Trespasser.....what would you do?

[ultrarunner]

My uncle found a truck on his property and got title doing a lien sale...

I found a Honda trail bike and turned it in... not reported stolen and made a claim as abandoned property and just before time lapsed it was claimed.

All the Deere stands at my brother's place he removed... never heard a word and some appeared abandoned... one did have a nice extension ladder...

 

[oosik]

I've experienced trespassers on my property. When we first moved down from Alaska it was folks fishing in my lake. They had "permission from the owner" excuses. That was immediately resolved. Then there was a second group of fishermen who indicated they had permission.

I was burning mad!!! I called the State Police and filed a criminal trespassing report. Three men got 30 days and $1000 each. That worked very well. Word spread and since that time - no more trespassing fishermen. That was 40 years ago.

Since that time I've had "wandering" folks who indicated they were lost. True or not-??? I turned them away - gently. For about ten years my mile long driveway was shown as a county road on the Metsker maps system. That did not help but finally got fixed also.

As it stands right now - no fishermen, no hunters. I have enough projects just managing my land. I have no desire to manage the public.

 

[Hay Dude]

30 years ago, me and my dad threw hands with 3 punks fishing in our lake.
They claimed they were from the “Bass Fisherman’s Association” and had permission to bass fish anywhere they wanted. We confronted them and they got ignorant. I let one swing at me first. One of them found out what the word “jackhammer“ meant.
They came back days later and vandalized my dads property at night. Fished out dozens of rainbow trout my dad had raised in a small but deep fish hatchery pond, he had next to the lake, too. Over the years, he had many trespassers at the lake. It was an attractive nuisance. Once used for cows to drink from, it became a place to trespass. I wonder if they were just thinking “this land is your land, this land is my land” or were they just ignoramuses?

I remember when I was a kid, people having signs saying “trespassers will be shot” and that’s no lie. They would shoot you if caught on their property. Everyone just accepted it. We posted heavily and put up barb wire fence. They just went over it.
Now you almost have to threaten the cops to get people off your property around here. If you do it yourself, the cops or a judge may actually cite YOU, not the trespasser. I called the cops because some creep was walking on our private shared lane. The cops response to me was “yeah….I live on a private lane, too….what are you gonna do?“

 

[Agvg]

Hmm, very different from my land with right to roam is the law

 

[Jstpssng]

When I was growing up it was widely known that the local apple orchardist defended his crop from thieves with rock salt.
That ended when his son did two years for assault with a deadly weapon.

 

[Jstpssng]

Hmm, very different from my land with right to roam is the law

It’s a bit complicated in my state, where land is privately owned but the fauna belongs to the state. Now there’s a move for a constitutional amendment to make all flora; trees and other plants including mushrooms public domain.

 

[ultrarunner]

It’s a bit complicated in my state, where land is privately owned but the fauna belongs to the state. Now there’s a move for a constitutional amendment to make all flora; trees and other plants including mushrooms public domain.

The end of farming…

Why bother taking the risk of putting in a crop when it is public domain?

 

[Agvg]

It’s a bit complicated in my state, where land is privately owned but the fauna belongs to the state. Now there’s a move for a constitutional amendment to make all flora; trees and other plants including mushrooms public domain.

Here I own the land including everything, of course no body can hunt, fish or chop trees and grass whitout permission from me.

But anybody can camp for three days but you must stay at least 300m from houses and leave no mark.

 

[Root Cause]

Post no tresspassing signs.
Purple paint as required.

Since you have ignored the land for years, I would be a bit more gentle to remove the trespassers the first time. I know they don't have any rights but de-escalation is a good plan.

1st offense- leave a note to take their stands with the partnership name as owner and leave a phone number to call if they want to discuss it further. (use lawyers phone number) They won't call, if they look it up they will see who it is and at maintains some privacy.

2nd offense, take the stands and remove them from the property. Sell them, burn them or turn them over to the police, your choice.
That should sting enough to keep them away.

If you want to really keep hunters out (stand or not), add a cellular camera (I have a Reveal that works well for $5/month) At the least, walk it the week before hunting season starts.

 

[Jstpssng]

The end of farming…

Why bother taking the risk of putting in a crop when it is public domain?

While it may pass a referendum I can't imagine that it would make it through the court system. The Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution specifically states

; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

The only way that might happen is if certain well heeled entities put up the money.