You often read about trespassing hunters setting up tree stands and game cameras on private land that they think that they can use without permission.
Land owners often remove or destroy these. Sometimes the trespassers have the gall to come to the land owner and demand their property back. Obviously though it seems difficult to do this without admitting that you have been trespassing and hunting illegally.
It would seem that all that the land owner needs to do is demand identification from these people, and they would then meekly depart empty-handed. I suppose that they could take their chances with the local LEOs but I think that few would try.
However, since tree stands don't have serial numbers, and identifying markings can be scraped off, why can't you just sell them?
Seems like poetic justice to me.
Hmm.. If someone parked their car on your place without your permission you could have it towed, but not sell it ?
I’d call the local game warden and let him handle them without touching their stuff.
Many of them I know would take them down, and leave a card with you so the owner could get them back - and then write them a ticket for trespassing when they came to pick them up... ouch.
Put your own lock on it, preferably in such a way as to make it unusable.
Years ago, I read that trespassers often turn the dream hunting property that many save for into a nightmare. Local police and even judges treat the offense lightly, or not at all. I know that many violate the rule against motorized vehicles on our local WMA, based on the tracks I find and the ones I hear.
I suppose that putting a stout lock and chain on a tree stand might be easier.
If you located any game cameras, you could pull their cards, leave the immediate area, and then just shoot them from a distance with a rifle.
Darn... Must have been a rival trespasser.
I tear them down, drag them out to the closest maintained road, and cut them up with a sawzall, a process that was suggested to me by the county sheriff. I've found that the courts don't view trespassing or vandalism as very serious offenses even when you catch people in the act.
Bearrr264 used to roll vehicles that he found on his property on their roof.
sell them if you like... abandoned property.
East of the Continental Divide, which I've not tread, they take all that hunting etiquette stuff very serious. I think there is a place in Tennessee called Reelfoot where they kill each other over duck setups. Nobody eats a duck. At least you can eat a deer. So I guess you could just wait for the guy to show up and kill him, give the treestand to his widow woman as an act of Christian kindness.
it is a lot of fun when they slip in with a canoe . and have a long swim to get it back if they can make it with out the gators getting them
. never had a repeat
ofender
If they came onto your property and left something overnight it's yours. Do with it what you wish.
You pay the property taxes.... you paid the interest on the mortgage... you worked night and day to cover the cost of property so you can have it to use for your self.
People will tell you it is wrong to take someone elces property because they violated your private property... But, them, being on your property unwelcome... is a way of taking from you...
I tear them down, drag them out to the closest maintained road, and cut them up with a sawzall, a process that was suggested to me by the county sheriff. I've found that the courts don't view trespassing or vandalism as very serious offenses even when you catch people in the act.
Bearrr264 used to roll vehicles that he found on his property on their roof.
I like the way you think.
The only reason that these scumbags would violate your land is that they must know that nothing much will happen to them. And, on many larger properties perhaps, the odds of being discovered are not very likely.
The idea of rolling vehicles is hilarious. They can't prove that the land owner did it and they now have the huge problem of getting the vehicle back on its wheels, which would require another vehicle to trespass on the land owner's property. Also, the vehicle may not run after it is upright again, requiring an expensive long distance tow job. Not to mention attempting to explain the cause of the damage to their insurance company, which might disallow their claim anyway.
Your best bet is to report it to your local authorities and let them remove it. In my locality tree stands left on public land after a certain date and confiscated tree stands end up at a public auction.
Ive found a couple on my property. Took them down and cut them up then put in the garbage.
If a guy was doing a controlled burn and was unaware of a vehicle in a certain location, what could anyone say?
I’d call the local game warden and let him handle them without touching their stuff.
Many of them I know would take them down, and leave a card with you so the owner could get them back - and then write them a ticket for trespassing when they came to pick them up... ouch.
Even though our property is enrolled in a public access program, we have a No Treestands rule. Over the years, we've found a few treestands and done what is listed above. The Game warden leaves a card at the site and usually gives the treestand to us and after a while, we give them to friends to use elsewhere. The warden also says he has never had anyone contact him about the treestand...
Dale
Ive found a couple on my property. Took them down and cut them up then put in the garbage.
Or, just leave the pieces stacked neatly at the side of the road where they will find them, with a sign that says:
"Free Tree Stand Kits."
"Some Assembly Required."
Up our way, they build them out of 2x6xs and plywood.
The cure is to cut the 2x6s 3/4 of the way through and fill the cut with wax and sawdust.
Found some broken stands but never a body. Must be an exciting ride down.
A local farmer handled the problem by cutting down any tree with a trespass stand in it. Seem the tree always landed dead on the stand turning it into scrap.
