# How would you have handled it?



## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

My brother in law and I lease pasture in the Turtle Mountains, we also bow and gun hunt deer on this land with exclusive rights to it. We did not hunt it opening weekend, but planned a family hunt on the 11th -14th, starting a new hunter and taking our kids with. On any given am or pm you can sit and watch from 8 to 15 deer per sit.

Thursday morning my Brother in Law and his wife, who was hunting for a buck and this was her first season hunting, passed on 5 different bucks. Mainly because she didn't want to end the hunt so soon, but also because we had seen a couple bigger ones earlier while bow hunting.

Thursday night, while sitting in my bow stand, I had a unwelcomed hunter walk right up to me, unaware! When I talked to him, he pleaded ignorance and left! The next morning we saw zero deer, we just sit, we never push areas past posters, stand hunting only!

Friday morning, nothing seen, EXCEPT two orange clad unwelcomed hunters! One was the landowner who owns the adjacent land and has a "I do as I please" attitude, the other person was the same guy as the evening before. They saw us glassing them and quickly hit the bush and were soon seen on the landowners properity.

Called the warden and he said that they don't make a pratise of just visiting with these people, but if I wanted to file charges he would come and take a statement. He also said that he visited with these two about driving off road the first weekend!

What would your next step be? After hearing your replies I will mention what I did?


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Are you a local to this area? Kind of curious to my response.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

Taser gun? :lol:


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

I'm with MT - Give em the TASER...heh heh...YEAH! THE TASER!!! (Ahh Beavis and Butthead, where have you gone?!?)

Seriously, I woulda sat Mr. Doeswhathewants down and told him the deal about trespassing.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

Definately try to handle it yourself. A calm rational converstion would make you look better than if you chew his a** or turn him in. Try to take the high road............although it may feel difficult to do so!


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## Chris Benson (Apr 3, 2004)

First a question, is the landowner the person who owns the land you're hunting on or the land next to the land you're hunting on?

Talk to the landowner and let him know that you are paying xxx dollars for the right to hunt this property. You leased this land to hunt deer, not to see him wander about and scare the deer off.

Confront the neighbor, drive over to his house and meet him face to face. Tell him you saw him trespassing with his buddy (who you kicked off the property the night before) and you would like it if they stayed on their own property. If it gets to be a problem legal action will be taken. Tell him you sometimes bring a video camera along to film the action. (So you can prove he was trespassing)

Another way to go, is to tell him like before you did see them the night before on the property and just wanted to warn them about the conibears you have set up for trapping skunks, racoons, coyote. (if it's a legal this time of year). This can be a total BS story, but it make him think twice about setting foot inside the property! :lol: :evil:


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

What did you say to the adjacent landowner.....I would have agreed to the adjacent landowner. He has known THE land owner longer, and probably shared a turkey dinner togethor? No reason YOU should complain about him hunting the land he helps...every year...in some way or another? The other guy sounds like some one who lives/works in the areas well?

Funny how people will jump when a big buck or some pheasants are on the line, but seem to forget about the small guy, who feeds and takes care of the animal?

Don't complain, before you leaased it up.....some one enjoyed it a whole lot more! Your not paying $ for the animal...your paying $ for the opportunity....


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## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

Whether I agree with the leasing of land or not (hint: I don't), has nothing to do with how I feel this should be handled.

I believe that the gamewarden should have been called, charges filed, and examples made. As a landowner, I am sick and tired people pleading ignorance, and if the guy you spoke the night before had the audacity to come back the next day, he KNEW he was doing wrong, and the other landowner KNEW he was doing wrong. I bet the other landowner doesn't turn a blind eye when someone trespasses on his land. Did they neighbor landowner post his land? curious...

Three years in a row people have poached deer off of our land. None of these people even bothered to ask permission, of which we would have granted. We still grant access to guys who ask, we just want let people know where buildings and machinery are.

Leasing sucks, but trespassing and poaching is still worse.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

I would like to know more about it.... I agree....permission is permission, but does the owner of the land also grant access to neighbors and family? Most I know...do? Might have given access to them earlier that you knew nothing about, and didn't know who you were?


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## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

Well got some of the replies I expected, I will try to answer a few more quesitons.

Yes, I lease the land for dual purpose, pasture and hunting. I spent many hours fencing that properity this summer so that I can put horses in next fall. The trespasser does not and never has owned the land. The land owner confronted me about leasing I did not ask them! Yes, I am born and raised in this area on a grain and livestock farm. I have sole access rights to this properity, the land owner refers all calls to me! Her brother always hunted the land and she told him that he could no longer hunt it, I visited with him and said that he is welcome to hunt and that I would show him where the stands are located so that we do not interfer with each others hunting.

The main reason I did this is to provide a place for myself and my 12 year old son to hunt, he harvested his first deer with a bow this past sept., little fork horn buck. It was probably one of my best hunting times ever.

I did contact the trespasser by phone but he refused to talk to me when he found out who it was. Two times I have had to remove his livestock from this properity, after part of it was fenced and crossfenced. I did so with out complaint or incedent. They supposedly got out and ended up there!

Maverick I don't quite get your first post? Sorry! The ironic thing is that this landowner also leases some of his land out to a group from Bismarck.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

I guess I misunderstood the situation. I had gotten the feeling that you were from a Urban area, and only showed up on the weekends. "The Weekend Warrior" . I also got the feeling that neighbors were hunting land, and might have hunted the area before?


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## drjongy (Oct 13, 2003)

I live in the sprawling metropolis of Grand Forks, and since I have a job that takes up 50 hours a week I usually only get to hunt on the weekends. Are you somehow infering that us big-city slickers don't have the hunting knowledge or experince of you country folk?

Get real, where he lives has nothing to do with the situation.


