What to do about deer stand to close to house
 

Our neighbor who owned property behind our place passed away last Spring. He never allowed his SIL to hunt within sight of our house. Now that SIL has put up a deer stand (on their property) not only within sight of the house, but FACING the house!

Do we have an recourse? Hubby is going to try talking to him first and we thought about calling the Game and Fish folks to see what our options were.

Neither one of us want to get shot when out doing chores or walking our dogs ON OUR PROPERTY. Nor do we want one of our dogs shot. Our dogs NEVER leave our property. When not supervised outside they spend their time in our fenced in yard.

LOL...hubby said he was just going to go down there and burn it down, but I advised him to take a less drastic approach.

:help:

Have hubby pee all around the fence line in front of the stand :D

Facing the house? I thought deer stands have openings on all sides?

No, I don't think you can do anything about someone's deer stand on his place.

You can put bright orange on during deer season. :)

Check the local game laws to see how close to an occupied house or building a person can hunt. If it is an elevated stand the danger is much less. If your hubby crosses the line he could very well go to jail,

I'm sure there are rules and regulations about these things. Hopefully posted online, go to your state's website and read up on it.

Yes I believe it is 500 feet we must be away from someones house. Facing the house it is crazy. Even elevated if a bullet misses or blows through and hits a rock it easily could hit their house.

Alice, What I am picturing here is a single platform king of temporary deer stand strapped onto the tree. I will not be forced to wear orange on my own property.

By all means, Ravenlost, Whatever you have for Fish & Game or our DNR call them and ask.

In PA the 'Safety Zone' is 150 yards [450 ft.] from any building for firearms. Archery is only 50 yards.

So a shed just on your side of the line would do where I hunt; it doesn't need to be occupied full time just a structure that a human might occupy. Property lines do not matter when it comes to a 'Safety Zone'.

Your state will have on-line access to the regulations in your state. There should be a regional office for your local conservation officers that has staff a phone call away so you can find out what the rules are.

PA and NJ are quick to respond to safety zone violations; I would think it is a priority everywhere.

Get the facts and then start building that shed!

Ask the Dept . Conservation but most likely if you live in the country there is no rule that says they cannot do it. They will have a rule about not shooting across a road and about not shooting within so many feet of a state highway.

Many people wear orange during dear and turkey season if you live in the country and do not do so then you are crazy in my opinion. Pretty easy to get an orange vest and hat. I know many people who put orange blankets on their horses during deer season.

I have at least two neighbors take deer while standing on their porches.

I wear a red chore coat and a red hat and as I said have an orange vest that I leave on the coat during deer season.

Everyone is assuming they're hunting with a firearm. Unless I missed something, it is possible they are bow-hunting, which wouldn't really bother me. Remember to make sure you fully understand the situation before causing issues.

Sounds like someone is messing with you, course the hunter could be just a regular idiot to hunt so close to a place where Humans are moveing around, or maybe he is Lazy, is the stand near a lazy persons parking place? Music is always good to scare off idiots, ya, talk radio, Loud.

questions
 

how far from each property line?
how far from stand to house?

He has only a few weeks left and he'll be using arrows or a muzzle loader. Season winding down. Dates are different for different parts of MS. I'll try to get back to you tomorrow on the property line laws, if any for MS.

How about a radio on a timer, set to come on loud just before Dawn and at irregular times during the day. No deer equals no hunting.

Think outside the box, what would chase the deer away, do that.

I've been reading Mississippi hunting regs and firearms regs, and can't find a single thing about a minimum distance from a dwelling.. There was a bill introduced in 2010 stating 200 yards, but I can't find that the bill was passed.

It was cool to see my CCW is accepted there though..

LOL...hubby said he was just going to go down there and burn it down, but I advised him to take a less drastic approach.

I advise against it....^^^

If you have trees near the line, hang wind chimes & get some of the oversize Christmas balls the sell for outdoor displays; nice and shiny ones so the deer see them.

Most states have regulations against hunter harassment so the loud music could get YOU fined if he is outside your safety zone.

We always wear orange during hunting season when outside. Have a whole closet full of hunter orange hats, boggins, shirts, etc. Dogs all wear hunter orange collars too.

Deer stand is on the property line, not sure how far from house, but close enough for us to tell if someone is in it, so pretty darn close.

The SIL always hunts with a firearm. In the past he's let his friend (another neighbor) hunt of the property too. One evening I was still at my chicken pen and that neighbor was still out hunting...even though it was dark. He shot so close to me I almost had a heart attack and did scream. Next day we found the fawn he'd shot on our side of the fence, just behind the chicken pen. Told the neighbor who owned the property and hunting neighbor got a good chewing out. Now that property owner neighbor is gone I'm afraid the SIL and other neighbor are going to push things. Former neighbor wouldn't let them put a deer stand within sight of our house...even made them take down a tree stand they had in the edge of OUR woods.

The closest parking area to the stand is our driveway. From our driveway it would take me about two minutes to walk to the stand...and I don't walk fast!

Forced to wear orange? No. Just seeing the wisdom in making a personal choice.

Like making a personal choice to hang wind chimes, sun catchers, etc., on the fence line. :D

Sounds like it would be a good idea to bring them a plate of cookies and have a talk.

LOL...I also advised against burning the stand! I reckon the best thing to do first is have a talk with the SIL. For all we know, he might not know the stand is there and it could be poachers! We've had trouble with them before.

I second a friendly chat voicing your concerns.

Also, if it's a small stand, a good chance it is facing your property with no intention of shooting towards you. If you shoot in the direction it's facing, you'll probably have your shoulder pinned up against the tree, and you DON'T want to even think about trying that... Most times you shoot off to the side of a stand...

