RE: How to Handle Trespassers?
I would like to think that no one here would shoot at anyone else - been there / done that for Uncle Sam and it isn't something worth bringing back home.
I can understand people accidently crossing onto the land (though my land is VERY clearly posted), and I have no problem with folks tracking a wounded animal onto my land (in VA, you are supposed to have permission even to track a wounded animal).
That being said, here are the most common trespassers I have to deal with:
1. Those who are hunting on the national park an cross on to my land. Of course, hunting on the national park is illegal in and of itself - so these guys obviously don't care about "legalities". They don't wear orange since they are knowingly engaging in illegal activity. (I have the law enforcement division of the park service on speed dial on my cell phone).
2. Those that "walk the river". One boundry on my land is a river. The deed grants me ownership to the far bank, but people will park at one bridge about two miles upstream and walk the river bank to the downstream bridge about 5 miles away. The bank on my side is flood plain - the other side is bluff. Generally, I've never had a problem with these guys. I have posted signs along the river bank, but I also have them along the edge of the flood plain where the ground rises. Most of these folks pass right through, only on the flood plain.
3. Those that think that it is down right wrong for me to post this land. They come in through the river and tear down the posted signs, leave trash, and generally empty the magazine when they see a deer (seven shots in rapid succession during muzzleloader season?!?!).
4. Those that aren't deer hunting. This land borders on a Civil War battlefield - so relic poachers are unfortunately common. My favorites are the guys with the metal detectors who are decked out in full camo in the middle of deer season. Especially the one jerk who had a white disk on his metal detector.
I post with signs and paint (as allowed in VA) - I do both since some of these guys like to try and "remove the evidence". Again, we're far enough from the roads that it is tough to get the sheriff there in time - and even tougher for me to tie a certain individual to a specific vehicle. This year, however, we're repositioning some of the game trail cameras.