Hunting the neighors deer

[bat man]

When the deer don't bed on my place, I call them the neighbors deer because they sleep there. Having the best undisturbed bedding seems the only choice if you desire daylight movement all year long, unless the neighbors don't hunt.

Traditionally, I make my presence known on my east line so the deer that get pressured by my east neighbors quickly adapt and stay on mine until after dark. They learn very quickly.

This fall I have the opp to gate the township road that the east neighbors guests used for access. It will make the neighbors access 1/2 mile to the east and walk through 1/2 mile of woods to access my line instead of 50 to 200 yards straight north from the township road.

Would you gate the road and force the neighbors to the east to walk through 1/2 mile of woods to access their stands, effectively pushing more deer onto mine, or let them access their west line and continue to make my presence known to keep deer bedding and feeding daylight on my place.

In a nutshell, should I queer my perimeter line I have in the past, or try and set up to hunt the deer that 'may' bed on the neighbors and feed on me.

Bear in mind this is a low numbers areas where if you bump deer they disappear.

 

[MoLandOwner]

What gives you the right to gate the road?

 

[Satchmo]

If you gate it, what would stop them from walking around the gate on their side and walking the same path??

 

[bat man]

What gives you the right to gate the road?

Township.

 

[bat man]

If you gate it, what would stop them from walking around the gate on their side and walking the same path??

Trespassing. The road splits property the neighbors to the east must cross to access.

 

[MoLandOwner]

The township is allowing you to gate a township road? Wierd. Must be more to the story. I don't how someone can trespass being on a township road?

 

[sandbur]

If they are good neighbors, I would not do it. A good neighbor is like gold.

 

[Satchmo]

Ok, so I'm guessing that the guys that hunt those stands don't own the land directly east of you across the current road access and along hwy 25.

 

[biglakeba$$]

I went to our township and asked if we could gate the minimum maintenance road which dead ends a mile east of us. I talked to most landowners and everyone loved the idea.

There have been hunting shacks broken into, someone dumped a load of busted up concrete on our land off the road, etc.
Part of my personal frustration is people coming down the road at dusk when I am trying to hunt, and they go down the road at 2 miles an hour looking into the woods. Its a public road so they have every right to go up and view the wildlife if they like.

Township said nope. They own it and it cannot be gated for any reason. If its gated and someone runs into the gate with a snowmobile the township is liable.
Even if there are big red sirens and signs all over the gate saying road closed. Someone hits it and gets hurt, the township gets in trouble.

So we just have to deal with what we have.

 

[dipper]

If they are good neighbors, I would not do it. A good neighbor is like gold.

I spent 2.5 hours talking to one of mine today. I would never screw them. They are entitled too good hunting as much as I am.
I can't understand either how you can gate a town road. What's stopping them from gating you off?

 

[dipper]

I don't totally understand the idea of how walking the line is automaticly going to force deer onto your property. Couldn't it force the deer further into your neighbors? Deer don't have any association to property lines. Human disturbance is just like any predator disturbance.

 

[bat man]

If they are good neighbors, I would not do it. A good neighbor is like gold.

Brown its down city guys. They don't own the place, show up a few days a year and shoot what they see.

I can't understand either how you can gate a town road. What's stopping them from gating you off?

They don't own the land the road is on. They own off the end.

Ok, so I'm guessing that the guys that hunt those stands don't own the land directly east of you across the current road access and along hwy 25.

Correct.

The township is allowing you to gate a township road? Wierd. Must be more to the story. I don't how someone can trespass being on a township road?

They brought it up at the meeting and approved me gating the road.

 

[Satchmo]

I completely understand your motivations, but unless the township abandons the road and sells the property to you and the other adjacent landowners, I don't see how the twp letting you gate it would give you control over who can use it. It would still be township property, and thus public property. Must be more to it.

 

[biglakeba$$]

They brought it up at the meeting and approved me gating the road.

I was asked to attend a township meeting to discuss our issues and the dead end minimum maintenance road, but before it took place the township supervisor called me and said after they reviewed the books, they could not allow gating of the road unless they abandoned it. They have no intentions of abandoning the road.

I envy you if you got permission.

 

[chickenlittle]

My parents could have gotten their road abandoned by the township maybe 25 years ago. At the time, they were the only house on it. I think dad did not want the maintenance and plowing. The other end of the road was one property. Now it is 4 with one house right against his line with a safety zone that affects or hunting. No good comes from having people you don't know driving past your house and barn. Running dirt bikes and ATVs up and down. Spotlighters every night all fall. Road hunters.

Not sure what your deal would be but I'd probably do it.

 

[biglakeba$$]

I tried.... I have a relative on the township board and they said absolutely no way we can shut down the dead end minimum maint road.
The only people that own property along the entire road is hunting properties.
I approached landowners on the dead end road and everyone I talked to wanted to shut it down. there is no reason for anyone to travel the road unless you are going to property.
Closing that road off would make a big difference in things, but it cannot be done.

 

[MoLandOwner]

"They brought it up at the meeting and approved me gating the road."

You just got a gift from god then buddy! Never have ever heard of such a thing.

 

[wooduck]

Some of you guys have some fairly large land holdings its beyond me why any large land holder would obsess about thy neighbors deer or being unsportsmanlike to impact their hunting ,, I always thought the idea with buying and controlling a larger tract and putting in habitat improvement was to make your land better for your sport . That's the way I view it but I don't live for deer at any cost and have never entered the woods concerned about what the neighbors are doing and where , so they shoot some deer isn't that why they are in the woods then .

 

[Terrific_tom]

I talked to a relative who is an attorney and they said that the town could grant you to gate road but unless they sold or leased you the property that the town road lays on, that people could still climb over gate and walk on road without being trespassing. Now if they went around gate and walked on your proprty to get around the gate it would be trespassing. Also if the property owner at end of road was not notified of road closing they could make a stink and get it reopened.

 

[Jameson]

No, I would not block off a public road to stop my neighbors from easily accessing their land. I'm just not that greedy.

From a deer hunting perspective it might not even make sense. Is the wind out of the west? If so their new access is going upwind and might be sneakier on the deer. The neighbors might end up moving stands to better hunting locations. Maybe the answer for you lies in the questions of how successful the neighbors and you currently are?