What to do about persistent poachers?

[tmanmi]

Do you happen to know the names of the people involved? Where I live you can find out pretty much anyone's criminal or civil law history. My county courts and state prison system if fully searchable. Find out it they are on probation for something, no driver's license, sexual offender, child abuser, etc. There are plenty of ways to make their lives miserable with law enforcement if they are any of these.

Luckily I haven't had a lot of issues with trespassers over the years but when I find a stand in the woods that is not part of my groups it gets sold on FB market place or Craigslist.

 

[Billhook]

 

[Marine5068]

Hi there,
Bought 440 acres of farm (fallow for 75 years and needs tons of rehab) and forest in the Adirondack park, NY and moved my family up here 4 years ago. I don’t hunt. Every year during deer hunting season the neighbor clan and their friends take to poaching my property. Put up camera? They steal it. Posted signs? Torn down. Night (spotlighting) hunting, shooting from the road on thanksgiving; check. Rutting up my field picking up a buck they poached; check. Allow others to hunt, hasn’t changed anything.

Well, I found one of their cameras on my land with some of the usual suspects’ faces on it from where they set it up beginning of November. Turned it in. Filed charges. Then Wednesday before thanksgiving my “dog of a lifetime” defends my chickens against a fox with two others, running the fox into the woods… and I hear a close gunshot. Only two of my dogs return. Have not turned up a body despite extensive searching in an organized pattern across the property with help of my remaining dogs. Nothing. Posted fliers, took out google and Facebook ads, went door to door in a 30 mile radius without a sign or a single lead. So realistically shot by a poacher on my land.
Then this morning I hear another shot on my property with fresh snow down. Track it to offending family next door with tracks walking past my no trespassing sign onto my property and shooting a coyote, and then proceeding deeper into my land….

So what to do? I’m sure some of you have dealt with stuff like this before. I’m upset, non violent, and mainly sad about this dog that was truly my best friend, and would appreciate thoughts on how to solve this.

Sorry to hear about your troubles and your dog of course. Poor guy.
I have no respect for people that don't care about others and their property.
I'd do all the said things and then I'd push the authorities to take action when shown the poaching evidence. Game wardens don't take this lightly.
These wahoos also make it difficult for other law abiding citizens to keep the hunting respect that they earn by following and exceeding the stated laws.
I don't hunt myself but come from families that do in the past.
Keep up the pressure.

 

[ATH]

I routinely use a marker dye in my spray application that looks and behaves much the same. That stuff looks like a sticky concentrate of the same dye. My marker dye is a water soluble chemical, and will wash off in the first rain, but it damn sure colors everything it gets close too. It is also entirely temporary, and fades when exposed to sunlight. It'll take a few days to come off your hands, however, and there is little hope of getting it all off you skin with soap & water.

I don't think hydrogen peroxide will have little to no effect upon it, once soaked into your skin. Laundry bleach, however, is almost instant at reversing the color.

Overall: no good for outdoor posting. Great for areas not exposed to sunlight or water. Of course, that assumes that the chemical is similar or the same as what I am using.

Herbicide dye is a great idea...it makes an absolute mess! It is relatively cheap...even mixed 10:1 water:dye it would still be pretty thick. I use less than an ounce per gallon when mixing with spray.

https://alligare.com/products/alligare-super-marking-dye-1/

 

[Dudders]

I know what I'd do in the OP's position - sell up and get the hell out. Sure, it's giving in to bullies, but you can't win 'em all - sometimes it's best just to bow out gracefully, let someone else have the hassle. Life's too short to spend any of it in continual conflict with aggressive neighbours. Know also that people who abuse animals (ie: shoot your dog) usually upgrade to doing the same to people, so you might be the next casualty. I've no time for screwy neighbours, so had to do this myself once, cost me £39,000 in various expenses, but I ended up so much less stressed, I have to say it was worth the money.

I won't forget the guy's advice who recommended this approach to me - told me what he'd done. Worn down by constant worry about what his neighbour would do next, he sold up, moved away and bided his time. 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' is how he put it. A couple of years later, he went by and thoroughly seeded that guy's property with masses of chopped up bits of Japanese Knotweed. Shot it all over, especially around the house. Couple of years later again, he passed by and was pretty satisfied with the result. Totally illegal of course, so I'm not recommending it...

My point is that you should ask yourself if what this is doing to you is worth it. Neighbour disputes/hassles can go on forever. Life's too short.

