Trespasser in my woods

[phylodog]

It seems many in our area who have issues with "coon hunters" retrieving their dogs, also end up having issues with items stolen from their outbuildings and property. If I catch someone on my property, it is an immediate call to county dispatch and/or the DNR.

Anyone trustworthy who wants to step foot on my land will make every effort to obtain permission first. I'm not an ass by any stretch of the imagination and I'm more than willing to accommodate reasonable requests. Anyone who steps foot on land they don't own without permission isn't trustworthy, period. I don't care if they're "retrieving dogs", tracking a deer or conducting a legitimate land survey.

 

[Skullglide]

Phylodog, i agree. If you need to come on my property just ask. If someone is willing to come over without permission you are a disrespectful trespasser. If I get a good picture, it will go to the sheriffs dept and the local CO.

 

[Lucky]

The various responses suggest how confusing this whole issue is with land owners. Another "trick" is the claim that a wounded deer ran on your property and they need to retrieve it. If you know or feel they shot the animal on your property, you can not stop them from retrieval.
Unless there is an actual witness, it the old my word against yours situation. As far as posting, I have bought many, many signs only to have them torn down about as fast as I can get them up. I went as far as using a ladder to hang them but, they were still removed. The sheriff dept. says they can't do anything on the first offense so, they get a warning, and go about their business. Wonder what would happen if I got caught doing 70 in a 50mph zone? Think I would get a warning and sent on my way after being told not to do that anymore? Don't think so!!
We have close to 30 acres of wooded area that we use for hunting deer and other game. We do not even go to the area at all until we hunt it. The whole idea is to keep an area where animals will feel comfortable and not feel threatened . Believe me, dogs running thru their "bedroom" do make them spooky and if it happens too often, the animals move on. Common sense.
Until the risk becomes greater than the reward, the problem with trespass will continue. It seems to me the property owners should be better protected by the law and those willing to break the law should have penalties that would be stiff enough to make the risk greater than the reward for violation of property owners rights. The turds that are willing to trespass and do not respect the rights of others make a bad name for those that are good sportsman and know they are being granted a privilege to use the ground someone else owns, maintains and pays property tax on so they can enjoy their sport.

 

[phylodog]

The various responses suggest how confusing this whole issue is with land owners. Another "trick" is the claim that a wounded deer ran on your property and they need to retrieve it. If you know or feel they shot the animal on your property, you can not stop them from retrieval.

Yes, you absolutely can.

I agree with 100% of the rest of your post!

 

[mom45]

Phylodog is correct. You can refuse to allow someone to retrieve on your property. We had a neighbor who was shooting and maiming multiple deer and constantly needed to track on our property. After three times in one week without recovering a single deer, we told him no more. He either needed to shoot better so they drop on his side of the line or he needed to stop shooting them. We had seen where the hooves had dug in when he shot the last one, and it was not on his property when he shot it so there were other issues besides the tracking, but our property was so stirred up from him walking everywhere that we weren't seeing anything when we went out to hunt. We are the bad neighbors because he isn't given the freedom to use our property like it is his, of course, but he now hunts at another location.

Nobody gets permission to go on our property except us and the CO's. We have too many neighbors that have no respect for others.

As a side note...we did end up finding his lost deer later, and all of them were bad shots with no blood trail. We would find them when the buzzards would start circling a day or two later. They would end up being used as coyote bait, but what a waste. The one had an arrow sticking out of her rump and had obviously thrashed around for a while before she died. He had told me that one was hit in the ribs a little low, but a good hit....

 

[SwikLS]

Anyone trustworthy who wants to step foot on my land will make every effort to obtain permission first. I'm not an ass by any stretch of the imagination and I'm more than willing to accommodate reasonable requests. Anyone who steps foot on land they don't own without permission isn't trustworthy, period. I don't care if they're "retrieving dogs", tracking a deer or conducting a legitimate land survey.

just be aware that once written notification has been given, land surveyors have a right of entry on to your land whether you allow them or not.

IC 25-21.5-9-7 & 8

I would think most surveyors would ask permission if they had to set up equipment for measuring or to be on property for some period of time. There may be moments though where we have to be on others property just briefly and so its not practicable to ask permission.

I've not had an issue yet where I had to invoke this right of entry, and I generally ask permission or attempt to ask if I have to be on someone else's property for more than just a brief moment.

Also, something to keep in mind is that surveyors generally deal in facts. We do not tell land owners what they own. Boundary disputes are more often about matters of law than matters of survey, and I have found that once the title line(s) or deed line(s) have been located, tempers tend to settle down.

 

[Lucky]

I understand that refusal can be made but, its also my understanding all they have to do is talk to LEO and they will be escorted to retrieve the animal. Who does that benefit? Result remains the same, just wasted the time of a member of law enforcement and they still get what they wanted in the first place.

 

[phylodog]

I understand that refusal can be made but, its also my understanding all they have to do is talk to LEO and they will be escorted to retrieve the animal. Who does that benefit? Result remains the same, just wasted the time of a member of law enforcement and they still get what they wanted in the first place.

Nope. A LEO may not escort someone else onto your property without your permission to retrieve an animal.

 

[phylodog]

just be aware that once written notification has been given, land surveyors have a right of entry on to your land whether you allow them or not.

