Dealing with Trespassers

Started by MiniDave, October 07, 2015, 04:21:00 PM

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MiniDave

I live in the suburbs, but about 15 years ago I bought 3 acres in the country planning to build a home there someday - that's not going to happen now as my wife was diagnosed with cancer just after we bought the land and we spent years getting her well, plus now it's just too expensive and I'm too old, but I kept the property waiting for the market to come back so I could sell it and make a little something on it.

In the meantime I keep it mowed and trimmed, and I keep my tractor and ZTR mower out there, and up till now there's never been a problem. The neighborhood is friendly, the neighbors are great and I've gotten to know several of them pretty well.

Last summer the guy across the street called me and said some kids had been riding 4X4s on my land, this summer they upped their game and took a chainsaw and cut a trail between their property and mine. I posted no trespassing signs all around the property but they just tore them down.

Tonight the neighbor called again, he saw them over there and went to talk to them - he got their names too - as they were dumping a cubic yard of fish guts into my pond. My nice, clean well kept pond!

Right now I'm waiting for the sheriff's office to call me back, the property is 20 miles from my home but I'll drive out to meet him there tomorrow to discuss what to do. I'm thinking game cameras at the least now......

What would you do?

The pics are of me putting no trespassing signs up a few months ago when this really started to be a problem, the trail is where they cut thru my property.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Update:

Just got off the phone with a sheriff's deputy, we're going to meet at the property tomorrow and then he's going to go visit with the perps, he said he's particularly interested in one of them. When my neighbor confronted him about dumping the fish guts in my pond, he told the guy he could be arrested and taken to jail for trespassing - the guy replied - "I don't care, I've been to jail."

When I relayed that to the deputy he said he was going to check on him (probably for warrants, my guess) as he didn't sound like someone he wanted living in his county. (interesting comment!)
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Update #2

The sheriff's deputy just called me from the perp's house, he had him sitting on the front bumper of his car and had just finished explaining to him that if he ever sets foot or wheels on my property again that he would go straight to jail.

He then asked me if there as anything else I'd like him to do on my behalf an I told him I'd like them to remove the cubic yard of fish guts they dumped in my pond and clean it all up. He laughed and said that was no problem.

I'll go out tomorrow and see what was done.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

If his "counseling" the "offenders" gets the problem solved, find out what sort of treat (cake, cookies, pastry) can be delivered to his office as an additional 'thank you'?


MiniDave

Donuts, what else?   ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MtyMous

We had a punk kid (went to my high school) who was driving through the neighbor's yards with his 4x4 truck and causing serious damage. But it was always at like 2am when he was likely drunk with his shit kickin' buddies. Well shit got real when he drove through my dad's yard. My father is very proud of his yard and landscaping. We do all the work ourselves and none of it is paid maintenance, so trespassers and vandals really piss us off. See the picture of my parents' property.

Parents' Property


The Solution was to weld up our own home made spike strips out of angle iron and flat bar. They were sharp as hell and fit perfectly into the groove next to the sidewalk. No one is going to hurt themselves on them if they aren't in the yard. They were painted green and didn't look bad in the yard, and it's not a "booby trap". It's simply a means to keep vehicles out of where they don't belong.

And that one day when I was sitting in the living room at 1:30am and heard 3 loud POPS!!!... I knew they worked well, also. Had a few ruts in the yard where the truck limped off, and we could see the scars in the pavement as he limped his truck all the way back home. Never had a problem with that in the neighborhood again. haha.

TL:DR, make some spike strips and put them on the trails, but don't forget to move them when you go out to mow the property.

94touring

Dig a 5 foot deep hole and big enough for a atv, dump fish guts in it, cover it with leaves and small branches.   

Jims5543

Quote from: MPlayle on October 07, 2015, 07:06:48 PM
If his "counseling" the "offenders" gets the problem solved, find out what sort of treat (cake, cookies, pastry) can be delivered to his office as an additional 'thank you'?

I agree 100% get this guy a treat, even a gift card for a local restaurant for $25 will make a huge impact.

Quote from: 94touring on October 07, 2015, 10:09:13 PM
Dig a 5 foot deep hole and big enough for a atv, dump fish guts in it, cover it with leaves and small branches.   

This is also an amazing idea.


I would invest in a game camera, they are not too expensive and besides checking the property for trespassers you might get some cool animal shots too.

Good luck, nothing sucks more than people who have no regard for anyone around them.

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride! -Hunter S. Thompson

94touring

And if you're lucky you get to bury it while they go for help. 

MiniDave

I'm sorry guys, I'm way too old to be digging holes and setting traps.....I'll just let my "gang" (cops and courts) handle it for me.

I'm going out this am to see what the mess looks like.....my neighbor across the street says you can smell it well before you see it. THAT pisses me off more than anything, and I will use the sheriff to make them clean it up.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

I forgot to post the follow up, I went out the next day to have a look around - after walking the entire property I could find no evidence that anyone had been on the property at all - outside of my neighbor's word, whom I trust completely - I found no sign of dead fish parts anywhere, or any tracks in the tall grass leading up to the pond.......

So, did it really happen? Did the neighbor stop them before they did the deed or what?

I did find that the no-trespassing sign I put up on their side of my property is gone ......it was mangled and down last time I went there and I straightened it and stuck it back in the ground, now it's gone completely.

In two weeks I've got a Bobcat with a brush hog rented and I'm going to clear all the brush, then I'm going to put up a fence between their land and mine. If they tear THAT down it's gonna be on like donkey kong!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Perhaps an electric fence is in order?

MiniDave

Well, normally I'd agree with you, but they've been riding young children around with them, I would not want a child getting hurt just because the parents/older brother are stupid.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad