Trespassers on private land. Need some ideas!

[n6dlh]

So I have a hunt club and I keep having to kick them off of my private land several time per year. Im currently workimg on a plan to contact the land owners around me. They lease the land from lumber companies. Here is the overall picture.

I own 30 acres of hardwoods in a sea of 7000 acres of lumber company pine woods. We have acorns galore and a pond with fish. It is fed by a creak that runs through the length of the property. Needles to say the hunting is good. Most of the deer bed in the thick younger pines and come out into the property for food and water. Basically we catch them off their beds heading back.

Come firearms season it is crazy. Hunt club running dogs everywhere and the last 2 years have been treaspassing like crazy. I have tried to deal with the hunters about it but it is not working. Currently I am contacting the property owners and the Sheriff that has been contacted before. Im hoping with enough pressure from the Property owner here it will stop. Meanwhile I have to make other arrangements to midigate this. I have had every hunt this year during firearm season ruined by dogs, Treaspassing and them running drives through the pines. I cant do anything about them running dogs or doing drives but the trespassing is getting me highly motivated to do something.

I live 3 hours from the property but the neighbor at the road about 500 yards from the trailers that share the driveway we own has had run in with them before. The property is a weird shape so lots of border. Chain link fence is not feasible due to cost.


Currently I am looking at doing a two wire, low to the ground electric fence to keep the dogs out, and doing a barb wire at about 3 feet. The idea is to let the deer do what they want and keep the dogs from clearing the property. One hunting season goes set the fence hot and let it go. We do have bear here so I am assuming it will be a bunch of maintenence from that and limbs fallen but that I can handle. The other thing I am looking at is a Cellular Game camera system like the Covert LORA that uses a single base station and remote cameras. Mount high on trees and solar powered. Will let me see deer that come and go and people. Property is heavily posted so I would add additional sign high up stating there is an electric fence and Cellular camera's in use.

Anyone have experience with the Cellular Multi camera systems? Electric Fences? Any other ideas?

Just for complete information I have 2 old double wide trailers on the front of the property and it has power. No telephone or internet. Verizon seems to be the only thing that gets data up here so any solution has to involve that. Also have 3 communication towers at home for my ham radio stuff that can be used here.

TLDR Folks: Hunt club trespassing, thniking low electric fence for dogs and cellular cameras. Any ideas would be appreciated lol

 

[Bwhana]

I would start first with reporting them to the timber companies for trespassing and at least get them in jeopardy of losing their lease.

 

[n6dlh]

That is already in the works. I have 1 other land owner that is signed on with me. The other neighbor owns 15 acres and lives in the Bahamas, I have sent them a letter to let the know the hunt club has been trespassing on their land also.

ETA: I know a lot of the lumber companies are not leasing to dog running clubs as much since there are a lot of problems with that. A lot of them will only lease to stand hunting clubs now.

 

[Gator]

This Virginia? They can legally trespass all they have to do is say they are trying to catch dogs be on foot and unarmed (the latter two you can typically get them on). You will have to win the political game and you are up against too much money.


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[n6dlh]

I know the laws well. I have video of one of them 300 yards into my property with a pack of dogs and a shotgun. They have also drove vehicles on to the property and sat in the truck with the shotgun out the window.

I am not trying to battle dog hunting in viginia nor am I trying to get political influence to change the laws. Idea is with some effort to keep the dogs out, and video and photo evidence its just not worth trespassing and keep their butts on the lumber company side.

 

[Gator]

Good luck and I’ll leave it at that. Best bet is through the timber company


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[SaddleUpPartner!]

Maybe 2-3 of their dogs go “missing“ on your property In all seriousness I would contact local law enforcement or DNR(game wardens) before going Rambo on the dogs. Game cameras, talk to neighbors and gather their testimony for the game wardens. Confront the land owners with the pictures and tell them the next time you see them on your land you’ll press charges.
PS from an outsiders perspective hunting deer with dogs is just...weird.

 

[n6dlh]

Maybe 2-3 of their dogs go “missing“ on your property In all seriousness I would contact local law enforcement or DNR(game wardens) before going Rambo on the dogs. Game cameras, talk to neighbors and gather their testimony for the game wardens. Confront the land owners with the pictures and tell them the next time you see them on your land you’ll press charges.
PS from an outsiders perspective hunting deer with dogs is just...weird.

Dog hunters in virginia have more rights then land owners. Not trying to hurt the dogs, they are doing what they are bred for. They go where the deer do. Hunting dogs have radio and gps trackers also and are very protected here.

The cameras will be up at some point. I can use them for a lot of things. May just have to build a horse fence to keep the dogs out. Of course I think my best resource will be the lumber companies. DWR officers can't do anything. The local sheriff is really good at trespassing, already got a local felon scouting on a game camera. Sheriff was going to arrest him. I requested he be given a warning and let them know there are cameras on the property. The only issues since then are the hunt club during firearms season.

 

[swampsnyper]

All you can do is prosecute them every time you catch them illegally trespassing. Warnings don’t work. You won’t stop the dogs and an electrical fence through the woods will be a lot of maintenance work. And you can count on them releasing the dogs on your border more often, like every day, once you prosecute them for trespass. They will make sure to ruin all your hunts. I grew up around dog clubs.

 

[DB4x4]

My first thought was to start trapping for "coyotes," but I guess it's not the dogs' fault.

This thread just makes me glad I don't hunt in a state where deer hunting with dogs is legal.