 

[ken morgan]

I deal with this a tiny bit on my 40, jealous of your 400. Document everything. If the warden declines to write a ticket that’s fine, keep a record. It sounds like you’ll have plenty of records in short order. Take those in front of a judge and get a trespassing injunction, if they trespass it’s straight to jail for contempt of court. You’ve gotta get your cameras up as pointed out earlier. Can you high wire fence the boundary with them? If so, that a burplap are a ***** to get through. I’d be pouring silica down the engine oil fill of anyone I suspected of killing my dog and that’s the tame version of me.

Another easy way is to unplug the electrical connector that goes to the transmission, vehicle will not start and if done correctly looks simply like it came loose. But unless you are well versed in vehicle repair you would never thing to look

 

[Billhook]

Could be easier just to buy a tyre valve removal tool, and take the valves out of all the wheels

 

[cookies]

Another easy way is to unplug the electrical connector that goes to the transmission, vehicle will not start and if done correctly looks simply like it came loose. But unless you are well versed in vehicle repair you would never thing to look

might as well drill a 5/16 hole 1" from the bottom of the oil pan, let them fookers get a good 5 miles away then need a engine.. more expensive than any fine or tow..just let them hunt and leave un bothered like no one knew they were there. I agree with getting the skinny on all parties involved, a private investigator would be a good way to get the dirty secrets and legal offences as more ammo in your fight. Finding their hunting zones and actively targeting their gear and reselling it or simply removing it and donating it to the local sheriffs dept or fish and wildlife programs will hurt their pockets and gain you local favor/contacts.

 

[ken morgan]

might as well drill a 5/16 hole 1" from the bottom of the oil pan, let them fookers get a good 5 miles away then need a engine.. more expensive than any fine or tow..just let them hunt and leave un bothered like no one knew they were there. I agree with getting the skinny on all parties involved, a private investigator would be a good way to get the dirty secrets and legal offences as more ammo in your fight. Finding their hunting zones and actively targeting their gear and reselling it or simply removing it and donating it to the local sheriffs dept or fish and wildlife programs will hurt their pockets and gain you local favor/contacts.

what I am suggesting would be damn near impossible to prove that somebody did it on purpose, but it will impobilize the vehicle. the cost of a tow to the local repair shop, and the time and money spent on tracking the issue will be a bit of a stunner to them. if that does not get their attention then go with upgraded measures, but to drill a hole is obvious and it would be obvious as to who did it. hence be sneaky, its more fun, less apt to get you in trouble and totally satisfying to the psyche.

 

[cookies]

what I am suggesting would be damn near impossible to prove that somebody did it on purpose, but it will impobilize the vehicle. the cost of a tow to the local repair shop, and the time and money spent on tracking the issue will be a bit of a stunner to them. if that does not get their attention then go with upgraded measures, but to drill a hole is obvious and it would be obvious as to who did it. hence be sneaky, its more fun, less apt to get you in trouble and totally satisfying to the psyche.

The car/truck will start and run with the transmissions main harness unplugged(pta to unhook), it may be stuck in 3rd but it will start and move. I highly doubt a trespassing poacher is dumb enough to claim a specific person damaged their truck without proof or witnesses while under oath admitting to criminal trespass with a firearm to poach. Unhooking the automatic transmission selector shaft range sensor can cause a no start and its easy to remove.

 

[ken morgan]

The car/truck will start and run with the transmissions main harness unplugged(pta to unhook), it may be stuck in 3rd but it will start and move. I highly doubt a trespassing poacher is dumb enough to claim a specific person damaged their truck without proof or witnesses while under oath admitting to criminal trespass with a firearm to poach. Unhooking the automatic transmission selector shaft range sensor can cause a no start and its easy to remove.

Duh!!!!! hence my earlier reply.

 

[lone wolf]

The car/truck will start and run with the transmissions main harness unplugged(pta to unhook), it may be stuck in 3rd but it will start and move. I highly doubt a trespassing poacher is dumb enough to claim a specific person damaged their truck without proof or witnesses while under oath admitting to criminal trespass with a firearm to poach. Unhooking the automatic transmission selector shaft range sensor can cause a no start and its easy to remove.

Why not just tow the damned vehicle?

 

[ken morgan]

Duh!!!!! hence my earlier reply.

realize I am all about solutions.. the correct answer is just put a bullet through their head. as this is not feasible these ghey ass days the next best thing is to fuvk with them....add some coffeve to their mix. **** them, **** with them and continue to do so until they lose their collective ****... then shoot them. is that an easy enough plan to follow? deal with shitbags as soon as possible.. anything else is enabling then. Kill then all and let god sort them out for ***** sake.

