Property owner takes trail cam

[VinoVino]

Just be polite and admit it was an honest mistake. People can be surprisingly reasonable.

 

[ClarkHurst]

I met with the guy and he gave my trail cam back. I told him I was sorry and he said to be more careful of property line in the future and that was it.


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[grappling_hook]

I met with the guy and he gave my trail cam back. I told him I was sorry and he said to be more careful of property line in the future and that was it.


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So you confirmed that your cam was on private property after all?

 

[ClarkHurst]

It was as near as I can tell with onX. It would have to be surveyed to be positive. It was within a couple feet of the line.


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[ClarkHurst]

It was approximately where the yellow dot is

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[Ucsdryder]

It was approximately where the yellow dot is

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So are the 2 red lines private and the middle public? If so do you have permission on either?

 

[R-K]

To be clear- that's an East/West Public private divide? Or a public strip between two private fields?

Because a fencerow on the edge of public land is a definite gray area on who owns the trees- usually comes down to which side the fence is on. If it's a public "spike", then it's hard to argue you got in there without accidentally going onto private.

And did you tell him "Sorry for the mistake, I was in the wrong. Is there anything I can do to make it right?" May have been an opportunity to help him out, get to know him, and eventually ask for permission. Or just a manual labor job for some extra spending money.

 

[grappling_hook]

The piece on the left is public. I don’t understand that strip but the piece on the right and the piece that the strip is part of are both owned by the same people. Hopefully that’s not to confusing.

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Got it. That thin strip is private property and appears to belong to Paul A., so be sure not to put your cam in the same spot. Looks like there are other good setup options directly south or west over the same public clearing so you still have options.

I would suggest pulling that last pic you shared down so others don’t track down that spot. *edit-- the pic is pulled down* *thumbs up*

 

[LongWayAround]

That little strip just looks like a bust in the assessor's map that On X used. It could also be an old access easement of some sort.

It's always best to err to the side of caution with property lines.

 

[Traveler]

I have/do hunt near private land from public. But getting that close is way too close for me. My general rule of thumb is to not go or hunt within 100-150 yds.

 

[TheGDog]

It's Ok to hunt closer to private. That's how I got my 1st buck in 2014. But at least make sure you're like 40yds or more away from that private property line.. because if you shoot a buck and he manages to run onto their property... you're screwed out of that buck.

 

[Kronos]

It's Ok to hunt closer to private. That's how I got my 1st buck in 2014. But at least make sure you're like 40yds or more away from that private property line.. because if you shoot a buck and he manages to run onto their property... you're screwed out of that buck.

That depends on what state. In some you can legally go onto private property for the purpose of retrieving game if it was shot before it entered the private property.

 

[TheGDog]

That depends on what state. In some you can legally go onto private property for the purpose of retrieving game if it was shot before it entered the private property.

I highly doubt the Peepulz Republik of Kalifornistan feels that way for hunters.

 

[Kevin Dill]

As a landowner here's how this seems to me:

The camera may or may not have actually been on private property. It was undoubtedly directed toward the private property (hayfield) in an effort to surveil whatever was happening out there. It wasn't 'watching' an area which could be hunted by the camera owner. The property owner was/is defensive of his land and the hunting rights there. He's almost assuredly experienced trespassers and illegal hunters there. The property owner felt the camera was on his land and that the hunter probably was going to be pushing the boundary. There's admittedly a good bit of gray area....conjecture here.

As I see it....again owning property....the issue is hunters who push the boundaries of property. They may not do a single illegal thing, but pushing the edges often causes tension with neighboring landowners. We've all heard the accounts of treestands placed on edges where a hunter could theoretically shoot either way. It's not illegal in any way, but it contributes to tensions. If you're gonna push the edge, you'd better know where it is. You can expect pushback in some cases. I think it's legit to hunt all of a given property. I also think it's ill advised to be obvious about it....ergo; stay off the edges and hunt the interior. A lot of respect for landowners is how you keep great relations and sometimes open doors.

 

[Rich M]

It was as near as I can tell with onX. It would have to be surveyed to be positive. It was within a couple feet of the line.


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That was interesting - glad he gave it back without a big to-do.

