Raccoon hunters passing through

[tallyho8]

I've spent many years coon hunting and my dogs were trained to chase nothing but coon. I've never released them on private property but they have wound up there at times. When this happens I try to retrieve them as quickly as possible, shut them up and get off the property. No, I do not go to the person's home late at night, wake them up and apologize. But if I know them I will make it a point to apologize at another time.

Coon hunting can be an expensive sport now days and an experienced coon hunter is interested in nothing except his dogs and the chase. He is not interested in stealing from you and will not damage your property. I have never know a coon hunter who would cut wire or leave gates open and I have hunted in 13 different states. Even mule hunters teach their mules to jump fences so they don't have to cut them.

Many times I will hear rabbit dogs on my property and I go in back to listen to them because people who run hounds always love to hear the chase.

In Louisiana it is illegal for people to hunt on your property without written permission. I have never given anyone written permission because this will open me to liability but I have never told anyone they can't run dogs on my property if they have trained dogs. I make sure they know I have horses and goats and limit the areas they can shoot in.

Now the city boy who gets a gun for Christmas and comes hunting anything that moves on your property will surely get run off swiftly.

There will always be a bad apple in the bunch like the person who hunted on your property 10 years before you bought it and thinks they have more rights to it than you do but the majority of coon hunters are the type of people you would like to have for friends.

 

[brin]

An earlier poster mentioned that now days being courteous and allowing hunters on your land is being viewed as a weakness and I agree...I have had rabbit hunters with their dogs running all over my land with no regard for my dog that was outside and some little children that were outside visiting for a party with my grand daughter...I confronted the owner of the dogs from a distance..voice only...he did not have the courage or character to show himself...I had to yell to him his dogs were scaring the little children and my Dog might well eat a couple of his beagles...he cursed back...I yelled to him I would call the sheriff...he yelled back to go ahead....I did call the sheriff and they came out...by that time the dogs and hunter were gone....Sorry but that has been my experience ..that along with poachers who set up deer stands along the fence line overlooking my pastures....I just used my FEL to push them over...problem solved !

It is my property...I paid for and I take care of it...if you can''t be bothered to ask permission you get no break from me....

 

[dmccarty]

Thankfully, we do not have racoons in my area, which really surprises me. Thus no coon hunting.

I would NOT be a happy camper if a bunch of strangers were on my land in the middle of the night disturbing my sleep. I moved out of the city so I do not have to hear loud music at all hours and I could get a decent sleep.

In my county, you have to have permission to hunt on someone's land. It should be statewide. Our land is posted as well which drastically reduces our liability.

Years ago when we were looking to buy land we were at a parcel with the owner. He was in his late 80s or early 90s and had been born in the house his dad built. As we were talking some rabbit hunters with dogs showed up on his land. He asked me to go with him to chase them off his land which I did. The hunters were polite but they knew they should not have been on the man's land.

Later,
Dan

 

[General Lee]

Well ya ... in the very first post made by the OP. The hunters where not given a chance. They violated his 8.5 acres and comments like "make it quick" and then sneak out hide behind a tree in the dark and then something like "stop talking and get walking"

No opportunity for the hunters to even introduce themselves, explain the ordeal ... make an apology ... sad.

I knew who these bunch were associated with, and they are not the best kind so to speak. That is twice now you referenced my 8.5 acres, I'm sorry I don't have as much as you, but its mine and I have the right to protect it.

They shouldn't have the chance to apologize, they should have asked permission before the hunt. Like I said, they entered 3 different properties without asking. That is total disrespect for others if you ask me. I hunt myself (no coon hunting) so I don't have a problem with hunters. Its their total lack of respect for other peoples things/property that I have a problem with.

Its how I decided to deal with it, sorry it wasn't the way you would have done it. The property they should have been on is not big enough to coon hunt on without running all over through other properties. That to me is a slap in the face to the property owners that they don't have the decency to ask.

 

[Willl]

I'm in the camp that thinks it's wrong for hunters to trespass or run their dogs on private property.

X2. :thumbsup:

 

[ncnurseryman]

The bottom line is a basic lack of courtesy. If its not yours, leave it alone. If you don't own it, stay off of it.

 

[tallyho8]

My next door neighbor is the same way. He has No Trespassing signs all over his property and he tells everyone to stay off his property.

Yet, he is always seen riding his 4 wheeler or golf cart over the other neighbor's property.

It seems some people think " what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine".

How many of you naysayers have walked on your neighbor's property without permission thinking " well, its all right if I do it"?

 

[brin]

My next door neighbor is the same way. He has No Trespassing signs all over his property and he tells everyone to stay off his property.

Yet, he is always seen riding his 4 wheeler or golf cart over the other neighbor's property.

It seems some people think " what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine".

How many of you naysayers have walked on your neighbor's property without permission thinking " well, its all right if I do it"?

I never have stepped foot on any of my neighbors property unless we were talking at the fence and I was invited over...even when we had our horses we rode on our own property...once I had some cattle go through a break in my fence and onto the neighbors property and I apologized up and down and all he said was he hoped my bull had done his business while he was visiting his cows...LOL...On the other hand I had one neighbor that continued to feel free to walk and ride on our property until I finally caught him and asked him to call me anytime he wanted to walk our property and I would do the same...he never did it again...and of course I never had nor have I asked him to go on his property...I have never wanted what someone else had...it is theirs and that is that...

 

[RobertBrown]

My next door neighbor is the same way. He has No Trespassing signs all over his property and he tells everyone to stay off his property.

Yet, he is always seen riding his 4 wheeler or golf cart over the other neighbor's property.

It seems some people think " what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine".

How many of you naysayers have walked on your neighbor's property without permission thinking " well, its all right if I do it"?

Not to disagree with you, but please consider that the the signs may not be for the neighbors. Perhaps they are there for the errant sales person, property appraiser or religious zealot. They are a good idea from a liability standpoint; if the dog is in the yard and chases the unwanted visitor out and on the way he or she catches a 350$ shoe on the wire and the dog chews it too pieces right before his eyes.....the land owner had the signs up :thumbsup:

 

[blueriver]

I knew who these bunch were associated with, and they are not the best kind so to speak. That is twice now you referenced my 8.5 acres, I'm sorry I don't have as much as you, but its mine and I have the right to protect it.

They shouldn't have the chance to apologize, they should have asked permission before the hunt. Like I said, they entered 3 different properties without asking. That is total disrespect for others if you ask me. I hunt myself (no coon hunting) so I don't have a problem with hunters. Its their total lack of respect for other peoples things/property that I have a problem with.

Its how I decided to deal with it, sorry it wasn't the way you would have done it. The property they should have been on is not big enough to coon hunt on without running all over through other properties. That to me is a slap in the face to the property owners that they don't have the decency to ask.

Yes sir you are correct and you do have the right to protect your land ... I'm sorry to offend you ... you did say they had permission to hunt one of the properties and I'm sure the dogs just happen to end up on your land.

I'll bet they think twice about hunting in that area again.