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Trespassers on private land. Need some ideas!

Pursuing deer with dogs isn't legal where I live so I have no direct experience with that aspect. However, I will echo what others have said regarding not picking or escalating a fight you can't win.

You're a ways away from your place and as such are at a disadvantage. I would also advise against harming the dogs as you'd probably really make them angry. Right now, they're running roughshod over your property rights, but it doesn't sound like they are actively trying to harm your place. That very well could change if they're mad enough at you.

I think you're on the right track with cell cameras and working with the legal resources in your area. Ask what type of evidence they need to prosecute and pursue that every time without exception.

Talking to the timber company is good too. Hassle and bad PR is the last thing most businesses want. I'd also try to find out when their lease is up and see if I could advertise that to some competing hunting clubs or organizations that are in the market for a lease.

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Virginia hunter here dealing with the same stuff. Game wardens don't help, because there is not enough of them. As much as I hate to say this, the only way to deal with it is not posting on here, or just suck it up and not get walked all over. I haven't had them run across my land in about 2 years. Although, now I park my truck deep in my land and not on the outskirts. When I do park on the outskirts I can see my truck the whole time I am hunting.
 
SaddleUpPartner! said:
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.
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The situation does suck. But I have an awesome property in an area loaded with bucks. The hunting during archery and muzzle loader is awesome. No dogs running until firearms season. As crazy as it sounds I have to go to public land to get a decent peaceful hunt in. I am blessed to have what I have, a lot of guys dream to own land they can hunt on.
 
Stolencopy said:
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.
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There are many ways to go Nuclear on them. There is civil recourse that would make the lumber company drop their lease rather then absorb court costs. Also some other tricks. May try to have a civil discussion with the club president or board about it before going this route. Have a feeling its peeing into the wind though.

Trapping the dogs, messing with them or vehicles is a no go. I have to either convince them not to go onto my property, due to getting prosecuted, making it not worth their trouble to do so, or get the lease voided.

Does anyone have experience with the mesh Cellular camera system? Its kind of a 2 for putting those up. Either way I am going to get some good cameras up.
 
Cellular cameras are a good way to waste your money. As soon as they find them they will steal or trash them.
 
n6dlh said:
There are many ways to go Nuclear on them. There is civil recourse that would make the lumber company drop their lease rather then absorb court costs. Also some other tricks. May try to have a civil discussion with the club president or board about it before going this route. Have a feeling its peeing into the wind though.

Trapping the dogs, messing with them or vehicles is a no go. I have to either convince them not to go onto my property, due to getting prosecuted, making it not worth their trouble to do so, or get the lease voided.

Does anyone have experience with the mesh Cellular camera system? Its kind of a 2 for putting those up. Either way I am going to get some good cameras up.
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The timber companies aren't going to do anything to them. They pay an absolute absurd amount of money to hunt that land and they aren't going to lose that money due to bad pr. The timber companies also have insurance for the people renting the property incase of a hunting accident.

Now talking the the club president might possibly work if you're asking him to prevent people from actually hunting the private land. But it isn't going to stop them from running the woods or walking onto the private property to collect the dogs.

I live in Eastern NC where dog running is far from dead or outlawed. I've been a member of a local hunting club that runs dogs for nearly my entire life and unfortunately there isn't anything you can legally do to prevent them from running or collecting the dogs off of private property.
 
SaddleUpPartner! said:
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.
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They will throw the dogs over the fence, and some of the dogs really can and do climb fences (but most are given a boost). Virginia is the worst state in America for landowner rights


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I once owned close to 400 acres in Virginia and it was worthless to hunt once the hounds started unless you wanted to shoot rundown adrenaline filled deer in front of the dogs (meat is gross, not for me). I’ll never own land in hound area again


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Let the club know you will be prosecuting any trespassers. Tell them you don’t want them running dogs on your property. They will say they can’t stop the dogs from going there. Ask them for some contact numbers to call if you catch their dogs on your property. We would just catch the dogs and call them that we had their dogs and to come get them. It ruins their hunt and you are staying legal. It may become too much trouble for them and they may try to keep the dogs from your land. Once dog season starts your season is over anyway so you might as well hunt dogs and try to catch them as often as you can to end the hunt for them. Stay legal.
 
