Trespassers on private property

[Guest rebelyell1972]

Some people who decide to go deer hunting will just hunt wherever they want when they know they don't have permission to be there. This weekend a hunter who is from out of town came to where my friend and I hunt. On the way out we caught this man dragging his deer out across the field from where one of my tree stands are. We stopped him and he told us he killed his deer from that tree stand. My friend and I told him he DID NOT have permission to be there and he DID NOT have permission to use our tree stand either. To make a very long story shorter we called the TWRA and had them come out and talk to this man. We were disgusted all weekend. People watch your property and yourself about trespassers. They will take what belongs to you.

[KahrMan]

Sounds like you handled it properly. Always get the TWRA involved of possible, like you did. You are correct that some people just have no respect for other peoples property.

Were the trespassers given a ticket or just a verbal warning?

[Guest Bronker]

Sounds like you handled it properly. Always get the TWRA involved of possible, like you did. You are correct that some people just have no respect for other peoples property.

Were the trespassers given a ticket or just a verbal warning?

I would have given him a true first warning. A shot just over the bow. No, just kidding!!!! You handled it perfectly. If I don't own the land I'm hunting on, I notify the landowner just for future reference about these trespassers as well.

Case in point, I caught a guy trespassing on a friend's land in deer season, that was the same man the police caught breaking into his equipment shed the next spring. Its more than land laws these turds are breaking.

Edited November 24, 2008 by Bronker
another thought

[The Average Joe]

+1 rebelyell1972:up:

I'm surprised TWRA didn't want you to stick around an press charges.

My family and I have 293 acres in Williamson county near one of the Harpeth tributaries. We've had similar problems since the dawn of time.

We've had only a few problems with hunters. I guess they're smarter than fishermen.

Fishermen are forever parking at and through our gates, even once in the front yard, and walking through our property to get to the river.

The argument being, the river is a public waterway - true, but the land you're parked on, traveled across, and the land the river flows over are private property.

Our property lines and gates are clearly posted.

TWRA has told me that most people who pull this stunt, hunting or fishing, more than likely, don't even have a hunting or fishing licence.

In our neck of the woods, we require written permission to anyone who asks and is aloud. Then tell the aloud parties to park up in the driveway as to not attract uninvited others to park along side them.

I wonder why some people just think that they can just venture off anywhere and do as they please?

Hunting and fishing Licenses do state to ask permission.

[Mike.357]

is a hunter allowed to hunt on his property and then come onto other property to get his deer? Meaning he shot it where allowed but the deer ran and died on my property where the hunter has no permission to be?

[Guest billwilly73]

is a hunter allowed to hunt on his property and then come onto other property to get his deer? Meaning he shot it where allowed but the deer ran and died on my property where the hunter has no permission to be?

According to TWRA if the deer runs to some other persons property you are supposed to get permission before going after it.

[KahrMan]

is a hunter allowed to hunt on his property and then come onto other property to get his deer? Meaning he shot it where allowed but the deer ran and died on my property where the hunter has no permission to be?

According to TWRA if the deer runs to some other persons property you are supposed to get permission before going after it.

billwilly is correct Mike. You are supposed to get permission before retrieving a deer off someone else's property.

[Guest grimel]

+1 rebelyell1972:up:

I'm surprised TWRA didn't want you to stick around an press charges.

My family and I have 293 acres in Williamson county near one of the Harpeth tributaries. We've had similar problems since the dawn of time.

We've had only a few problems with hunters. I guess they're smarter than fishermen.

Fishermen are forever parking at and through our gates, even once in the front yard, and walking through our property to get to the river.

Our property lines and gates are clearly posted.

I'm enough of an a$$ that I'd give one warning to someone parked by the gate, but, if they either park in my yard or open my gate the results won't be pretty.

Had someone scouting the farm I grew up hunting when I was out on a youth hunt. Somehow they didn't notice me in orange coveralls until I spoke. They then claimed to be the owners.

[Guest GLOCKGUY]

+1 rebelyell1972:up:

I'm surprised TWRA didn't want you to stick around an press charges.

Its hard to press charges for this, you have to have your land posted every 100 feet and if there is one place that a sign got knock down or it is not posted you can not make the charges stick. Its real bad around here too. A place in Grundy Co. we lease we post it the right way every year but people come along and rip signs down and they say we came in that way and didn't see a no hunting sign.

[Guest eyebedam]

So if the property was yours & you had a few nicely conceled beartraps along the terrain & a tresspassing hunter stepped in 1 would you the property owner be held liable for the tresspassers injury?

[memphismason]

I think you handled the problem perfectly.

