game laws" IF YOU COULD"

[MRBB]

OK, I am in PA< and I know its not perfect here

IF you could make a change in YOUR hunting area/state
what would you WISH your GAME dept would do?

For me, it would be enforce trespassing, as I loose more deer and game and tree-stands and camera's from trespassers than anything

SO trespassing is my biggest issue

" What would you change IF you could?

 

[bueller]

OK, I am in PA< and I know its not perfect here

IF you could make a change in YOUR hunting area/state
what would you WISH your GAME dept would do?

For me, it would be enforce trespassing, as I loose more deer and game and tree-stands and camera's from trespassers than anything

SO trespassing is my biggest issue

" What would you change IF you could?

Have you tried working with the Sheriff's Office or other local authorities regarding these issues?

 

[MRBB]

Have you tried working with the Sheriff's Office or other local authorities regarding these issues?

yes I have, its a big game of pass the buck, local police tell you call state police, state police tell you call game warden, game warden tells you call local police
get a lot of run around and then, they will tell you, most likely before we get there they will be GONE so??

a prime example of WHY I wish the game dept would handle this, is, 2 yrs back I had a guy trespass shoot a deer out of one of my stands deer ran towards the farm house and died in the open field
SO< hunter refused to go out in the open to retrieve it.
while driving into farm I passed my local warden, then seen the hunters truck parked on side of road and hunter sitting on tailgate eating lunch?

I drove in, and found dead buck
I called local warden as I KNEW he was close by
he refused to come to my place telling me he was far away? I told him NO he wasn't I just seen him 5 minutes less than 1/2 a mile from me, NO way he could get that far in 5 minutes?
then he said there is NOTHING he can do
I said well YES there si you can come and TALK to the hunter as he is still parked on side of road
warden then said HE CANNOT talk to the hunter about trespassing?
I said well HOW about wanton waste, of leaving a dead deer that died in pain sight of him and NO attempt to recover
he then said that law doesn't effect him, and he again CANNOT talk to said hunter, NOT HIS JOB!
I the n said, well COME and get the dead deer then I don't want it laying in my field
he then said, NO, I can just drag it off and leave in in the woods on edge of field then??
I said NO, and after a bunch of NOT so polite words he agreed to come get the deer
DEER still had arrow in it, I asked HIM had a deputy with him,he was a 20+ yr warden, as he so pointed out to me I didn't know crap about laws??
and he did!
I said, you telling me you CANNOT talk to a hunter and SEE if his arrows match the one in this dead deer
and he said NO he cannot do so, and EVEN IF SO< he couldnt' do anything, as NOT his job to enforce trespassing
I said NOT even if trespassing results in the KILL of a deer?
and he said NOPE< cannot talk to hunter
he then again suggested I just leave the deer on site to rot, stating other things would eat it??
I said NO YOU take it, I don't want a dead animal rotting away and its ILLEGAL for me to be handling a NON tagged deer by PA LAW, so, YOU take it

took a total of 3+ hrs to get him to come get the deer and Hunter was still sitting on side of road(NO orange on) when warden left!

after warden left, I contacted the MAIN office to ask about all I was told, and they PASSED the buck, saying I needed to talk to the area's supervisor, which was HIM?, so what good would that do?
they could care less about the situation or what happened
this is one of MANY experiences of the likes with PA game wardens!
and I catch about 30-40 + people a yr trespassing, due to location, and its a ALL yr issue at this one property! NO help from law enforcement in 15+ yrs of asking for it!

 

[Dennis Duffy]

I am in PA. also and the trespassing laws here are so loose it is ridiculous! They wonder why more and more and more land gets posted! But posting it, unless your really serious about it (meaning watching for the trespassers yourself) and catching them and turning them in could just mean a slap on the wrist! Its crazy here in PA. and the laws need to be changed! Heck thank goodness recently the laws changed to where someone trespassing and getting injured on your property can't sue you for damages....or at least at this point it won't fly in court! Crazy!

 

[bueller]

yes I have, its a big game of pass the buck, local police tell you call state police, state police tell you call game warden, game warden tells you call local police
get a lot of run around and then, they will tell you, most likely before we get there they will be GONE so??

a prime example of WHY I wish the game dept would handle this, is, 2 yrs back I had a guy trespass shoot a deer out of one of my stands deer ran towards the farm house and died in the open field
SO< hunter refused to go out in the open to retrieve it.
while driving into farm I passed my local warden, then seen the hunters truck parked on side of road and hunter sitting on tailgate eating lunch?