swampsnyper said:
Let the club know you will be prosecuting any trespassers. Tell them you don’t want them running dogs on your property. They will say they can’t stop the dogs from going there. Ask them for some contact numbers to call if you catch their dogs on your property. We would just catch the dogs and call them that we had their dogs and to come get them. It ruins their hunt and you are staying legal. It may become too much trouble for them and they may try to keep the dogs from your land. Once dog season starts your season is over anyway so you might as well hunt dogs and try to catch them as often as you can to end the hunt for them. Stay legal.
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Man if you're capable of catching walker hounds while their hunting you best be representing the USA at the next Olympics.
 
In my state it’s legal to shoot feral animals on private land...
 
If at first you don't succeed try, try again, but don't drive yourself crazy. Some battles cannot be won no matter if you are in the right or not.
 
Im still planning on running cell cameras. Im going to put them well inside my line and up in the tree. I will start to prosecute them for trespassing. I am mainly going g to put them up for deer. They cannot ruin my hunt anymore then they already have. Saturday night was the closer, I almost shot a big buck. They drove the pines 2 times in the early morning, normally they have been hitting in in the evening and afternoon. Big buck was making his way towards my stand as dark was setting in. I was just minutes from legal hours being over and he never made it within bow range to get a clean shot.

I think next year I will hunt opening weekend of rifle season and call it quits. Even sunday they do drives just not using the dogs. Guess I can always hit the state or National forrest since my property is right up there. They can't run dogs on state or federal land. Some dogs wander through on occasion.

Most of the deer I have shot have been during muzzloader when the pre rut is going on. Seems most of the bucks are still nocturnal during archery but a lot of movement early before sunrise. I am also going to work closer to the pines with the saddle, think I have a better chance being near the bedding are.

Me and the wife have been talking about moving to Tennessee for a while now. May begin to look for a
big property there and sell off everything to build a house on a large tract of land. Dont think dog hunting for deer is legal in TN.
 
rhagenw said:
In my state it’s legal to shoot feral animals on private land...
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Hunting dogs are heavily protected here. As much as I dont like it, I understand they have been hunting this way here since the founding fathers have been around. Its a polorizing subject here and many people hate the style of hunting. there are some really good hunt clubs here and the guys local to my house are great. They are respectful and stop to help people in need mid hunt.

These guys in buckingham well, there may be some good ones but I have seen more then my share of ones that give all hunters a bad name. For years I have said even though I dont like dog hunting for deer I would stand beside them to protect their right to hunt..... After the last couple of years that has changed. Its a situation where they become their own worst enemies.
 
n6dlh said:
Hunting dogs are heavily protected here. As much as I dont like it, I understand they have been hunting this way here since the founding fathers have been around. Its a polorizing subject here and many people hate the style of hunting. there are some really good hunt clubs here and the guys local to my house are great. They are respectful and stop to help people in need mid hunt.

These guys in buckingham well, there may be some good ones but I have seen more then my share of ones that give all hunters a bad name. For years I have said even though I dont like dog hunting for deer I would stand beside them to protect their right to hunt..... After the last couple of years that has changed. Its a situation where they become their own worst enemies.
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Not to get off topic but I’ve heard the argument of a ban on dog hunting of large game. “If they can ban hunting with dogs on bears/deer, they’ll ban them for duck hunting or pheasant hunting” it’s apples and oranges style of hunting. They’re totally different and has not effected anything in my state with the ban. You can still hunt bears with dogs in Michigan but there’s not 400k bear hunters in the woods at one time.
 
If, you do move to Tennessee or anywhere else be sure to check before you move. In MO it is not legal to dog deer BUT they do it anyway and not just during deer season.
 
Sheep or goat fence might be a good investment. It'll cost more than barbed wire/electric strand but considerably less than chain link.
 
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