[Guest GLOCKGUY]

So if the property was yours & you had a few nicely conceled beartraps along the terrain & a tresspassing hunter stepped in 1 would you the property owner be held liable for the tresspassers injury?

Yep if its not posted right the owner will be liable. Just like if a tresspassers came in your gate and your dog attacked him and it was not posted "beware of dog" the owner is liable for any injury's.

[Smith]

I know our land in Arkansas we can mark with pink paint every so many feet instead of the official sign. Is that the same here in TN?

[BrasilNuts]

Just put some of these signs out... should make them think twice anyway.

These are what we use in my neck of the woods.

[Guest tedbo]

In Tn. if your property has no signs posted the tresspassers get a warning.

If you have the place posted properly you can then have them arrested for criminal trespass.

Went through this with a neighbor's ex husband.

[war4peace]

I placed some signs up on the private property that i hunt on in Mcnairy County. But it seems that after a few years or so the sign will fade. I need to put some more up. But i haven't had any real problems with trespassers near there. You did the right thing with contacting TWRA.

Getting a sign like this one might help too.

Edited November 25, 2008 by war4peace
Adding additional information

[Guest billwilly73]

What if you had NO TRESPASSING signs instead of POSTED NO HUNTING signs.........would that not cover everything???

[war4peace]

What if you had NO TRESPASSING signs instead of POSTED NO HUNTING signs.........would that not cover everything???

I put both no trespassing and no hunting sign out on the property. But i still hunt there. I would assume that no trespassing should cover it.

[Guest coldblackwind]

My dad ran into one of those jokers years ago. Guy actually shot at him! He was wearing a bright red field coat and apparently the guy was still dumb enough to think he was a deer. He ducked down over the edge of the field (there was a small dropoff I guess), and put 5 deer slugs through the treetops over the guys head, funny, the guy disappeared by the time he stood back up.

[Guest Astra900]

My dad ran into one of those jokers years ago. Guy actually shot at him! He was wearing a bright red field coat and apparently the guy was still dumb enough to think he was a deer. He ducked down over the edge of the field (there was a small dropoff I guess), and put 5 deer slugs through the treetops over the guys head, funny, the guy disappeared by the time he stood back up.

So I wonder if it's posted, and the guy takes a shot at you, and you send the dip:poop: to his grave, what they would charge you with?

.....provided they find the body that is:dirty:

[alwayspackin]

In the past I have called a wrecker and had there vehicle towed. It has to be on your land of course, but the hunter always comes looking for the culprit. I love it. It makes them furious, but they don't come back. I have even set up shop and waited on them to get into the woods and then called the wrecker. I told one young fellow that asked about his truck that "I Didn't see any deer today but I did see a tow truck drag something off my land". I guess he knew what I meant because he suddenly wonted to fight. Lets just say that he left looking a little ruff. He must of had his cell phone on him, because the police came out to the cabin a little later. But some how he went to jail for assault. Imagine that. No deer and no truck. And a free escort to the pokey.

[Smith]

In the past I have called a wrecker and had there vehicle towed. It has to be on your land of course, but the hunter always comes looking for the culprit. I love it. It makes them furious, but they don't come back. I have even set up shop and waited on them to get into the woods and then called the wrecker. I told one young fellow that asked about his truck that "I Didn't see any deer today but I did see a tow truck drag something off my land". I guess he knew what I meant because he suddenly wonted to fight. Lets just say that he left looking a little ruff. He must of had his cell phone on him, because the police came out to the cabin a little later. But some how he went to jail for assault. Imagine that. No deer and no truck. And a free escort to the pokey.

That's pretty funny right there. Only way it could be better is if the guy was dragging a monster buck out!

[The Average Joe]

Most of the time it doesn't matter if it's posted or not.

NO TRESPASSING signs and NO HUNTING signs are like wallpaper to someone determined enough to go wherever it is they're headed.

We've run off plenty of folks who have climbed right over a sign on the fence or gate and parked right in front of a NO PARKING sign, for that matter.

We're always worried about towing a car, or letting the air out of tires, or pulling any other pranks.

The dip:poop: can always come back and burn a barn down or vandalize farm equipment.

We have a generic note that we've copied and keep in our vehicles that we put on the windshields. We also take down the make, model, and tag number.

If he comes back again, we call the cops.

Luckily, we've had no repeat offenders.

[TripleDigitRide]

I sure hope you confiscated that deer.

[Guest coldblackwind]

So I wonder if it's posted, and the guy takes a shot at you, and you send the dip:poop: to his grave, what they would charge you with?

.....provided they find the body that is:dirty:

Actually, seems to me if he takes a shot at you, it becomes self defense.

Edited November 26, 2008 by coldblackwind
typo