Strange guy in my tree stand!

[Ranger Roberts]

I just thought I would tell you guys what happened to me this weekend, maybe give you a quick laugh.
Normally during this time of year my Saturday mornings are spent in my tree stand, with my bow, waiting for a big buck to jump into my lap. This past Saturday was a little different because we (my brother and I) decided to take our buddy hunting for small game. It is his first time hunting and we thought it would be fun. So we loan him a 410 single shot bolt gun and we both had Savage 22's, mine had my Spectre II on it and his had his Sparrow on it.
We are spread out and walking through my property. As we approach my main tree stand we all converge. I have several stands but this is my only hand built one. It's got sides, a roof, benches built in, heck it is more of a treehouse than a tree stand. Up to this point we hadn't seen another living creature, so we decided to walk past my stand and kick some brush on some old abandoned train tracks (also on my property).
I hear someone yell "do you have permission to hunt here". I yell back "no need for permission, this is my property". We go back and forth a few times arguing and my brother says "dude! He's sitting in your tree stand!" Now the three of us are laughing and this guy is getting frustrated.
I mean, who just happens upon a tree stand and thinks, yep, this is mine now! I even left a few magazines in the stand last weekend, so at least he had current reading! The guy finally says that he "believes me" and he'll leave.
So as he starts walking out, he is headed in the wrong direction. I asked what he is doing, he tells me heading back how he came in. I told him he must be turned around, he didn't come in that way. He says "nope, I even marked my trail". So let me explain this to you guys, to walk in that way, this guy traversed some serious terrain. He would have had to cut through the majority of my property, my brothers property, another neighbors property and a pretty large farm. Oh yeah, and all of these properties are properly posted. As the crow flies, I would say this is a good 3.5 mile hike. We have a cliff (like rappelling gear not required but recommended type of cliff), a boulder field, a large creek and a VERY angry neighbor who wouldn't take kindly to a trespasser! And this dude had to have done this in the dark!!! I don't know how this guy did it, I would put him in his late 40's and he was clearly out of shape!
So that is my story. Interesting weekend, right?
I wonder if the tree stand guy is on his gun forum telling everyone how he was confronted by two big dudes with silenced rifles and one small guy with a shotgun?

 

[Grumulkin]

When I lived in PA, I had tresspassers as well. They'd tear down no tresspassings signs, etc. OH is better. Here you have to have written permission to hunt and no signage is needed. If I have tresspassing hunters, and it hasn't happened yet, I'll just call the police and let them sort it out.

 

[Bullseye]

I have a two seater tree stand. If this happened on my property, I think I would tell him I'm coming up to sit next to him in my stand.
I just had a conversation about trespassers recently with my buddy and what little recourse owners have in prosecuting when it happens out in the woods. You never know how it's gonna turn out, meeting a stranger in the woods with a rifle and you know they are already breaking the law.
Post and sign the posters on your property, I guess.
Take a picture of the dude that's trespassing maybe? It's ignorant, bold and violating.
I carry a copy of the deed in the glove compartment of my car.
You handled this really well.
I'm still stewing over a guy who walked through ours two years ago.
There's only a few of us allowed on our little 75 acres.

 

[DeepSouth]

When I was a kid my dad walked up on someone in his stand, I remember hearing a shot and thinking "well, I'll be cleaning a deer tonight" To my surprise he didn't show up with a deer, but he did have a new gun and someone's drivers license. The guy came by that night so he could wright out a confession and get them back. He was turned in, paid a few fines and such. We've never seen him back on our property.

Another good one, we leased a pasture (hay field) from a local guy that was known for being a "little shady" well one winter we noticed people kept driving through the pasture parking on the back side, which wasn't a problem for us other than they were driving in the same spot every time and killing the grass. So we stopped to talk to them one day on their way out. We asked them what they were doing in the pasture anyway, to which they told us they were hunting the woods across the fence and that "shady guy" had leased them the hunting rights. They had papers and everything, only problem was the land (woods) didn't belong to Mr. Shady.

 

[RPRNY]

I just thought I would tell you guys what happened to me this weekend, maybe give you a quick laugh.

I, for one, would like to commend you for your sense of humor and tolerance. That kind of trespass is really over the top and you would have probably been highly justified in taking a much more confrontational approach. It sounds like you were very High Road about the whole thing. Perhaps you will have taught your trespasser some manners? Very poor show on his part.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

When I lived in PA, I had tresspassers as well. They'd tear down no tresspassings signs, etc.

We've caught people tearing down signs a few times. People have no respect!

 

[Sunray]

"...who just happens upon a tree stand and..." Happens a lot. Always amusing when a trespasser asks the landowner if he has permission to be there. Sometimes the tree stand get stolen too.
"...Here you have to have written permission to hunt... Here too. Doesn't stop trespassing, but it does increase the penalties for getting caught. Not only the trespass fine, but you're tangling with the CO's as well.