IC 25-21.5-9-7 & 8

I would think most surveyors would ask permission if they had to set up equipment for measuring or to be on property for some period of time. There may be moments though where we have to be on others property just briefly and so its not practicable to ask permission.

I've not had an issue yet where I had to invoke this right of entry, and I generally ask permission or attempt to ask if I have to be on someone else's property for more than just a brief moment.

Also, something to keep in mind is that surveyors generally deal in facts. We do not tell land owners what they own. Boundary disputes are more often about matters of law than matters of survey, and I have found that once the title line(s) or deed line(s) have been located, tempers tend to settle down.

I'm not a broad brush kind of guy and it sounds like you prefer to show respect to others. I wish all surveyors were like you but we had plenty of pics and video of them riding ATV's all over two of our farms last year. I don't know what they were doing and I'm sure they had a legitimate reason to be on parts of the farm but it looked a lot more like scouting than surveying in the pics we got. I'm not sure why a surveyor would need to ride an ATV through the middle of a relatively small and easily avoidable food plot but he certainly did.

 

[SwikLS]

I'm not a broad brush kind of guy and it sounds like you prefer to show respect to others. I wish all surveyors were like you but we had plenty of pics and video of them riding ATV's all over two of our farms last year. I don't know what they were doing and I'm sure they had a legitimate reason to be on parts of the farm but it looked a lot more like scouting than surveying in the pics we got. I'm not sure why a surveyor would need to ride an ATV through the middle of a relatively small and easily avoidable food plot but he certainly did.

Most likely it was a field crew working under the supervision of a licensed land surveyor. If you know what property they were surveying, ask the neighbor who they hired to do the survey and call that survey company to let them know. I'm sure the person in charge would be none to happy to hear about any harm to other's property by one of their crews.

The land business has been booming since 2013 and many of the bigger companies have had trouble finding help which can lead to less savory employees. I had one guy tell me a few years ago they were even looking into hiring from Wheeler Mission they were so desperate.

 

[Lucky]

Yes, you absolutely can.

I agree with 100% of the rest of your post!

Phylodog , I appreciate your correction on game retrieval. I am an old dog and I was going on what I was told several years ago by a Dep. Sheriff. I now have more knowledge and can approach those that like to treat our property as their own, with fact. Thank you

 

[phylodog]

My pleasure. There are instances where LE may have the ability to come onto your property without your permission but a neighbor claiming they had a game animal run onto your place isn't one of them.

 

[Leadeye]

I've always been amused by the ones who tell me I have to give them an easement for them to cross my land to access the HNF. What's even funnier is when I catch them not walking in that direction and ask them if they know where they are going. Conversations like that usually end up with "I'm just hunting mushrooms, " and me pointing the direction they need to be going to leave.

 

[phylodog]

"I'm just hunting mushrooms,"

Few things I've encountered are more infuriating than that ignorant statement. Hitting them in the face with a brick immediately after they make this statement should not only be allowed but encouraged and dare I say rewarded in some fashion.

 

[Rdmeed]

It’s a pain to have trespassing but I’ve been on both sides running dogs I won’t leave a good dog just cause it says no trespassing

 

[churchmouse]

It’s a pain to have trespassing but I’ve been on both sides running dogs I won’t leave a good dog just cause it says no trespassing

That is pretty much what we are talking about in here. If you run the dogs do it with permission. Nope, dogs cant read so it is up to you for controlling them. They are just dogs after all.

I have held off saying much about how the elders in my family dealt with this back in the day but suffice to say it was not acceptable in this sissy day and age. People had respect. Or they lost animals. Saw this a lot as a kid. Taught me to gain access the right way.

Not a direct knock on you just this attitude.

 

[Expat]

One of the things that I always found irritating during bird hunting on the state game areas was guys who had no control of their dogs. if your dog won't come when called, it needs to stay on the chain at home.

 

[Rookie]

I hunted with my dad when I was pre teen and I was easy to get permission to hunt. It was simply a matter of asking, and I don't remember an instance where we were denied. Fast forward 30+ years, and I'm hitting about 40% success rate. I have to believe it's because of selfish, disrespectful people who believe their property is more important than others.

 

[churchmouse]

I hunted with my dad when I was pre teen and I was easy to get permission to hunt. It was simply a matter of asking, and I don't remember an instance where we were denied. Fast forward 30+ years, and I'm hitting about 40% success rate. I have to believe it's because of selfish, disrespectful people who believe their property is more important than others.

One can hardly fault these folks. Friends and family with property are in a constant battle with these things. People not respecting the well marked lines drawn in the sand. Buddy has 500 well groomed woods so he can hunt. He allows friends to hunt also. It is nothing to see several doe just casually hanging around. Turkey sign is abundant. As are Coyote.

Some of the newer neighbors do not understand that running a 4 wheeler through there disrupts the environment. Free range pets chasing deer will be shot on sight. Our ability to set our boundary's seems to come in down the list. Deer stands set up on the line facing into his property are reported to the DNR and dealt with. It is a constant battle. And he is not someone to be trifled with.

He bought 20 acres right out of school. He has grown his holdings to north of 500 acres over his life. Hard work and dedication.

 

[ghitch75]

It’s a pain to have trespassing but I’ve been on both sides running dogs I won’t leave a good dog just cause it says no trespassing

It wouldn't end up good for you or your dog if you was on my place...

Keep control of your dogs and you....period!!!