Deer will cross the fields like that and if you can find where they like to cross, could be a gold mine.

Good luck!

 

[Bighorner]

As a landowner here's how this seems to me:

The camera may or may not have actually been on private property. It was undoubtedly directed toward the private property (hayfield) in an effort to surveil whatever was happening out there. It wasn't 'watching' an area which could be hunted by the camera owner. The property owner was/is defensive of his land and the hunting rights there. He's almost assuredly experienced trespassers and illegal hunters there. The property owner felt the camera was on his land and that the hunter probably was going to be pushing the boundary. There's admittedly a good bit of gray area....conjecture here.

As I see it....again owning property....the issue is hunters who push the boundaries of property. They may not do a single illegal thing, but pushing the edges often causes tension with neighboring landowners. We've all heard the accounts of treestands placed on edges where a hunter could theoretically shoot either way. It's not illegal in any way, but it contributes to tensions. If you're gonna push the edge, you'd better know where it is. You can expect pushback in some cases. I think it's legit to hunt all of a given property. I also think it's ill advised to be obvious about it....ergo; stay off the edges and hunt the interior. A lot of respect for landowners is how you keep great relations and sometimes open doors.

As a non landowner and to play devil's advocate. I'm going to be looking into that field from the property line to get the best idea of the deer that are likely bedding on public land. I strongly respect property rights, but that is a door that swings both ways. The private landowner rights stop at the property line. The same way they would end if it were a private/private property boundary. The land owner may not like that a camera is watching public wildlife on private surface, but as long as the camera is on public ground I dont think there is a lot to be done. That gap is exactly the type of gray area that can't truly determined with record research and a land survey.

I'm glad things are peaceably resolved and the best route is always mutual respect.

 

[crich]

Id be careful relying on onx accuracy down to the inch... I've seen a couple instances in multiple states with family or friends land where lines were off sometimes up to 100 feet. This is land owned by a logger than knows every square inch of property line fwiw. Its only as accurate as the data its pulling.

 

[VinoVino]

Id be careful relying on onx accuracy down to the inch... I've seen a couple instances in multiple states with family or friends land where lines were off sometimes up to 100 feet. This is land owned by a logger than knows every square inch of property line fwiw. Its only as accurate as the data its pulling.

Exactly. I've looked through onX on some routes and the areas they show the "road" are off from the satellite imagery and my location isn't 100% accurate all the time, either. It's a good reference tool, but shouldn't be relied on as ground-truth when it comes to property lines.

Also, if you're in an area that has that small of a margin for error, maybe best to practice your old-fashioned reconnaissance skills and look for tracks and scat to find where the deer are crossing, rather than placing trail cams.

 

[wind gypsy]

As a non landowner and to play devil's advocate. I'm going to be looking into that field from the property line to get the best idea of the deer that are likely bedding on public land. I strongly respect property rights, but that is a door that swings both ways. The private landowner rights stop at the property line. The same way they would end if it were a private/private property boundary. The land owner may not like that a camera is watching public wildlife on private surface, but as long as the camera is on public ground I dont think there is a lot to be done. That gap is exactly the type of gray area that can't truly determined with record research and a land survey.

I'm glad things are peaceably resolved and the best route is always mutual respect.

I'm a big advocate of public land rights and wildlife being a public resource not owned by landowners and all, but putting cameras on a property line to monitor what is happening on someone's private land is just bad form whether it's legal or not.

 

[svivian]

This is a good thread, a lot of good advice and conversation. Since you said you are a new hunter I am going to add something to this that has not been discussed but important to remember. I'm not sure what state you are in but check the regulations on leaving property on public land. Each state is different, but where I am I set up 12 or more cameras across the state. Once the camera has been setup for so long its considered abandoned property. I've lost a few cameras and sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. Even more interesting, in Colorado a car is considered abandoned after 48 hours of being unattended on public land.... https://dmv.colorado.gov/abandoned-vehicles
So if someone jacks your camera it sucks and I'm not saying its right but you may not be able to do anything about it even if you know who they are. If you really want to jump down the rabbit hole google the horror stories of guys showing up to their tree stands to see someone else sitting in it and theres not a thing they can do about it.