Here in Michigan during the 1950's and 60's about all land was non posted. Cars/trucks would line the road by a small wood lot, the land owners never knew who were going to be on their land hunting or how many. Slobs drove in fresh planted wheat fields, drove in hay fields and left ruts and garbage, fences got cut and jerked off post and people were getting shot and feared of getting shot.
My dad and all his neighbors posted their land in 1963 after the death of a farmer having been shot while picking corn and a buck ran across the field he spooked out. They had finally had enough and wanted to know who was on their land and how many.
At first is was tuff to be able to hunt, for all the people they had to run off. Finally they learned you can not tell people it is private property and they need permission to be there. Back tag numbers were called in to the sheriff and charges pressed. took till about 1970 before people finally got the idea the farmers were not fooling around and people knocked on doors and asked permission. For the first few they usually got it but a farmer isn't going to allow 50 people to hunt deer on their 50 acre wood lot at once.

Al