Any advice to keep poachers off your land?

[BUCKANDAQUARTER]

After hearing of problems like this on the land I hunt I volunteered to post the 150 acre lot I. Also informed the land owner of the consent release cards you can get. She was tickled pink. She pays the taxes, it's the least I could do. Good land is hard to come by I am sure someone will take you up on that.

[chiefbkt]

Couple of warning shots buzzing their cranium should do it. Joking of course. Posted signs every 30 50 yards and heavy patrolling works but you'll spend a lot of time hunting trespassers and not deer.

[stoneam2006]

Just outta curiosity do u. Know where they go in at

[philoshop]

Build a house on it, walk it every day armed, get to know the local leo's, and hope for the best.

[aqua750]

you can`t be everywhere  all the time I WENT THRU THE SAME CRAP and got no where until a buddy recommended  trail cameras that changed it all get some pics show them around town ask the questions  you know nobody will answer get the word out that the local police  and the state police have been given copies of the film  and mention casually that your pissed off and mean business  ( chances are its your neighbors  who  have patterned you ) and offered a reward  and you will see a difference big time I run nine cameras  and have even gotten pics of the local police checking out my cabin and woods a couple of donations goes a long way also even if they dont arrest anyone just the fact they come by  is a major biggie good luck

[Huntscreek]

Its a Never ending problem, Posted signs cost money and time to put up but second to take down. As long as you own land they will be there and they just don't care, if they did they'd read the signs and move on.

[Zag]

Make an official looking sign saying caution rattlesnake nesting grounds keep out!!

[TreeGuy]

*former marine, once a marine always a marine..... no such thing as an ex marine.

As far as the trespassers go, good luck ! I can't even keep my neighbor off my property ! He's about 75 yrs old, I've come at him with a 12ga, I've screamed obsenities in his face, I put a dozen posted signs- customized with his name on it, still comes over, still kills deer.... and to boot he is a high up in the local safari club. He even went as far as to tell me I was ok this year since he's going to Africa on a hunt from November to december.....

[hunter49]

yeah there is some good advice.  Become an outlaw by shooting at them when they are not breaking any laws by spotlighting.

Bubba, was just kidding I left out the lol! Thought it was in there.

[stop em and drop em]

I like securing signs just out of reach with a ladder, you have to post and keep it out of reach and make it hard to remove. I also planted couple hundred white pines to block the view from the road. Screen the trees for a couple of years, they browse on them when the snow accumulates. Last year my brother and I went hunting the last weekend of rifle in the southern zone, we had fresh snow and what did we just miss that Saturday at about 7:30am? We just missed a road hunter shoot and drag a deer a couple hundred yards from our property. I had a trail camera nearby but the batteries were just about dead, no current photos were on there. Lastly you can use the law, I have a friend who has called the law and had people arrested because they were hunting on his property.

[mxsmitz201]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with spotlighting deer. It's one of my favorite things to do. Just to see what's running around that you don't see on camera and that 3.5s are actually out there, not to mention the clues it gives as to what stage the ruts in. Ill spotlight till the cows come home. I'm not hurting anyone or anything by doing it.

[eagle rider]

Switch your signs to these

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[LetEmGrow]

Sometimes I'll spotlight into an adjacent private property when I'm leaving at night off of public land because I want to get an idea where the deer are going/coming from at night.  I don't do this if the house is within view as to not disturb the home owners but if the home owners were out for a early evening stroll, they might see my light.

 

You mean with a weapon the vehicle? 

 

Don't take it personal.  I'm calling you a poacher or anything.  I am just saying make sure that - even if it is only a bow - you cannot spotlight with one in the vehicle.

If that is what you meant.

 

Peace.

[LetEmGrow]

It's posted, 1/2 is patrolled (a slower w/ Age ex and great deer hunter and ex marine).

There just doesn't seem to be any respect for people's property.

Land we purchased, maintain, finance, insure and pay an exorbitant amount of tax on.

It's posted, they tare it down.

People Spotlight our fields then spread the word of the bucks they see.

I've spent 10 years pushing people off land, paying to keep habitat right/mixed, and culling bucks w/ bad genetics.

The dividends are paying off, but the more monsters they see the more of a problem the poachers become.

Separate thought, why is spotlighting legal at all, let alone on someone else's private property?

Any advice much appreciated. It's just gotta stop, it's literally theft.

 

Depending on your financial situation, measure out the width of the fields in road view.  And then figure out how many Norway spruce you would need planted in 2 rows and spaced 12 feet (4 yards) apart.  And then try to find someone with a spruce plantation that will sell you 5-6' trees for $30 a piece (or less).  I know over her in the Western part of the state (Rochester to the West) there are several people that sell them in the spring for good deals.  Of course, you will need a backhoe or you can use the front loader on your tractor (if you have one) to help dig.

And then get a couple of those cameras that email pictures to you.  Spendy but prolly cheaper in the long run then patrolling and dealing with the aggravation.

 

 

 

[LetEmGrow]

Oh and one more thing.  Can you get your hands on a bulldozer?  Make birms all along the field edges and then plant stuff (like holly or dogwood or tall grasses) on top of them.  Drag some dead tops out there too if you can. 

