We have Poaching & Night hunting: State & Sheriff do nothing!

[68z28]

I own 160 acres in Logan co, Ohio and get poached and 'night hunted' freely most nights.. I have contacted State and local Sheriff offices many times to no avail..They take the reports ..look around.. see nothing then leave...

The robbers/poachers have set up 'safe zones' in and around a 7sq mile area and virtually hunt , poach & rob freely by stepping off, and or 4wlring back onto 'safe' zones.. Most of these hunters have criminal records and live or stage themselves from family/friends properties.. They use cell phones,dogs, and themselves for lookouts plus monitor the sheriff reports and scans.. So if you call the sheriff they will later intimidate you with trash in your drive, break into your barn, tear your fences down and phone harrassment you,...you got the message..

I have a well know game farm and live along the Miami river in Ohio.. we cannot sleep nights without the; fake owl calls/4whlrs/dogs barking & gun fire going off.. it seems law enforcement is more 're-active' than 'pro-active'.

I have started a neighborhood watch aprx 7 landowners and that helps but cameras/eyes cannot identify poachers well enough (at night)..to take them to court, plus we are breaking the law, as landowners, to detain poachers ..till the law arrives ..

So we are caught in a catch 22 where nothing happens and the poacher and his friends thrive very well in our part of the county.

Any advice? There has to be many other landowners frustrated like myself..
I will not rest on this issue!! I bought this farm via hard work ..I am a combat vet and I refuse to live with criminals walking on my land! If you are connected with law enforcement / news media and have interest to help please contact me .. Maybe this nightmare will end..some day.

[MichaelK!]

I suppose all you can do is set up some game cameras on your own property that will photograph trespassers. You'll have to sit out there armed (only on YOUR property) to protect the cameras. Turn in the evidence of trespassing to the sheriff.

If you are threated with bodily injury ON YOUR PROPERTY by illegal trespasser, then defend ourself within the bounds of the law.

[Yvonne's hubby]

I am surprised some of those hoodlums havent gotten shot by their buddies.... night hunting is a high risk adventure in our neck of the woods.

[InvalidID]

A sheriffs officer once told me that if you have livestock you can shoot a coyote that's attacking it. At 2am from a dead sleep, everything moving at your livestock looks like a coyote...

Now I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not offering advice here mind you. I'm just sayin, maybe you have a coyote problem.

[7thswan]

Let a few "friends" hunt the property. They can sit up all night and catch/drive off the poachers.

[Nimrod]

They make game cameras with high enough resolution and infared flash that the pictures are good enough quality to identify the intruders. Get solid evidence and then take it straight to the county district attourney.

I don't see where you have contacted the game warden? He might be a lot more interested in stopping the poaching than the sherriff.

plus we are breaking the law, as landowners, to detain poachers ..till the law arrives ..
You don't have the right to make citizens arrests in Ohio?

[simi-steading]

I'd get some of those really good cameras and set them up. Then I'd load up a bunch of 30 round mags for my SKS and set out for some late night target practice...

I would imagine if they heard you out there unloading a few hundred rounds in the middle of the night, they might have second thoughts about coming back...

[Molly Mckee]

Can you get the state fish and wildlife or DNR involved? Our sheriff' dept has had so many budget cuts that they don't have much time to respond to property crimes, especially when they don't have much chance of catching anyone. Here the state DNR would be the dept that would look at poaching, but they are bare bones as well.

[Hollowdweller]

Yeah I'd check with the DNR.

How do they access your property??

I absolutely detest ATV's and have never fixed any place on my property where ATV's can get thru my woods. So I never have that much trouble because most are TOO LAZY to walk into an area and hunt.


If you can cut trees or otherwise block them off good. If not- Do you know what JACK ROCKS are???

I had a buddy who had a similar problem to you and just before their access road reached his property he seeded the entire area with jackrocks. Worked great.

