Options for dealing with trespassers?

We have had tresspassing hunting dogs kill our pets. We posted our land because we consider our place a wildlife refuge. I do not want hunters or their dogs breeching this refuge. I remove electronic dog collars and store them on the bottom of the pond. The dogs get a free ride to the pound. I have had poachers discharging guns within range of my home and children.
Some seasons we were afraid to go outside (and this is a gated community!)
Hunters have a responsibility to know where public hunting grounds are and to use them. Anywhere else is private land where they have not been invited.
Mike in Ohio....you are spot-on correct! Don't clean out your pm's....you've been abused enough!

It's a toss up as to who is worse, the locals (often the tiny parcel owning ones) or the out of area city slickers (as opposed to the respectful tourists we also have), some out of state "hunters" who give the real hunters a bad reputation or some neighbors.

The bad neighbors left when the property they lived on changed ownership so no issues regarding neighbors. However, it has been a bit since the local meth abusing feral twits have been on a roam so I suppose they finally locked them up for a stretch at least rather than putting them in the revolving door section so there are zero problems from them for now.

However, those in the area, for whatever reason, a certain small portion of them make being a landowner a terrible thing. I have had to deal with trespassers who told me they could fish on my creekbanks because they were using the water. I explained that law only worked for fully navigable waterways such as rivers, not the shallow creek and unless they could walk on water, they were trespassing.

I've had gunshots just miss two different homesteads on the property because there was a deer between the shooter and the homestead fortunately.

And in all of this, making reports to the sheriff department and the conservation agents did no good and the deputies would not take reports. I even reported that a triad of them threatened to kill me and branished a weapon and they did not do a thing. I have been shot at twice and still nothing was done. Now I simply do what has to be done to protect myself, my livestock and the property. It is not worth wasting energy trying to do the right thing, even after several years of it, when nothing changes.

I am happy that others have more responsive resources at their disposal to handle things for them. Some of us do not and have a very good reason why we are protective of our land, mainly because no one will do it for us.

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I would challenge anyone here to think of a question upon which we once had a scientific answer, however inadequate, but for which now the best answer is a religious one. – Sam Harris

Its really a shame but most cops just want nothing to happen so if you live to tell the story they dont see a reason to stir things up. Can blame them an awfull lot after all I dont wanta go looking for someone I know is an armed nutcase

Jan,

I understand your perspective. Does your area allow deer dogs? I do not support hunting deer with dogs however I support hog and coon hunting with dogs simply because farmers/ranchers ask us to go after those two critters who do most damage to the crops and eat their animals (hogs espically will eat baby calves, etc). Throwing out the radio tracker collars is a huge no-no though because they're so expensive. They cost over $700 or more as a unit. It would take me over a year just to be able to save money to buy a tracking device which is why I am still with cur dogs becuase they don't really wander and do check in with you now and then. I would simply keep the collars and let the hunters track you down and tell them that hunting on your land is not allowed and that you would like for them to not do that anymore. Would that work? I do not know where you live so that might be different from where I live or used to live. What kind of pets were killed by the dogs? I'm curious. I remember having debates with you about this but I am simply curious. Thank you.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Ted where Im at the hunters would track you down alright but you wouldnt like what they did after you gave them their collars back.
By the way you still havent told me what you would do about the construct in the earlyer post. the one where the dogs do $20,000 worth of damage?

plan on selling out and moving... trust me. thats happening here, and the yuppies who move in will rezone, revamp the ordinances and drive up the property taxes, and make your life miserable. you think you got problems now wait till 1200 yuppies move in, and they think your land is a state park.
I accept that this is the case, in some places. the unfortunate part is if you end up shooting someone in self defense, all of a sudden those non resistant support systems will end up, no doubt, rushing in to crush you for doing it, when you had no alternative.

Thats a pity... and shouldn't happen, anywhere in the USA.

But at least his land will be MUCH more valuable then!

well yup thats what i am counting on.... a yuppie surge buying up land across the road and my land being in demand and worth more than it is NOW.

then.... I can sell out, and bug out.

havent decided where yet....

"I understand your perspective. Does your area allow deer dogs? I do not support hunting deer with dogs however I support hog and coon hunting with dogs simply because farmers/ranchers ask us to go after those two critters who do most damage to the crops and eat their animals (hogs espically will eat baby calves, etc)."

Deer do as much or MORE crop damage as any there wildlife. We have thousands of deer here and wild hogs are practically non existant. I think its a little hypocritical to support dog hunting for JUST the things YOU like to hunt. The problem being discussed here is NOT dog hunting, but hunters who trespass. It doesnt matter what your dog is chasing if he gets onto a place he's not supposed to be.

As to removing collars from dogs , here that will get you locked up in a hurry.

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

But you can put out signs that say (Warning Hunting Traps).
or signs that say (Warning Poison Bait!!!)

and never real put out Poison or traps.
just the sign would get my dog out of the area.

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Violence is never the answer to a problem, but can be a solution to a situation. (Contingencies = survival)

We've had a little improvement with our trespassing issues as time goes on.

One of the main things we did was to realize that, as weird as it seems,
lots of these folks LIKE Confrontation!
There was nothing they seemed to enjoy more than inciting some Jerry Springer-ish shouting match - apparently this gives them something to talk about for the next few months at the local watering holes....
They made outlandish arguments - we were usually too mad to notice until after the fact, that the whole thing was just too stupid to warrant discussion!
We stopped letting them do this to try and that must have made it boring for them.
Our land isn't worth their effort without that part of their game.

