Land Horror Stories
General Topic
I keep reading all these land threads and people chime in with warnings and I thought about what else happens. Anyway, post up your land horror stories. At some point I would like to buy some and would love to hear all the things to look out for that could go wrong.
Interested in this as well as I’m planning on purchasing land soon....seems people say what a nightmare hunting public land is and what a nightmare having private land is.
I hunt quite a bit of private but hunting public to me is not a nightmare. You just have to be smart about it and find the right spots. I think the issue with public is guys only have a week or 10 days to hunt. Sorry but I do well on public but it normally takes me 5 or 6 days to really start getting onto deer in more than one spot and on public you need a second and third option! Shawn
Owning your own land is awesome......but....just make sure that the piece you buy is the piece you’re gonna love twenty years from now. Or, you can do what I did, buy raw land, clean it up, hunt it for ten years, and sell it at a profit. I owner financed mine and the check I get every month definitely looks better than the place I sold. It was good while it lasted but the money was going the wrong way, especially after I retired. I was bored and spent more time and money than I should have I guess. Regardless, it was fun while it lasted and I’ll never regret it.
My bet is for every 20 guys that have a “cautionary tale” for you, only 1 has actual negative experience. People that aren’t in the game generally love to warn people about potential problems about getting in the game. This is not just land related. Just a human nature observation. I have taken a number of risks in my life where I heard “potential negatives” all over the place. From renting my house to buying and renting electronics, to buying land and on and on. Though I tend to be consistently lucky i haven’t experienced the negative. I’m not saying it isn’t out there, all I’m saying is that the broadcasting of the negative is always 10-20 times louder than the positive. Everyone loves to tell you how you might fail. Thankfully there are those out there (and on this site) that live to see people succeed. I feel very blessed to have found a number of those people both in my life and on this site.
Wish you the best of luck in your search. I have no negative experience to add. On top of that, nearly every “situation” a person runs into can usually be managed with communication and common sense. When and if you do buy, showing up to meet the neighbours with a gift goes a long way. Only one chance for a first impression as they say.
I bought a little over 80 acres ten years ago. The neighbor was in his late 80's and actively ranching. My dad, who was also in his 80's warned me I'd probably have problems with the neighbor. Apparently, the neighbor had kicked his own father out of his own home, and his mother signed over all their land to him. My dad knew this because the neighbor's father was best friends with my grandfather. Fast forward nearly half a century, and I am now being sued by this same neighbor. He decided one day he would doze 1/2 a mile of my hedge trees to put in a new fence. I met him and his high strung hired hand the next morning and informed them they could not doze the hedge. An argument commenced and they moved equipment close to the hedge a week later. I ended up warning them if they came one foot over the existing property line, I would permanently disable their dozer (.50 bmg through the engine block). They backed off for a bit, but still had to call the Sherriff. The detective tried to tell me it was a civil issue until I explained there was active threat of criminal trespass and criminal destruction of property. After that detective warned him not to proceed until a judge became involved. The rancher was a mason, so he got his mason buddies on board on the county commission. They decided the existing fence was not a legal enclosure, and wrote a letter to me that it needed removed. Problem was, nobody was authorized to give that order. The fence was enclosing most of the hedge and had been recognized as the property line for 60 years, well over the 15 year minimum. I replaced the fence at my cost, and the neighbor sued me, stating the fence was not heavy gauge as required even thought the high tensile wire I used was well over the legal minimum. A lawsuit ensued and the neighbor attempted to press trespassing charges since I crossed his fence multiple times to replace it and trim trees. The judge threw it out after I sent his attorney trail cam pics of him driving though my property. The lawsuit lasted until he died last year. My dad cryptically told me the only way to win was outlast the guy, which happened. His family attempted to get the wealthy new landowner to continue the suit, but he politely declined and told them he liked the trees. He has repeatedly thanked me for saving them and we both signed papers and formally dismissed the suit so he could close on the property. Throughout the whole lawsuit, the judge seemed to be on his side, even though the Ks Supreme Court had upheld my argument that an existing boundary has to stay the boundary regardless of a legal survey. After the neighbor died, his attorney had my place surveyed, and it showed I owned the whole hedge, plus some. I'm just glad it's over. The commissioner in favor of me losing all the trees died of a massive heart attack, the guy suing me died, and the guy that was supposed to doze everything lost his farm. All's well that ends well.
Mineral rights, make sure you get them if you can.
Hate to put time and effort in to a piece of property only to have a drilling rig move in.
Jason, wow what a story. Amazing how it all worked out though.
Buying land isn’t for everyone. If you want it. Buy it. But, do your due diligence. Then hope everything goes well. It is a gamble. And is worth it. But, it takes dedication in preparation to make it a good experience.
