Stranger on Property

[Peace]

     Earlier this afternoon, my kids (age 6) and  our neighbor's kid (5) were playing in our lower yard.  There is a creek that runs through our properties (the property line runs right through the middle of it.

 

     As my wife was walking the creek she came upon a man coming up through our property.  Needless to say, she was shocked...  He apologized, said he didn't mean to scare her and used to live up here and walked the creek all the time.  She gave him the look of death, retreated and called the kids up toward the house with her.  When I arrived home, she described him to me and said that he exited the creek up through some neighbors' yards toward the road behind us.

 

     I went and bought "Posted, No Tresspassing" signs and posted them at either end of the creek/property.  I also looked for said guy on the roadway.  No trace.

 

 

     I know that we have had some homeless traffic on other parts of this creek bed.  I am debating purchasing a game camera to mount.  Besides that... suggestions on how to effectively stop tresspassing without escalating anything?  This has raised my hackles.  I like people - I have no need to judge or look down on anyone's personal beliefs, circumstances, season of life, creed, race, etc.  For the life of me, I cannot fathom how anyone thinks trespassing on someone's private property is ok.

 

     I am open to all legal, generally humane suggestions.

[sigmtnman]

Get a GSD.

[Oh Shoot]

Don't know I'd get bent out of shape about a single incidence, especially since it was such a benign encounter.

 

- OS

Edited March 23, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[QuietDan]

Game camera and involve the Sheriff. If he's a problem for you, he might be a problem for others. Perhaps there has been a local burglary, and the Sheriff has no suspects. I imagine he'd like to know about your interloper.

 

If GSD is German Shepard Dog, hey, great.

Edited March 23, 2014 by QuietDan

[sigmtnman]

Don't know I'd get bent out of shape about a single incidence, especially since it was such a benign encounter.

 

- OS

 

Strange man walking on private property with 2 young kids.  Seems reasonable to be concerned about.

[Peace]

FYI: Per Tennessee State Law, it is not a navigable waterway in any sense, so it is private property.

 

GSD?  We have a weimaraner... she is protective as heck.. when I'm not around.  When I'm around, she is more like a Golden Retriever.  :)

[RED333]

You can not "post" a creek, unless your land is on both sides.

A few years ago I had some kids playing in the creek in front of our place.

I knew the family and told the father about the kids in "my Creek", lots of snakes.

Well he got bent out of shape before I could tell him about the snakes.

I told him to slow down, I was just telling him about the snakes I had seen.

We a friends, and told me about the creek and how it is not "mine".(creek is my property line as well)

I did agree, he thanked me for the info on the snakes.

Edited March 23, 2014 by RED333

[sigmtnman]

...

 

If GSD is German Shepard Dog, hey, great.

 

Yes.

 

 

FYI: Per Tennessee State Law, it is not a navigable waterway in any sense, so it is private property.

 

GSD?  We have a weimaraner... she is protective as heck.. when I'm not around.  When I'm around, she is more like a Golden Retriever.   :)

 

Not saying she is not great, but if the man was on your property she was not doing her job...

Edited March 23, 2014 by sigmtnman

[Wiljo05]

+1 on the game cam. Helped me bust a poacher last year. I used an old ragged cam that didn't work anymore right on the trail, then set up my good infrared cam off the trail looking at it. Got pics of the @$&* messing with the old cam, as well as carrying a turkey out. Was a good bird, just a shame he took it off the wrong farm.

[Oh Shoot]

Strange man walking on private property with 2 young kids.  Seems reasonable to be concerned about.

 

Concern, sure; full tilt boogie red alert perimeter defense mode, getting sheriff involved, etc,  nah, not without more reason than exhibited by the single encounter as reported here.

 

- OS

[sigmtnman]

Concern, sure; full tilt boogie red alert perimeter defense mode, getting sheriff involved, etc,  nah, not without more reason than exhibited by the single encounter as reported here.

 

- OS

 

 

Do you have or have you had a wife and kids?

Edited March 23, 2014 by sigmtnman

[NashvilleStage]

Good fences make good neighbors.

[Peace]

Agreed about fences. We know our neighbors. This guy wasn't one of them. :). As for our pup. She is no full-on guard dog, but in this case, she doesn't have regular access to that part of our property (e-fence).

[Oh Shoot]

Do you have or have you had a wife and kids?

 

Have had wives and a foster kid. Lived rural, and had folks wandering through property once in a while. Lived in 'burb, had occasional unknown person transverse edge back yard. Lived in city neighborhood, same.

 

Live in apt now, lots of kids here -- dozens of folks of course walk by my door, windows, and patio all the time. And not all live here, some are passing through to other places, we're a good shortcut.