[simi-steading]

That's a great idea using jacks... A day spent making a bunch up would be well worth the fun in just knowing they're buying new tires..

[fireweed farm]

You would also maim wildlife for many years to come. Find another way.

[Barn Yarns]

I get all the cidiots that drive down our roads and freely shoot at game. I told the game warden one night that I was tired of it and told him that my stock will start shooting back!

while he didnt like it, i havent had any road hunters this year. maybe word got out that there is a crazy lady down on the corner! lol

anyway... I second getting some better cameras. keep after law enforcement.

if they are dumping garbage in your driveway... set up a camera. that would be trasspassing as well as littering. not much... but its a start.

[simi-steading]

Originally Posted by fireweed farm

You would also maim wildlife for many years to come. Find another way.

Very good point.. I sure didn't think that one out..

[Harry Chickpea]

Post your land as "private firing range - may have live fire day or night" Fire off rounds whenever you feel like it. I agree with Invalid that those coyotes can be pesky.

When it appears that they are poaching at night, playing opera really loud may be soothing to them.

[lazyBum]

Dad called the game warden for poachers and trespassing hunters, he was told there was nothing they could do. Yet I was out hunting, and they spot me with a helicopter, and the warden drives back on a 4 wheeler to see if I had tags. Ruined a whole day of hunting to harass me on my parents property for no reason. Next time the heli starts circling, I'm running to the deepest overgrown area of the woods. Make the jerk work for it.

Somebody else I know had trouble with coon hunters. After not getting help he resorted to firing high powered rifles into the woods. Not into the tree tops, straight and level. Stupid, dangerous, illegal yes. But people don't trespass anymore.

[pancho]

Originally Posted by lazyBum

Dad called the game warden for poachers and trespassing hunters, he was told there was nothing they could do. Yet I was out hunting, and they spot me with a helicopter, and the warden drives back on a 4 wheeler to see if I had tags. Ruined a whole day of hunting to harass me on my parents property for no reason. Next time the heli starts circling, I'm running to the deepest overgrown area of the woods. Make the jerk work for it.

Somebody else I know had trouble with coon hunters. After not getting help he resorted to firing high powered rifles into the woods. Not into the tree tops, straight and level. Stupid, dangerous, illegal yes. But people don't trespass anymore.

Your dad called the game warden for help then when he got it you complain that they did what they were asked to do.

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Originally Posted by Nimrod

They make game cameras with high enough resolution and infared flash that the pictures are good enough quality to identify the intruders. Get solid evidence and then take it straight to the county district attourney.

I don't see where you have contacted the game warden? He might be a lot more interested in stopping the poaching than the sherriff.

plus we are breaking the law, as landowners, to detain poachers ..till the law arrives ..
You don't have the right to make citizens arrests in Ohio?

This. All of this.

Get a high quality game camera. It's something you'll be able to use even after the problem is gone and they have a good resell value if you decide not to keep it.

Perhaps your biggest problem is that you are calling the Sheriff about poachers when he believes this is not his jurisdiction. Call the Game Warden about poachers and call the Sheriff and call them burglars.

And even if it is technically illegal to detain poachers (never heard of that) the worst you would probably get is a slap on the wrist, maybe a fine and that would probably cost you less than what those poachers are costing you.

If you REALLY want someone to come out quickly, tell them that you think they are firing toward your house. If you have children around your house mention them. You could claim to believe they are firing toward your livestock too.

[mnn2501]

SSS?

Seriously, invite your friends for a few evenings of night time target shooting
Perhaps a (marked) line of barbed wire at ATV head hight -- got to mark it or you'll get sued

[lazyBum]

Originally Posted by pancho

Your dad called the game warden for help then when he got it you complain that they did what they were asked to do.

I didn't explain it the best. It was years between the time dad last called them and when they came to see if I was legal.

[Steve in PA]

As much as I hate the feds...maybe they are making meth back there. Why not talk to the dea?