If it were me, I'd give the kid a pass the first time as long as it doesn't seem he was up to no good. 4 minutes doesn't seem like he was up to too much trouble. That being said, I'd be on the look out and take precaution without overreacting. I'd stay away from the board and chains. Adding a gate seems like a good idea as well as moving your camera. My brother had a very expensive camera stolen from private property and of course nobody knew a thing..... good luck!
One thing I have absolutely zero time for Is trespassing. I'd find out who It Is one way or the other and go have a nice friendly talk with the youngster and father.
The nice thing is you should be able to find out who it is. Then just have a little chat with about the situation and reprocutions next time.
I would put up a sign right in the trail that says "To the guy on the green 4 wheeler, I have several photos from different cameras of you on July 16th at 4:50pm, should I get additional photos, I will be turning them into the local authorities... your trespassing" That would let him know that as of right now he is not in trouble.. but should it continue, there will be issues... He does not need to know that there was only one camera.. Let him think that there was several cameras... He might think twice about returning if he thinks there are hidden cameras in the woods..
I would have a talk with the kid and father, showing the pics. I would instill in him that there are more cameras at every entrance...and that authorities will be notified next time. Haning a sign on ur entrance with the above msg couldnt hurt either. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2
You could still fine him for trespassing. I have kayakers cut my fence on the river all the time! My horses get out and we have to chase them! we have contacted the authorities about this and they tried to turn the blame on us! So if you do go to the police dont expect a whole lot.
im sure when i was a kid going up to my best friends cabin in WI, we prolly trespassed a bunch of times due to lack of signs properly being posted etc etc, we never meant any harm to anything. we were just exploring the woods and when wed come across something that looked like it could be part of private property we would turn back. if nothing was damaged or stolen and it looks like a kid just being a kid, id let him know its private property and leave it at that. if it happens again, different story.....
I went out and hung a "No Tresspassing" sing Sunday. I also informed the owner of the property. he's like me not a big deal unless it happens again. I moved my camera too. But I found squirrel hunters in my woods this time.
if he was hunting or I thought he was scouting for hunting I'd actually do something about it, but the fact is hundreds of people drive ATV down in these bottoms. it just so happens that my property is normaly protected from the riders because it's surrounded by fields or thick timber. too thick for the average joy ride. I made this trail so that we could get a 4 wheeler back there this year. The owner had mentioned that he wished to do this, so CMarti/IL and I took it upon ourselves to do it for him. The owner primarly gun hunts down here so He only visits the property to shoot a deer. other than that it left for me and Cmarti/IL. when I made this trail I stopped cutting about 10 yards into the thick stuff with hopes that people wouldn't see it. Unfortunatly, you can clearly see the new trail and its very appealling to the average joy riders down here. Oh Well! I've hung a No Tresspassing sign and moved my camera out of view. This will be my 4th year hunting this ground and so far I haven't had to chase any one off it.
Post the land clearly with the notice that "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted!" and that the "Property Is Being Monitored By Surveillance Equipment and By Authorities." Call the GW and explain the situation and ask him to swing by occasionally. Do not use the nail boards no matter how well they work. You know the kid is on your property and you can be held libel if he or anyone else is injured... "Posted" sign or not. I can promise you, you don't want to go through that... Been there... lawyers don't give a flip about what is right or legal... their only criteria is "Can they win?" That would be a slam dunk and I doubt your insurance would defend you if you knowingly violated the law.
checked my cams yesterday. some people think they can go anywhere. im giving them a pass but if it happens agian or my cam goes missing this pic will go to the cops. u have to drive up a waterway and through a gate so they knew they wernt supposed to be there. punks ripped up my plot a little also that chaps my you know what
Pigman, you should prosecute those little b*******. They do it cause nothing ever happens, make an example of them.
I had some guy putting corn on my property to feed geese (there currently is a feeding ban in my area), i suspected him for a while, then finally witnessed him doing it. he left before i could confront him. 15 min after that i put a faded "no tresspassing" sign 2 feet off the ground. Bingo...no more corn for the last 6 months!
Mercy is good if this person was lost. If they know the area, no questions, he is trespassing. Age should not dictate whether or not the individual gets disciplined. Keep in mind that a younger fellow got busted earlier this year, up here in South Western,WI, for poaching over a hundred deer. He said it was a competition to see who could get the most killed. I'm affected directly from this incident as some of the deer poached were on or very near a farm I hunt. I hate to be stone cold but, fixing this once and for all is the easiest way to end any further encounters.
Illinois has what they call a "Purple Paint Law". You might want to read up on it. It could save the owner or yourself some time and money. It will also make it easier to prosecute if it happens again.
If the property wasn't marked.. well... how was this kid to know.. I doubt he was doing it intentionally... probably got 2 mins into the place and went.. "woah.. this isn't the trail anymore".. turned around.. and left. Seems the most logical explanation. I doubt you have more issues with him now that it's marked properly.
