New IL trespassing law.
 

Anyone heard about the new IL trespassing law? I have a copy of
it at work. Trespassers will be fined a minimum of $50.00 per offense paid to the land owner.
This could help with peskey poachers. I post the statue in the next couple of days.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

I hope it has escalating clauses in it. 50 bucks min. the first offense, 100 the next, 500 the third and so on. I know is says 50 minimum which allows the judge or whomever to go higher but for some of the habitual tresspassers I would like to see it mandated at a higher fee. Help pay for all the no tresspassing signs we put up every year that magically disappear.. Amazing...

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Personally i think the fine should be alot higher then $50 even if that is the minimum. Is it true now that if a farmer lets one person hunt for free on his land that by law, whoever asks from there on he has to say yes because its considered public?

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

$50 is all? seems pretty cheap for a day of hunting on private land. Needs to be much higher than that.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Well that is what the Farm insurance reps were telling us last year or the year before and we were never told different. It really closed up a LOT of hunting for people around here.. Folks were even scared to let cousins and such hunt.. I believe that the law was being rewrote to give some more protection again but who knows...


50 bucks as a min. doesn't bother me so much because I don't want to bust a kid who makes a mistake or whatever with a 500 dollar fine for a first time offense. Well, maybe the dirt bikers who told me that I gave them permission to dirt bike in one of my fields (They didn't recognize me perhaps) but I suppose you could always decline to press charges if that was the case... I have a feeling it would be harder to pass the higher fines but maybe not.. Maybe a fine and anything the owner of the land wants that you used during your tresspassing, lol.. I would have gotten a brand new f-250 last year with leather and everything.. Dang.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

I personally don't believe it. Nor will I until I see it written in statute.

Just sems like more than to hope would come true.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

The deal about allowing someone to hunt on your property was in refrence to a lawsuit a couple years back. This has since ben fixed so if you allow someone to do recreation on your property (free) then you are not liable for what happens. (had something to do with a sledding accident, and affected hunters too).

Tresspass and Hunting without permisson are 2 different things. If you hunt on private property, or access private property with your hunting weapon you will get charged alot more than 50 bucks............


Don

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Here is the statute. It does stairstep on the fine. First offense minimum $50 and second offense minimum $250. Also holds parents liable for their childrens actions. 16 year old kids driving threw corn fields etc.This info came from a law update class I had last week and was presented by the IL Att. Gen. office.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

I would hope that folksinterpret this law rationally and fairly. I'd hate to get popped for 50 bucks just because Icrossed the wrong property line to chase down a hardheaded beagle or coonhound. I'm sure not going to expect $50 for every elderly mushroom hunter who wanders on to my property come April. On the other hand, some drunk teenager who drives his 4-wheel drive thru a winter wheat field should shell out much more than 50 bucks even if its a first offense.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Ray,

does all the money go to the landowner?


Don

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Thanks Ray:
Sounds good.I can get trespassers locked up and make $50 apiece doing it.

Bill

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

It will go through the court system and a judge will determine the
amount awarded to the land owner and then fine the individual
on top of that with possible jail time.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Thanks again Ray:
It would be nice to recieve some compensation for appearing in court as a complainant.Makes me think about offering to split the money,as a bounty,with anyone who assists in the apprension and prosecution of anyone who trespasses on my land.

Bill

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Bill,

My bounty fee is cheap..............


I can watch your land for free while im bowhunting :)

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Don K,

You just made the best case possible (apart from promoting hunting in general) for landowners to let at least a few responsible folks hunt on their land, especially if they aren;t around it too often.

RE: New IL trespassing law.
 

Living in Louisiana all of my life I have been around poaching most of my life. It has been a way of life for many Louisianians for centurys. Up until about 10 years ago an owner had to have posted signs every 50 feet around the border of his property for it to be legally posted. It was also manditory for him to have a 3 strand bobbed wire fence. Our new law which I believe every state should adopt makes everyone hunting a piece of property have written permission from the owner or he is considered to be trespassing. It is also my understanding that if you are hunting on another person's land without permission it is considered as "Criminal Trespass" since you are armed with a weapon, much different from being on the land without a weapon. As soon as every state gets serious about this issue we will all be better off. I personally hunt 1000 acres of private property which part of it I never hunt because I know people are sneaking in and I'm not thrilled about not knowing what these people are capable of. Last year I had a Sheriff Deputy make me some Criminal Trespass signs with the laws and penalties and I hung them on a few stands I found before the season began. The stands were removed without incident. This was a much better idea than to just take the stands and have to worry about them trying to get back at us for taking their stuff.