Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss how can i keep away a human kind of scum?

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Can't state this enough!!! Get the officials involved, whether it is local law enforcement or game wardens. Of all the years and stories I can tell of my dad trying different things, nothings works as good as hitting them in the wallet!!!! The rest of it seems like its a fun game/challenge to them.

Once they know the fish are there, they will be back, WITH FRIENDS. You can do all the hiding and preventative measures you want, they now know and will tell all their friends. The bushes are a good idea, for future help. Also, taking pictures of what you do is mandatory for proof. Glad you brought that up.

I hope to get a survey done soon. We bought it last Sept and have been there about one weekend per month. If you can believe it, my spousal unit thinks her honey-do list takes priority over everything else!

I don't know yet my dad called and we got a machine we left a message but no one got back to us.

Keep trying. If it seems to the Game Warden that it is a problem that you are really concerned about, they'll be faster to respond.

Yeah you'll have to be persistent. Game Wardens are not a priority among states so there aren't that many to go around. It used to take about 3 days in my state to get a response to report a violation. I finally gave up.

My PA Fish & Game Warden was very responsive to my needs. I keep his cell phone number in my wallet.

I got him involved several years ago when some scumbag shot two geese in my pond.

Now, while I'm glad someone shot the geese, they did so without my permission.

The two dead geese were floating in the water. My daughter, who was about 5 at the time, didn't quite understand.

The Warden came and met me at my pond and removed the two geese.

He went into town and asked around, and sure enough, found the kid who did it.

Someone is in big trouble shooting geese out of season while trespassing and likely without the proper licensing.

Call regular LE as they can act on trespassing as well.

Yes, the Warden said they had nothing to do with trespassing.

Just curious...are you guys that are getting trespassed close to the road? My property is fenced with locked gates. You can't see the lakes from the road...in fact it's quite a walk down to the waters. 3 sides of property are against other private property owners not close to any roads. We've been lucky to not have the problems that some of you seem to have. I was just wondering if road proximity may play a huge part?

Mark,it is usually the nieghbors that do the trespassing. If it is a good fishing or hunting spot, people flock to it.

When we first bought our property, we had some folks that though that there long history of tresspassing entitled them to continue the practice. This stopped very quickly. I though that I could claim "temporary insanity", but folks tell me the "temporary" part would never fly. I bought it and its mine - plain and simple.

I wish I could help, but you've already got plenty of advice. I don't have that problem here in Oklahoma and I think the reason is the sign in front of the property.

Brother Bob's Rottweiler and Rattlesnake Farm

probably has something to do with it.....

If you live there,it is easier to keep people out. Otherwise,I think you will have problems. At the boat dock Sunday,someone had left me a beetle spin wrapper and once this past hunting season I was walking in someones footprints from that morning. At the farm in Aylett somebody picks the blackberries before we can. At another farm in the mountains a SOB cut off my lock and put his back on the gate. Game warden has never caught him yet even though we know who it is. That is the trouble about not living full time on your property.

I feel bad for you Kenc i'd never want to own a property i couldn't watch. i gues i'm pretty lucky i'm on an online school so i can go down to the pond just about any time i want and i don't have a job so i have alot of spare time on my hands but no money once i get a job the only thing that'le change no time, and still no money im sure alot of people know what i mean. good luck kenc all criminals are criminals for a reason they're stupid and will eventualy get caught. i hope you get em. and yes i would consider stealing blackberrys a crime.

kenc, I still don't understand your situation with that guy who cuts your lock.

AND Trout of any size is usually hard to refuse by trespassers.

ZEP- peolpe just like to walk and investigate, especially when they have no property of their own, or very little. Once they start walking, they find things to do. They also talk freely about what they see with anyone else. Word of mouth advertising, you might say. I also blame satellite maps. You can't tell me that most people don't "snoop" around to see what in their neighborhood, available to anyone.

