Trespassers
 

I am getting quite frustrated with a group of people on four wheelers that have decided my two meadows are their personal playground despite posted signs. I am sending dh to their house which is just up the road from mine and having him have a little talk with them. It is perfectly clear that this property is posted but apparently some people don't gives a rats behind about that. Do any of you have any experience with this kind of thing?

A few years ago the county had an outbreak of problems of this type and unfavorable comments and articles were made in the local paper. Unfortunately for the trespassing types, they rode over some property owned by a local Fairly high ranking officer in the sheriff's department and he became irate, saying what the op said and a lot more. The sheriff's department let it be know that they would enforce tresspassin laws and the problem eased. I had a little of that problem from the neighbors older teenagers who, BTW, were following in their father's footsteps. I emphatically talked with the boys and the problem went away. The usual course of events in the situations if for the equipment to break down from overuse and poor maintenance, and the drivers to outgrow the urges. A friend a good many miles away had problems with someone driving across his yard in a car and spinning tires. It took a while but the guy eventually ran over some construction debris that still had nails in it in my friends yard, and that problem ended with a new tire or so.

The cops here say it's not a good idea to go to someone's house to complain, at least not more than once, quietly. If the problem contunues, complain to the cops. If no results, go up the chain of command. If still no results, write to the local paper. The local county council pays the Sheriff's department and AFIK the council has to let citizens speak to the council. so in that case go complain before the council. You have a local council person who is elected, go complain to them as a concerned VOTER.

It wouldn't hurt to have pictures of the damage caused and preferrably pictures of the tresspassers.

COWS

We have absolutely no problems here in Idaho, although I remember the coon hunters coming through at night and disturbing our beef cattle back in Alabama for awhile. A high tensile hot wire fence and posted signs finally stopped that. Dogs or people don't mix well with a hot wire fence in the dead of night! :)

Here we have a shooting range and targets that extend out the back of our ten acres. I'm pretty sure that any hoodlum types would avoid our property and run their 4 wheelers somewhere else... ;)

Had the exact same problen except one of the 4 wheelers stole a friends boat from my back lake(we got the boat back). I had had enough so I put 3 strands of barbed wire/t post down both sides of my property, then I planted alot of pine trees close together and close to the property line. Now no one can get onto my property without a chainsaw unless they come by my house and there is a gate there. The fence did stop them. No one ever cut it.

A hunt club i used to belong too had a similar problem. We put up "firearms in use keep out" signs to go along with the no tresspassing. Made sure we had someone out there shooting every couple days. 4 wheelers stopped crossing the line immediately.

Targets and target practice do tend to work wonders with trespassers.

Make sure the property is legally posted, gather evidence, call the law.

Hope your husband doesn't get beat half to death or shot when he does as you instruct him to do.

Boy, we've had a ton of threads about this as well as snowmobilers. We've not had the problem but I'll take bets on how long this thread lasts b/4 its closed.
:)
Seems theres a few who really believe land is not only the owners, its EVERYONE's!

The fishing cord trick is probably illegal and could cause huge legal problems if someone is injured.

COWS

Haven't had too may problems, just once or twice and I rode out there on my quad to confront them. I was nice but told them there is no trespassing here. Problem solved.

Doesn't pay to hurt people if you can avoid it. Tires are a different matter.....Joe

Plenty of experiance.one of the reasons we live here and not at our old place. The trespasser at our old place continued to torment the person we sold the land to. It all stoped when the Tres. was shooting into our old property delibertatly whenever the new owners were present. One shot logged in a tree slightly above the Wifes head. The wife and kids hid in the chicken coop until the DH came home. He got the slug out of the tree and went over to the trespassers house ,confronted him infrount of his wife. The Trespasser(drunk) tryed to grab the slug out of the land owners hand, but he wasen't fast enough. The wife shut the idiot down and things have been quiet sinse. ---Ofcourse these people know what they are doing, and I've read here that to some it's no big deal to trespass, but it is wrong and noone should condone it. Today(as most days), I'll take a walk with my dogs on my property, i have to arm myself because a neigbor dosen't seem to care that his dog goes on others property and attacks.This neighbor seems to think my Dh's nice warm deer shack is fair game to use when Dh isn't arround. This neighbor is a punk kid(18) knows who owns this land-dosen't care.

