Dealing with a complex wounded deer/trespassing issue

We have a neighbor that has 15 acres with 5 guys hunting on it and are having issues with them every year wounding deer and coming over to our area to track. The border is a river and because their land is so small with so many people, often the deer run over to our spot, hit or not. They are terrible shots using sub-par equipment (shotguns with bird barrels). In the past when they have had to track deer, we have simply let them. But the number of deer they quickly don’t kill has been increasing, and they are constantly negatively affecting our hunting. I stopped by the owner’s house prior to deer hunting to at least discuss coming over. I said simply send me a text, one from a safety standpoint, and to help put down deer that might be wounded. The opening weekend Sunday, around 9 am I have 2 guys coming through. I come out of my stand and talk with them. Looks like a muscle hit and of course it goes into one of our sanctuary areas that I have not been in for years. We tracked it for a bit, and they gave up, to go back and track the other deer they hit. Both were found on our property. One gut shot (found 3 days later) and one meat shoulder hit (that we finished off). We found one other gut shot deer that we believe also came from them. My frustration is increasing with their sloppiness. To add complication to the whole mix, the owner of the land is one of my father’s clients and need to tread lightly. But, with that being said, I feel we can’t continue to go one like this. Any thoughts on how to address this, without causing harm to my father’s relationship. And it doesn’t help, these are one of the only neighbors that shoot “brown its down” while the rest of us support QDM and most of our crew is shooting only 3.5 yo and better.

We have a almost the same situation on our farm. 5 guys hunting 20 acres with an shooting everything that comes by. Last year they harvested 17 deer and i can see how bad the population got hurt by it. The deer have 3 ways to come from east west and south the north border is grassland that the deer don't really bed in that turns into another piece of land that we can waterfowl hunt the pond on it. We own the south and west border and every year an uncle watches the deer go in and as soon as they cross the property line get busted at nubbers fawns spikers whatever. Well the neighbor on the east side used to have a deer farm. long story short he put up a 10 ft fence that way the deer can't get to them from him. He's been pimping us to let him put up the fence on our side but we don't know if we really wanna do that. We had them coming on our property bow hunting tracking deer with out asking and the guy that put the fence up has had them try to come on to his but didn't allow it he went and tracked the buck and tagged it himself.

I had I similar experience. I also tried talking with our neighbors. It didn't work out. it seems like we have one property owner, with 4 other hunters that are friends. Im sure the property owner has more to risk than the friends that are hunting his land. One simple method I tried and it worked. Send him a letter via mail. this will get his attention better than a verbal conversation. State in the letter that he as the landowner has to follow through with certain rules just as you will if you need to go on his 15 acres. A piece of paper with the rules is a lot more effective than saying it verbally. Then he can pass the letter along with his friends at deer camp. If that doesn't work, Simply post no trespassing signs and QDM statements along your lot line.

Getting a bit personal here!!

Offering to help them target practice may help to give them a hint, but they should know by now that they aren't taking great shots. Being open and honest is probably the best choice but if they don't listen or respect your agreement you may have to get more firm. Of course, if you refuse to let them track on your land you will probably wind up with a lot more deer going unrecovered. It's more than likely that they'll continue to take bad shots and not even bother to track it if it heads towards your property line, they'll just take another shot at the next one they see. I doubt they will change anytime soon so even a stern talking to or ultimatum likely won't change their shooting behavior. If nothing changes except now you have a poor relationship with your neighbor, it is really worth the hassle you'll have to deal with? It's their property they're shooting on and even though it has a negative effect on you, in the end there's not much you can do except try to work with them if possible.

I appreciate all the dialogue. On another note, we found another dead deer while picking up stands this weekend. It also appears to be shot from a 12 ga slug, but as it has been sitting for 2 weeks now, a little tough to tell. But that would be #4 from this group if my assumptions are right. In any given year, they will fire somewhere between 20-50 rounds. So it is certainly plausible they wounded and did not recover 4. Just makes me sick.

SJB, it seems you have been more than fair in your dealings with this group. Maybe that is the problem. It is very hard to be reasonable with people who are not reasonable. My suggestion - for what it is worth - would be to first sit down with your dad and find out how much he values this client. Maybe the guy thinks he can just walk all over you because of that business relationship. If that is the case, the guy is never going to change the way he acts. This may come down to a decision to either denying this neighbor access, or learn to cope with having your season marred by his actions. This is a tough situation to be in and I don't envy you for the decision you have to make.

Getting deep here. Mrt.

for the record I was brought to make every attempt to recover a wounded deer, and I pass that same sentiment on to everyone. Yes I do have private land. and yes I would allow one of them along with my help to look for there deer. That would be the right thing to do.

Great outdoors please proof read what you write so it can be understood. In essence you are correct about letting it rot. Because all 3 choices are his, not yours or mine. If he chooses to not let people come and look for their deer, and if he doesn't want to tag it I guess he then chooses to let them rot. That is in my opinion some one whom must have no respect for the hunt or the animals themselves. Food for thought!!! It may not happen that your deer run over there often but it will happen. It might be not a 3.5 year old buck but something even bigger. You will have to stand on your lot line and watch them hang up your buck of a lifetime. Be ready for that moment. Karma works that way.