I drove in, and found dead buck
I called local warden as I KNEW he was close by
he refused to come to my place telling me he was far away? I told him NO he wasn't I just seen him 5 minutes less than 1/2 a mile from me, NO way he could get that far in 5 minutes?
then he said there is NOTHING he can do
I said well YES there si you can come and TALK to the hunter as he is still parked on side of road
warden then said HE CANNOT talk to the hunter about trespassing?
I said well HOW about wanton waste, of leaving a dead deer that died in pain sight of him and NO attempt to recover
he then said that law doesn't effect him, and he again CANNOT talk to said hunter, NOT HIS JOB!
I the n said, well COME and get the dead deer then I don't want it laying in my field
he then said, NO, I can just drag it off and leave in in the woods on edge of field then??
I said NO, and after a bunch of NOT so polite words he agreed to come get the deer
DEER still had arrow in it, I asked HIM had a deputy with him,he was a 20+ yr warden, as he so pointed out to me I didn't know crap about laws??
and he did!
I said, you telling me you CANNOT talk to a hunter and SEE if his arrows match the one in this dead deer
and he said NO he cannot do so, and EVEN IF SO< he couldnt' do anything, as NOT his job to enforce trespassing
I said NOT even if trespassing results in the KILL of a deer?
and he said NOPE< cannot talk to hunter
he then again suggested I just leave the deer on site to rot, stating other things would eat it??
I said NO YOU take it, I don't want a dead animal rotting away and its ILLEGAL for me to be handling a NON tagged deer by PA LAW, so, YOU take it

took a total of 3+ hrs to get him to come get the deer and Hunter was still sitting on side of road(NO orange on) when warden left!

after warden left, I contacted the MAIN office to ask about all I was told, and they PASSED the buck, saying I needed to talk to the area's supervisor, which was HIM?, so what good would that do?
they could care less about the situation or what happened
this is one of MANY experiences of the likes with PA game wardens!
and I catch about 30-40 + people a yr trespassing, due to location, and its a ALL yr issue at this one property! NO help from law enforcement in 15+ yrs of asking for it!

Sounds like that warden blew you off and therefore changing the law so he could enforce trespassing would likely give you the same outcome.

 

[kabic]

In Wisconsin DNR doesn't enforce trespassing either...have to call the sheriff. We don't have to post though. .you better known where your at.

 

[yoderjac]

If you guys think they are loose in PA, you should come to VA. Here hunting deer with dogs is a long time tradition. Dog hunters are permitted to enter otherwise prohibited lands (posted no trespassing) to retrieve dogs. Land only needs to be posted at "common entry points" but even if you post it every 20 yards, all a trespasser needs to do is to remove a couple signs and claim he didn't see any posted signs. Even if you swear out a warrant, unless the guy admits it, getting a conviction is tough. It becomes you said, he said. When you do get a conviction, it is often a slap on the wrist. Making the trespasser take a day off work to attend the trial is usually more punishment than the fine for a first offence. Unethical dog hunters (and I use the word "hunter" very loosely in this case) often get permission to hunt on a small parcel on one side of a large parcel and release their dogs along a road on the other side of the large parcel trying to run deer off the property to where they stand.

Fortunately we have one tool that is fairly effective. It is called a trespass notice. You fill out a form with a persons name and address and take it to the local sheriff's office. It also has the address and description of your land. They send a deputy to serve the person notice that he is prohibited from trespassing on your land. This completely eliminates any "I didn't see the sign" defense. Judges take trespass much more seriously when a notice is in place. If the guy trespasses after the notice is served, the notice acts as an arrest warrant. He may still be able to claim the dog retrieval exemption, but law enforcement won't hear it. They basically say "tell it to the judge, we have a warrant".

It is not perfect, but it is a useful tool.

There are ethical dog hunters in VA. While it is not my cup of tea, I'm loath to limit hunting opportunities for those who are operating ethically and following the law. So, I think outlawing hunting deer with dogs is probably a bit too much, but I would like to see reasonable restrictions that require permission to hunt on enough contiguous acreage before releasing dogs that they have little chance to entering posted land.

Other than that, I have very little to complain about when it comes to our game department.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[IkemanTx]

Shoot, you try to trespass like these stories down here in Texas and you are likely to get met by the end of a rifle barrel. The residents of this state don't take too kindly to it. Also, in Texas... the color purple signifies private land/no trespass. Makes it cheaper and easier to mark property, and harder to remove. Just need a bucket of paint and a brush.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[yoderjac]

In VA, it is aluminum tree paint with vertical stripes on trees. This is the equivalent of a posted sign legally. However, judges seem to be more lenient when someone claims they didn't know that these were a posted indication.

 

[Dennis Duffy]

Oh lets make purple the color of no trespass for the entire country!! PLEASE!!!!!

 

[IkemanTx]

Oh lets make purple the color of no trespass for the entire country!! PLEASE!!!!!

Several states have some color markings law.

Texas, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Maine, Florida, Arkansas, and Kansas all have purple paint laws

several others have fluorescent orange or lime green

 

[yoderjac]

Seems like purple just supports the color blind excuse. :D http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/colour-blindness-experience-it/

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I'm in Massachusetts.

1) Reduce the season limit on spring gobblers from 2 to 1.
2) Allow Sunday hunting.

 

[kabic]

Wisconsin

Would like to see an early Traditional Muzzle loader season, with similar laws to some of the western states sometime in October after the youth hunt.

By traditional I mean inline rifles, scopes, sabot bullets not allowed. Only traditional type rifles with caps\flint, patch round ball or buffalo bullet only. Pelletized powders are prohibited

We would also keep the current muzzle loader season (that is after the gun hunt in Dec.) that allows all these modern conveniences.


I'm sure the bow hunters would hate this.

