Stranger on Property

[Good_Steward]

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.

Quite honestly, I think most all of OS's posts are assholish (if that is, indeed, a word) but I actually agree with him this time. Edited March 24, 2014 by Good_Steward

[gregintenn]

I would have likely offered the man something to drink.

[sigmtnman]

Quite honestly, I think most all of OS's posts are assholish (if that is, indeed, a word) but I actually agree with him this time.

 

No offense, but that is easy to say when you are in a location where anyone out of place is quickly questioned and shown the city limits.

[sigmtnman]

I would have likely offered the man something to drink.

 

To each there own.  I've heard folks go missing out here for less.

[Good_Steward]

No offense, but that is easy to say when you are in a location where anyone out of place is quickly questioned and shown the city limits.

I grew up in the boonies on a dairy farm and dealt with way more than my fair share of less than reputable characters working for us, my man. My career path and sheer determination have taken me from "by God, dirt floor poor" to where I am now. Sorry if I took offense at the implications of your statement.....

[Good_Steward]

I grew up in the boonies on a dairy farm and dealt with way more than my fair share of less than reputable characters working for us, my man. My career path and sheer determination have taken me from "by God, dirt floor poor" to where I am now. Sorry if I took offense at the implications of your statement.....

And, I have a wife and two kids.

[sigmtnman]

I grew up in the boonies on a dairy farm and dealt with way more than my fair share of less than reputable characters working for us, my man. My career path and sheer determination have taken me from "by God, dirt floor poor" to where I am now. Sorry if I took offense at the implications of your statement.....

 

Didn't know where you grew up, but you recall we met when I lived up there for a short time and you will agree that anyone not from there gets tossed.

 

I reckon if you were still in the boonies and would be ok with a stranger approaching your kids and wife on your property when you are not around, that's good for you.

[Good_Steward]

Didn't know where you grew up, but you recall we met when I lived up there for a short time and you will agree that anyone not from there gets tossed.

I reckon if you were still in the boonies and would be ok with a stranger approaching your kids and wife on your property when you are not around, that's good for you.

I do not recall us meeting. I remember you were from Polk County somewhere? I grew up in Charleston, just a few miles from Benton (two rivers area) via backroads. Brother, if that ain't boonies, I don't know what is.

As for as Signal, you are right. Kept waiting to be thrown off, myself... ;) Edited March 24, 2014 by Good_Steward

[sigmtnman]

I do not recall us meeting. I remember you were from Polk County somewhere? I grew up in Charleston, just a few miles from Benton. Brother, if that ain't boonies, I don't know what is.

As for as Signal, you are right. Kept waiting to be thrown off, myself... ;)

 

Charleston is the big city.  lol

 

Dang.  I came to your house and everything too...

[Good_Steward]

Charleston is the big city. lol

Dang. I came to your house and everything too...

Think you have me mixed up with someone else. I have met a few people from this forum through shoots, buying, selling, trading, etc., but no one has been to my house. Unless I know you and don't know I know you.... Edited March 24, 2014 by Good_Steward

[Gliderman166]

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.

Sounds like time for the Sherriff's office to close down that hobo jungle.....get neighbors aware and suggest they also complain about it. Find out who owns the land the "homeless" are squatting on and get them involved. Shouldn't take much as they have liability exposure.....

[Good_Steward]

I've had to run several hobos away from my house and back yard. If it's a kid taking a shortcut through my back yard, and he has
a backpack, he's usually going to the library and I don't do much other than wave. Each time things are unique, though. If someone is
polite, I am, too, and ask something like "what's up?". If this guy was like Peace mentioned, I would have told him he could have said
something before he came on the property and scared my wife and kids. Tell him to be polite or don't come back.
 
Now, if he looked to be threatening, horse of another color.
 