 

Just saying all things are relative and situation dependent. If OP wants to go hog wild on perimeter security 'cause one person set foot on his property fine with me, I'd just not stress much about it myself until circumstances further warranted it.

 

- OS

[sigmtnman]

Agreed about fences. We know our neighbors. This guy wasn't one of them. :). As for our pup. She is no full-on guard dog, but in this case, she doesn't have regular access to that part of our property (e-fence).

 

You may want to consider extending it.

 

FYI, there are GSDs that are bred specifically to be family members and not really "guard dogs".   Just want to clear that up in case you feel that is all GSDs are about, not that you do...

[sigmtnman]

Have had wives and a foster kid. Lived rural, and had folks wandering through property once in a while. Lived in 'burb, had occasional unknown person transverse edge back yard. Lived in city neighborhood, same.

 

Live in apt now, lots of kids here -- dozens of folks of course walk by my door, windows, and patio all the time. And not all live here, some are passing through to other places, we're a good shortcut.

 

Just saying all things are relative and situation dependent. If OP wants to go hog wild on perimeter security 'cause one person set foot on his property fine with me, I'd just not stress much about it myself until circumstances further warranted it.

 

- OS

 

Didn't sound like he was going hog wild at all.  Sounds like he is just being proactive in protecting his and it sounded like you were belittling him for wanting to do so.

[Oh Shoot]

Didn't sound like he was going hog wild at all.  Sounds like he is just being proactive in protecting his and it sounded like you were belittling him for wanting to do so.

 

Sigh. You win, I'm an asshole, okay?

[sigmtnman]

As though that were a secret?  joke...

[Peace]

Have had wives and a foster kid. Lived rural, and had folks wandering through property once in a while. Lived in 'burb, had occasional unknown person transverse edge back yard. Lived in city neighborhood, same.

 

Live in apt now, lots of kids here -- dozens of folks of course walk by my door, windows, and patio all the time. And not all live here, some are passing through to other places, we're a good shortcut.

 

Just saying all things are relative and situation dependent. If OP wants to go hog wild on perimeter security 'cause one person set foot on his property fine with me, I'd just not stress much about it myself until circumstances further warranted it.

 

- OS

 

I don't think anyone thinks anyone else is any kind of hole....

     OS, most of the time, I resonate pretty well with what you have to say, and really, this is no different.  I think if one were to see the creek bed itself, where it comes from and goes to... our sight-line from the house... and the non-rent-paying land-dwellers that are known to reside about 1/4-1/2 mile away in the creek basin, you may not think "getting a handle" on the situation is going hog-wild.  :)

 

I just prefer to not have interlopers where my kids play.  -still accepting reasonable suggestions to maintain a safe buffer for our & our neighbors' kids.

[ncldwell]

You may have already done this but I would just bump up the awareness level a bit. Make sure your family is super alert and watching out for one another. Notify your neighbors and provide a good description. Get as many eyes as possible looking for anyone or anything out of place...and keep each other informed. Probably nothing but worth taking some precaution.

[vontar]

I would start with the Game Camera for sure.

 

Another barking dog?

Signs, yes I know no direct benefit but if things do escalate in the future at least the sign would have been up.

[QuietDan]

Concern, sure; full tilt boogie red alert perimeter defense mode, getting sheriff involved, etc,  nah, not without more reason than exhibited by the single encounter as reported here.

 

- OS

 

Holly Bobo?

 

Maybe better to over-react than under-react.

 

A non-emergency call to the Sheriff's Dispatcher is pretty mild by my way of thinking. It's not quite firing a red flare and cranking up the air-raid siren.

Edited March 24, 2014 by QuietDan

[gregintenn]

Wow! I guess I'm glad I don't have some of you guys as neighbors. It isn't uncommon here to have someone walk across our property. Someone looking for ginseng, a neighbor checking his fence, looking for a horse that got out, a lost coon dog, or just out for a leisurely stroll.

 

Something may happen one day to change my mind, but methinks someone is overreacting.

[Erik88]

Wow! I guess I'm glad I don't have some of you guys as neighbors. It isn't uncommon here to have someone walk across our property. Someone looking for ginseng, a neighbor checking his fence, looking for a horse that got out, a lost coon dog, or just out for a leisurely stroll.

 

Something may happen one day to change my mind, but methinks someone is overreacting.

 

I agree. It's not like the guy was rude or threatening. From what the OP said he immediately apologized and went on his way. I'm not saying it's acceptable to trespass but I'd say this was an isolated incident. 

 

Peace, if your wife was that concerned she should be toting a pistol when out and about. 

[sigmtnman]

You guys are assuming as much or more than Peace.

 

In this day and age, any reasonable man should know not to trespass onto someone else's property when the only people around are young children and a wife.

 

If the man needed something he should have gone to the front door. 

Edited March 24, 2014 by sigmtnman