Hunter harassment by a CO?

[Hanky]

Hi guys, I'm looking for some general opinions on how you would classify this situation that a family member is having, he recently purchased land and feels like he is being targeted/harassed and I'd like to disagree but I'm not so sure I can.  About a year ago he purchased a house on roughly 20 acres, it wasn't posted and multiple treestands were found in the woods.  He planned on posting the property and left notes on the treestands with his phone number, explaining that he was the new owner and the land would be posted.  A couple of guys actually called and complained that they hunted those woods for "decades" and now what were they supposed to do.  He apologized but told them it was now off limits.  He said one guy made a comment on how those in the area have been there forever and like to "stick together".  A couple months later he took his first deer on the property and a warden immediately pulled in to his driveway, giving him what he said was a hard time, accusing him of taking the deer in a different zone and asking him if he could explain the zone limits.  Between then and now he had a few run-ins with neighboring land owners who he said were pulling his posted signs off and putting their own up, there were a few arguments but it was left at that.  Now it's turkey season and I head down to hunt with him the other day.  We're working a few birds when suddenly we see them flush and take off a hundred yards or so out.  We never did see what spooked them.  A couple days later he's out himself and 30 minutes after light the same warden from deer season comes walking up to him in the woods, accusing him of hunting turkey over bait.  He assures the warden he's not but says he has a feeder on the property not far behind his house that he would walk him to in order to prove he's far enough away from it.  (He put the feeder up and built a huge blind with logs with his 3 yo and 11 yo sons to take them out to).  The warden says I know all about the feeder, I watched you and your sons build it with binoculars a few months ago, and I've been there all week waiting for you to hunt it.  A little freaked out now, he says ok but I didn't hunt it because it's illegal and I'm far enough away from it.  The warden at that point says take a little walk with me and walks to a tree where he picks up 2 corn kernels, puts them in a bag, and says these are evidence, according to the landowner.  He then asks if he's "had any luck this year" and tells him that his tickets will be in the mail, before walking back through the woods.  The landowner took a video of the area the CO picked the corn up from to prove it wasn't baited and kicked and turned over leaves looking for more corn, which he didn't find.  I've never had interactions of this nature with wardens, in fact they've always been helpful and a pleasure to talk to.  Anyone think he's being harassed or is this just a zealous CO?  He moved over from PA and is a first time land owner but has already had enough it sounds like.    

[rgw]

somerset county

Edited May 6, 2017 by rgw

[BHC]

Make a fomal complaint with the county prosecutors office they supersede and all law enforcement agencies answers to then

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

Sounds like a dream come true turned into a nightmare. Sucks. Sorry he's gotta go through this bs

 

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[Lunatic]

I would file a complaint because it sure sounds like harassment, Once this guy realizes he himself is under the radar he will stop.

[Rdfhunter]

If you're running a deer feeder during turkey season you're just asking for trouble. Very easy for any animal to spread corn out and basically bait your entire farm.

If you're running a deer feeder during turkey season you're just asking for trouble. Very easy for any animal to spread corn out and basically bait your entire farm. Not to mention I applaud any CO for watching a small farm actively turkey hunting with a full feeder.

Edited May 7, 2017 by Rdfhunter

[tcook8296]

I recently bought land in Nj. It was hunted by several guys before me who posted it also. Neighbors around me hunt to. I had the property surveyed and flagged to make sure of the boundary lines. Post it with metal signs that wont rip off the tree. Stay the course, patrol the property, hide cameras and obey the law and be prepared to prosecute any trespassers. 

Word will travel to stay off. Unfortunately there are hunters out there that think they can go where ever they want. 

2 fish and game violations and you lose your license. 

I would shut down the feeder until after turkey season.

There is also an app for your phone, I think you have to pay for it like $30 a year, that uses gps to find property lines. It is very accurate. 

Edited May 7, 2017 by tcook8296

[mattg1500]

Sounds like the CO may be buddys with some of the ex hunters. When i l8ved in jersey there was an issue where other people pisted our land and said all the deer on this mountain were theirs yada yada yada. Like it was said in other post just continue following the laws, document encounters and be prepared to take legal action if necessary. They may be trying to bully the new guy but I think it will pass once they find somthing else to do.

[BenedictGomez]

Sounds like the CO may be buddys with some of the ex hunters.

 

Yup.  No other way to explain why a CO would be SO intently focused on this small private parcel to the point he's basically staking it out.  It's very weird.   Were I him, I'd METICULOUSLY document everything that happened so far, file the complaint as suggested, and if it occurs again threaten to sue. 

[Hanky]

If you're running a deer feeder during turkey season you're just asking for trouble. Very easy for any animal to spread corn out and basically bait your entire farm. Not to mention I applaud any CO for watching a small farm actively turkey hunting with a full feeder.

 

I actually don't disagree with that but if he's legal then he's legal and it's his call to make that choice;  I think the part that makes me question the motives is referencing watching the landowner and his two young sons build a blind during the off season and stating that he was waiting at it all week to catch him hunting it.  He also knew about the one deer that the landowner took from the property immediately when he took it so it seems as if this CO has an awful lot of knowledge from active surveillance to the point of it being invasive.  I know if I had kids and any law enforcement officer admitted to watching them build a blind via binoculars while stationed in the woods you own and repeatedly showed up there I'd start getting pretty creeped out.  It is certainly a gray area though because had he hunted near the feeder it would've been a violation.  

[Axiom]

Doesn't sound like your buddy is being a good neighbor.. In the words of our great Commander and chief Sir Donald Trump himself once tweeted.."Selfishness Ultimately begets only unhappiness "...

 

"Alone among God's primates,|he kills for sport or lust or greed."
"Yea, he will murder his brother|to possess his brother's land."
"Let him not breed in great numbers, for he|will make a desert of his home and yours."
"Shun him.|Drive him back into his jungle lair."
"For he is the harbinger of death."
I found nothing in the cave|to alter that conception of man
and I still live by its injunction.

[Rdfhunter]

How do you folks think the COs catch ppl breaking laws ?

[Zipper]

How did the CO walk directly over to a tree, then find 2 kernels of corn on the ground ? I am very suspicious of that. It sounds to me like it was planted.

[LPJR]

 

 

"Alone among God's primates,|he kills for sport or lust or greed."

"Yea, he will murder his brother|to possess his brother's land."

"Let him not breed in great numbers, for he|will make a desert of his home and yours."

"Shun him.|Drive him back into his jungle lair."

"For he is the harbinger of death."

I found nothing in the cave|to alter that conception of man

and I still live by its injunction.

 

                                                                           

[Hanky]

How did the CO walk directly over to a tree, then find 2 kernels of corn on the ground ? I am very suspicious of that. It sounds to me like it was planted.

 

That was his suspicion too when he called me but he was pretty amped up, as to be expected.  I try not to speculate that a CO may have put corn down but who knows I guess.  If he was waiting and hoping to bust him all week at the feeder as he said, and didn't get the chance to, then maybe he saw this as an opportunity to make things happen.  The CO said he knew where the landowner was because he heard him calling in the morning so he left the feeder area and walked through the woods towards him.  Actually when he walked him to the spot where he picked up the 2 kernels it was beyond the landowners boundaries and he said he told the CO that isn't even my land to which the CO replied that it didn't matter since that land wasn't posted he could be the one hunting it.  The CO then also apparently added "just like anyone can hunt your land since you don't have your name on your posted signs".  Of course the CO could just be doing an extra vigilant job here, I'm mostly wondering if this sounds normal or if he has a legitimate complaint to make.