The property i aquired has long been trespassed on , poached on, and generally used for others’ recreation. The first thing i did was survey the property to know where the borders are. The next thing was to mark the boarders which is happening now. Thought someone might find this resource useful to aquire purple paint etc.
Fencing etc. Is the next steps. The old saying good fences make good neighbors is true. Before i plant many orchard trees these first steps needed done. In Kansas purple paint is enough but i also put up no trespassing signs.
I grabbed 2 gallons of purple paint. It wont do them any good to shoot up my no trespassing signs because every tree practically will be purple.
Signage keeps “innocent” trespassing to a minimum. 5 strands of barb wire will do much more. You being around and visible a LOT will do even more. Openly carrying (I like a chest holster) a hand cannon sure doesnt hurt anything either
When we first moved here; some locals felt it was their god given birth right to come fish in the pond we were paying to restock. Even the prior owner telling them we were now the owner did not help.
Finally after a nasty run in with 2 young adults; the wife called the law. Who apparently knew the juveniles well. And picked them both up on parole violations we had no knowledge of.
The arrestees dad came around and apologized and he had a talk with the younger kids. And the trespassing stopped.
I would suspect that allowing hunting access could help an orchard.
Of course you wouldn’t want a free for all and risking getting shot, but posting a sign with contact info for hunters to arrange permission to visit at agreed upon times could be very beneficial to all parties involved.
I agree, except this might create a liability issue if something were to happen. Way too many lawsuits these days to be comfortable with strangers on my property.
The beauty of doing it with mutual agreements is that you can get people to sign liability wavers in exchange for granting access. Unless the landowner is being grossly negligent that should be enough.
when we were building our home on 2 ac lake front property, many of the contractors had fond memories camping and parting on our land when they were in high school.
There were shotgun shells and beer cans/bottles every where.
Where I live, moreys about land ownership and trespass are apparently quite different than elsewhere. Hunting is a very engrained part of the culture (though decreasingly so) and the default is for everyone to have access regardless of property rights. Its still considered polite to ask when you’re hunting a new property, especially to inquire about parking and other considerations the property owners might have. Most hunters are respectful and fairly savvy, especially since smart phones allow them to easily target their hunting away from houses, etc. People DO post their land, but there seem to often be localized microbursts or other strange phenomena that tend to occur around this posted signage, more often than not you tend to find them on the ground or dangling by a single nail!?!?
In my county landowners are not able to press charges against anyone for trespassing unless they take out an ad in the county newspaper stating that the property at such and such address is private property and there is no hunting, fishing, etc. allowed. I don’t know if this is a holdover of the old days when men stomped all over the place following coon hounds that didn’t care about property lines or if there’s another reason for it. Regardless it’s a silly requirement. The paper has a dwindling distribution and the online articles are paywalled.
I know the old saying is that good fences make good neighbors, but that hasn’t been my experience so far. Good neighbors are just good neighbors, regardless of if your land is posted and fenced. Terrible neighbors don’t care about fences and can absolutely ruin a property just by all the shenanigans they put you through. That being said, good fences, painted trees, no trespassing signs, and locked gates all help against the more easily deterred uninvited visitors.
There must be an immediate danger to prompt physical self-defense. This danger may be in the form of aggressive actions or threatening words. “Imminent” means it is approaching urgently, and not, for example, a threat that was made two days ago.
Reasonable fear.
The person must be reasonable in believing that the danger in front of them warranted self-defense.
Proportionate force.
The physical force used in self-defense must be proportional to the perceived threat. For example, it may not be considered proportional if one person shoved another during an altercation, and the other responded by firing a gun. On the other hand, if the attacker pulls out a knife and moves to stab the other person, the use of a gun could be argued as proportional force.
Missouri law further allows the use of deadly force as self-defense, but only in these situations:
A person reasonably believes that deadly force is necessary to defend themselves or others.
A person is defending themselves from someone who has unlawfully entered their property or a property they are leasing."
If someone is hunting you wouldnt know they are hunting no matter how they are dressed but you would know they have a gun.
A person with a gun on your property is an imminent threat
I can see why you would be very afraid of someone on your property with a gun.
In missouri someone with a gun on someones property can expect the other person that owns the property would feel afraid, threatened, and defend themselves.
Ironically, it originates from a Robert Frost poem lamenting the literal and figurative walls we put up between us:
Anyhow, I’ve found it too be a near universal that any vaguely “wild” patch is considered community property. In the country growing up, it was more of less a given that you could wander around, and no trespassing signs just meant don’t get caught. Even here in the city, there’s a .10 acre patch of “woods” that are part of someone’s property, right next to their house. People come in to gather firewood, dump their trash, or sneak teenage cigarettes. Good luck reducing trespassers.
You may want to get a couple cellular trail or security cameras. My understanding is that the security cams have higher definition, but I have no direct experience with either.
My place had its share of trespassing, poaching, and road hunting before I bought it. Since then I have had one case of trespassing that was caught on a trailcam (not cellular). I couldnt tell who it was, but I made it clear to everyone I talked to that I had pics of someone trespassing. Word must have got around.
I also live here and am very visible. Getting a local reputation as being a bit “off” doesn’t hurt anything either
Since i grew up here it helps. Have good relations with most people. They are not scared of me but they would be embarrased explaining to their mom or other family members why they were on my land. They get caught on my property it makes for some bad family dinners. If its an outsider no one cares that much.
I have “Protected by Smith&Wesson” and “Nothing Inside is Worth Dying For” on my shed. The 2nd sign has a target silhouette with mutiple bullet holes in center mass.
Anything that makes a person have second thoughts is worth trying.
