Deer Hunter Etiquette

Hunting etiq. seems to have been thrown out the window, it's not like it was when my dad would take me as a kid. However, if I think about it..lots of the land that used to be available to hunt on is now gone. There is not much "free" public land and if their is..sometimes you can't hunt certain game there or you have 100 people on 1 acre,lol.

The government sold off sections or lots in the middle of our WMA over here at different times since the early 80's...try hunting with only one old logging road, the WMA and a crop of beans out in the middle the farmer has gated off...

People now will arrive after you, walk right up on you and sit 10 feet from you or fly by you at daybreak on a four wheeler full speed.

Hubby was also shot at and peppered in the face during youth gun hunt(deer) when 1 man and teenager where shooting straight at them chasing hogs. If hubby could see them without orange (looking dead at them as he was not sitting or in a stand, but standing up)..then they could of saw hubby & sons orange.

I miss the days when I would go with dad as a child, hunters etiq. and courteous to each other seems to be thrown out the window now days. I also miss the old Army Surplus Stores where you would buy your gear..not Cabelas or Bass Pro. You got it at the ASS not some brand name at a mass chain store. But I am in the miniority on that..everyone wants to have the "popular" stuff now

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BTW..I hope the guys who shot at hubby don't show their face in town...I know it will get ugly quick.

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What they did was wrong. But. some times we must look farther down the road. As we go thru life, we make enemies. Generally it is over things where we were right and they were wrong. Simple.
But when it is a neighbor, we need to tread lightly. I'm not saying we must be door mats, but it helps if we handle it more carefully. We seem to forget in most situations, push comes to shove. I don't want to encourage you to tear up his deer feeder and then hear that someone cut your fence and the livestock ate your garden. Or much worse.
I'll guess that he figured that you wouldn't mind, there are no crops involved, why not.
Each year, many tourists come north with their four wheelers. They don't own land. They see open land as free range and can't understand why they can't have a little fun.
I owned over 400 acres. I had 5 or 6 guys set up blinds at my fence line each year. I could only hunt the deer that made it past their gauntlet onto my property.
When I first moved there, I had a guy drive past my house, park in the road and walk 1/4 mile to a pond on my property. I put on my raggedy snorkel coat, got on my draft horse, laid my deer rifle across my lap and went over to talk to him. He figured he had rights because he'd been doing it for years. It wasn't a pleasant discussion. Saved the lives of a few ducks I don't want and I made an enemy. If he would have had more friends and family in the area, I might have made many enemies.
Tell the guy he can keep the feeder this year, but from now on you intend on leasing your land to a deer hunter and he gets first chance.

I'd tell him to collect his gear and if it happens again I will.

We have 10 acres, not much to hunt on, but plenty of deer.
have permission from 2 of the three neighbors for retrieval if one happens to get that far.
Only happened once though.
I also only bow hunt here.

Even though its only ten acres , I only have one safety zone.
Thats the problem neighbors side.
He though has no legal place to hunt.
You have to be 450' from a occupied structure or have written permission.
Something None of us are willing to give him.

Since he has moved in , I have not seen a deer here in 3 years!
Last year he set a pop blind on the property line , 50' off the house.
I set a game cam up facing it, he moved it over out of the view, I moved the game cam. then the blind was removed.
This year hes in the back but facing our field.
I know he shot one the first year in that field,and to add insult to injury did not collect it!
I'm fixing it this year, either privacy fence or hedge row.

I remember my hunter safety instructor say if someone shoots at you...shoot back.

There was a fellow who last year set up his tree stand just outside my fence (and no, it isn't a line fence). I emailed the owner of the property (SIL of the previous owner who passed on a couple years ago) pointing out that with the way the stand was set up, the only place it could be used for was my property. I also pointed out that the stand was actually on my property. No response. I contacted the game warden. He said that unless the person was caught in the act there wasn't much he could do. I pointed out that him going over and having a chat would avoid an incident. He went over and there happened to be someone in the stand. When he identified himself as a game warden the fellow scrambled down the tree stand and took off. The game warden ran him down and ended up arresting him (not sure what the actual charge was).

I decided not to hunt gun (this week) this year because my leg is still bothering me a bit. I'm letting my Amish neighbor and a co-worker who was laid off hunt my place (both of them could use the meat).

Bottom line, if a person wants to hunt they should either get their own ground, ask permission or go on public hunting grounds.

As far as I'm concerned, someone hunting my place without my (or my wifes) permission is an armed intruder.

Mike

I took a little walk about my field this morning. I made a lot of noise as I was walking around. Then went over and knocked on the neighbors front door. Seems "no one was home". No one came to the door, cars in the drive way. Went out for lunch. This afternoon I take another little walk. No feeder and no Deer Blind, nada, nothing but some corn on the ground.

I see two options. One, call the sheriff and report someone illegally setting up a bait station on your property. Two, remove it and bring to Goodwill.

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If I were you, he would know not to come back to my place without permission as soon as I saw him and I would make a point to see him.

Naw,I don't think so. Apparently he got the message, he pulled the feeder, no need to rub his face in it. Unless you are itching for a fight and willing to top every retaliatory stunt he may have when push comes to shove. Got to sleep sometime.