 

[Joisey]

You might be thinking of the perhaqps .00001% of firearms owners I venture to say.... dangerous shooter are loaded with excuses, like all psychopaths. ..the first is 'why I need/must own a firearm. That goes for large property owner also....when owning a firearm is a rite-of passage made into a right of passage others suffer the consequences.

Owning a firearm in the US is not a rite-of-passage, it is guaranteed under our constitution. A few years back, WV began constitutional carry. There was the usual fuss that people would be going all "wild west" in the streets. It didn't happen. What did happen is that violent crime, which was already extremely low, took a nose dive. And those are ignorant hillbillies, of which I am now one.

I can walk into a food store and buy beer, wine or liquor. NJ would have fits if that law was passed. Don't see any drunk kids in front of the stores, see almost zero litter. It's all a matter of self control.

 

[cookies]

Why not just tow the damned vehicle?

its hard to come back and trespass again when your truck needs a engine

 

[lone wolf]

its hard to come back and trespass again when your truck needs a engine

Cant argue that point.

 

[67L36Driver]

Flatten all four tires. Report abandoned or presumably stolen vehicle to the police.

 

[Joisey]

might as well drill a 5/16 hole 1" from the bottom of the oil pan, let them fookers get a good 5 miles away then need a engine.. more expensive than any fine or tow..just let them hunt and leave un bothered like no one knew they were there. I agree with getting the skinny on all parties involved, a private investigator would be a good way to get the dirty secrets and legal offences as more ammo in your fight. Finding their hunting zones and actively targeting their gear and reselling it or simply removing it and donating it to the local sheriffs dept or fish and wildlife programs will hurt their pockets and gain you local favor/contacts.

While I can understand your anger (I've been there too many time to count) doing something such as this exposes you to a good chance of being caught. The fact that you saw the vehicle, then went back to your vehicle or home to get a drill and bit makes it premeditated. You don't have a leg to stand on. The trespasser will get their oil pan or engine fixed, you'll get the bill and he will drive past your house every day and wave, just to aggravate you.

Towing is easier, is completely legal and will hit him in the pocket with zero risk to you. Look on the bright side. You get the guys truck towed. He's damn near broke and misses work because he has no vehicle. Being less than a stellar employee, he gets fired. All you did was have his vehicle removed, he did the rest to himself.

 

[Joisey]

realize I am all about solutions.. the correct answer is just put a bullet through their head. as this is not feasible these ghey ass days the next best thing is to fuvk with them....add some coffeve to their mix. **** them, **** with them and continue to do so until they lose their collective ****... then shoot them. is that an easy enough plan to follow? deal with shitbags as soon as possible.. anything else is enabling then. Kill then all and let god sort them out for ****s sake.

Hell, if you want to play dirty, a quart of used 50/50 antifreeze added to his oil will spin every bearing in the engine within a hundred miles or so. Antfreeze/water and motor oil makes a great glue when heat and pressure are added.

The same mix and amount added to his gas tank will fill the fuel filter with snot and stall the vehicle. Unless the tank and system is thoroughly drained and flushed, it will happen again and again, for many many months.

I found this out the hard way. Drained gas from the tank of a farm tractor that I was rebuilding into what appeared to be clean (and I thought dry) antifreeze containers. Put the engine together, filled the fuel tank and the tractor ran fine for about 2 hours. After that about every twenty minutes I had to clean the fuel filter (remember the old glass bowl filters?). Thing is, the antifreeze seems to attract moisture, compounding the problem. Eventually pulled the fuel tank, cleaned it along with the fuel line and carb. Problem solved.

 

[Billhook]

While I can understand your anger (I've been there too many time to count) doing something such as this exposes you to a good chance of being caught. The fact that you saw the vehicle, then went back to your vehicle or home to get a drill and bit makes it premeditated. You don't have a leg to stand on. The trespasser will get their oil pan or engine fixed, you'll get the bill and he will drive past your house every day and wave, just to aggravate you.

Towing is easier, is completely legal and will hit him in the pocket with zero risk to you. Look on the bright side. You get the guys truck towed. He's damn near broke and misses work because he has no vehicle. Being less than a stellar employee, he gets fired. All you did was have his vehicle removed, he did the rest to himself.

Then he is so mad that he comes back in the night and sets fire to your barn