Hunting Property Lines

dtrkyman

WKR
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
2,931
So if you are not supposed to hunt the line how much of your property are you "allowed" to hunt?

I had a guy come up on me turkey hunting, he simply said he didn't like me hunting his line, I simply replied I am not hunting your line I am hunting mine, confused the hell out of him actually.

He wasn't too happy about it but we had a quick chat and he left. I was clearly set up to shoot "my" side!

I hunt where the critters are!
 
Joined
May 10, 2015
Messages
2,050
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Timberline
Actually the owner of the field they were hunting on and that guy are cousins. They then hunted the same field the next two days just out in the middle more.

But hunting edges is common with a frames and they did nothing wrong. There was a group of people over the hill 500 yds still shooting ducks as this guy drove at the kids every time birds were coming for three hours.

Just think if he would of just asked to hunt together and spoke like a normal human he wouldn’t be on video. This guy has been doing this before why should he be able to keep getting away with running people off on land he does not own or control

Which is "that guy"?
 

MrRogers

FNG
Joined
Jul 23, 2021
Messages
85
Landowner was a total jerk. Yea they could've moved their setup, but it probably wouldn't have mattered and at one point the landowner was openly extorting them. Hats off to the guys in the blind for being calm and respectful.

"WE COULD'VE BEEN FRIENDS!!!!!"
Because who wouldn't want to be friends with that guy?
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Messages
753
Location
NorCal
As I watched all I could think about is what I would be thinking if I was them. Thinking back to situations where I have asked and received permission and I myself have hunted the property line (this tends to happen a lot on tree lines for doves).

1. how close is to close? If the issue ultimately was that corn field owner wanted to hunt there, them being 100 yards off the line is still to close. So where does it end? How far from the property line does the neighbor get to dictate my activities? This whole idea of they should have communicated is what I'm mostly not understanding. If I'm actively hunting on property I have permission to hunt why would I have any need to talk to that guys neighbors? I talked to the guy who owns the property holding the birds, it wouldn't even cross my mind to go ask his neighbor if I also have permission.

2. As soon as the guy pulls up, if it's me, my biggest concern would be for the position I'm putting the owner of the bean field in. He was nice enough to allow me to hunt and now I'm causing problems with his neighbors. I get to go home, they will be neighbors until one of them dies. I believe I would immediately try to appease the asshole neighbor just for that reason. If it was a public/private boundary or if I was on the river hunting to the high water mark on private, I'd stand my ground. It blows my mind that the kids are being allowed to keep hunting. The owner of the beans must already hate his neighbor.

On one of my goose leases last year I was actually set up on the fence line because I could hide in the irrigation ditch during spring snow season. The field had been burnt and we had no cover for layouts. We only hunted it on big north wind days because we were shooting birds heads up and I NEEDED them to flare south. After a few volleys, we inevitably glided a bird to the north and the land owner on the property north of us came screaming over in a truck. He was actually scaring birds off his winter wheat field north of us by driving around all day. We talked for a minute, he gave us permission to retrieve birds in his field whenever we needed so long as our hunting was on our side. Had the conversation gone differently I would have given him a ton of respect and probably set up differently the next day. I was completely in the right and never needed to ask his permission, but I would not have wanted to cause an issue between the two farmers and lose my lease long term.
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2015
Messages
52
Bottom line, if the guys we're hunting on the property they had permission for they did absolutely nothing wrong and are 100% legal. Weather you are 2' away or 200' away rom the property line it makes no difference.

Question:
If you owned that property and were hunting your own property close to the neighbors line, would you let him make you move deeper in your own property? I sure as hell wouldn't.
 

hh76

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 2, 2021
Messages
232
Bottom line, if the guys we're hunting on the property they had permission for they did absolutely nothing wrong and are 100% legal. Weather you are 2' away or 200' away rom the property line it makes no difference.

Question:
If you owned that property and were hunting your own property close to the neighbors line, would you let him make you move deeper in your own property? I sure as hell wouldn't.
I do agree with this, BUT, I would give a buffer of a couple feet just to make sure there wasn't any question about who's property I was on.
 

Elmer J. Fudd

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 22, 2020
Messages
250
When I get permission to hunt other peoples property I leave a buffer just to avoid upsetting the neighbors. I think it is the courteous thing to do. I don’t want to do anything that will inconvenience someone who was nice enough to help me out. I would feel like a jerk if I caused a rift between two neighbors. Just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you have too.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
5,824
Watched it again. I really think the land owner was being a jerk. I think about this and that instance where the Wyoming hunters got the shit kicked out of them. I feel like these situations can go really badly if handled with that level of aggression.

years ago we had a guy roll up hot on our group while pheasant hunting Kansas. We had just hunted a field where we had permission and we’re shooting the shit before loading up to move to the next field. In fairness, at least one of our trucks was probably parked on his side of the line but not in his field. He came tearing into the middle of us in his truck and jumped out screaming at us. The guide tried to calm him down but he went ballistic and eventually shoved the guide. More screaming turned to threats by him and then he started talking about how he would kill us all as we were loading up to leave. He got real specific and said he had a gun in his truck, he was going to shoot us and started toward the truck. He hadn’t reached the door when 2 or 3 of us had shells in our guns and both the border patrol agent and the deputy sheriff in our group had their badges out and their hands on their pistols. He said a few more words and then drive off. It was never clear to me if he was just blustering or if he really thought he was going to win a gunfight against 15 guys.

setting aside all else, I think if you roll up on some strangers that aggressively there is always a chance that it could end in violence. Would have been much better for that land owner to approach those guys in a reasonable tone instead of the way he did.
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2019
Messages
954
Location
Fort Myers , FL
Wow, that looked like a great time……we having fun yet? I’m an southeastern hunter so used to hunting leases. Our unwritten policy was that we don't hunt too close to the boundary lines. That policy has served us well for 35/40 years. Would I lose my crap like that old guy, no. Would I hunt right on someone elses line, no. So I guess its hard for me to relate to either side.
 