There was one hobo who, if I had my gun on me, I would have pulled my gun on him. As it was, I was with the dogs in the front yard while
they were doing their business. I even tried to be nice to that fool and politely warn him the cops are watching the house he came out of.
He told me where to go and I told him to get the Hell out of dodge. He stepped over on my yard and we had some long stares while I
walked toward him. House next to me was foreclosed several years ago and has had some savory occupants from time to time. We
neighbors meet frequently out in the front yard with the cops.

Agree. Each situation has to feel evaluated for what it is. I can't blame a man for being protective of his family.

[Peace]

... Never short of strong opinions on here! A little fun never hurt.

 

1) I posted the property to clearly communicate my intentions as a property owner. In case the person was ignorant and of good intent, I have now communicated clearly that I do not wish him (or anyone else I don't know) on my property.

 

2) The camera (etc.) ideas are to assess whether this is a regular occurrence or not. This is an area of our property that is concealed from the rest. Anyone coming up that creek knows that they are sneaking through other's backyards - almost exclusively out of sight.

 

3). Boy howdy...I'm curious for those of you who would make light of a man for communicating clearly (for legalities) and gathering more information in order to protect his 6 year old boy and girl.... (I never made a judgement on the fellow, just said it set alarms off for me.). ... .... wonder if you have seen the news lately for Nashville or the rest of the world... and wondering if you have ever had a 6yr old girl (or boy). We are not in the 1970s anymore.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Peace

[gregintenn]

I have two children and a wife. I also don't live in Nashville.

[sigmtnman]

It seems like some folks are thinking that Peace saw and talked to the man.  From what I gathered the only people out there were his kid, the neighbors kid and the wife.

 

In this day and age a man with any sense trespassing on private property, in a semi wooded location ought to know better.  It's not like he was coming up the driveway.

Edited March 24, 2014 by sigmtnman

[Guest Lowbuster]

You can't be too safe in this day and age. Do what you have to do for your family to feel safe. I do not think you are over reacting, family before strangers.

[NashvilleStage]

I am debating purchasing a game camera to mount.

 

You could get one of these cameras...  :taunt:

 

[Luke E.]

 I don't know what area of town Peace is in but the fact that he is in the city limits makes mine and his situation different. Having a creek or river running through or along your property will almost certainly net a man more than his share of folks just millin' around whether they are fishing, "hiking" or they grew up wading and or walking that creek fishing. We've had a handful of folks show up way atop the hills my folks own and a few of them in the dead of night. One young man and his dad use to drive up to the top of one of the hills just for the view or at night to see the stars and city lights so it seemed to him a good place to go park with his lady friend. Problem was that since my folks bought the place the driveway doesn't go to the same hill it used to and he damn near drove him and his girl off a cliff but luckily for him the frame bottomed out on the edge of the rock and left the truck teetering back and forth.He was also lucky my dad happened to see the lights headed up that hilland was able to use our fork lift to reach out there and pick the truck up and sit ot back on flat earth (I'd say his plans for him and the little lady didn't pan out after that.

 Well look at me off in the weeds chasing rabbits.. anyhow, if it were someone just easing along enjoying the creek I wouldn't get wound to tight over it personally but depending on where a man lives at he may have more cause for alarm than we ever have Like someone else mentioned, the world has changed a lot over the last couple decades and you just don't know anymore I guess, heck we didn't even have a key to the doors of our house until I was driving and even then I don't thin the door was locked unless we were all gonna be gone for an extended period... Wouldn't dream of doing that now days.

[TMF]

... Never short of strong opinions on here! A little fun never hurt. 1) I posted the property to clearly communicate my intentions as a property owner. In case the person was ignorant and of good intent, I have now communicated clearly that I do not wish him (or anyone else I don't know) on my property. 2) The camera (etc.) ideas are to assess whether this is a regular occurrence or not. This is an area of our property that is concealed from the rest. Anyone coming up that creek knows that they are sneaking through other's backyards - almost exclusively out of sight. 3). Boy howdy...I'm curious for those of you who would make light of a man for communicating clearly (for legalities) and gathering more information in order to protect his 6 year old boy and girl.... (I never made a judgement on the fellow, just said it set alarms off for me.). ... .... wonder if you have seen the news lately for Nashville or the rest of the world... and wondering if you have ever had a 6yr old girl (or boy). We are not in the 1970s anymore.

