buck460XVR
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This is the kind of thing that will have you sittin' in jail while the trespasser is sittin' in your treestand.
Strange guy in my tree stand!
- Thread starter Ranger Roberts
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This is the kind of thing that will have you sittin' in jail while the trespasser is sittin' in your treestand.
Snyper
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That was Chai Vang who shot 8 people in a dispute over a stand.
6 of them were killed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_Vang
iceman7668
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entropy
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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?
I had the opposite happen to me back in '81. The year before that, two guys had shot a guy out of his tree stand for not 'buying' their illegally killed doe. He survived, and they went to prison. Anyhoo, I had a guy come up to me when I was sitting in the stand I and my Dad had built, and say,"You're in my stand-get out." (I had my 742 across my lap, he had his lever action on his shoulder.) I replied that I and my Dad had built the stand, it most definitely was not his. He continued repeating himself, and I refuting it, while ever so slowly lining the muzzle of my -06 closer to him. By this time he was yelling, but had not unshouldered his rifle. My Dad came by to get me for lunch, and I said, "Dad, this guy seems to think this is his stand." My Dad replied, "Is that so?" The guy said, " Damn right, he needs to get out of it now!" My Dad just brushed his coat open to reveal his Python and badge, and said, "Well, It's my stand now, I suggest you hunt elsewhere." (LEO's are all given Game Warden powers when hunting in MN, or at least they were then.) He mumbled under his breath and walked off. I scoped him (finger nowhere near trigger) until he was out of sight. Never saw him again. I wonder if he knows how lucky he is......
buck460XVR
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Regardless of where you finger is, it's a crime in Wisconsin to "scope" anybody with your rifle. Do it to a law enforcement person and it's a felony.
Lotta tough talk here about threatening folks with firearms and getting into a gunfight over a treestand. Ain't no deer, nor any treestand, worth risking my life or the jail time for taking another person's life. Point a gun at someone sittin' in your treestand and odds are, you will be looking for a good lawyer and many thousands of dollars poorer. Thinking anything else is just pure hogwash.
farm23
Member
For years I leased a marsh for duck and goose hunting. I have found folks in our blinds and told them to leave. One time I was hunting with the game warden and he took care of things.
I actually had a woman bow hunter, coming into the woods late and walked up to the tree I was already in and tell me to get out of her tree !!!!!!!!!!!. I'd been in that tree earlier in the season, but I guess so had she.I told her to get in a tree and shut up because it was prime time.She walked about 50 yards from me and claimed up a different tree and just watched me until dark.No deer showed up that evening .hdbiker
entropy
Member
Well, as I said in the post, it was in MN, a long time ago, I wasn't the one threatening, and I didn't have binoculars, so I used what I had to make sure he didn't duck behind a log and open up on us, because as I stated, someone had done that to another hunter the year before.
I certainly remember Chia Soua Vang, I knew one of his victims.
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A couple of things here...
Don't use your scope for gassing! Get you're cheap butt a pair of Binos! There is simply no excuse to ever scope a person with your rifle. Second, you absoloultly never want to turn a simple trespassing issue into a gun fight or a felony menacing charge.
Don't use your scope for gassing! Get you're cheap butt a pair of Binos! There is simply no excuse to ever scope a person with your rifle. Second, you absoloultly never want to turn a simple trespassing issue into a gun fight or a felony menacing charge.
shootstraight57
Member
from what I read in the Pennsylvania Hunting and Trapping Digest which is put out by the Pennsylvania Game Commission you must have written permission to hunt on property not owned by that person. Now this doesn't mean everyone follows the rules but that is just what I've read!I hunt 3 different farms here in N.E. Pa. and I always get written permission from the owner.
dh1633pm
Contributing Member
Have problems with Trespassers on my dad's land in New York almost every year. They have no problem ignoring the signs. I have chased away more than one hunting party who responded with "I have permission from the land owner". In New York there is not much you can do except chase them away.
22-rimfire
Member
I can understand it quite easily. A lot of times folks don't realize they are on "your" property as they came there via another property versus "your driveway". In the old days, in fact you could generally just see a promising piece of land, scout it out and hunt if you wanted to.
I was in fact yelled at by a landowner for turning around in a "driveway" to a pasture in Texas. It really irritated me at the time.
entropy
Member
Well, yeah, you're about 40 years too late with that advice. I was 16. I do carry an 8xpractically- nothing pocket set of binos now. As I said, I wasn't doing the menacing, and any my Dad did was with his badge behind it.
