Ideas to discourage trespassers

[carparcher]

Hunt naked.  And hunt on a bare tree in the middle of an open field...  You won't have people tresspass after that!    :eek:

[George D. Stout]

We have 100+ acres here on Buffalo Mountain and it's never been posted.  There are folks who hunt there but it has never been disrespected.  My 94 year old father-in-law was asked why he didn't post it and he said, "what if Jesus wants to walk on my land?"  

Thank God for people like Buck, and the public land.  If everthing was privately owned, no one would hunt except those who "owned?" the land.

[Hogtamer]

A sign really got my attention once, a looong time ago...on an old piece of tin tacked to a tree it read (painted in a very uneven hand) "life is uncertain death is sure (the "s" was backwards) KEEP OUT

[fishone]

We have taken an orange vest and a orange hat and stapled in 10' in a tree. 500 yds from the road, it looks like a hunter. We have also moved it during the week. We have also parked a car and left it, so it looks like someone is hunting the section. It keeps most of the people out that do not have permission to hunt.

[rascal]

Lots of good ideas here, Ive been fighting this as well since I leased 500 acres in SE Iowa.  So true that the locals who "WERE" trespassing were the ones that were the most ticked off over me obtaining legal access to the property.  Ive chased numerous people off the land over the last 5 years, some were very understanding and some were completly rude.  Ive posted signs and had them torn down, Ive had them drive past my vehicles and camp with loaded guns in the trucks as they "Hunted" the property.  Im going to talk to the owner about putting in a nice locked gate at the entrances ( my expense)but that will only stop so many I suppose.  I plan to prosecute the next rude person to the legal limits for criminal trespass and if I can manage it I would like to take them to civil court for the cost of my lease since I pay my lease in hopes of taking deer off the property same as they are attempting to do, why should I be the only one paying?

This all may seem extreme but Im fed up with the lack of ethics I have run across.  Again this year I used a tag on a BUTT SHOT deer because I cant let a cripple walk, again this year I had to chase people off the property that were (ahem) tracking a wounded deer.  And honest to Goodness here folks the guy said to me when I asked him what he was tracking "that he had shot a huge 8" and "his whole arsehole was hanging out so he knew it was dead so he turned to shoot at a pack of does that were running away".  Can anyone here tell me what part of the deers butt is the vital zone???

I understand that not everyone hunts the same as everyone else, I wont stand and say that there is not a place for pushing deer as a viable means of hunting but I will dang sure say that I find attempting to kill a running deer by shooting at the white bounding rump of said fleeing deer by putting 5 slugs in the air in the general direction of travel in 3 seconds flat a deplorable practice that truly should never actually be attempted, let alone classified as hunting!!!!  (Note this run on sentence / rambling diatribe brought to you by one fed up redneck)

P.S.  Just had to add this little edit, Ive recently been finding evidence that they are taking a liking to my stand locations since I find all of their trash thrown under my tree stands when I go down to hunt.  Why bother with the expense of having your own equipment and lease when Ill pay for it I guess.

[Dave2old]

If they're on ATVs, piano wire stretched tight at neck level generally gets the message across.       (I did NOT say that. This is a forgery!)

[trapperDave]

[Ray Hammond]

prosecution? Ha...here in the south you stand a good chance of having the locals (thats who is nearly ALWAYS the trespasser " My DADDY -pronounced DEEDDY hunted them woods and I'm gonna hunt where I dang well please too) they set fire to your cabin, or house, or worse, your woods.

Prosecution? If they don't do that, they break the door down and tear the crap out of your place.

Sometimes they catch em, sometimes the deputy is in on it, and sometimes they don't.

[Ray Hammond]

Piano wire? My best friend in junior high school had his head cut off by a chain strung across a road by a turkey hatchery while he was riding a trail bike..he was the lead bike, and the chain was rusty and they hadnt flagged it or marked it with a pvc pipe or anything.

The turkey company went out of business a year later.

[John Nail]

Offer to contribute $500 to the Game Warden's favorite charity for every arrest and prosecution he makes on your place. You might have to pay a couple times, but the word will get out.

[Jedimaster]

Ray hit it on the head.  It has been my observation that there is so much good-ole-boy politics and antics here in the south that more often than not you can't trust the law in these situations.  Family relations and friendships mean more in this climate than your rights ever will.  I've been a victim of burn out, having my pets killed in the yard and having various other forms of property damage and threats.  Usually winds up being the warden/constable's/sherrif's/judge's brother in law.  

The worst of it is that I will let folks hunt.  I just want them to ask and obey the rules.  Too much for some to abide by.  I do like some of the responses here though.

[ishiwannabe]

I would just hang up the trespassers from previous years. Kidding of course.

[JAG]

Afriend of mine father drove around the county with 7 "Bear Traps" in his truck.  When asked what they were for, he'd reply that he was setting them out on his hunting lease.  After hunting season started he posted a sign "Danger Bear Traps" around the place.  The local Warden told him he had to dig 'em up, but he told the warden, "you want them, you go find them."  Warden never came back and had no more poachers.  'Course ya gtta be known to be a little crazy for that to work!
Probably work for me!!!!

[stevewills]

i dont feel we need to contribute to the conservation officers fund for them to do there job.i am fortunate to be friends with the local sheriff officers.they told me to call anytime i saw a trespasser,they would come deal with them.anyone can become friends with a law enforcement agent,offer them some game as a thank you or a good ol handshake and tell him thanks,and if that doesnt work,shoot on sight................................

[Minuteman]

I have inadvertently developed into the crazy guy that will shoot trespassers on sight.At least that's what I heard from a guy with the county road crew. The fact that I shoot center fire rifles and handguns quite a bit on the weekends may be why folks think I'll shoot first and ask questions later.
  All I had to do was go to the offender's house( he's a neighbor down the road) and confront him. I wasn't even mean about it. In fact I told him if he shoots one on his dad's place and it hops the fence , to come get me and I'd help him drag it out.
  He tried to give me the 'ol " Man , I've been hunting that area for years when your grandad owned it" He never asked my grandad for permission either. Caught the same guy shrooming on my place once. He left his truck parked on the road with the doors unlocked. The kicker was there was a bank envelope on the seat with 5 $100 bills in it. Shoulda called that his tresspass fee, huh?
 The only thing I worry about is some idiot shooting me first because they are afraid I'm gonna get the drop on 'em.
 Seriously you can't be shooting folks for trespassing but it sure would be nice to cut a switch and give 'em a hell of a hide warming all the way to the property line.

[Tdog]

We just got to stop the stupid people from breeding...

[Keefer]

Just get some yellow Police investigation tape and wrap that around your property....Should keep everyone out I would think...  :eek:

[hunt it]

One of these on each fence post might do the trick!!

[Morning Star]

You guys just need to find a local deputy that hunts and exchange some access for a little extra watchdog duty.  When word gets around a deputy hunts and gives an extra eye on the place.....many of your worry's will go away quick.   I've seen this work first hand.

Maybe I shoulda been a deputy.  

[ryped]

I ran across a sign this summer that read,

 "NO TRESPASSING.  YOU MAY TRACK A WOUNDED ANIMAL ONTO THIS PROPERTY BUT IF YOU CAN'T POINT TO BLOOD YOU'RE TRESPASSING."  

I thought that was a pretty fair deal.