 

[Bowmanmike]

I feel sorry for your situation. People really can be jerks..Doesnt seem too hard to stay of someones 30 acres when you have 7000 available,especially when you know that person hunts as well.
I would agree with the suggestion to get the law out there every time you catch them trespassing. It has to be not worth it for them to keep coming onto your land. I think they would just cut your fence.

 

[SnakeEater]

I know the laws well. I have video of one of them 300 yards into my property with a pack of dogs and a shotgun. They have also drove vehicles on to the property and sat in the truck with the shotgun out the window.

I am not trying to battle dog hunting in viginia nor am I trying to get political influence to change the laws. Idea is with some effort to keep the dogs out, and video and photo evidence its just not worth trespassing and keep their butts on the lumber company side.

Could run some boards across the access roads with nails in them. Throw some leaves/pines needles on them. A round of flat tires will probably make them think twice at least about driving onto your property.
Cayenne pepper with mess a dogs nose up, could put a couple piles of that out on the edges when the season starts. If their dogs can’t smell they can’t track or chase deer. Only lasts a day or so but that would ruin the dogs for a hunt and not injure them permanently.

 

[denots]

Kill them all, and let God sort it out.

 

[raisins]

I am from WV. Deer hunting with dogs is illegal here, but bear hunting with dogs is legal. I also know the types of hunters you are dealing with, especially when in groups. I feel very sorry for your situation. They have no fear or respect (people outside of Appalachia might not realize how horrific these folks can be...as bad as any inner city gang member). You can't get into a Hatfield and McCoy-style confrontation with these guys (flattening tires, injuring dogs, and such). The only way it would work is if you had a group and presence on that land that actually made them fearful, and even then it would be a war of attrition. Some one would get hurt or your property would get damaged. Hurting one of their dogs isn't going to make them say "let's stay off that a-hole's land". It will make them say "let's make that a-hole pay".

I would contact law enforcement, put up Posted signs (or your state's equivalent) at the prescribed intervals, and then ring the property with cams and also put up inside the property cheap trail cameras (Tascos from Walmart that cost less than 40 bucks work well). Camo paint them and put them up 10 feet in the air and pointing down (I use a camo'd wood door stop and elastic paracord, I do this so my trail cams don't get stolen....1 stick with a 2 feet aider gets me up high enough). These are low red glow, so you might want to tape over the flash so they can't see them at night/dusk/dawn. Collect pictures of them trespassing and pass that onto LEO. I would want multiple cheap cameras in case they find some and enough that you can keep replacing the cameras and so they can never be sure they found them all if they sweep your property.

You have to set up a situation where if they do anything, they will get in trouble with the law and they fully realize this as well. Do not confront them by yourself. And carry a gun when at the property.

 

[Newhunter1]

I'd start coyote hunting and use conibear trap or something along those lines. Then i'd put signs on the border that coyote hunting is going on and that the use of conibear traps are in place. Dog handlers always say that the dogs cannot read...well that's not my problem anymore if the traps are for coyotes.

 

[slonstdy]

I agree to start trapping for yotes but use the largest legal trap possible so that it will possibly break the dogs leg. I know it's not the dog's fault but I'm willing to bet if a few dogs get injured the bubbas may decide your land isn't worth it and will stay away.
You could also set up and hunt for "coyotes" knowing they should be the only canines on your property.
If all else fails then claymores and a few bouncing Betty's should do it.

 

[sojourner]

Stinks all around. I hope you get it sorted.

One thing for sure, it will keep on happening until there are conflicts you keep on winning and those conflicts keep on hurting the offenders (financially, criminally, otherwise). You go to war, you don’t half-arse it. All in or nothing. Same strategy should apply here.

Good luck.

 

[SaddleUpPartner!]

Dog hunters in virginia have more rights then land owners. Not trying to hurt the dogs, they are doing what they are bred for. They go where the deer do. Hunting dogs have radio and gps trackers also and are very protected here.

The cameras will be up at some point. I can use them for a lot of things. May just have to build a horse fence to keep the dogs out. Of course I think my best resource will be the lumber companies. DWR officers can't do anything. The local sheriff is really good at trespassing, already got a local felon scouting on a game camera. Sheriff was going to arrest him. I requested he be given a warning and let them know there are cameras on the property. The only issues since then are the hunt club during firearms season.

That is insane about the dogs, that would totally ruin it for me. The fencing is a good idea, maybe that square pattern fence would do the trick for the dogs.

 

[Stolencopy]

Yeah if you're from a place where running dogs is legal and have had personal experience with these people then you know not to mess with them or even more so the dogs.

If you purposefully harm their dogs i can almost guarantee that they'll come at you with multiple guys looking to physically harm you. You'd also end up on the losing end of the law.

Unfortunately I haven't ever known anyone that has successfully put an end to dog runners trespassing on private property through efforts of their own. The only time I've ever seen the trespassing end is when the club fails to pay the timber company dues.

 

[raisins]

Yeah if you're from a place where running dogs is legal and have had personal experience with these people then you know not to mess with them or even more so the dogs.

If you purposefully harm their dogs i can almost guarantee that they'll come at you with multiple guys looking to physically harm you. You'd also end up on the losing end of the law.

Unfortunately I haven't ever known anyone that has successfully put an end to dog runners trespassing on private property through efforts of their own. The only time I've ever seen the trespassing end is when the club fails to pay the timber company dues.

Yeah, having plausible deniability that you were just going after coyotes is not going to work. These guys' trucks and dogs are often times the most expensive things they own. So, they don't have much to lose, and you just harmed the one thing they do have. These aren't rabbit or bird hunters that use dogs.