Appers my ethics are old fashion.

[Anonymous]

Bow hunting deer season here in Michigan opened Oct 1st. Much of the area where I live is/was farm country with small wood lots of 10 acres or less. I have about 7 acres of woods with natural (not planted by man)growen trees that are mature for the most part. The property to the north of me is a ten acre plot which has a srtip of woods about 20' wide and 200' long. The rest which wasn't taken up by the home and yard is rented out to a local farmer as are the next four 10 acres north of that.
I am now having trouble with a trespasser who is bow hunting that small strip of woods. I have never been contacted for permission to trespass for any reason  by this person or anyone else in the twenty years we have lived here.
I caught the fellas young charges he had just set loose to hunt on their own which is againest the law in it's self tresspassing. I discussed with them what they did wrong and sent them on their way. Just Tuesday evening I was walking my dogs in the woods and here was that guy sitting 5' from the fence. Of course my dogs made a ruckus over him being there.
I told him he sure wasn't  an ethical sportsperson to hunt that close to the fence and not expect a deer to run on my property once shot, that an etchial hunter would have asked permission to track game onto my property before hunting there.
I posted that on a hunting forum and bacily got flamed with all types of stuff that I was the bad guy.
One person even had read my profile and saw keeping bees was one of my hobbies and flamed me that the bees were going across fence lines, what about that.
So I guess I'm old fashion in my  ethics.
Now I must make my fence higher. Pile all the tree tops from my fire wood gatherings along the fence and hang signs of no trespassing every 5' to stop it.
I am really starting to hate deer season opening here in lower Michigan.
Looking at the profiles of those who flamed me I discovered most were from SE Michigans Detroit area, intresting.
  Al

[Anonymous]

This little fella was about twenty feet from the house early morning Oct. 30th. I had to lighten it as it was still a bit dark for the camera.



This is his little sister she was by the dirt I dug out so the ladder would be level when I was staining the house. also see the gutter down spout extention tube in the picture.



Now this one was trimming the burning bush in our front door garden only 15' from the door.



From the bed room window.



  Al

[Beth Kirkley]

You are old fashioned, but it's not a bad thing at all. The values of many people have changed drasticlly, and not for anything good. Sorry this is happening to you, but stick by your values. These hunters are in the wrong, and you don't have to give in to their new way of doing things.

Beth

[Anonymous]

Did I miss something in trail twisters description of the situatioin? Isn't the deer hunter in the woods on someone else's property other then trail twister's? If so, in the state of Pennsylvania, assuming that the hunter is properly licensed and using legal equipment and methods, trail twister could be fined for interfering with a legal hunt. In fact a similar situation occured in my area last bow season and the two women that interfered with a bow hunter in a tree stand on their neighbor's property paid a $300 fine each once they were convicted.
Also in Pennsylvania, if a hunter injures a game animal he is required to make every reasonable attempt to trail the animal until found, if not, he could face a hefty fine and loss of his hunting license for up to three years.
If however the hunter is on trail twister's property, all he has to do is get the hunter's license number and report him to the local constabulary and file charges against him for trespassing. I've done it myself and in my area you don't even have to have "No Trespassing" signs up in order for the charges to stick. A hunter HAS to ask permission before hunting on private property, otherwise he IS ilegally trespassing.

[Lesli]

I live in a rural area as well, on 10 acres that are full of deer. I also have apple trees, which attracts them. So far, my neighbors have been considerate of my property, and I've been here six years. I would worry about hunting in my woods, since I spend a great deal of non-hunting time in them with my dog. He (see pic!) is a color that could be mistaken at a distance for a deer. He wears a fluorescent vest during hunting season, just in case.

I approve of deer hunting. We have too many, and other than cars they have no predators. And if someone responsible asked to hunt on my land, I would happily given permission, as long as I knew when, to minimize risk to myself and my dog.

[Anonymous]

Here in Michigan we have a recreational tresspass law, which states that as long as I have a fence in good order or no tresspassing signs posted it is illegal to be on my property with out my permission period.   I have both.

  The point I was trying to make was the ethics of that hunter was rather poor since I had not been asked for permission to trespass. He is bow hunting, those deer that are hit even a great hit run about 70 yards. Now if he is 5 feet from my fence and shoots a deer and it comes on my property what do you think he is going to do ?
And no I can't stop him from hunting on that property. I can refuse permission to trespass after the fact.

No I won't bother his hunting, but I am not going to let him bother my activitys in my woods that are not directed at him either. I am going to continue cutting my fire wood as I do every year so it is aged enough for next winter. And no I am not going to allow him to just come on my property either. If he does for any reason I am going to prosecute him.

   The right ethics are to ask property owners surrounding your hunting property for the right to trespass to recover game before the fact. That is what a proper sportsman does.   A slob hunter does just like this guy.   Turns young kids loose to hunt when the law says he has to have unaided visual contact with them.  He didn't even bother to point out property lines to them.   Hunts with out getting permission to tresspass to recover game,  Hunts after hours,   Uses more bait than the law allows and to much more to list.

I also know that the other night he had been on my land but my Visula was so far ahead of us she alerted him to my coming up the hill and he grabbed his portable blind and scooted over the fence. Why else would he have his portable wedged side was againest a tree instead of it being up right with him in it. I just can't prove it. I carry the camera all the time now though. I added so many more signs today it looks like crap with all them down that line fence, but he sure isn't going to be able to say he didn't see them.

Also In Michigan You don't wear a back tag any more. Sort of hard to have the law talk to some one if you don't know who they are. It was a slim guy wearing camo Don't know what color he was as he was wearing camo over his face too. Well as he was running for the fence I saw he was wearing black boots.

I hunt deer myself but I obey the laws, and have the permission of all my neighbours well before the season opens to recover game that crosses property lines as most of my neighbours have mine.










  Al

[Jerrymac]

I would have to lean towards Trail Twisters side of this situation. Just for grins let's say the fellow was indeed on the other side of the fence, the way people are these days, do you suppose for onr minute he would not have shot a deer on TT's property and jumped the fence if he figured he could get away with it?

[Anonymous]

That is just the point I was trying to make, and just about no one got it.

What in the world is so difficult with knocking on a neighbours door and asking permission to tresspass to recover game before the fact.
Cause I am so POD over this, that I catch that person on my property now I am doing what ever it takes for him to pay a huge price. I have my vido cam all charged up and set to record. since the woods is mature I scan it with my binocs befor entering it now. I also take time during the day to scan it offten.
Ifin ya don't pee into the wind, ya don't get covered with it.
   Al