Sunil, he is a bold SOBwho lives within walking distance of that farm. Even though he told a friend of mine that it was his lock,I can't prove it in court. If I had a leg to stand on,I would sue him in civil court. We are just hoping the game warden will catch him. Even if I catch him, if he leaves when you tell him he is trespassing,he is blameless. Trespassing laws are very hard to enforce in Va. SMPD, this is how we make a living, we own several rental homes and 4 farms so we just do what we can to post the properties and hope for the best but expect to have problems.

What nerve!!!!! Stand up for yourself man...

......Sorry, got to go. The wife is calling for me.

kenc:

Can you take out a restraining order on him to keep him away from teh property? Then if he still wanders over, he can be arrested. Leaving when being told won't fly.

I know very little about the restraining laws but I think that is to keep them away from people not land. I will ask my shyster the next time we talk if I don't forget.

I was told by the sheriff here in Indiana that it was the only way to do it. He said that he has to ask them to leave and can only arrest them if they refuse. When I said that it seemed pointless, he said that about the restraining order. That way the next time caught on the property after the restraining order was in effect, he could arrest them.I asked him just how the heck would I find out their personal info., and he said that they run them for wants/warrants so I could get the info from him.

He said that the DNR only got involved if they were hunting or fishing with permission. If someone was just on the property, then I had to call the sheriff.

true fish n chips
it's a shame

One tool you may use is when you catch someone on your property is whip out your cell phone and start taking pictures and videos of them. Some people are intimidated by having their picture taken while breaking the law. The pictures could help with law enforcement and if it ever came to court. It's a complicated puzzle and usually no one thing will completely solve it.

Each state is different,In Va. a law enforcement officer can arrest them for trespassing if the land is posted but if you catch them they do nothing as long as they leave if you ask them to. We are pretty resigned to the fact that people are going to do what they want.

Ken, the next time we are fishing we'll have to have a chat about trespassing laws in VA. I think I have some solutions for your problems that local law enforcement may not want to do or know about. VA trespass laws are far better than PA trespass laws which are a complete joke.

Virginia Code § 18.2-119 defines the crime of trespassing as follows:

If any person without authority of law goes upon or remains upon the lands, buildings or premises of another, or any portion or area thereof, after having been forbidden to do so, either orally or in writing, by the owner, lessee, custodian or other person lawfully in charge thereof, or after having been forbidden to do so by a sign or signs posted by such persons or by the holder of any easement or other right-of-way authorized by the instrument creating such interest to post such signs on such lands, structures, premises or portion or area thereof at a place or places where it or they may be reasonably seen, or if any person, whether he is the owner, tenant or otherwise entitled to the use of such land, building or premises, goes upon, or remains upon such land, building or premises after having been prohibited from doing so by a court of competent jurisdiction by an order issued pursuant to §§ 16.1-253, 16.1-253.1, 16.1-253.4, 16.1-278.2 through 16.1-278.6, 16.1-278.8, 16.1-278.14, 16.1-278.15, 16.1-279.1, 19.2-152.8, 19.2-152.9 or § 19.2-152.10 or an ex parte order issued pursuant to § 20-103, and after having been served with such order, he shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This section shall not be construed to affect in any way the provisions of §§ 18.2-132 through 18.2-136.

The issue in many trespassing cases is twofold: has proper notice been provided that the person is not welcome in a particular area and exactly what area is the person prohibited from entering. The code identifies potentially four different ways in which notice of no trespassing may be accomplished. The four ways are: by oral request by a person in authority, by written request by a person in authority, by a posted sign in an area where it may reasonably be seen, by court order pursuant to specific code sections, even if the order is ex parte. An ex parte order is an order entered by a judge where the person who is the subject of the order is not present at the time the order is entered. For a person to be convicted of trespassing after the entering of an ex parte order, that person must have actually been served with a copy of the order. This means a sheriff or other properly authorized individual, delivered a copy of the order to the person who is the subject of the no trespass provision.

There are several code sections in Virginia that relate to trespassing. Even without notice, to hunt or fish on someone's land even if it isn't properly posted is still illegal and a class 3 misdemeanor. When properly posted, the crime is elevated to a class 1 misdemeanor.

Sounds good Travis, I am all ears.