I checked the rules for MS, just like simi-steading, and found

nothing directly pertaining to "safe zones" or the minimum

number of feet that.one could shot towards a structure.

However, I also found the following info that one can use to

find out those questions that aren't mentioned. HTH.

You can call our Wildlife Help Desk at (601) 432-2199,
fill out a Customer Service Comment Card at
-http://www.mdwfp.com/applications/ContactForm/default.aspx
, or email us a question at-biologist@mdwfp.state.ms.us
.

Like someone has already posted, Make Noise. Dogs barking should work, real or recorded along with annoying loud music.
Do it right and the stand will be moved to a more quiet spot.

It doesn't matter which way he's facing. When hunting near houses I think it's a good idea to be seen well, to avoid getting shot yourself. When I hunt I place my stand looking over the best deer route, but i fave directly over it and plan to shoot from the sides, if you miss it coming, you can get it going. I would suggest wearing blaze orange though, even on your own property. We live in a very rural area surrounded by family land but during gun season nobody leaves the house without blaze range, not even the dog.. there's allot of crazy people out there who will shoot the hell out of anything that moves.

You don't own the land and as long as he is not breaking any law then you can not control where he puts his stand. Just like you don't want to have to wear orange on your own property he doesn't want to be told here to put his stand. Besides asking him to move it there is nothing you can do as long as he is not breaking any law

Edit: MISSISSIPPI CODE 1972 ANNOTATED
TITLE 49. CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGY
CHAPTER 7. HUNTING AND FISHING IN GENERAL

You might want to have a chat with the neighbor. Perhaps the stand is there but he does not intend to shoot your way but rather out the back.

Last I checked 450' from any occupied dwelling and as I read it a dog house is a Occupied Structure.


Safety Zones Around Buildings

Safety zones are all areas within 150 yards (450 feet) of an occupied building, house, cabin, or any barn or other building used in a farm operation. No person, including archery and crossbow hunters, may hunt or discharge a firearm, crossbow or bow in a safety zone, or shoot at any wild animal or wild bird within a safety zone, without the written permission of the owner or occupant of such safety zone. The safety zone applies to hunting only. It does not apply to indoor or outdoor shooting ranges, target shooting, law enforcement activities or the discharge of firearms, crossbows or bows for any non-hunting purpose.

Just a except from the DNR page, I used the word occupied wich may or may not be correct...

That is not a Deer Stand though I bet. Deer Stands are not considered a 'Dwelling' I would put money on that one. And just because one side is open 'facing' the house I am sure the other three sides are open as well, or have smaller openings, it may just be bigger opening because that is the Way In, not the opening to shoot. And besides not all deer stands are for guns, Bow hunters use them as well. But most I have ever seen you sure as heck want a 360 view, whats the sense of having One Opening? None~!

Hunter Orange
When hunting deer during any primitive weapon or gun season on deer, all deer hunters must wear in full view at least five hundred (500) square inches of solid unbroken fluorescent orange. Note: Mesh-style or orange-camouflage is not considered unbroken and does not count toward the five hundred (500) square inch minimum. This requirement shall not apply to a hunter while the hunter is in a fully enclosed deer stand.

I don't see any exception to wearing orange on your own land.

I've had line hunter problems before, for some reason its always better on your side :} Always talk with the land owner of hunter first, he might be a nice guy. If that goes bad, I would get a large tarp and nail it along your line at treestand height to prevent hunting your side. Gets the job done quick and makes a point. I did a property line 200 yards long one time just to make it known no line hunting. It works. Always do it the night before the opening season at dusk so its a surprise first morning. We can all get a long or have problems, its up to you.

it sure isn;t in WI. It IS LAW Blaze Orange must be a set percentage of your body covered. period. Besides you the heck would even THINK about going out at hunting time WITHOUT Said Proper Attire even on your OWN LAND?

Drive your fence line in your loudest vehicle calling for a lost dog at dawn and dusk.

Just put up your own stand facing his ,no law against it long as it is on your own land . :bandwagon: Then set you up some targets so you can sight in your gun ,mine gets out of whack two or three times a day :sob:

I got a spray bottle and sprayed urine at waist high on all the bushes and trees. No deer. They changed patterns and the stand was removed after an unsuccessful season.

Even easier is balloons. Just pop them on an irregular schedule.

call the game warden.

Put up targets along the area and place a table and chair about, almost all the way to the house or wherever and make sure they line up . use a deer target and a turkey target and a bunch of round targets. if you notice them in the stand take your gun and set up like you are going to target practice.

Maybe install a security camera with a recorder so if they use it and shoot at your place you will have proof.

When I put up a stand near a property line it's because I want to make sure my shot will be away from that property. So a stand on or near the line means I'm shooting away from you. I also like to set them up on the property line side of the tree. While deer generally don't look up it does give me something to hide behind so the game doesn't see me. The tree can then also act a steady to increase my accuracy.

I usually talk with the owners of the property I'm next to so they understand that and try and get permission to retrieve any wounded game that may make it across the line.

WWW

Mostly very poor advice being given - first off find out if there is a minimum safety zone where you live - it only takes a phone call to the appropriate game commission to find out - next thing don't get all worked up until you know if the guy using the deer stand is going archery hunting or using a rifle - makes a big difference - as someone already mentioned - here in Pa you can't hunt with a rifle within 150 yards of a residence or farm building - 50 yards if you hunt with a bow or crossbow - you need to determine if he is breaking the law - if he is I would talk to him first - as far as making noise and trying to ruin his hunt - thats just childish - if he is breaking the law he will have to hunt further away from your house - if he is not breaking the law - don't worry about it - right now you are making a big deal out of nothing -

I'd call DNR