The last time these people were on our property my dh stated that he was going to go up and talk with them and see if they could sort it out. So it is his idea not mine ( I see I didn't word it that way and it did kinda sound like I was sending him to the gallows,lol). He ended up not going up and we have decided to reinforce the boundary with more signs (though I don't really see how much difference that is going to make) and we are looking into a game camera to put up at the places they seem to be able to gain entry. Then if there is still a problem we will contact they authorities. It just amazes me that some people have such disrespect for others property. I could see it if there were no signs and it was an honest mistake, stuff happens, but to have it clearly posted and still trespass, it just makes me so ticked off. I have livestock out there too, so they can't tell me they don't know it is private property.

They simply don't care. You have to put up fence,maybe not everywhere,but atleast in the areas they are crossing the property line.

Have a few snowmobiles cross the farm, but they don't cause any problems. It's rare to post ag land around here, only a few small acreages seem to have issues, kinda turns into a neighbor thing....

Of late riding 4 wheelers in the road ditches has become common. As they go through the snow melt or spring rain season, they can really mess up the grass growing there, and cause ruts and mud.

It's a problem, because mn in its wisdom requires ATV's to drive in the ditch with DNR licencing, while UTV's are required to drive on the shoulder of the road. So the ATV'S folk are put in a bad spot, really, they are allowed to ride but only in the grass. Even if they want to be respectful, they are boxed in.

Of course, a lot of them are joy riding and weaving all over the entire road ditches, looking for the thrill of the mud holes.... Sigh.

'Here' road ditches are wide and smooth, and are portioned out as hay ground. The county road easement was given off our farm for perpetual use of the road ditches as hay ground to be harvested by us, so it does become an issue when they get wrecked, it negates the deeded easement....

Paul

Old fashioned metal rakes, left out, teeth up.

I have homes surrounding the farm where my cattle are located. Problems such as feral dogs, human trespassers on foot, ATVs, motorcycles, etc. were nearly everyday issues to deal with, After installing a high tensile perimeter and installing a very expensive high output fence charger even the unauthorized fishing persons have ceased to access the pond. It is so nice that people are afraid of electricity! Even if I did not have livestock I would keep the fence maintained.

If you know who's doing it, start sending them bills for damage and maybe a track fee.
I'd make sure the total was enough to make them notice

I have not had any trespass problems and am glad for it. Fields are all fenced but no signs posted. In Missouri you can paint trees /post purple which means no Hunting/trespass. .

I would look at putting up a gate/fence/post besides the signs and call the sheriff each time you see them. If someone is threatening you file a restraining order.

In the case of the woman being fired upon I would have called police then fired back and kept up the fire until the police arrived. File complaints and make sure everyone in the neighborhood hears about it.

Good luck.

We had a problem with some folks a while ago. They weren't riding ATV's but their horses. First, let me say, I have horses, love horses, and don't mind people riding on my place "IF THEY ASK FIRST". These folks would never, ever ride until they saw me leaving the farm. (we didn't live on our farm at the time.) We had signs up as well that said no trespassing. So, we put cameras in the woods along the trails with day/time stamps. Collected a few photos, sent a letter along with the photos and a copy of our DO NOT Tresspass signs with our phone number on them and mailed the evidence to our naughty neighbors. A few days later, they rode their horses over to tell me they didn't realize I meant them and they were from ______ where "everyone rode where ever they wanted too". I said "welcome to Tennessee. We ask for permission here!" :hysterical:(and no, I didn't grant them permission)

Video tape and a letter from a lawyer explaining they can have their toys taken and sold to pay for the damages they did.

Call the police on them. Forest Warden too. They come and confiscate the vehicles. It takes years but we now have very few vehicle trespassers. I don't mind XC skiers, walkers and such in our woods (not fields) but the motor vehicles destroy our water bars on our logging roads, break the windows of our buildings and are generally a disrespectful group.

My biggest problem has been with snowmobilers and pot growers. The snowmobilers cut a brand new 4 strand fence rather than drive 50-75 yards out of their way to a gate I'd left open for them. The pot growers sneak on every spring and plant. I try to go out and destroy their crop every summer if I can find it. I don't have much use for either group.