Edited October 31, 2014 by LetEmGrow

[turks]

As long as firearm is in a case you are legal to spotlight

[LetEmGrow]

Yeah, I guess I was a little wrong on that.  My apologies.
 

From the NY DEC Website

Question: Can I use a light at night to "spotlight"or look for deer from my car?
Answer: It is legal in New York to use artificial light to spot deer as long as those firearms are locked in the trunk, completely secured in a case, or broken down. Compound bows, long bows and crossbows are broken down if unstrung. You may not operate an artificial light within 500' of a dwelling without consent of the owner/lessee.


 

Edited October 31, 2014 by LetEmGrow

[Merlot]

We got 100 metal signs with our name and # printed on them and it was like 100 and some change..I took a step ladder with me when I put up many of them  and used PT plywood and long screws(much harder to pull out)...signs are only 12 so any construction sight that is doing outside sheathing or form work could have PT scraps that you could ask to scroung for backing board...

We used the stepladder to install posted signs...funny, the signs do not get removed as easily. We still have trespassers. We shag them out when we encounter them.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Don't walk on my land, don't disturb my game, you can shoot it or shine it when it's on your land, not mine.

Understand you frustration but spotlighting is not illegal unless it is within 500'  of your house or they have a firearm in the vehicle. I you want it illegal I suggest you start lobbying for a change. Until that point, one small correction. It isn't your game.

[thunnus]

Regarding spotlighting:

I'm more concerned w/ people effectively casing the joint to see what (game) I have inside my property lines and poaching-coming in and stealing it.

Consider it this way, having some guy w/ a slimjim (in his hands or in it's case-it's of no consequence or relevance) looking into your car to see what stereo you have inside is a concern.

But becomes a much bigger concern when they break into your car and steal the stereo once they have looked to see what's inside.

How many stereo thieves do you know that break into a car w/ out looking inside first?.

I think everyone, myself included, finds it hard to find fault in what they enjoy doing.

If it is private land, especially where the owner pays taxes into the community to keep the civil services we all enjoy, you should not harass the game inside of it. It simply isn't yours. Don't forget county taxes fund the public lands we all enjoy hunting.

Let's take a very simple example. You're my neighbor and we have a field split by our property line. Anytime you see a deer on my side you honk a horn or blind it w/ a 1/2 million candlestick light.

Remember how many more rods deer have in their eyes than we do and much more sensitive they are to it.

I understand that you may enjoy peering into cars to look at stereo trends or even what your neighbor may have but W(ho)TF are you to do so?

Don't walk on private property, don't harass game on private property and don't poach private property.

(And just w/ reference to the previous post, it's a slippery slope when you justify your actions to those that are simply legal and not what may be moral or right)

Edited October 31, 2014 by thunnus

[JGS]

Just asking: How is spot lighting not moral or not right? Do you get upset or concerned when people look at "your" game when they drive by during the day?

Edited October 31, 2014 by JGS

[growalot]

 

one small correction. It isn't your game.

 

OK so I am going to split the hair on this one for I read the entire post which included

 

 

you can shoot it or shine it when it's on your land, not mine.

 

 The game..... though being state "owned" as it were..... is actually essentially his yours or mine as long as it is on our posted properties. To do with as we please with in legal confines...this said.... in that posted land precludes anyone from doing the same  until  those animals leave our properties...so for how ever breif a period it may be.... they are our game on our lands...

Edited October 31, 2014 by growalot

[JGS]

OK so I am going to split the hair on this one for I read the entire post which included

 

 

 The game..... though being state "owned" as it were..... is actually essentially his yours or mine as long as it is on our posted properties. To do with as we please with in legal confines...this said.... in that posted land precludes anyone from doing the same  until  those animals leave our properties...so for how ever breif a period it may be.... they are our game on our lands...

You are correct but if it were yours when it was on your land, there would be no season and no license purchase made to the state in order to "do with as you please."  I understand completely the arguement made but at the same time you cannot tell people when and where they can look at wild game while they are on public ground(road).

Edited October 31, 2014 by JGS

[growalot]

would you get upset if you lets say were a scrapper(collected and sold scrap metal) and ppl routinely drove by your scrape yard and spot lighted it to see ...you know what scaps in the area...Ya I really do dare you to tell me that wouldn't bother you...

Now I know scrap doesn't move around on it's own

 

 

but I can't equate it to ppl desturbing other ppl live stock...like beef cattle .or freshening cows...goats and sheep, horses on pature because most of you are just clueless....

 

Private property is just that... private...if he wanted to take his significant other out and spoon under the stars on his PRIVATE property ...he shouldn't have to worry about some inconciderate yahoo lighting them up with 10million candles

[growalot]

We'll try this again... I apparently wasn't specific enough?

 

 

To do with as we please with in legal confines.

Oh ...BTW if you own a farm  you do not need a small game license inorder to hunt small game and I believe...for it was a news paper article that bugged me ...so I investigated it...(infact theres a thread on here somewhere discussing this)...family members can be younger that the state youth requirement

Edited October 31, 2014 by growalot