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Just saw three deer on my land. Two bucks looking at a doe for a score, I suppose. One looked at me through the window and I said to him, "Welcome to my ranch, you are safe here."........
...........at least from me. But I worry about those who might come to my land to hunt, those who might shoot here, over to here, of deer down and bullets passing near, through the house. Such is one of the reasons why I keep my land wild, of cactus and fire ants.
I suppose that makes me feel like "evil royalty" from Robin Hood lore, of wishing to lay down wrath on anyone who might want to hunt on my land. In that lore, such an attitude was seen as wrong.
And where do such attitudes lie today, in this era?
Is your land posted? It being Texas I'm assuming you have to have positive permission to hunt on private property (some states allow hunting on any non-posted private property).
Is your land posted? It being Texas I'm assuming you have to have positive permission to hunt on private property (some states allow hunting on any non-posted private property).
Sigh, not yet. The fence line here is rather primitive and in any event, I guess about 8 of my 10 acres is wild. I have not ventured down into since I bought the land.
I do have a HEAPING insurance police on the ranch, in case a poacher should trespass, step on a rattlesnake, and sue me.
Policies and signs go hand in hand, the policy probably more "effective" against the poacher, but what is the mind focus on deer hunting in the country, especially on lands that are against hunting? "City folk" as seeing that they should be able to? "Country boys" thinking they were here first? What?
If you don't want hunters and post you may get some pushback from locals if the previous owner allowed hunting. Urbanistas who hunt I don't know.
I've pretty much lived in rural areas all my life so hunting has been part of what I do for 60+ years (over 50 as a licensed hunter, before that as a tag along).
I will say that those pretty deer you saw this morning can quickly become a nuisance if you try to grow anything that they might consider part of an all you can eat buffet. You then might want someone, or a few someones, to come in and clear them out.
I am not enamored of deer, but I greatly prefer them to the human kind of trespassers, whch is what hunters violating property rights are. Private land is not open for hunting unless the owner explicitly grants permission. This is not an opt-out situation! The former owners’ attitudes do not automatically roll over to the next owner. He has NO right to give permission for someone else’s property, and those who insist that “custom” allows them to treat an ex-owner as if he still owns it are in the wrong legally.
You can bet there will be those who insist that custom or “historic use” trumps law, that those who won’t allow hunting are not “country” and should move to the city, blahblahblah. But property rights include forbidding someone from hunting on your own land, period.
You might need to grow a thick skin. I don’t care if self-proclaimed locals do not like “my kind.” Property rights do not accrue only to “preferred kinds” of people. And ALL of us pay property taxes.
As for deer population, natural predation usually balances things out over the ups and downs...unless people kill too many of them.
If you do post, try "Hunting by permission only." Sounds better than "No hunting."
When we moved to the country, we waited a year before deciding whether to post or not. We were not bothered by hunters during that year, so we never posted. Also, most areas have a "safety zone" rule about shooting near a building. You shouldn't have any bullets whizzing through the house.
It's nice to think kindly of the deer, but if a hunter doesn't get them, they are not going to die a peaceful death surrounded by their loving family. It's gonna be bad.
our state has specific signage and notification regulations.
here is only one as example of HOW specific:
"The landholder can paint a vertical line of purple paint on trees or posts around property boundary, or areas intended to prohibit trespass. The paint line needs to be at least 8" long and the bottom of the line should be between 3' and 5' from the base of the tree or post. The paint marks need to be placed 100 yards apart or closer."
this is only about hunting, fishing, and trapping.
it does not overrule general trespass statues.
I am not enamored of deer, but I greatly prefer them to the human kind of trespassers, whch is what hunters violating property rights are. Private land is not open for hunting unless the owner explicitly grants permission. This is not an opt-out situation! The former owners’ attitudes do not automatically roll over to the next owner. He has NO right to give permission for someone else’s property, and those who insist that “custom” allows them to treat an ex-owner as if he still owns it are in the wrong legally.
You can bet there will be those who insist that custom or “historic use” trumps law, that those who won’t allow hunting are not “country” and should move to the city, blahblahblah. But property rights include forbidding someone from hunting on your own land, period.
You might need to grow a thick skin. I don’t care if self-proclaimed locals do not like “my kind.” Property rights do not accrue only to “preferred kinds” of people. And ALL of us pay property taxes.
As for deer population, natural predation usually balances things out over the ups and downs...unless people kill too many of them.
In Texas, there is not a lot of natural predation. Without hunting, the deer numbers go way up, until there's nothing left alive blow 6 feet off the ground.
Just saw three deer on my land. Two bucks looking at a doe for a score, I suppose. One looked at me through the window and I said to him, "Welcome to my ranch, you are safe here."........
...........at least from me. But I worry about those who might come to my land to hunt, those who might shoot here, over to here, of deer down and bullets passing near, through the house. Such is one of the reasons why I keep my land wild, of cactus and fire ants.
I suppose that makes me feel like "evil royalty" from Robin Hood lore, of wishing to lay down wrath on anyone who might want to hunt on my land. In that lore, such an attitude was seen as wrong.
And where do such attitudes lie today, in this era?
I am a hunter in Texas and hunters have to have permission to hunt your land.Property rights trump poachers.However, it is very likely that being shot by a hunter ethically would be a lot more humane than just dying in the wild due to old age or starvation for the deer.I would not hesitate to contact the game warden if you do see poachers on your land but i would not confront them yourself.Also, i think that it is possible that you may not hear the poachers shooting but idk for sure though.Also, call the cops if bullets whiz by.
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