Hunting same small property for 39 years, in area with woods fields and expensive homes in Upper Makefield. I had my 84 year old dad in my ladder stand on his sister's property; I tagged big six, mon. so I'm "sitting" dad. 10:30 I hear police "wup wup" then bullhorn. My dad has his hearing aids out, he does not hear and he is in the stand that is about 175 yards from the house in the woods where they are. I walk over, by the time I get there, FOUR UM police cars are there? Homeowner of 19 years had called police, we have never had an incident with her or anyone of the other homes around the property we hunt, we situated on this to be safe distance/shooting direction from homes there was ZERO shooting within a half mile Saturday, she was saying we are trespassing. Her property is above us and we enter from 300 yards below her house in the woods, top of a hill. They had no signs on their property, (and they generally have not in the past either; we know the lines) as of Tuesday but there were now Posted signs thru the woods, about twenty yards into "our" line, but our two ladder stands were still "inside" of the wrongly located signs. I go up to get all straightened out, she kinda knew who I was, then says that we were in her yard and that her landscapers were afraid to work because we were firing several shots around her house Thursday. I mentioned to the group that dad and I left at 2pm Tuesday, and this, (Sat), was our first day back. I explain the 39 years, aunt's land, we were not there Thurs, your signs that she had the landscapers put up in the woods are on our property, the stand is legal, and anything else I can in a polite manner...and who do you think was given the attitude? Do you have written hunting permission? Yes I do here you go. Is that your truck down parked in the field across the road?, "no I have parked in my aunts driveway, for the last 39 seasons"..."Well this permission slip has your name, permission to hunt on my property for the 2009 deer hunting season and is signed XXX...who is that?" (he knew who my aunt was)...well this is no good, you need a full address a phone number and more info, we will have to go to her house" I mentioned that since the lady was in the wrong that we are now going down the WCO job description with me, but I'm OK with it if you are in that mood. I know this is a rant, but I called another neighbor who knows this lady well, hunts, etc and said this is the second time cops were called out by her this week, (they never told me that),she is wacko type...so why do I feel like I am the victim? They ruined my 84 old dads hunt, he is now afraid to go where he has hunted forever and the cops didn't say a [censored] thing to her after they walked into the woods, saw property markers, saw posted signs off the lines, said stands were far enough etc...and hassled me, went down to my aunt's hassled her, because she lives alone, is 80 and asked her why she puts my dead uncles intials, (see he knew who she was) on slip/post signs, (she feels more secure with man's name),I was not even hunting! I explained to the lady, when you don't allow any hunting on you 10 acres, that doesn't mean nobody sneaks on and that you can't yell "fire" in a movie theatre and say that I was on you yard and shooting, because I was CONVIENTLY THERE TO BLAME on Saturday, not Thurs...I felt like a down south lynch mob deal...I was disappointed that none of the badged four laced 'em up to say....he is legal, you are wrong...sorry to vent...I'm sure someone is ging to tell me to lighten up...I was really ticked, and felt ganged up on, especially when the senior officer said well, hunters get the idea even if she had her signs in the wrong place...I said but the stands were still inside that!, does that mean if I'm going 45 in a 35 mph zone I supposed to tell you that you get the idea?
5D No Fun Saturday
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Pay to have the property surveyed and then proceed to tell the lady that since her posted signs are within your Aunt's property, they will be taken down and kept unless she moves them to the true property line within a week. Then go back to hunting. I feel your pain though...I can't stand people who make issues and lie just because they don't like hunters. I had a lady yell at my elderly grandfather when he was hunting on public land with a bow! Some people are just plain annoying.
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I also feel your pain. I hunt evansburg in Montgomery county. People have been buying big houses adjoined to the park knowing that is a hunting park. After they move in, all they do is complain about hunters. I have noticed the safety zone signs pushed back more and more. The rangers are starting to cave. 150 yards is now 200-225 yards.
The signs are secondary...there are markers in the woods...it's the treatment I recieved, after being in the "right" with 4 units showing up...seriously, then when the one guy who insisted on going to my aunt's house and bothering her, is leaving, gets a phone call as he is leaving her house and answers the phone, "homicide" and starts laughing....our hunt was ruined, hassled us said nothing to the party in the wrong who apparently has had them out earlier in the week and it's a big joke...I'm sure if when I walked up the hill and saw the entire shift standing in her yard and asked if this was a Dunkin Doughnuts, that wouldn't have been so funny, right? I well respect what the job is and I also realized that you can only make a mistake when guns are involved once, but I had no gun, was not hunting dad never got out of stand...old Newtown farmboy,WWII Tin Can Gunner vrs Kamikazis [censored], if he got started they'd have taking him away!!!!
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Sorry to hear this.When ever you start to have difficulty with adjoining property owners no matter how nice things started off, most of the time it never ends well. Get everything squared away nice and legal like and try to ignore her. Goodluck.
I would have it surveyed and also contact WCO and see if she could be charged with interferring with lawful hunting. Also if the signs were nailed to trees call state forester and get value of trees and have her served for their value. We try and be nice and get pushed around, see if police want to do their job when the lady is in the wrong.
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I would do what rflktrman says just to be a pain in her rear especially if her signs are on your property inconvienence her
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contact the local WCO and advise him of the incident, request he contact the LEO and the complaining property owner and take appropriate action ("inform the LEO of Hunter Harassment laws) and advise the complainant to remove her "signs" from the incorrect line/propertydeertick said:
we have a place we hunt and the old grumpy lady that lives across the road has been trying to get the landowner to post it for years every time she sees trucks parked there she goes out to the road and starts screaming that she called the state police lol they dont even respond to her calls anymore
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as stated above contact the local wco, and talk with him offer to take him out and show him the spot... I would be right back there sat morning but would advise the wco that you will be there and then at the first sign of trouble call him and have him respond there and press the issue that something be done... and i would see about having something done for the trees as well...
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I had somthing happen similar to me in LMT. An hour before dark with a doe under me an officer comes close as he can in his car hitting the sirens bye my vehicle parked on the property i can hunt. I tell the officer i am glad i took 1/2 vaca day to have my hunt messed up cause someone who has no idea of what someone is allowed to do calls the police... It is so hard to find a place to hunt and when you finally secure permission to have things messed up. the officers don't care much if they mess things up, they should really wait to someone returns to the truck to see if they can be there or not....
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Oh yeah, he should sit there for hours just to await your return. The officer is investigating a possible crime. I'm sure when he completed his investigation of the (hopefully unfounded) complaint, he went on the the next complaint. And the next. And the next...
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