Your land, your stand. Do with it as you please.
what is worse is when they get hurt and go after your home owners Ins. wile tresspassing
Found a stand and pack on our property.
Coffee in the thermos in the pack was hot, so I knew it hadn't been there
too long. Whistled, hollered, no one would show.
Loaded it all on my back with my crap and headed to the truck, looking
over my shoulder. It was archery season and I kept imagining an arrow
through the back.
Cutting down the ridge switchback to my truck, I heard a limb crack and saw
someone coming at a good clip, then he hollered. When he caught up, he said
it was his, and answered all my questions. Actually was one of the nicer
guys we've dealt with over trespassing, despite the fact that I was holding
several hundred dollars worth of his stuff. He finally ask if he could have
it back, and I gave it to him.
My intention was to take it to the State Police and declare it "Found".
Figured it was "found" and if I didn't damage it or keep it, I couldn't
be accused of anything.
We have had some locals put up stands, they took them
down very quickly after they were discovered.
This stuff is rough on me. I grew up hunting where I wanted and if we
bumped into a landowner we were invited to hunt in deer season on drives.
Almost no one said no if ask. Few posted. Those who did were
commonly regarded as pricks. (First time I heard the word my Grandfather
was talking about a posting landowner.)
I hate posting, hate trespassers, hate dealing with them, hate what
hunting has become through all of this. Honestly there are days I
hunt an hour or two, find some butthead trespassing, and after
getting rid of them, I leave. Just ain't in the mood anymore.
I've got one to run by you folks, as I've been tryng to figure out how to handle it. My property is rough country, but right off a highway, and WAPA has an easement across the top to a microwave tower. A couple months ago, a local from the nearby town approached me and said, "I need to let you know about something." Apparently his brother-in-law , a WAPA employee, had loved that country when he, legally, used the easement in his job. His family had him cremated, and they, without permission, scattered his ashes and build a small monument out of rocks somewhere on my property. They never asked, and according to the local who told me about it, they visit at least once a year...again without permission. I told the local to have them contact me, soon. What's done is done, I do respect the dead, but I wanted the family to ask permission before entering, and said to tell them I would grant such permission under normal circumstances, but would deny it if the fire conditions were high.
No one has contacted me. I'm going to find that memorial so I know where it is. If I catch them, I am apt to tell them that I will respect their deceased family member about as much as they have respected my private property rights. But then I start to feel badly, as you can't regather ashes too easily.
I don't like bold people like that.
I'd try to catch them, and have a serious conversation.
Being a bit soft, if it went well, I might agree to your previous
demands if they ask.
If it went bad, if they snuck in again,
The memorial would be gone.
If you can find out the name of the deceased,
Look for them around birthday, date of death,
memorial/veterans day...
Good ideas all. I'll see the local again, get the info.
Get a creepy baby doll, and fashion a noose out of rope. Hang the doll by the neck from the stand and pin a note that says “You” on it. The stand will be gone the next time you visit.
I put too much time and energy into my land to deal with trespassing.
Simple... its posted...stay out..
If I found a stand I would remove the stand and setup a couple trail cameras immediately to catch the guy looking.for his gear
Set a Duke 330 in close proximity to the stand. I hear it also works well to stop trespassers on horse back.
I’ve taken cameras and tree stands down and left the following note: Trespasser, if you want your [camera] back, have your attorney contact me. I then left my cell phone. Funny thing is, no one has ever called.
The first time I did this, it was in front of a State Trooper (I had trail cam photos of the trespasser). He said “I’m not sure you can do that.” I responded I’d litigate the issue in a heartbeat. I explained my wife and I walk our property regularly. I asked if he’d let someone post a camera in his front yard? He said “of course not.” I responded I just happen to have a big front yard...
Trespassers are a scourge. They don’t care about the law or property rights. Criminal sanctions are so light they are content to risk getting caught. I had signs made that state as follows: This property is legally posted. Your “claim” that you didn’t know is not a legal defense. You will be caught, you will be prosecuted and you will be sued.”
Since the signs went up and word got out that we have prosecuted trespassers, it’s made a difference. I learned the hard way that being nice only emboldened trespassers. YMMV.
I've had 2 incidents with trespassers over the past 45 years .....one time caught a guy building a tree stand made him take it down help him put it back in his car,,,,2 days later found a tree stand built with the same materials in the same area....there car was parked in the lane to get to my soybeans and no way to get around with the combine because of the ditches....I just hooked a chain to the car and rolled it in to the ditch drove by and started to combine the beans....at dark State Police showed up asking about the car the owner was with them.....told them I needed to start combining the beans and the car was in the way on my land...it turned into a big argument with the State Cop taking the trespassers side I got arrested for malicious destruction of private property taken to jail....went to court and won the case and sued the car owner for lost wages and crops....also sued the State Police.....
