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Bad neighbors and my kids hunt ruined. *LONG POST*

Ckwilli

Ckwilli

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2019
Messages
1,292
So back on Oct 16 I posted that I had a hunt ruined by my neighbors dogs chasing deer. It had happened last season also. So, my neighbor and I had a talk and he suggested that whenever I want to use my property let him know and he'd put his dogs up. I don't like it but I played along. Saturday the 31st was youth gun season in Missouri so twice I messaged my neighbor and told him the kids and I would be hunting and could he please keep his dogs up. He replied that he would chain them up. So around 8:00AM Sat morning I hear something trotting towards the blind. My daughter looked out the back and says "dad there is a white dog and it's trying to get in the blind." Yep, same neighbor's dogs still out and still on my property. I messaged him and he said he tried to chain them up but the chains were broken. Needless to say we didn't see any deer.
Sunday afternoon was even worse. My other neighbor decided it would be a good day to race his ATV back and forth in front of my property. This got every dog in earshot stirred up including his coon dog that sounded like it was running something through the woods. When the ATV got old he ran a very loud pickup back and forth until dark. These are the same neighbors I had to trespass a few years back because they were rifle hunting on my property during bow season. I caught one of them actually pilfering through my pop up blind. I suppose this was payback. And yes, we didn't see any deer.
So now my kids youth hunt was ruined by inconsiderate neighbors. I'm not sure how low in life one has to get to ruin a kid's hunt. And mind you, they are all hunters and know just enough to skirt the law.
Sorry for the long rant! I think my kids are dealing with it better than me.
MO only allows two youth days prior to the 10 day firearms portion so they won't get a chance at another youth hunt until late season. I'm working those youth days. I work in the ER at our local hospital so it's highly doubtful that I'll get a chance at anymore vacation due to covid. I typically get to hunt three days of the 10 day season so here's hoping that I can get them on a deer then. #stillpissed
 
Practice the 3 S's. Shoot, shovel, and shut up. Either that or maybe take the dog for a drive.
What does the law read down there about dogs?
Trespassing is trespassing. Maybe a chat with a DNR. That could all get ugly. Tuff call.
 
I'd have trail cams in lock boxes everywhere, plenty of no trespassing signs and start calling the authorities every time you find them or the dogs on your property. Pictures of the dogs and them clearly on your property will help. Something will eventually give.
 
Apparently here it's a felony to shoot a dog. Something about animal cruelty. We don't have any animal enforcement in our area either. I called the conservation agent about the trespassers and even reported two of their poaching incidents. Nothing was ever done that I'm aware of. Like I said I'm sure this is payback.
 
Weldabeast said:
Set some snares and catch them and take them to the pound....once the neighbor gets hit in the wallet things probably change
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Lol! Most the snares I set they wouldn't be headed to the pound...they're kind of unpredictable unless you're on completely bare ground and really familiar doing non-lethal sets.
 
I'm really trying to be the dad that teaches my kids that this isn't the way to treat people no matter what. I think there are some life lessons about being courteous and respectful of others. In reality I want to start kicking in doors because you jacked with my kids! I'm trying to not let my kids see that side of me.
 
Ckwilli said:
Apparently here it's a felony to shoot a dog. Something about animal cruelty. We don't have any animal enforcement in our area either. I called the conservation agent about the trespassers and even reported two of their poaching incidents. Nothing was ever done that I'm aware of. Like I said I'm sure this is payback.
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Rhode Island reds are cheap and hardy. See what the rules are in an animal destroying livestock.

My neighbors have a dog that barks and keeps me up and occasionally craps in my yard. My wife wanted chickens. I said sure, but we get roosters too. So for now I have the Grim satisfaction of knowing that I love a rooster crowing, but they do not. And when that dog gets through that chicken wire, and he will, well...
 
Can you trap with foot hold traps or snares? Maybe just informing the guy you're going to start trapping in your woods would be enough? Judging by the way he acts though he wouldn't care. It's just unfortunate because it's not the dog's fault for having a terrible owner.
 