 

[Jameson]

...IF you could make a change in YOUR hunting area/state
what would you WISH your GAME dept would do?...

One single change and leave the rest alone????? hmmmm

Have the opening day/weekend of deer season be open to all deer hunters. Here in MN that would either mean keeping bow opener when it is(Sept. 15ish), but making firearms allowed that day, or move bow opener to the regular firearms opener (Nov. 7ish), or meet in the middle somewhere (Oct. 15ish.) I would do this, because I believe that many hunters are feeling forced to pick up a bow to get first shot at many bucks. These aren't really true archery hunters dedicated to practice and with the patience to wait for the perfect shot. Basically, make archery season suck so that only those that truly want to archery hunt do it.

Almost made the cut; buck lottery, every other year allow buck hunting, limit harvest to one doe and one buck - no more two doe or five doe areas, no wildlife feeders/no corn sales at sporting good stores.

 

[H20fwler]

I agree on the trespass law severity, would love to see it way more here.
Also would like to see a wood duck season run with the early teal season.
And my biggest...raise the non resident deer tag cost to the same as comparable states.

Other than that Ohio doesn't do to bad.

 

[MRBB]

IN PA< we have what is called Criminal Trespass and then FARM trespass
IF you can prove you gave a person a warning about trespassing and they come back you can hit them with Criminal trespass, which is a felony, and they will then loose there rights to own a firearm
This is what I tell folks when I catch them the FIRST time and take there pictures to prove they were warned!(or video them with the warning)
Farm trespassing can be done if you own a certain amount of land and it gets farmed
which can also be a felony

But AT my one property, I never get the same folks twice after this, BUT due to its next to a NO hunting property KNOWN for excessive amounts of deer and BIG bucks, I constantly get NEW folks sneaking thru my place trying to get onto the NO hunting lands to cheat
and many times they STOP and just hunt my place as it too has a LOT fo critters and quality one's at that

when I contact the game dept, all they ever tell me is YEAH we know there is a LOT of problems with that place??
I have caught "BOW HUNTERS" hunting in treestands in Aug, a month plus before the season, and called the game dept trying to get them to come out and all they have to date is said, well WILL TRY and get there, never once had one show up??
and thats 100% illegal hunting out of season?
and NO help!
add matter I have Game lands(public hunting lands) less than a mile down the road from me and I get countless HUNTERS every yr, that think my place is game lands??
even though again I have posted signs every 15-20 ft

MY most common excuse I get when I make contact with trespassers is, they OWN the place, or they are on Public lands?

and then that they have permission?? all are wrong!
and get quickly thrown out after a pictures and warning

as like above said, the penalty of a first time trespasser is so silly, and ends up costing ME more than the person trespassing(I have had a few prosecuted to try to get the word out, but never worked just wasting my time and $$, and again a super hard battle to get law enforcement to even show up to arrest them)

a Game dept that wishes to make a LOT of easy $$, could make a fortune here in PAM by enforcing trespassing, and again, they would also make a LOT more better relationships with land owners, offering them help with a major issue! something they USE to have , PA game commission lost 50+% of the CO op lands here in PA< due to a LOT of bad experiences and lack of help or consideration!
doing the trespassing enforcement could maybe change a lot of that! IMO!

 

[kpj5br]

For the places I hunt -

WI: enforce trespass, as a private land owner this is ALL that is required for me to 100% happy with the situation
To be EVEN better than 100%? :) enforce the same feeding/baiting/shine/daylight laws for everyone, from recreational wildlife watchers to non-Indian hunters to Indians. These laws are supposedly based on health of the herd (CWD, sanctuary, etc.) so why are some exempt while some aren't?

MN: Fire the entire DNR and replace.

TX: Possibly lower the price of non-resident hunting license, non-residents spend SO much on lodging/food/gas/etc and drive those taxes and economic development, and there is SO LITTLE enforcement required due to the liberal bag limits and absolutely enforced trespass. Otherwise, this State has it right IMO.

SD: Pretty good, the pheasant stuff can certainly be irritating but actually I understand it. Rest of the game laws are fine.

AZ: No law changes, just wish there were 95% fewer people there like it was in the 80s. Impossible to get a tag now as non-res.

Canada: Stop with the communist crap and weird border laws, if you hate hunters coming in and spending huge dollars just say so don't play both sides of the coin.

Africa: Have the PH required to re-certify by passing a laws test every year. As a hunter, you really HAVE to trust your PH here, and they can occasionally be a little shady/borderline on the game laws.

 

[j-bird]

#1 - Actual and true law enforcement of the existing laws would be a HUGE step in the right direction!!!!!

Trespassing, poaching, spot-lighting, party hunting, what ever else.....if they would simply enforce the laws we have and enforce stiff penalties for breaking the law I think many issues would be resolved! Those with multiple offenses.....they can just shoot them!!!:D

#2 - the DNR ACTUALLY being run to manage for the well being of the environment, habitat and wildlife and NOT the political machine. Management based on actual carrying capacity and not this "social carrying capacity" garbage they now preach!

 

[chickenlittle]

For PA: 1. Sunday hunting. 2. Remove the county treasurers from the antlerless permit process.