 

Yeah, I'd be the crazy one here, apparently.  I'd be mounting covert AV equipment and IR switches to determine patterns, then hiding out on the bank in a ghillie suit in order to wrap this dude up.

 

Thing is, I'd never mind someone from the neighborhood passing through my property.  Back where I'm from, my family lives in a rural area with a wide swath of land which they raise cattle on.  Neighbors are about 1/4 mile apart, but it's pretty much open borders between everyone.  Folks come right over to use the range and we cut through their property frequently on foot or 4 wheeler.  It wouldn't raise anyone's hackles to see a neighborhood kid pass over their fence.  Strangers, however, would most certainly be greeted with a well armed welcoming party and strongly discouraged from returning if they made it through the event without being hogtied and handed over to the closest deputy. 

 

A grown man knows better than to be trespassing like that, which would raise my suspicion that he's up to no good.

 

But hey, maybe I'm just paranoid.  I got a wife and kids though, and it is far more important to keep them safe than worrying about hurting some bum's feelings who uses my property as a pass through.  And yeah, the world is a much different place than it used to be, but transient bums have been raping and murdering defensless wives long before there was 24 hour news.  Long before anyone here was a twinkle in their great-grandaddy's eye.

Edited March 24, 2014 by TMF

[Oh Shoot]

Quite honestly, I think most all of OS's posts are assholish ..

 

Zounds! Prithee tell how "most all" of my 20K+ posts have so sorely nettled thee?

 

- OS

[TMF]

 

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.

- OS

 

It's comparing apples and oranges when you're talking about a housing development/apartment complex versus rural private property. 

[QuietDan]

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.

 

. . . if you are describing squatters or transients living on someone else's private property just off a creek bed - living rough?? - it would seem to me that they have essentially no right to be there . . . the Sheriff may or may not know these folks are there and if they are not respecting property rights, who knows what other property rights, or personal rights they are also not willing to respect. That raises the threshold of threat especially for the women and children. Get the Sheriff involved for sure, perhaps also a County Commissioner if you live in the county, and the Police and a City Councillor if you live at the edge of a city. 

 

Jeez Louise!

[Oh Shoot]

It's comparing apples and oranges when you're talking about a housing development/apartment complex versus rural private property. 

 

Only part of the residences I mentioned, the others were more along the lines of OPs or even quite more isolated. Only mentioned them all to say that people have traipsed across "my" property (whether rented or owned) in every type living arrangement I've ever had from time to time.

 

The only time I ever accosted anyone in the boonies for example was if they were obviously hunting, but I never got too bent out of shape about that since our 60 acres weren't well marked with signage, and it never was enough of a problem to make the effort to do it.

 

Indeed, the only serious interaction I ever had with an "trespasser", one that came quite close to gunfire actually, was with an adjacent landowner. Long story I've related here before.

 

A fence solves vast majority of probs from "wanderers" up to "country suburb" size property, but then again a fence instantly changes the "feeling" of a place too.

 

'Course, with subsequent info after my post, seems Peace and perhaps some of his neighbors may have somewhat more of a security problem in general that may need to be dealt with than just a once in a blue moon stroller.

 

- OS

Edited March 24, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[mikegideon]

You could get one of these cameras...  :taunt:

 

 

Yep, especially when you live next to Democrats :)

[mikegideon]

Zounds! Prithee tell how "most all" of my 20K+ posts have so sorely nettled thee?

 

- OS

 

I must have missed all your assholish behavior, except for the couple of times you forgot your Geritol. Even then, you were on the polite side of asshole :). Being a natural born asshole myself, I recon it all went right past me.