Dang bipeds.

[DrinkTheRainbow]

Quote:
X2 LOL! This is exactly what I was thinking!

 

[chickensbythesea]

Honestly, if I'd thought it was going to be humans, I probably WOULD have grabbed the gun. As it is, I'm lucky I had pants on!

I don't have visible neighbors, so there have been many times I've just popped out in my undergarments (don't judge!) to throw down feed or check on why everyone's excited. It's almost always a seagull or the wild turkeys passing through, so I stopped running out looking for a fight a while ago, now it's more habit to check than anything.

We have no trespassing signs posted around the real living area, but the direction these boys came in (not the driveway, or any trail we've established) is all woods. I wouldn't even know where to post the signs in the trees. It hasn't got public land nearby they'd have wandered in off, either. The nearest public land is about 5 miles down the road the opposite way, and is VERY clearly posted. They headed off towards my neighbor's laneway, but his actual house is not in that direction at all, and he doesn't have kids. It's very peculiar.

The police are great here if you need a speeding ticket, but I've known more than one cop who's admitted they'll drag their feet and knowingly have a slow response time to things that involve minor disputes and a lot of physical exertion (like walking through the fields and woods, maybe having to chase kids through the woods, etc). The hound we're fostering is no better; she has a fearsome bark, but not only is she a giant coward, she thinks strangers exist only to rub her belly.

If they come back, I'll probably head out there with one of the guns. I understand the risks of bringing a gun, but I would be much more sympathetic to them if they'd been even slightly more respectful. I imagine it's very intriguing to find a grove full of animals and chill out spots in seemingly the middle of nowhere, so I don't hold it against them that they were curious, but they clearly did something that upset the animals (they greet strangers, don't hide from them), and were definitely not remorseful about messing with my things.
I'm not that much older than them, but I have manners and respect for others. I can't believe not a single one of them had the sense to apologize, or just leave immediately.

I guess this means it's time to get some game cams, and start wearing pants more.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
No flaming here. Some areas have good law enforcement, some don't. It just scares me when people say, "Carry a gun out there and wave it around to scare them" not thinking about the consequences if the other party might happens to be armed. Which, these days, is always a possibility.

 

[LizzyJo]

I have friends who have a beautiful meadow with a few trees between their house and the road. They occasionally get bipeds stopping for a picnic, which wouldn't be so bad if they'd haul their trash. Because of the bad ones they run off all those who wander into the meadow. I wonder if the city folks would like it if a car stopped in front of their house and people got out to have a picnic on their lawn and let their kids go tearing thru their flower beds and then leave their garbage behind. Doing something to scare the animals was way over the line.

 

[Saltcreek]

With that much acreage and woods, I would do one thing before having to use a gun. No garantee, but it may help. Trying to look on the bright side, assume the kids are ignorant city types, who know nothing of property rights. You need to post PROMINANT AND MANY "No Tresspassing, Private Property" signs. That ways no one can claim ignorance or a mistake, and there is no question if an altercation developes. That being said, and living in the country myself, I never go in the woods or back fields without some sort of gun. You never know what pervert or escapee or vagrant has taken up residence while on the lamb in your woods. Just sayin' as a retired cop.

 

[chickensbythesea]

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Like I said, anywhere people would logically come into the area I really care about people being on is clearly marked. All trails and the driveway are explicitly posted, they climbed through the thorns to get here

 

[shesaredroan]

I've not had uninvited PEOPLE on my land, but I've had coyotes and stray dogs come around. In the beginning I just yelled at 'em, when they returned again, I took my pistol out with me and fire it at the ground. That seemed to make my point, without having to actually aim at any of 'em.
I also have 2 great pyrenees and 1 part pry. They are my 'farm security'!!!!
You might want to let the sheriff's dept know about your experience.......to get it recorded, that way if the kids show up again, or if anything else happens (damages/animals upset et al), you've got a record of your previous disturbance.

 

[Nambroth]

Quote:
Like I said, anywhere people would logically come into the area I really care about people being on is clearly marked. All trails and the driveway are explicitly posted, they climbed through the thorns to get here

I don't know where you live, but some states have laws that govern how far apart "posted" no trespassing signs must be in order to consider your land legally posted. It might be worth it to look this up for your area.

Where I am at there must be one sign every 60 feet. If I don't have signs up I am still legally protected and am able to evict trespassers, however in order to be legally protected in terms of insurance liability, and in order to press charges if necessary I must have my property 'legally posted' to the law.
Even though it seems illogical and improbable that people could come from weird directions (through a swamp and thorns in my case), people are nuts and sometimes they do.

I hope you don't have this problem again, how unnerving! People have such a sense of entitlement these days...!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I think that in Wisconsin, by state law, you don't have to even post your land for trespassers to be arrested.

It's a good idea to do so anyway.

My family belongs to a hunting club that owns 540 acres. They have a single strand of barbed wire running around the entire property (swamps and all). We have actually had people cut the wire so they could drive their 4-wheel drive vehicles through our woods and tear up the banks of the Class-A trout stream. People can be really disrespectful.

By the way, I can relate to the Rural Lifestyle. Got caught by the neighbor in back yard wearing nothing but a bra and undies one afternoon. It was about 100 degrees and 90 percent humidity out (northern WI), so after work I took a cool shower, tossed on the bra and underwear all set to relax in front of the fan in the living room. We had been having 'possum troubles, so when the pooch started carrying on, I grabbed the .22 rifle and went to check it out. Neighbor came around the side of the house and got an eyefull. Him:

ME:

 

[ladybug99]

A few years back some one pulled into my drive way (which is next to my house) and walked into my field and started picking the flowers... which I found to be very rude indeed!! I admire flowers and to tell you the truth we had millions of these sunflowers... but they parked thier car next to mine!! They could have knocked on my door and asked first....I let the dog out and he is very friendly but they did not know that and he goes bolting out after them.....I never saw two ladies run so fast in thier lives. Our property is now posted...haven't had any trouble since......