I can say that in the past 40 years trespassing has not been a problem....funny how a story has turn into a legend.....
I caught a local police chief trespassing on my land...friggin law enforcement even does it, you'ld think they know better. Ran his son off a couple years prior after he shot at a deer on my property. The police chief argument was...it was just a little over the line, could have easily been on our property.
I heard about some guys spreading Irish spring soap and deodorant sticks around some tree stands they found....
Great bumper sticker:
THERE ARE PEOPLE ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO KILL THEM.
we find trail cams, treestands and pop up blinds every year on our club land. a group message is sent out to all members to see if they belong to a member,, if not they become club property.
Used to have access to a huge chunk of private land. Owners family hunted just a couple days a year. All the neighbors thought the land was their playground. Owner had enough and asked me and my family to watch over things as I spent a ton of time out there. Found numerous stands. Took them all and sold them. Sheriff said it was abandoned property or littering. It was left on the property, no different than someone dumping trash.
Caught a few trespassers as well. Some tried to make a big deal out of me blocking their vehicle in. Well sheriff said no problem. I had permission to be there I can park anywhere I want. You cannot detain or prevent someone from leaving the property. But they don't need their vehicle to leave.
We used to smear peanut butter all over their stand seats, and take the tractor bucket and crush the ladders.....among other things. Have one notorious dude hereabouts, that thinks he can hunt anywhere he pleases and has been a PITA for years. He likes to use an ATV. He buys a lot of ATV tires from hunting land I take care of.
We used to smear peanut butter all over their stand seats, and take the tractor bucket and crush the ladders.....among other things. Have one notorious dude hereabouts, that thinks he can hunt anywhere he pleases and has been a PITA for years. He likes to use an ATV. He buys a lot of ATV tires from hunting land I take care of.
More than a few land owners here do similar things.
A friend of mine who lived on a quarter section of rural land learned not to short-cut through the nearby private land of an absentee owner. Spiked boards took out all 4 of his quad tires.
He wasn't hunting, but he learned a lesson anyway.
Knock on wood...
Never had to deal with blatant treaspassing.
Stand across a land line. Yes.
Just took it down and drug it back across the line.
Maybe honest mistake. Didn’t happen again.
Sell. Give away. Trash. An intentional trespasser stand.
He’s in a pickle already
He’s trespassing. It’s not marked.
To say it’s stolen, he’d admit he was there.
I have business cards from local game warden which I have left on tree stands with a brief but pointed note explaining the ramifications of any further trespass. So far it has worked very well to solve the problem.
I caught a local police chief trespassing on my land...friggin law enforcement even does it, you'ld think they know better. Ran his son off a couple years prior after he shot at a deer on my property. The police chief argument was...it was just a little over the line, could have easily been on our property.
Being in law enforcement, please don’t lump me in with the trespasser. I respect the rights of property owners and also deal with Trespassers on my property. I have found that more often than not, I can contact a land owner and get permission to hunt on their property or at least have their info in case I need to retrieve an animal with their blessing. I don’t tolerate liars, thieves or trespassers, which I lump together. I have also allowed others to hunt when they asked, but trespassing is a no go. Any trespassers property found on my land is considered abandoned and donated to someone in need like the game warden. Anyone caught trespassing will be reported to the local constabulary.
We used to smear peanut butter all over their stand seats, and take the tractor bucket and crush the ladders.....among other things. Have one notorious dude hereabouts, that thinks he can hunt anywhere he pleases and has been a PITA for years. He likes to use an ATV. He buys a lot of ATV tires from hunting land I take care of.
He could find a hole accidentally shot through his ATV.
You often read about trespassing hunters setting up tree stands and game cameras on private land that they think that they can use without permission.
Land owners often remove or destroy these. Sometimes the trespassers have the gall to come to the land owner and demand their property back. Obviously though it seems difficult to do this without admitting that you have been trespassing and hunting illegally.
It would seem that all that the land owner needs to do is demand identification from these people, and they would then meekly depart empty-handed. I suppose that they could take their chances with the local LEOs but I think that few would try.
However, since tree stands don't have serial numbers, and identifying markings can be scraped off, why can't you just sell them?
Seems like poetic justice to me.
Simple. It's called "conversion", which is illegal. You can't simply take someone's property for yourself or for sale later without due process.
If they came onto your property and left something overnight it's yours. Do with it what you wish.
Wrong, sorry.