Jtaylor said:
Can you trap with foot hold traps or snares? Maybe just informing the guy you're going to start trapping in your woods would be enough? Judging by the way he acts though he wouldn't care. It's just unfortunate because it's not the dog's fault for having a terrible owner.
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I can do foothold traps but I have to be licensed for snares. I've actually thought about just calling and telling him that very thing. I had thought about a treble hook with bait on it hanging about two foot off the ground too.
 
Ckwilli said:
I can do foothold traps but I have to be licensed for snares. I've actually thought about just calling and telling him that very thing.
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Trapping is a blast and I'm guessing your kids would enjoy going too if you actually set a few. You're not going to hurt the dogs if you do catch them using an offset jaw foothold trap but I'd guarantee they probably wouldn't want to come back again.
 
Ckwilli said:
I can do foothold traps but I have to be licensed for snares. I've actually thought about just calling and telling him that very thing. I had thought about a treble hook with bait on it hanging about two foot off the ground too.
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Footholds are your best bet. Notifying him of them (and the other surrounding neighbors) will cover your ass. Anything he does in retaliation you can file for harassment and a restraining order. If he violates that it means jail time. I bet he learns a little respect at that point. Just watch your 6, if he's as backwoods and crazy as some people I know you may want to keep a handgun on your hip and talk with the family.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Rhode Island reds are cheap and hardy. See what the rules are in an animal destroying livestock.

My neighbors have a dog that barks and keeps me up and occasionally craps in my yard. My wife wanted chickens. I said sure, but we get roosters too. So for now I have the Grim satisfaction of knowing that I love a rooster crowing, but they do not. And when that dog gets through that chicken wire, and he will, well...
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I'm thinking about taking the kids for a good nut busting squirrel hunt. Me, the kids, the .22, and a gallon of antifreeze.
 
I wouldn’t be posting about it on the internet but the second time would have been the last time. There is not a farts chance in a hurricane I would ask my neighbor to put up his dogs so I could hunt my property. The dog owner needs to understand the property line one way or the other.
Isn’t there a leash law there?


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Have you called the warden? In VT if a dog is actually chasing deer they are required to be chained up by law. If they continue to run deer and are seen doing it, the warden or law enforcement have the authority(and do ) shoot them. I think something like 60 have been killed in the last 5 years here doing so. Maybe just asking the warden to have a nice conversation with your neighbor about this and the potential consequences would make him give a crap. If not it sure would let the warden know what kind of a person he was and they might camp out on your property for a while

Around here it pays to play well with the warden. 90% of the time they're on your side...unless youre duck hunting....Then they're quite strict, I believe because a lot of law is federal as well.
 
The sad part is, there’s no “good” solution to bad neighbors! I agree that you could benefit your kids a lot more by how you deal with a difficult scenario. I’d be frustrated & upset on behalf of my kids, but there’s a bigger lesson than being “right”.... Me personally would probably find another spot public or other permission & get them on a deer. Then you can decide what it’s worth to ya. It sucks all around!!
 
So we had this same problem with our neighbors for YEARS, as in decades. Always running up and down the property line during the last hour of light to push the deer back into their property, constantly shooting guns when they knew we were in woods bowhunting. Sitting on our line shooting into our property during rifle season...dogs constantly running through our property and this lasted right up until I had enough of it. We spent years trying to get along with them but two seasons ago I lost it during the youth hunt. The neighbor and his kids came in like a wrecking ball on their side by side and spooked a group of deer that were feeding on my food plot. Not only did they ruin my hunt (disabled Veteran) but my kids hunt as well.

I marched the boys up to the house, said "Go hangout with Mom" and then proceeded to remove the muffler from the quad. That thing is louder than any Harley on the street! I then drove down all four sides of the property, I have more than one neighbor is a jerk....stopped intermittently every hundred yards and revved the quad loud enough that my uncle heard it on his property a half mile away. The neighbor was hunting with his kids on my west line and I stopped right in front of his blind (which is 30ft away and faces my property), revved the quad for a full minute while I smiled at him to drive home the point that I wasn't putting up with it anymore. That blind is no longer there.

That was two seasons ago and I haven't seen him, his kids, his quad or his dogs anywhere near our property. I've had two seasons in a row of hunting peace in 20yrs. My wife was pretty mad that I did that but it worked. Sometimes you gotta give it right back and be an A-hole.
 
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