Dear Trespassers

[Mark Brenckle]

Good to hear. Did you get to laugh together about his girlfriend's selfies?

[huntnphool]

I appreciate everyone's concern.  One of the folks on the camera came to me on Tuesday.  All is well now that there's an open line of communication and perspective.  As was my original intent, not to publicly embarrass anyone.  Hopefully this serves as a public service reminding others to be neighborly.  It can go a long way!  Thankfully, he's a guy with good intentions and this didn't get blown out of proportion!   

To be clear, my cameras have been up the better part of 2 years and these folks were never on them before this incident.  Extenuating circumstances and some assumptions on my part were the root of the entire ordeal.

Thanks again to everyone!

 Did they find the bull?

[Gringo31]

You're a good man Mud!

[SemperFidelis97]

I hunt very close to the area, and had trespassing hunters as well as atv riders all on opening day.  The area is becoming pretty tough to hunt with the increased problems we are starting to have  as the area becomes more populated.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk

[EmeraldBullet]

I realize that tresspassers suck, but is everyone here really sure they have no trespassing, private property signs up all around the property from every possible entrance?

I worked at a ranch once where one side of the property was gated and well labeled, the other side was a mountain that connected to BLM land (so occasionally we would have tresspassers come down from that side, no fault of their own.) We tried to post as many signs as we could on that side of the property but it was so heavily wooded it's completely understandable a hunter could wnader there and not see the signs.

[mud]

No luck on the bull.  Cameras have been soaking for 2 days now.  I will check them when I get home.

Area isn't marked at all.  No fences on that area of my property.  Some property lines are impossible to miss, however.  Chasing down a bull is one thing, but intentionally wandering around the neighborhood onto people's property to hunt is entirely different.  Luckily this wasn't the latter.

[EmeraldBullet]

I understand what you mean, but technically, if it isn't clearly posted that trespassing isn't allowed, it isn't illegal to be on someones private property. Disrespectful for certain, but not illegal.

[Rainier10]

I understand what you mean, but technically, if it isn't clearly posted that trespassing isn't allowed, it isn't illegal to be on someones private property. Disrespectful for certain, but not illegal.

Technically it is illegal.  It is your responsibility to know where you are and if you have permission to be there.  It is not the landowners responsibility to post their land in this state.

[EmeraldBullet]

Not true. You are only trespassing in WA if you "knowingly enter or remain unlawfully in or upon premises of another."

So if the trespasser didn't know they weren't welcome, they aren't trespassing by law. It has to be posted or someone has to tell them to leave.

[Rainier10]

Not true. You are only trespassing in WA if you "knowingly enter or remain unlawfully in or upon premises of another."

So if the trespasser didn't know they weren't welcome, they aren't trespassing by law. It has to be posted or someone has to tell them to leave.

Okay. 

[EmeraldBullet]

Not saying it's right, or a good idea. Good way to get shot at. Just saying it isn't illegal necessarily.

[JDHasty]

No luck on the bull.  Cameras have been soaking for 2 days now.  I will check them when I get home.

Area isn't marked at all.  No fences on that area of my property.  Some property lines are impossible to miss, however.  Chasing down a bull is one thing, but intentionally wandering around the neighborhood onto people's property to hunt is entirely different.  Luckily this wasn't the latter.

Sounds like you are a really decent guy.  It impresses me that they followed a bull they had an arrow in (poor shot placement as it was) onto your property and you just wish to press home the point that that everybody has to make contact before entering onto your property for any reason.   

[BULLBLASTER]

No luck on the bull.  Cameras have been soaking for 2 days now.  I will check them when I get home.

Area isn't marked at all.  No fences on that area of my property.  Some property lines are impossible to miss, however.  Chasing down a bull is one thing, but intentionally wandering around the neighborhood onto people's property to hunt is entirely different.  Luckily this wasn't the latter.

Sounds like you are a really decent guy.  It impresses me that they followed a bull they had an arrow in (poor shot placement as it was) onto your property and you just wish to press home the point that that everybody has to make contact before entering onto your property for any reason.

would be very easy to go high and mighty run them into the mud on huntwa in this case! Always better to be civil with neighbors I think.

[Rainier10]

No luck on the bull.  Cameras have been soaking for 2 days now.  I will check them when I get home.

Area isn't marked at all.  No fences on that area of my property.  Some property lines are impossible to miss, however.  Chasing down a bull is one thing, but intentionally wandering around the neighborhood onto people's property to hunt is entirely different.  Luckily this wasn't the latter.

Sounds like you are a really decent guy.  It impresses me that they followed a bull they had an arrow in (poor shot placement as it was) onto your property and you just wish to press home the point that that everybody has to make contact before entering onto your property for any reason.

That is the thing we preach at hunter education, ask permission and know where you are at all the time.

The number one complaint from private land owners, myself included, is that hunters don't ask permission they just trespass on private property.  We paid for the property, we pay the taxes, we maintain it, we improve the habitat and on top of that we have to make sure we post it every 50 feet so that it is perfectly clear when someone does trespass that they are trespassing.  The orange and yellow signs really enhance the look of the outdoors.

As I recall in the photo there was fence.  On our walk through course at hunter ed we don't have any signs, just fences, fences signify ownership or boundaries.  If you see a fence you need to find out what it means and if you can be there.

Sounds like that is all the OP was looking for.  I know it is what most private land owners are looking for.

[JDHasty]

Here is a tip:  If you are going to be hunting in an area, make up and print out on heavy stock, a short bio page (like half an 8.5x11 sheet), that tells who you are and what your cellular phone number is and where you are from etc. And encourage them to call if for any reason they have some concern about what you are doing.  Once in ten plus years I have been so called and it was not because I had done anything that concerned them, it was because someone else was trespassing and had they not been able to contact me they could have very easily mistaken them for one of us. 

Go out BEFORE the season and introduce yourself to the neighbors of whoever's property you will be hunting on.  That way when the day comes, and if you hunt there long enough it will, and a wounded animal escapes onto someone else's property before kicking the bucket....

I passed on an easy shot at a blacktail doe last year just because there was a slim chance of it going onto the mother of all jerk anti-hunter's property.   I dealt with the guy before when an acquaintance had a deer expire on that property and even though I called the sheriff and he had the WDFW enforcement come out and both explained to the guy that if he did not allow someone to go recover that deer that it would only mean that another deer would be shot on that tag - the guy refused. 

So when you do things this way you learn about people like that, but you also get a little bit of face time with someone who you may need to ask permission from later in the season and having already broken the ice makes a world of difference.  Particularly when most big game is shot early and late in the day and you will likely come back and be knocking just after sunup or after dark.