Now we just state the facts as dead pan as possible, "You're tresspassing and damaging private land, get off and don't come back." Take their photos and WALK AWAY. Don't look back and don't respond to anything they say to antagonize you.

Here's how we dealt with the law enforcement officers that did not want to enforce:
We asked for copies of their reports. We told them this was for the civil suit we would be filing for damages. We estimated the cost of damages to include hiring professionals to come out. What would it cost to hire someone else to clean up their trash, or plant and care for replacement trees until established, or repair fences or bring heavy equipment and fill in to repair the roads and pathways.
We let the law enforcement officer know the value of this vandalism - and it was way higher than they assumed.
This made it impossiblefor them to brush us off.

Once we forced their hand, we found out that our trespassers were members of the so called "very conscientious" snowmobilers club. When one of them had to face a judge, the news spread FAST.


Here is NY, it is illegal for dogs to run deer - they can be shot by a conservation officer if caught in the act, and the fine for dog owners starts at $1000.
Searching for wounded deer requires landowner permission, even if there is
a licensed deer tracker in the party. Neighbors who have shown us courtesy in the past have standing permission to come on to track a wounded animal.
Those who took advantage of us will be refused access unless a licensed tracker accompanies them.

Wind in Her Hair seems to be saying you should not burn bridges with your neighbors, and I believe in that. But sometimes the bridge you are trying to save has been nuked from the other side. I would say that applies in the case of an armed confrontation.

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Hut on the Hill Farm
http://www.hutonthehill.org

Fantasymaker,

I still do not have an answer to that question. I'm wondering if you have sheep? I find it hard to believe that a hunting dog that is extremely well trained (shock collars on when they bay cows/sheep/goats) will scare a herd of sheep to death but that's just me. If a herd of sheep has a LGD, the sheep are less likely going to be scared bec they already have a dog around to protect them.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

How would like to own 30 acres in the middle of state game lands and have to drive 7 th of a mile through game lands to get to your place, think you have trouble, try living there during deer season, Ilearned to live with it easy, for some reason they leave me alone, wonder why, ha ha ha , last thing I did was put a steers head on the post at the entrance of the property with a sign You shot my steer now stay the he-- out, year before I put a hogs head on the post with an apple in its mouth, Got to keep them guessing whats up

Ted I have had sheep. Its true a dog just runing across a pasture totally ignoreing the sheep can scare them enough to kill them .In that case he presnce of a gard dog will not keep them from fright they are used to him not the stranger. Even in a well fenced area a dog on the other side can scare them I was talking with a guy who raises bunnies birds and squirlls he says he has the same problem. So there may be lots of things like that.

That may be what she's saying, but her message is lost somewhere in her antagonistic methods...

I had a situation where dogs (on posted property) ran a deer through my pasture. It scared my ram so bad he crashed through the fence. If he had gotten in the road and been hit by a car I would have been liable for all damages and injuries, plus would have lost a $300 ram. Not to mention the fact that he's about 250 lbs and 249 of that is bad attitude. Again, if he had hurt someone I would have been liable. I spent the rest of that afternoon getting him back in the pasture and repairing the fence.

As to "training dogs with shock collars not to bother sheep/gaots/cattle", while YOU may do that, I'd bet YOU are the only one that does. Ive never seen a deer hound with a shock collar, only tracking collars

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

TedHZ71:
" Does your area allow deer dogs?"

It is a gated community with private acreage (5, 10. 15 & 20 acre ranchettes)


"Throwing out the radio tracker collars is a huge no-no though because they're so expensive."

Oh, soooo sorry...would not want to inconvenience the poachers.

"They cost over $700 or more as a unit. It would take me over a year just to be able to save money to buy a tracking device which is why I am still with cur dogs becuase they don't really wander and do check in with you now and then."

so hunt on your own land, not mine.

"I would simply keep the collars and let the hunters track you down and tell them that hunting on your land is not allowed and that you would like for them to not do that anymore. Would that work?"

Not so far...and the chickens, geese and bunny are still dead.

Can you tell I have no sympathy for poachers or their dogs? Hunters should only go where they are welcome.

Fantasymaker,

I wasn't aware of that. I have gone to sheep herding trails and see dogs working them and still didn't know. Now it's something new for me.

Jan,

Gated community..meaning it's securely gated so that dogs can't get in? I'm trying to remember. I can't really help you except to say if the dog was tracking the intended animal out of your property as the dog was supposed to do on permitted land and the intended animal ran into your property and the dog will more than likely follow...the dog is just doing what it was trained to do I was wondering if your animals were penned up or allowed to free range? Big difference if they were allowed to free range or not.

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Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Ted
Good point but the diference is in the being acustomed to it.A herd with a gaurd dog acceptes him as a part of the herd.
A herd used to being worked by dogs is a lot less upset by them than ones that are not.Ive seen sheep charge a large stock dog thy were used to but runlike the blases from a friends pomeraineun...
Like I said they are a bunch of silly old women in wool coats.....LOL

Nope, as I said, we're not new to the area. We did not come from the city and we do not expect everyone to conform to us. We have junky neighbors too and while we wish they would clean up, they were here first and we moved in knowing they were like that. Sure, I could call and complain to the authorities (it is against the law to have all that junk in plain site) but what good would it do? For now, we get along with these neighbors on a cordial basis. We don't need to stir trouble. The problem is really the people from across town (like I said, they never lived here). They aren't city folk either, just hillbillies that think they own everything and can do whatever they want even in your front yard.