a local, they'll stop the poaching. Nothing meaner than someone that's leased the hunting rights finding a poacher. {Transfer of the trouble from you to the leasee).

If you catch dogs, pen them up for the rest of the season.

On ATV's, you need fences. If the fences are cut, you prosecute. Illegal as all get out, but if you string some 1 or 2 lb test mono in all the trails they've cut, the perps will get the message. If you used 30lb + test, you might dehead someone and have legal troubles.

Or, hey, Halloween is near. Get an old white sheet, wrap up some old pillows, clothes, whatever, along with some limbs and a chicken carcass or two... to look like a body... mix up some blood red paint and some brown paint... smear in appropriate places... hang this near the entrance points... out of reach of course... Put up a sign saying something to the effect this is the last person that trespassed.

I had something similar to this up on my gate about ten years ago (for a Halloween hay ride party)... the next month people wouldn't pass... thinking some psycho lived down the road.