Not sure how I am supposed to not read into your statement about ROT about it not being on the person who would deny access. "SJB,I guess I'm not sure what is so complicated about it. You have 3 choices, you let them come and get their deer - This would be letting them it, you take the deer - This would be not letting them in, you wouldn't take the deer if you let them in as far as I can comprehend, or let it ROT - This would be not letting them in, you wouldn't make them leave the deer lay there dead if you let them in as far as I can comprehend. That's the three choices you have." In the statement above you said SJB has 3 choices, and ROT was the 3rd of his choices. Then you claim that if the deer would rot it wouldn't be on him? Please tell me where I am missing something with my comprehension. If it is 1 of his 3 choices and he chooses it, how can it not be on him with your logic of his choices? Really, I seem to be missing something here. "Where in my post did I say it would be on SJB if it would ROT" - Probably the part when you said SJB would have 3 choices, the third choice being ROT. I'll work on my comprehension "sills" as long as you work on your spelling. Then we both won't look like idiots. You talk about belittling, yet you are out there calling everyone an idiot who does not agree with you on allowing full access to private land for slobs who can't follow rules.

Great outdoors your comprehension sills aren't very good where in my post did I defend them. Where in my post did I say it would be on SJB if it would ROT .it was capitalized to show the worst case scenario . so your kindergarten rant has no merit. It still falls back to 3 choices. Don't care how long you have to study it, because your not going to change those people. So go ahead a belittle people if that makes you feel good on the internet. It actually makes you look sort of like an idiot

Cutting off access is probably not a good idea. Not only there is a chance a wounded deer goes onto their property, but these guys will just keep shooting deer if they wound one and runs onto his property. Runs across the line, oh well, shoot the next. I have heard of this happening. That is why I would never threaten to prosecute unless everything has failed. Use it only as a last resort or you could be ruining your hunting further. Tough situation.

"SJB,I guess I'm not sure what is so complicated about it. You have 3 choices, you let them come and get their deer, you take the deer, or let it ROT." You post the 3 choices and put ROT in caps as if to highlight the rotting would be on SJB. Did you read about this year? He put restrictions out there and they ignored him. They tracked at will and did not recover any of the deer. They found 2 gut shot deer from this group on their land ROTTING. The slobs taking full access of the land didn't find them. These are slobs that can't hit deer effectively and don't have enough sense to ID a gut shot deer or let it lay, honestly, how good do you think they are gonna be at tracking? As much as you are defending them, I gotta ask, are you 1 of the 5 people hunting that 15 acres?

"sounds like there are a lot more idiots out there then just them 5. 2 wrongs don't make a right. It is very unsportsmanlike to not give a person who has legitimately wounded a deer the opportunity to get his deer. I can see having some guidelines about how many people/when, and such, but to deny them completely makes you just as much as a idiot as them." As for your comment about it being very unsportsmanlike to not give a person the opportunity to get their deer, you need to read a little more about what is going on. SJB put a reasonable guideline out there about the rules to chase deer onto his property. They completely ignored it. Also, they never recovered any of the dam deer this year anyways despite them just trouncing around at will like it was their own land. This is a classic group of slobs who have no respect for the resource or their neighbors. The only thing I have seen that is very unsportsmanlike is this group of slobs not having enough respect for the animals they are hunting to spend some time at a range, upgrade their weapons, take shots they are certain to make, etc. They are absolutely abusing the resource and you want to call out people who are sick of slobs like this as unsportsmanlike? SJB has allowed them access for years, just wants them to follow some rules so as to not screw up his hunting. They chose to not follow those rules. That doesn't make him or anyone else an idiot for cutting off access at that point. If you had a few hundred thousand tied up in land and sat there continually watching the same group of jerk offs trudge past your stand on poor blood trails or blood trails that don't exist, maybe you would chance your tune? For the record, my group and I have private land and we let our neighbors track. We have one neighbor that asked us to call or text if we have to go onto his land. We certainly will do that if the need ever arises. Other than that, we can go anywhere anytime, same for our neighbors. We do have one group next to us of clowns. They went onto this guys land this year and when caught by the guys grandson in there tracking without notification claimed they were from our group. They might lose their right to track onto that land in the future. While you might fault the landowner, I certainly don't. It is his land and his rules. If he lets you on with just the simple request of notification prior to chasing, I don't think that is unreasonable to follow. Back to the original story, it seems it is SJB always going over to talk to these guys. Doesn't appear they ever come talk to him. So, SJB has done more than enough. I certainly wouldn't fault him for cutting off access and prosecuting trespassing offenses. Maybe that will get their attention. Being nice and a good neighbor hasn't worked with these people.

SJB,I guess I'm not sure what is so complicated about it. You have 3 choices, you let them come and get their deer, you take the deer, or let it ROT. That's the three choices you have. Who they are, what they are, and what they do, you cant control. So complaining about them personally does nothing to solve your problem. They maybe think your an idiot for being so anal over a stupid deer. to each there own. Comes back to the same 3 choices.