Reburn

Mayhem Contributor
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Messages
2,886
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Central Texas
IMO
If that guy was a known quanity its probably better setting up 2 feet off the corn and hunting the line to make sure that the birds are not shot over or glide into his property. Either way he was gonna be mad that HIS hunt was ruined.

I get bent when some one sets up a deer stand on the property line of a costal field up against our woods but its not illegal so I leave it be. Had a 150" 8 point shot that I was bow hunting by a neighbor that did just that. Even though I was disappointed I congratulated him and went on with life.
 

TFrank

WKR
Joined
Dec 9, 2020
Messages
316
Then the part that pisses me off the most - they hurried up and put it on YouTube. I refuse to watch that video.
Not surprising. This is the world we live in today. Everyone has a voice, and look at the traction they get on these platforms. Just have to deal with it. People will always watch. Good or bad I dunno sometimes.
 

yfarm

WKR
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Apr 24, 2018
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464
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Arroyo City, Tx
For reference in Iowa it is against DNR regulations to shoot into property you do not have permission to hunt in. Hang your tree stand on the property line and shoot into someones property, violates the regs. Have never heard of this happening in Texas, perhaps why hunter orange is not required. You know the boundaries of the property you hunt on and dont think about trespassing.
 

downthepipe

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
226
Location
SW IDAHO
1) if the landowner knew the birds were close to the property line, he should have set up earlier than they did. Waterfowl hunting is competitive and the early bird gets the worm, especially on a property line the birds are using.

2) that landowner should be prosecuted for hunter harassment. He intentionally made their hunt miserable. I guarantee he would have done the same thing - cursing and such - if kids were present because he is a hot head.

3) hunters should have given it another foot or two off the property but as others said they didn’t have to.

4) the hunters were not in the wrong. They had the wind at their back and they shot birds only over the property they had permission. Even so, that state law allows them to retrieve birds if they sail. In Idaho that is not legal and this is one reason why it is not…

5) landowner should have talked to the neighbor if he had a problem. Also, he trespassed into the bean field.

6) the warden was kind of chickenshittin around… I hate how he didn’t tell the landowner to calm down and leave them alone.
 

hh76

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 2, 2021
Messages
232
6) the warden was kind of chickenshittin around… I hate how he didn’t tell the landowner to calm down and leave them alone.
In his defense, he had no idea what was happening before he got there. Best to keep calm and take in all the info before making up his mind.
 
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
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NC
So if you are not supposed to hunt the line how much of your property are you "allowed" to hunt?
Same thing with public land. For ducks, I'll set up close to the legal shooting boundary with the decoys facing inward. Sure, I'm closer to the houses but by shooting away it's much more considerate than possibly raining shot towards their properties... The Karens don't see it that way and nothing will make them happy.
 

GSPHUNTER

WKR
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Jun 30, 2020
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3,905
Not really a right or wrong in the situation. Just a matter of ones perspective. Land owner was pissed because that is where he was going to hunt, so he said. I agree, warden should have come to a conclusion one way or the other. If they were in the wrong, or he thought they were, he would have cited them and let the court settle the issue.
 
Joined
Dec 7, 2019
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882
Acceptable in waterfowl. I almost always hunt field edges to blend the blind in better, as do most bunters. Also, the migrating waterfowl he is hunting don’t live on that land like deer etc. I would not do this deer hunting unless I was in communication with landowner. Waterfowl is a completely different scenario IMO.


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Guys hunt ducks on river and lake banks from a boat all across the country. Inches from private land on the dry bank, but in the water is public. Its completely legal and socially acceptable to do this where Im from. If you didnt, there would be almost nowhere to hunt. Waterfowl is just different from big game in this regard.


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WCB

WKR
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Jun 12, 2019
Messages
3,250
Not really a right or wrong in the situation. Just a matter of ones perspective. Land owner was pissed because that is where he was going to hunt, so he said. I agree, warden should have come to a conclusion one way or the other. If they were in the wrong, or he thought they were, he would have cited them and let the court settle the issue.
Why should the Warden come to a conclusion? IMO he was actually doing his job. His job is not to cite someone for what he "thinks" they did or what someone else says. Also, if he has dealt with this landowner before he probably knows not to take him at his word. Also, there was ZERO evidence the young guys were trespassing. I'll lay $100 down right now to say that property line/corn to bean transition is not 100% correct. You can tell almost immediately when the farmer gets shown that they are set up outside of what the map shows as electronically posted he all of a sudden drops the subject of "do you know this is electronically posted"... and flips out again.

The farmer was just looking for a reason to bitch...If as he says...they could have all set up why didn't he approach them that morning when they were setting up or even before shooting started and say "hey guys why don't we join you...I own this corn field blah blah blah." Then goes on to rip into them about not paying the $10,000 is taxes...be interesting to look up what subsidies or government payments he has received. Seems like the type of guy to suck up every once of tax payer handouts he can.
 
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