Wise words.

I understand and agree to a point but there is no reason not to say when you see him, 'sure would appreciate if you decide to put a feeder on my land again, to ask me first'. That does not sound to hostile.
Besides, he may have decided to put the feeder in another location and not even know that his feeder was not welcome there.
I sleep pretty good most nights.

Empty it and spread the corn out somewhere else.

You could also get a spray bottle and spray the bushes and trees about waist high with male urine. Just pee in a bottle. The results are no deer.

BTW deer hunter etiquette is an oxy morron.

You might simply move the feeder to his land with a note enclosed in plastic to protect it from the weather. State your feelings in a polite manner and leave your phone number so they can call. I did this with someone this summer that had a habit of tramping on other people's land after he parked in my field driveway blocking it. And that took care of it - no hard feelings. Sometimes what happens is some other neighbor assures a person that it is fine to hunt/fish on some property. "They won't mind" they say. Happened to me as I was "given permission" by a neighbor - I went and asked the property owner directly when he happened to be up for the weekend and he said "No you can not hunt here" except after the main gun hunting weekend (which was pretty nice actually), and not before. I was told by his neighbor I could bow hunt all season, but this was actually not the case. This could be a miscommunication issue - be direct, but polite, and you can probably remedy this.

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I think I would have left the feeder there. After all, free corn! Just empty it every time he fills it up for you. Or sold the feeder to someone who hunts more responsibly.

Taking a nice walk during prime hunting times while making plenty of noise or wearing hunter orange to disrupt the "hunting" is also good. After all, you're just walking on your property... and if he's not hunting your land, he shouldn't have any issues.

Glad to hear he moved the stuff already. It could be happenstance that he moved it, but I'll bet he just thinks you 'found out' about the feeder and decided to move it before you 'stole it'.

Hunters used to be the most polite respectful people. A lot of them still are. Unfortunately even a few will make a huge impression, all negative.

There is a complete lack of respect for private property rights by some people. A landowner should not have to post a bunch of no trespassing signs to keep people off property that they don't own. In first three days of deer season, my Dad and I have both run off hunters that have just waltzed onto our family's property. The hunter I dealt with walked in across the field I was overlooking; I waved him off and he walked back out about halfway and than cut down into the woods. I climbed out of my stand and walked over to where I knew he was headed to and sure enough he was sitting in my DW's ground blind. After getting told that he was on private property and didnt have permission to hunt (only family during rifle and select others for archery and late season) he had the nerve to ask if he could hunt archery next season. He was told not happening; unload your rifle and walk out. This morning my Dad had someone walk to within 75 yards of him and post up on a power line; again without permission.

And it isnt limited to hunters; about a month ago we are doing work and the farmhouse and two UTV's coming driveing through what is soon to be one of my pastures. The riders come up a NG pipeline that exits out of the woods u=onto the pasture field. The grass is already beat down into a pretty good path so this isnt the first time someone has come through. We stop them explain that they are on private property and that the NG right-of-way is only for the gas company and not a public UTV trail. The two drivers "claimed" that this was the first time they had come through and that they were sorry. They left via the state highway (illegal as heck*). Funny thing is there havent been any other UTV come through the field since we had that chat. First time through my *; just the first time you were caught.

As far as the OP's neighbor's feeder. We have had similar things with deer stands placed without permission. They magically disappear and a note is left stating they can be picked up at the local state police barracks.

For the new people reading and posting on this thread and other places of Homesteading Today.

We do not allow cursing, and we do not allow symbols in place of it.

Please use a different word for something that is bugging you.

I've had to just edit two new person's postings, so figured this needed to be pointed out.

Thanks
Angie

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I haven't had time yet to set it all up yet thanks I will try after working in the morning

Dog hunting of deer is legal here. And for some reason a lot of those (in my opinion unsportsmanlike sportsman) think that because their dogs cant read my no tresspassing signs that that somehow gives them the right to let their dogs hunt my property while they sit in a stand 5 feet over the property line waiting for their dogs to chase deer off my property into their sights. Ive had hunting dogs try to attack my chickens in their pen, frighten my cats half to death, and even jump up onto the porch and look in the windows of my house damaging window screens. Ive quit confronting the dog hunters directly and asking them to keep their dogs off my property - its almost come to blows in the past. Now I catch the dogs if possible and kennel them - if they have a collar and name tag I will give it some time then call the number for whoever to come get their dog - if it happens again I call the animal control to come and get the dogs. If I get any guff from the owner I have also quit arguing and tell them so - I immediately call the sherriffs department and let them sort it out. I have had both the local Wildlife Enforcement Officers and Sherriffs deputies tell me - dog hunters have NO right to let their dogs hunt any land they dont have permission to hunt and my land is well posted.

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Most of this happened beside me.A man from out of town bought 50 acres of beautiful hardwoods then clear cut and planted pines. With no trees to climb he started hunting over our line. He boasted he only trophy hunts and would stop by to show some really nice bucks. After being polite and asking him to stay off our place I got tired and messsed up his trophy hunting for years. He only hunted on saturdays. My next of kin hunted everyday but saturdays for three seasons. He thought the deer all died off.......Alot were just killed and eaten.

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