While I agree with the sentiment, the law doesn't work that way. Gotta put some sort of legal lien on it and then jump through hoops.
Abandoned junk. Littering. Scrap. Use those terms and keep your property clean..
we had a guy who would not stay off my uncle`s deer hunting land so my brother cut the tree down and took the stand.
Never understood the "It's not posted!" mentality.
You don't own it. It's not clearly marked as public land. Keep your ass off it. Simply. Posted or not.
Caught trespassers a couple of times. They always seemed to be "tracking a deer we shot" GREAT! I'll help you find it. Never found a single drop of blood or deer and they gave up. Weird that....
One other time, was obvious he was in his stand on his side of the line, hunting the opening/trail on my side of the line. Dropped a couple trees in the way - solved that.
Tree stand- used one time to many. Works fine. Custom paint job. Free shipping not for sale locally.
Or
Free tree stand - just pay shipping. You must be 2000 miles from x marks the spot to take advantage of this opportunity.
Maybe if your handy with a welder you could make some lawn art for the front yard or a gate for the roadway and add pieces to the display as the years go by.
I'd consider it trash that was left on my property by a trespasser and dispose of it as I saw fit. Since I don't hunt out of a tree stand, I'd probably yard sale it and make a little money.
In most states, Trespassing is a lesser offense than Theft. How about taking it out of the tree and leaving it on the ground with a note telling him to remove and and stop trespassing?
I'll just say that butyric acid leaves one heck of a smell.
I would call the game warden or the sheriff and ask them what to do with the stand. If theres no name and number on the stand you can’t be reasonably expected to notify the owner of it to remove it. It would pizz me off for sure but I wouldn't cause myself any further headaches for a few bucks for the stand. I would rather cause the trespasser headaches from the gamewarden. Theres a good chance they are putting stands on other properties as well not just your. I would probably tape a sign on the tree telling them to notify the game warden concerning the stand.
You often read about trespassing hunters setting up tree stands and game cameras on private land that they think that they can use without permission.
Land owners often remove or destroy these. Sometimes the trespassers have the gall to come to the land owner and demand their property back. Obviously though it seems difficult to do this without admitting that you have been trespassing and hunting illegally.
It would seem that all that the land owner needs to do is demand identification from these people, and they would then meekly depart empty-handed. I suppose that they could take their chances with the local LEOs but I think that few would try.
However, since tree stands don't have serial numbers, and identifying markings can be scraped off, why can't you just sell them?
Seems like poetic justice to me.
The BEST IDEA I Heard
Dirty Harry
You often read about trespassing hunters setting up tree stands and game cameras on private land that they think that they can use without permission.
Land owners often remove or destroy these. Sometimes the trespassers have the gall to come to the land owner and demand their property back. Obviously though it seems difficult to do this without admitting that you have been trespassing and hunting illegally.
It would seem that all that the land owner needs to do is demand identification from these people, and they would then meekly depart empty-handed. I suppose that they could take their chances with the local LEOs but I think that few would try.
However, since tree stands don't have serial numbers, and identifying markings can be scraped off, why can't you just sell them?
Seems like poetic justice to me.
The BEST IDEA I Heard
Dirty Harry
You often read about trespassing hunters setting up tree stands and game cameras on private land that they think that they can use without permission.
It would seem that all that the land owner needs to do is demand identification from these people, and they would then meekly depart empty-handed. I suppose that they could take their chances with the local LEOs but I think that few would try.
However, since tree stands don't have serial numbers, and identifying markings can be scraped off, why can't you just sell them?
Seems like poetic justice to me.
If it's not clearly marked with identifying information (like name & driver license number engraved onto treestand), legally you can claim abandoned property and sell it. But there are other ways of handling as others have mentioned.
Had that problem with a neighbor, and didn't need to turn that redneck into an ongoing problem (I don't live there fulltime and he personally didn't know who I was). Photographed everything before & after, took down his stand, his game camera, and eliminated the illegal bait pile. Drove to his house to ask whether the stuff I was holding was his. He claimed he didn't realize he was on someone else's property, so I mentioned perhaps a good clue was the clearly evident knocked down fenceline over which he crossed with his equipment. After mentioning I hope his equipment and tracks don't appear on my land again, because I'd hate to photograph it again and submit to local Conservation Officer, he politely accepted the return of his stuff. Never any problems since.
We took and kept any and all we found.
If a vehicle was on our land, they most always ran over an old rusty rake or 2 that was laying in the weeds on their way out.
When we first bought OUR farm for hunting, we tried the nice route. Far too many poachers had been accessing the land for too many years and thought they had the right to trespass.
We put an end to it quickly. It was our land bought for us and our friends.