The ATV guys just run up and down the road as fast as they can. They can do this because the Town in it's infinite wisdom posted the road for ATV use as allowed by law after one lady mad a stink because she was afraid she'd get a ticket for crossing the road on her ATV. I brought up the liability issues for the Town and for adjacent landowners and the problems this would all cause, but being aboutt he only person in the Town that doesn't own a t least 2 ATVs, my concerns were ignored. That was years back before I retired and was barred from seeking public office. I'm thinking of running for Town Board this fall and putting my money where my mouth is so to speak. I'll never get my road unposted, but maybe I can head off some of the stupidity.

Quick and cheap- some chicken wire between trees in ares that re used as a trail. Mark the wire with flags- little strips of colored foresters tape work fine. That way they cn see it, avoiding the chance of injury (and lawsuit). If they cut the wire or remove it, then cll the authorities. Just continue to remain the calm ones!
Good luck.

Wire can be cut, rakes/tacs/whatever only makes them angry. Hit them in the pocketbook and they will listen! This means installing some cameras out there to catch them crossing your property lines, taking pictures of the damages they do and presenting it all to an attorney who will file a legal complaint they will have to answer! (Yes it will cost you a little; but it will cost them too.)

We have fence laws here, without them, no sence trying to do anything. Fence and signs come first.

Mount Battery operated game cameras....post there is a fine for trespassing....the pictures are your proof...make them pay a couple of times and I bet it comes to a screeching halt and you get a few bucks in your pocket.

AND a good lawyer will get you not only your trespassing fee but the perpetrator will end up ALSO paying the court costs PLUS reimburse you for your lawyers fee.

I would talk to them first. They are your neighbors and you should be able to sort things out without involving the law. Calling the police would be my last resort after trying to explain things to them. Most likely its some kids and if you talk to the parents, tell them that you do not want to involve the law ( a subtle threat ) so you came to them first hoping to resolve this.

If you get resistance, don;t argue. Just thank them and leave. See what happens, they may not show up again. If they do, you go to the police. It may also help to have a couple game cameras hidden at strategic spots where you will be most likely to get a picture of them. ;)

Take your tractor with forks on the FEL (You might be able to do it with a bucket if it is large enough) and pick up the ATV. Drive to the nearest lake, pit or cliff. Drop ATV in or off as appropriate. Repeat as necessary.

End of problem. Make sure your property is well posted before you do this. IF they want to complain they can explain what they were doing on your property.

Mike

I do occasionally lay one down or it falls off its support and forget it. I get distracted way to easily with to many thing to do. So when I get bored with what I 'm doing I jus do some other thing that needs attention. Sometimes I find something a year later. Its a wonder I don't hurt myself.

Very, very poor advice. There is a right way and wrong way to do things and this just adds to the problem. You g from being the aggrieved party to being a defendant in a willful destruction of property case in a heartbeat. That's not a win, that's a loss.

If I went to their house and tried to talk to them and that didn't work, if I went to the law repeatedly, and that didn't work...then yeah I'd have to take matters into my own hands. But that is about 5 steps down the line.

More likely I would find where they were coming in ( just follow the tracks ) and lay down a spike strip...or like someone else suggested, a series of steel rakes, well camoflaged

Take photos and also video if you can. Many people will deny things unless the evidence is right in their face. Also, if you go to ask help from Police or other authorities, they like to have photos.

Neighbors in this area complained to the local school that a school bus driver was speeding on a nearby road where the down-hill run was dangerous. The school people did nothing about it and the driver denied it. The students complained at school that they were scared. The school did nothing about it. One afternoon, two neighbors worked together and one had a camera and the other a video. They were waiting at two places along the road. The bus driver came roaring around the curve, they got photos and videos of him and took it to the school. The driver does not speed any longer!

I know that is not the same, but my point is to take photos or video and that will help out. Good luck. Stay safe.

If you do something like shoot at them, or lay nails, or clothesline them, you just open yourself up to retaliation/revenge. Talk to them, be reasonable, and if that doesn't work, call the law. Fences and gates with locks are your friend.

I do have to admit that seeing the suspected person later, driving around with 3 donuts on their car is sorta a satisfying feeling. :whistlin::hysterical: