property line aggrevation

[bamaranger]

Does anybody else think this is "bad manners" and more than a bit inconsiderate?
Not to mention dangerous.


On a piece of property I hunt, we have set out food plots on a ROW and there is an established shooting house, has been for near 2o years. At the extreme north end of the ROW, just before it drops off into a huge bluff, is a strip of property, no more than 100 yds wide, that is owned by another party.

That party has allegedly leased the land to a third party, and that bunch has came in and set a shooting house of their own up about 75 yds from the property line, and put in their own field. And a feeder, which I suspect likely ran all summer. The distance between the two houses is about 500 yds, and they are in direct line of each other.........straight down the ROW. If they shoot due south we are down range, If we shoot N. they are down range. An between us is where the bulk of the deer appear.

Though their strip of property is out of range for us...not that my crew would do it, our strip is well within their range.

Bugs me no end.

 

[BuckRub]

I guess they have same authority on their land as you do on yours. Could be worse. What if they didn't care bout hunting and wanted to use it for their gun range during hunting season. Or maybe a place to ride their dirt bikes all season long. ?

 

[Rifleman1776]

You didn't say you owned the property you shoot on. If you did you might have some negotiating leverage with the other property owner. What you have now is simply a dangerous situation. That cannot be argued. I believe you have to find another place to hunt for everybodys sake. Safety first, hunting second.

 

[reynolds357]

Unfortunately, "common sense is not very common anymore." Seems like your new neighbors are lacking in it.
My neighbor and I have a similar situation with one of my stands and one of his stands. Our agreement is he hunts mornings on his stand and I hunt evenings. If he sees something he wants to shoot or if I see something I want to shoot, we can shoot it regardless of whose land it is on. I dont really think either one of us is exactly sure where the property line is anyway. Its not worth getting the metal detectors out to figure it out. Both of us have a lot of land, but that particular area is the best hunting spot on either tract.

 

[buck460XVR]

Their property, their right to do as they please. Are they being inconsiderate? I dunno. If they are safe and only shoot animals on their property, how are they any different than you? Over the years I have heard the same story from other folks. Someone comes in and cuts them off. Or puts a Blind downrange of the only place they can shoot. Land next door that was never hunted before by others is now being hunted. Most times the "Bugs me no end" is not because of safety, but because of the fear the "new" neighbors will get "my/our" deer. Truth is, I doubt there is any one here that has hunted for more than a handfull of years that has not experienced this. Land changes hands, friendships change and hunters move around on public land. Truth is, if you don't own it, you have no control over it, and sometime in the future, things WILL change. If the "new" neighbors hunt safely and ethically, feed deer year round and have only a small parcel to hunt, they may enhance your hunting spot. Either by pushing deer off the area that was a sanctuary or unhuntable to you before or just attracting more deer.

 

[tahunua001]

well the problem is all going to boil down to where they are firing and what they are firing at.

if you catch them hunting off your food plot or even hunting off theirs in the direction of your hunting blind then you have legal grounds for calling fish and game and having the guys run out, they may have the rights to hunt on their own property but they do not have the right to hunt on yours or endanger you while doing it.

 

[buck460XVR]

Originally posted by tahunua001:

well the problem is all going to boil down to where they are firing and what they are firing at.

if you catch them hunting off your food plot or even hunting off theirs in the direction of your hunting blind then you have legal grounds for calling fish and game and having the guys run out, they may have the rights to hunt on their own property but they do not have the right to hunt on yours or endanger you while doing it.

This applies to both sides of the fence. The OP has stated fear of this but has not witnessed it. Odds are, they are just as safe and courteous as is his party. Just because they are now hunting next door to him does not make them bad. Their blind downrange is no more disrespectful than the OPs if they shoot safely and keep their shots to their side of the fence. In another thread the OP mentions frustration with a small buck he would have liked to take, going to the neighbor's food plot. I think this is more the issue than the folks next door being a bunch of unsafe poachers.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

They have as much right to hunt their property as you do yours. The time the shoot house has been there is irrelevant. Be glad their house is 75 yards from the border. They could be 5 feet from the border and there'd be not a thing you could do.

If you guys (or the landowner of the land you hunt) doesn't like it, the Free Market remedy is to purchase that land. Short of that, live with it.

 

[tahunua001]

This applies to both sides of the fence.

that is very true, I probably should have taken the extra half hour and banged out an extra sentence to that effect.

 

[Deja vu]

I had the same issue about 12 years ago. In my case the neighbors did not hunt the lot but set it up as a private shooting range. My land is farmed a little but mostly just for hunting. The noise of the shooting range scared away all the deer.

There little lot was may be 10 acres tops. Where my lands are about 200 acres. It really bugged me that they could scare away all the deer. I had worked on attracting deer for years by planting oak for acorns, planting corn for them to hide in and as well as fruit trees, shrubs and a hickory tree for smoking the meat. All for naught!

Any way I fretted about it for about 9 months. That hunting season was the first that I never saw a single deer. I finally talked to the guy and while he was polite he would not stop shooting on his land (again its his right) So I finally did the American thing... I saved some and started working on a small loan and made and offer on the land. Is counter offer was about 3X what I felt the land was worth (there was not home on it). So I came up with a compromise. I also own about 30 acres of land a few miles away. I told them that I would let them shoot there (that's where I shoot too) and let them hunt my land if they would stop shooting. They thought it was a great idea! They have only taken me up on the hunting once but they provided lots of targets for my shooting land (they let me use there targets). They do occasionally have loud parties with bonfires but its miles away and does not bother me.

They built a large pond About 1 acre on the 10 acres and they allow me to hunt waterfowl there when they are not hunting it. We have agreement not to shoot on our land unless we are killing something. Over the years we have become friends. We even went deep sea fishing together 2 years ago in Oregon. I never had to take the money out on the loan and I bought the wife a car with the money I saved.

Over all it was a big win for all of us! I hope you can find a solution for your problems.

 

[Gunplummer]

The obvious answer to the problem is to hunt public land. I used to live in an area scattered with houses and various properties. The place was a zoo during hunting season. Where I live now I can walk all day and usually only see a hunter in the parking lots, if any at all. Same with WV when I hunt there.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I guess that depends where you live... People around here buy land so they can avoid the insanity on public land.

 

[Gunplummer]

Deja vu, What kind of retarded deer do you have out there? I belonged to a gun club and the deer used to come out and feed WHILE we were shooting. I go over to the State Game Lands range and have had deer walk ACROSS the range when it was active. Deer get used to anything. Many a deer was shot from the seat of a cornpicker.

 

[Gunplummer]

The only people I hear whining about too many hunters on State Land hunt tiny parcels surrounded by housing developments and towns, or they ARE those hunters and only go in a quarter of a mile. I used to live in a Special Regulation (Shotgun) area but rarely hunted there. The most dangerous, unethical, lawless, rudest hunters you ever want to meet ARE those complainers that hunt on private property. That is, if you can find them on their own property. Chances are they are putting on a drive through your backyard. I mean BACKYARD.

 

[Deja vu]

Deja vu, What kind of retarded deer do you have out there? I belonged to a gun club and the deer used to come out and feed WHILE we were shooting. I go over to the State Game Lands range and have had deer walk ACROSS the range when it was active. Deer get used to anything. Many a deer was shot from the seat of a cornpicker.

That would be nice... my deer spook super easy. May be they are too use to the peace and quiet.

 

[buck460XVR]

Originally posted bytahunua001:

This applies to both sides of the fence.

that is very true, I probably should have taken the extra half hour and banged out an extra sentence to that effect.

Since I have a few minutes before football I got time to bang out an extra sentence or two.....

I have been very fortunate over the years to hunt many different parcels of private land, during both deer hunting season and Turkey season. Some have been thanks to friends and acquaintances, and some because my brother buys and sells land like many here buy and sell firearms. Over the last 20 years I have hunted probably 40 or so parcels of land where I and/or my hunting party was the "new neighbor next door". Here's my experience from the other side. Sometimes, there is no reaction at all from land owners next door as the parcel has been hunted before and they had no negative experiences from those that previously hunted it. Sometimes they come over and talk and are relieved that the "slob" hunters that used to hunt it are gone or because the previous land owner allowed everyone and their brother to hunt it. Then there is the last reaction. This generally is the reaction when the land has not been previously hunted or was hunted very little. These folks have had another place to hunt or a sanctuary for deer that they haven't had to pay for, pay taxes on or pay a lease fee. This is now gone. You find their stands on your side of the fence, even tho they never asked to hunt there, because no one ever said anything before. You find their stands on the fence-line with the only clear areas to shoot across the fence onto the land they do not own.....because no one was there to say anything as they dragged the deer back under the fence. They suspect you will shoot across the fence or make pushes on their property because they've been doing the same for years, without permission, because no one was there. I've had them come up to me and try to kick me off for trespassing on land I had permission to be on, when they themselves did not have permission to be there, because they've been doing it for years and other trespassers believed them. When you tell them you have permission and they don't.... it's always the same story....my brother or brother in law said it was okay. When they tell you the previous owner always gave them permission, you ask them the last time they asked permission and they say 5 years ago. Then there are the ones you catch trespassing and then they are mad at you because they have been hunting there for years and have no other place to hunt....or the ones that call you or knock on your door @ 10:00 at night scream at you and accuse you of being the one that shot the dead buck they found on their side of the fence, when you haven't discharged your weapon all season.

As I said....there are two sides to the fence. Odds that the guys on one side or the other are dirtballs is exactly the same. What proper new neighbors or hunters on neighboring lands do is contact each other, politely BEFORE the season starts if possible and try and create a positive relationship. Tell them what your goals for your land are and assure them that you will respect their property line and their safety. Assure them that within reason wounded deer can be followed across the fence if they are willing to reciprocate. Starting out on the right foot will get you a lot farther in the end than assuming they are unsafe, and unethical while announcing the same to the whole world.

 

[Gunplummer]

Are you sure you did not live near me 5 years ago. What you described sounds like half the goofballs that lived around me. The guy right next to me did not hunt, but they did have an apple tree in the back yard. Our back yards went back into a thick fence row and I had a tiny overgrown spot in the corner. The neighbor finally cut down the apple tree, which was in the center of his backyard. He got tired of chasing guys out of the fencerow that were posted watching the apple tree. What was he thinking? I mean, a shotgun slug does not go far anyway, does it?

 

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Sounds like you had a decent place to hunt at one time bamaranger. Times change. Property use changes. FWIW: Y'all have to adapt to each others neighborly behaviors I think. Probably you and your crew will have to make some clever changes in those hunting inequities. Especially since those fellows on the other side of the fence line already have. As it's said: "Now its your turn!!"
Deer routing is changeable. Just takes some effort and planing is all. As would new placement of your stands and {area's} for food plots.
Draw out a 2-maps. One map: as things are seen on both sides of the fence today.
A second map of y'all's (clever) resolve. Then. "Get busy and get er done!!"

IMHO: I don't see any benefit for either party when surveying the situation over who's right and who's wrong or I was here first thinking.

No doubt this will be a test of the comradery in your crew. Who's willing to step up and help make those changes and those who are willing to stand around and bellyache about the situation y'all find yourselves in.

Post Script;
As far as the neighbor's deer feeder goes. I would let that one slide. Probably does more good than harm for both sides of the fence in its ability to draw deer thru and onto both properties.

 

[Brotherbadger]

OP, have you tried talking to them? Explain your concern and reason with them. Yes, they may tell you to pound sand, but they also may be willing to work something out too. That being said, they are fully within their right to setup there.

 

[bamaranger]

comments

Well, this has certainly drawn more comments , and more varied comments, than I thought it would.

Certainly, the new neighbors have all the "rights" to to what they want on the parcel. I recognize that. And yes, I'm a bit disappointed that their appearance and actions, (and potential actions) have changed what was a convenient and productive spot. In bad weather, or cramped for time, I could slip over onto the ROW stand and hunt, quick and simple. Not a wild and wooly walk and climb a tree, then drag one for 4 hrs hunt,.... but a suitable option at times. And, I can still do it, I just need to be aware of the possibility of the folks down the way. And, I live here, have quick and easy access. Indications are, they are from out of town and not around that much. And, it has worked out for the bulk of this season. No incidents, no friction. 'Course, seasons not over.

I suppose its a principal or attitude thing, and I am expecting to much from others. But I would not build/plant a hunt plot, or disturb with an ATV or dirt bike, ( as suggested) adjacent their established site, were the roles reversed, even if I had the "right". Especially when this "strip" is just that,and there is so much more land on that parcel that does not crowd the line. I'd deem it bad manners, and inconsiderate, being a poor neighbor. I was taught those type things were to be avoided, even if it was legal. Seems to like this is one of those instances where the right thing to do is not what you're allowed, but what you should. 'Course I still say "please and thank you" and "Mam and Sir" in public to strangers, and that's not much in vogue these days either.

All no matter I suppose, its done and I will have to live with it.