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Entropy,
We all understand that yours was a long time ago. Unfortunately I see way to many people using a rifle scope to glass with In the field. So no, my advice is not 40 years to late. It's as current now as it was 40 years ago.
We all understand that yours was a long time ago. Unfortunately I see way to many people using a rifle scope to glass with In the field. So no, my advice is not 40 years to late. It's as current now as it was 40 years ago.
Delford
Member
Interesting thread. In NC posting land is by painting purple stripes 18" or so long vertically on trees. Saves saw blades in mills should you harvest the trees later. Also hunters on private land need a written letter. A Wildlife Officer and his relatives and my adjacent neighbors are the only ones we've written letters for. In exchange for hunting on our property the Officer agreed to post (spray paint) the boundaries. Since we live in the next county having him watch the farm during hunting season has been a help. I know we could charge for hunting rights but being a good neighbor to a LEO and neighbors is pay enough. It also helps control the herd size. One quarter of one deer they take is donated to a Christian missions training organization in town.
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Ranger Roberts
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I always get written permission as well. I occasionally hunt my buddy's farm. The thing is, so do a bunch of his cousins that I don't know. It is nice to be able to pull out that paper and say "look, Keith gave me the ok."
That is why I handled it the way I did. I didn't want to get in a pissing match that turns into a gun fight. If it got heated it would have been easier to head back to the house and give the cops a call. I was formerly a LEO and have a great relationship with the cops in my area. Plus, I am 6'2 and 210 pounds, the guys I was with are around my size. If 1 person is dumb enough to pick a fight with 3 armed guys our size, there are probably some other issues with that person!
buck460XVR
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The problem is, in many states, there are no consequences for those that trespass. Sure you must have written or oral permission and not just the implied permission that comes when folks don't post their land properly, but when the only punishment you get for trespassing is being asked to leave, you can understand why folks that have no place to hunt or like your land better than theirs, will cross the fence and take a stand.....at least till someone comes over and tells them to leave. There's always a good chance a deer will come along first. Then there are those that get a bigger thrill when killing a deer on land they're not supposed to be on and getting away with it. I too can't imagine ever getting to that place where I don't care that I ruined someone else's day by trespassing or having my day ruined by a confrontation from a angry land owner. But to many trespassers, it's just another day out hunting.
As for the way you handled the situation Ranger, I think you did everything right.
As for the way you handled the situation Ranger, I think you did everything right.
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redneck2
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Years ago I had a log house that was built 52 feet from a river. At that time I wasn't hunting, so I happened to be home opening day of deer season. About 9 am a guy carrying a deer gun walks between the house and river. I open the door and ask him what the hell he is doing 20 feet from my house
So he tries to tell me that his friend owns The property and gave him permission. I asked him how he could be so damned stupid. He actually starts to get a little belligerent but figured out pretty quickly that was going to be counter productive
So he tries to tell me that his friend owns The property and gave him permission. I asked him how he could be so damned stupid. He actually starts to get a little belligerent but figured out pretty quickly that was going to be counter productive
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Ranger Roberts
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Thanks H&H!
BigSteve57
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Agreed. We've had that happen!
True story: we see a couple of guys on 4 wheelers riding all over the hay fields; the hay was about a foot tall. My wife and I jump into the pickup truck and intercept them on one of the farm lanes. Let's just say we had words. Four days later we see the entire 10 acre field torn up by what was likely a large pickup truck as the tracks were obviously made with dual rear wheels.
Eleanor416Rigby
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I was on a friend's property with permission, unarmed, and looking for a potential Christmas tree to cut down. From a neighboring property, I heard "Shoot him!" followed by the shack shack sound of a pump shotgun. Then there was a big bang. Then, there was a profanity-laced demand to explain *** I was doing on their property. I didn't hear anything whizzing through the trees around me and I didn't hear the slide rack again, so I figured the shot was just a scare tactic. I replied that I was on my friend's property with permission. I requested they meet me back at the county road that passed both properties and talk about it, but they refused. It turns out they knew very well that it wasn't their property; my friend had endured prior issues with those neighbors.
I advised my friend of the run-in with his neighbors and I mentioned the concept of adverse possession, since he rarely goes onto the place. He talked to them about it afterward, but I have no idea of the result.
I'm with the OP and others who advise that it's better not to escalate from an insult to a war.
I advised my friend of the run-in with his neighbors and I mentioned the concept of adverse possession, since he rarely goes onto the place. He talked to them about it afterward, but I have no idea of the result.
I'm with the OP and others who advise that it's better not to escalate from an insult to a war.
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