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Trapper,
I think you should rethink your whole situation. Your one of the resaons that so much land is being posted in ND. The deer population is at a all time high and needs to be brought back in check. If you are posting your land/pasture then the next guy is going to do it and so on....instead let others hunt the land when you're not around. Maybe one of the "ASK before you enter" signs might be good so everyone can give you a call. If the neighbor still trespasses, then by all means press charges. How about a little trespass story in the local paper explainng how certain locals won't stay out. I'd bet that would get some results.


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## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

> Are you somehow infering that us big-city slickers don't have the hunting knowledge or experince of you country folk?


If you knew anything about me, you would know that I am also one of those CITY SLICKERS. I am just sick of people only comng out for a weekend or so and feeling like they own the land. Taking advantage of the owner's for the animal not the enjoyment of the hunt. That's what it sounded like to me.



> Get real, where he lives has nothing to do with the situation.


And yes it really might...If you think about it.....

and Dronjey none of my comments were pointed to you, as I explained I misunderstood the intial post!!! :eyeroll:


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## tail chaser (Sep 24, 2004)

Trapper, Now that I know you lease it for more than just hunting rights, I was thinking along the lines of paintball guns using balls filled with scunk scent. Ok don't, not the safest thing to do with an armed person.

Post the guys name and his address and how he has to many deer on his property and would welcome anyone to come on his land to hunt and that he just hasn't had the time to take down his posted signs. Also post a picture of his daghter who is a model and single with a link to some hot chick. Okay don't do that either.

What you have to do is put up or shut up, you can't expect a warden to come running and give him a slap on the hand. If you are going to manage it as your own little deer heard which its not, then have the balls to press charges.

When it comes to posted land and tresspassing it becomes a tangled web. You did a pretty good job of explaining the situation but what would happen if you did press charges? I know if I was hearing your case I would like to know if you hunt land other than your own posted stuff. You mentioned you did not hunt it opening weekend why? Were you hunting other stuff or were you not hunting at all, posting land does have its problems. Do you let others hunt if they ask I have a bow tag yet can I come hunt it? sounds pretty good! The only real option you have is to press charges but it could open up a can of worms for you, the price of justice. BTW even though I'm on your side when it comes to property rights you did mention you can see 8 to 15 deer a night so I don't feel to sorry for ya. Please don't think I'm siding with the guilty party I'm not but you might get a different reaction out of this site if you could explain why you didn't hunt this land opening weekend. You have the right to exclusive hunting rights but this is the price you pay for keeping the land exclusive, and if you press charges what kind of access will you get to other hunting lands? Like I said its a web. Good luck!

TC


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## Trapper62 (Mar 3, 2003)

TC

It was not hunted the first weekend because I finally drew a Mule Deer Buck tag in unit 4C, first one since 94 and my brother in law had a buck tag for the Center area!

For deer the only other land that I hunt is grasslands in the Badlands! All of our family farm land is posted "Ask before you enter" and no one is turned down unless we already have hunters there (This is for all game not just deer, goose, grouse, furbearers, etc.). Then we send them to other properities that they can hunt!

I guess maybe I am a contributor to the problem with this properity, but I want this to be a place were my kids can learn to hunt the right way, un-interupted and ethical, learn about the woods and the animals that live there. When my son shot his deer, he had to track it, and he learned how to read the blood platters to determine the direction the deer went. He has learned how to read buck and doe sign, how to determine morning trails from evening trails, ect., etc., etc.!

This properity is 120 acres of which about 50% is timber and draws and yes it is closed to just about everyone. I have a friend that has contacted me about letting his son hunt there next year for his first bow deer, I have no problem with that and told him he is welcomed. I have a buddy stand out and have even taken my 8 year old daughter bow hunting with me. Our family farm, my dad is now retired, consists of 1200 acres which is entirely open to anyone who ASKS! So I don't feel keeping 10% to myself and family is being all that gready! I have deer eat many pound of hay each winter and have never and will never ask for G&F to assist with this, its just become part of life.

Regaarding these deer as being my own, I do't look at it that way. I have never told anyone that has hunted it what deer they can and cannot shoot. For myself, I will not shoot a deer just for the sake of shooting it and yes I bow hunt for a nice buck. I have filled a mule buck tag and an additional doe tag, my son shot his little buck, I don't need the meat so I will not shoot one just to shoot it! My brother in law filled a doe tag last weekend because there are too many does around. That deer was given away to someone who wanted the meat.

As far a the neigboring landowner, I have made attempts to visit with him and yes I could press charges, which is what I want to avoid. There are a lot of other activities going on here that you don't know about and that I WILL NOT mention, other than we have observed many first hand! I feel that he has his land to hunt which greatly out numbers my acrage, and he is free to do as he pleased on it. But I have to make a stand somewhere and I guess I choose to do it with trespassing.

These two individuals where contacted and told that if they are seen on the properity, that criminal tresspass charges would be filed, end of story! It got pretty hot and ugly at first but the conversation ended on a calm side. So I hope that it is over and we can go on with our business!


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## tail chaser (Sep 24, 2004)

Trapper, I'm glad you responded, your situation is different than I imagined. As for the Muley Buck tag YOU LUCKY SOB haha, the last time I drew one my house burned down in October, hunting was out of the question. I wish you luck. 
Your right charges should be a last resort. How about just for a joke putting up some wanted posters of the guilty party on trees that are on your land, it won't do any good but think how funny a picture of him reading it would be? I have met quite a few good people in that area but like every where else there are some fruitloops that do anything they please. As for helping the kids hunt keep it up! that's the kind of thing everybody thinks is great but not to many are willing to do it, and judging by the lack of some hunting ethics we need a lot more of it. Would you be up for teaching some adults you and I both know some could use it.
TC


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