Poachers and beaver, grr!

[texassako]

I was finally able to go hunting for the first time in 2 years on our little place(16 acres). The lock was cut and the pond looked a little high. A neighbor noticed and stopped in shortly after I arrived to ask if I was hunting that morning since they heard a shot. Head to the stand I wanted to hunt near a heavily used deer path and it had been used that day. Probably had the poacher's gut pile out from it somewhere so I head to the other one to find out we have beavers again and they plugged the pond overflow pipe, dammed the spillway making it flood into the stand, and dammed the creek behind it giving us a whole new pond. Head back to the other only to get skunked. Literally, a skunk rummaging around at the base of the stand was the only furred animal I saw. On the way out another neighbor let me know he runs people off the pond almost every day fishing it and Rails to Trails is going to start their trail next year with no more gates for trespassers to jump until I put a cross fence up at my own expense. We made a handshake agreement that he keep it locked in exchange for being able to fish the pond. Overall, not the enjoyable Saturday afternoon I was expecting. I will not let trespassers and a pseudo government non profit ruin a gorgeous day where the pond was full of ducks, I got to see a couple of happy kids with deer when I stopped to chat, and it felt great being back in my woods.

[Postalpaul]

I hunted a place in Hawkins for four years, I saw one spike killed legally and nothing else ever "taken" . It was a 1000 acres . Had a lot of stuff stolen and I'm fairly certain poaching was going on. Very frustrating !

[wantoutofca]

Old railroad tracks are removed and the right of way is converted to biking trails and the like.

[texassako]

Old railroad tracks are removed and the right of way is converted to biking trails and the like.

Horses also on this one. Railroad bed was pulled out a couple of decades ago. They were shocked when I asked them about preventing motorized traffic and dumpers from using them a couple of years ago. They assumed a sign stopped those kinds of people.

[dtknowles]

I am struggling with where to land on this. I love using the local rails to trails and the ones in Maine. I don't violate the neighboring land owners property but I can see how easier access to the right of way can put owners at risk. The right of way already existed and used to walk the tracks as a kid but now I can run the right of way town to town, this is cool. It blows if you have to put up a fence to keep people out and I know that that does not always work.

Tim

[Boyscout]

Our "Rails to Trails" here is a good place to get ambushed by teenage thugs looking for easy money. Their get-away cars are usually bicycles.

[Bullshop Junior]

Our "Rails to Trails" here is a good place to get ambushed by teenage thugs looking for easy money. Their get-away cars are usually bicycles.

Easy fix (its 29" over all) 12ga

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/02/8yge5e8e.jpg

[freebullet]

If those are your biggest problems I'd say your lucky/blessed.

[Bret4207]

People have absolutely no respect for private property anymore. Your Rails to Trails sounds like the same liberal garbage they want to do up here. You KNOW as soon as the trail is opened you're going to have trespassers and liability issues. I'd get my fence up and a lot of signage ASAP.

[Goatwhiskers]

I'm not an attorney, nor did I sleep in a Holiday Inn last nite, but I would think that when the RR gives it up and removes the rails that they have given up the right of way and that all property rights would revert to the land owner. At any rate I would put up 5 strands of barbed wire and prosecute any and all trespassers. GW

[Rick Hodges]

The property reverts back to the State and/or the Federal Gov't. They are the one who granted the right of way.
There is a movement here in Michigan to have the local gov't's exercise "eminent domain" to confiscate land for an easement for "bike paths". They want to run them next to watercourses and rivers. They will still tax the landowner for waterfront property but will pave a pathway on the waterfront and forbid the landowner from having any control. It's for "the people". Where they have put them in there has been marked increases in crime. Most rural townships have a board of supervisors of 7 members....all they have to do is "convince" (read that as bribe) 4 of them and the plan is in full force. My brother's township got lucky, they were warned what was happening before all the paperwork was done and were able to vote out the board members before the plan was final. These people don't believe in private property rights.

[fouronesix]

They assumed a sign stopped those kinds of people.

That's libtardthink and much govthink these days.

[texassako]

I'm not an attorney, nor did I sleep in a Holiday Inn last nite, but I would think that when the RR gives it up and removes the rails that they have given up the right of way and that all property rights would revert to the land owner. At any rate I would put up 5 strands of barbed wire and prosecute any and all trespassers. GW

We looked at adverse possession since our little chunk of the trail was fenced into our property sometime long ago and our personal ownership exceeds the time line needed anyway, but found out the government frowns on people trying to possess their land(it is leased by Rails to Trails). The pond already needed some work that required draining; so maybe I will hold a dam cutting party in the spring. Everybody can bring a net that wants fish and we will set up a cleaning station and some fish fryers.

[sparky45]

We looked at adverse possession since our little chunk of the trail was fenced into our property sometime long ago and our personal ownership exceeds the time line needed anyway, but found out the government frowns on people trying to possess their land(it is leased by Rails to Trails). The pond already needed some work that required draining; so maybe I will hold a dam cutting party in the spring. Everybody can bring a net that wants fish and we will set up a cleaning station and some fish fryers.

Better hurry up and do that because O'loser and his EPA is ready to come down hard on ALL water be it lakes, rivers, ponds, streams or mud holes. Never in a million years would they allow you to drain an existing water dam.

[buckwheatpaul]

Developing your neighbor is a great idea....being a defacto land owner is tough.....we have 183 acres and live on it....it is still hard to keep poachers off.....I use trail cameras in likely points of entrance....it helps prove trespass if you can ever get 'em rounded up.....and to the judge.

I have also developed a good relationship with my game warden....he/she can do wonders as well...IMHO.....good luck![smilie=b:

[MaryB]

Local game warden used to deer hunt with us at least 1 day of the season. Good people to know. We also had a MN state highway patrol cop on our deer gang.

[rick/pa]

We have a rails to trail in our town. I always wondered about all the oil and fuel spilled along those tracks over the years and how that might impact the usage of that land. If you own property that is polluted you must remediate it before it can be used. Soil has to be removed, disposed of, and replaced. Might make the usage of that rail to trail property financially unsound. Of course now you have to get the EPA involved and that opens up another can of worms. Just a thought.

[Guardian]

Actually, the railroad has to do an environmental assessment, along with any needed remediation, prior to transferring the right of way to the Rails to Trails project. It's a lot of "fun" trying to dig through ballast stone with a shovel and hand auger.

[RogerDat]

We have several rails to trails here in Mich. The ones down by Pinkney are often used by people we know. Generally folks that are just going for a little bicycle exercise or enjoying a walk with the dog. Not the sort that would cross a fence or bother your property, worse case if not posted they might go sit by your pond or let the dog splash around. I guess it depends on the area and who is using the trail. It only takes one or two (like the folks that cut your lock) to really create problems, or really annoy you the land owner.

I'm trying to imagine the individuals mental process that figured it was ok to cut the lock on someone else's gate. Who on earth does not know that is wrong? And why again is it illegal to at least blast them with rock salt or bird shot?

[starmac]

Put a 5/8 cable and large lock across one of the entrances on the ranch one night to try and keep people from stealing christmas trees. Put it up after dark, and before daylight someone had cut down one of the spruce trees and stolen the cable. lol