 

[Patocazador]

If this happened in Florida, the "hunter" would be in serious do-do. Florida has an Armed Trespass law that is a potential third degree felony. Anyone caught on private property with a weapon and does not have written permission is subject to a big fine and/or a jail/prison sentence. A gun is not necessary as a bow, spear or knife all qualify as a weapon. As a result the majority of 'poachers' are stupid teenagers who can run really fast.

 

[jmorris]

IME most trespass hunters are bird hunters. Where one is stopped by a field off the road during "the season" others follow.

 

[Bullseye]

Ranger, I see you are living down on my old milk route. I hunted down that way many years ago.
I thought I may have PM-ed you once before mentioning this.
Here's my "other property" where I have my two seater and we have an amish made shed with a porch.

 

[Sav .250]

Do you remember some time back, in Wis I believe, a similar situation happened when a hunter was in somebodies stand and was confronted by several hunters ?
That confrontation ended in a gun battle of sorts. Several hunters were either killed or wounded. Don`t remember exactly.
Might add the guy in the stand did not speak or understand English well.

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Here's my "other property" where I have my two seater and we have an amish made shed with a porch.

Dang Sigsmoker! That is nice!
You and I did PM about this a while back, I am on your old milk route. That fact that this guy got onto my property without going on my driveway is pretty impressive!

 

[Bullseye]

That fact that this guy got off of your property without going on your driveway is also pretty impressive!
Glad to re-connect. Good luck in the woods to you!

 

[GAF]

Do you remember some time back, in Wis I believe, a similar situation happened when a hunter was in somebodies stand and was confronted by several hunters ?
That confrontation ended in a gun battle of sorts. Several hunters were either killed or wounded. Don`t remember exactly.
Might add the guy in the stand did not speak or understand English well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_Vang

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Here in Kansas property owners don't have to post signs they just mark the property with purple paint at intervals. This designates the land as off limits to hunting/trespassing.

 

[BigSteve57]

My wife and I have been thrown off our family's farm numerous times by tresspassers.
Excuses are always the same:

1. I/we've been hunting here for years
2. This is my property (you're kidding?)
3. You don't have permission to hunt here
4. I have permission to hunt here (seriously?)

 

[buck460XVR]

PA has some pretty archaic trespass laws and they definitely favor the trespasser as opposed to the landowner. Trespassers are thus more likely to willingly trespass since there really is no real penalty other than confrontation from the land owner until they refuse to leave. Probably why so many trespassers initially insist they have permission or are the owners....they are just used to confronting other trespassers as opposed to real land owners. Silly rules about how to inform folks they are not welcome on your property and having to post your property properly come from back in the time when wild areas were less used and there was not much privately owned "hunting" or 'recreational" land. Most states have revised their views on trespassing on private land, but apparently PA has not. Sounds like you did all you can do and will probably have to endure similar scenarios until and unless PA law is changed.

 

[rondog]

I honestly can't understand how people can just enter a property without permission, and it doesn't bother them one whit to do so. Or they even feel "entitled" to hunt there.

Just blows my mind, I couldn't even consider doing that, I'm far too paranoid to do so. I get nervous just pulling into a driveway to a pasture just to take a leak. But entering someone's property to go hunting just because it looked promising and I wanted to? No freakin' way!

 

[red rick]

I would have taken his picture and called the law on someone of his age . It wouldn't have been funny to me , especially since he wasn't at all apologetic .

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Trust me guys, I was mad about it, but with guns involved I figured getting into an argument that could escalate wouldn't end well for anyone. I won't be as forgiving next time.

 

[buck460XVR]

I would have taken his picture and called the law on someone of his age . It wouldn't have been funny to me , especially since he wasn't at all apologetic .

While that may have worked in your state or mine Rick, from what I understand about PA trespassing laws, that as long as the trespasser did not refuse to leave when asked......there would be nuttin' to charge him with. That's what I meant about PA trespassing laws favoring trespassers. I would think deer drives would be very popular there since by the time the landowner got to all the trespassing drivers and told them they had to leave, the drive would be over.

 

[HighExpert]

Let the guy know you have the guns. Take cover behind a tree and tell him to throw his weapon down. A discharge into the air may be necessary to convince him. Take the weapon and tell him next time it will be his boots. He won't be back. The signs we posted said all the normal legalese as well as "We hunt and we don't like company".

 

[Ranger Roberts]

Let the guy know you have the guns. Take cover behind a tree and tell him to throw his weapon down. A discharge into the air may be necessary to convince him. Take the weapon and tell him next time it will be his boots. He won't be back. The signs we posted said all the normal legalese as well as "We hunt and we don't like company".

I don't know man, that kind of sounds like armed robbery to me.

 

[Art Eatman]

HighExpert, that seems to me to be begging for legal problems. And you put yourself in the position of having threatened with deadly force, which then creates the question: If you shoot, can you convince a grand jury that it was a justified killing? Can you afford the civil suit which relatives will bring? Legal fees tend to exceed $50,000 and up. Judgement against you can pauperize you.

 

[MtnCreek]

Trespassers are the type of folks that may come back a few days later to cut fences, shoot livestock, throw roof tacks in driveways, poison dogs, .... It's better to not get in a pissing match if possible.