I bought 640 acres in west central Ks in 2009. I really was buying as a long term investment. The land is one mile from my childhood home and adjoins property that my brother owns and farms. My brother and I have developed it into decent white tail and pheasant property. I live 800 miles from the property and hunt it 4-5 times a year, for 2-5 days a trip. What key in my case is keeping uninvited hunters off the land. My brother watches the land closely for me and keeps people off of it. The last thing you want is buying land, paying taxes on it, putting in food plots etc, and uninvited people hunting it when you are not watching.
FWIW.......This maybe be common sense to many, but my bro in Montana suggested why spend alot of money to buy acreage when you live in a state with tens of 1000's of acres of public land around you to hunt. Unless you're running livestock or have some other larger land need.....ya probably need to to do a reality check on how much land you actually need in the area you're at.
Dale06, I can watch your property during turkey season. Be glad to help you out!
Go back and read APauls contribution to this discussion. He's absolutely right.
I am a business owner. Ten years ago I went to a business management seminar and the presenter shared a few interesting studies. Through surveys and social media tracking it was discovered that if the average american has a positive experience with a company or a service they tell and average of 3 to 5 people. If a person has a negative experience with a company they tell an average of 11 to 13 people. Not only are the numbers greater for a negative experience but several other phenomenon are known to take place. The negative stories tend to be exaggerated for maximum impact, and after the nightmare stories are shared, the people who heard the bad stuff go tell another disproportionately high number of people an increasingly exaggerated negative story about said company or service. We've all seen how this type of gossip growth takes place with the negative but not so much with the positive.
After I learned that, I made sure to protect my reputation and not allow myself to contribute to the spread of negative stories because they're usually, statistically, incorrect.
I have several patients that have owned numerous hunting properties and I made the "mistake" once of casually saying..."yeah, land ownership is fraught with peril because of all the bad people in the world." All three of them gently scolded me not to let that kind of thinking tarnish my person. They shared great stories about courteous neighbors and all the great memories hunting and fishing with their children and grandchildren. One of the guys is 80 now, he's owned over a dozen farms here in Kentucky and he said it best..."Steve don't let negative rumors that you can't prove talk you out of your own dreams." Man, he nailed me with that one.
I'm not saying bad stuff doesn't happen, but....Don't let negative stories make you give up on a dream, ever. Best of luck and Merry Christmas to all.
Too many stories to tell there.
Here's one story, My brother and I bought a 410 acre piece in 1985. Bought it from a farmer, it was all mostly wooded. An 80 stuck out to the north and borders a 80 acres with 50 acres of field and 30 acres of woods. Our West line on this 80 had the north 50 bordered by a swampy area, the 30 acres of woods on the south bordered us on our West line and the South end we bordered the entire forty wide. The farm family that had owned the 80 were famous for taking deer and more than the legal number. Heck my dad even caught them red handed one time. Anyway, the south 30 on our West line had a fence line jog in it due to low spots and pasturing cattle. In those days it did not matter as everyone just agreed as it was about cattle pasturing and not the land or deer hunting - (everyone could go everywhere except these two pieces).
The farmer we bought it from said the fence line would not be an issue, my dad knew the other farmer and we agreed. Well the father on the 80 died shortly after we bought it. Fast forward some time and I want to put a road in. So I call one the of the brothers that now owned the 80 next us now and explain where I am running the road and simply trying to be neighborly. He was fine and sad yes that old fence is jogged around some small grass spots, no problem. I put the road in. Well that fall and rifle season the older brother goes back along the line and sees the road I put in for logging. He calls me up tells me that fence line is the line and my road is to be blocked off. Well I told him his brother said it was okay, and he said I am the executor of the estate and not my brother. Well I went to my attorney and he came down and walked it with me. He said in the county you live you will lose as the fence line has existed for more that twenty years. The judge always sides with the fence line law. Well this line created a 6 acre jog in this 80 acre piece. It also always created an issue with that neighbor. The next year the brother that was the executor came down through their 80, into our property about 150 yards and kicked my 12 year old nephew out of "his" stand. Well that led to an escalation as you can guess. Long story short for 20 years we lived with the fence line and the family sold the land to another farmer. I thought maybe a window here but to no avail. Still no movement on the land or the line. SIGH
Now all this land this farmer had bought was going up on auction. I go the auction with the intentions of buying 140 acres mostly field including that 80 acre piece. At the auction one of my former students who is a cash cropper is bidding against me. He walks up to me and says what are you going to do with that land. I said really I want the back 30 because of the fence line issue. He says let me buy it for the fields and you can buy the 30 acres of woods from me. I told him deal! After he buys it he calls me up and says we need to meet. I go over to he and his parents home and he shows me a hand written document. The document when the cash cropper bought the land, was filled in on the fence line situation. He was not worried as he and I would work it out. The original farm family, also retained exclusive hunting rights to the 80 for their family until their children passed away. Yep, not even the new owner could hunt it. He looks and me and says you don't want this. You nor I can even hunt it until there children die. There youngest child is 30 now, Yes it is legal and biding.
So I get thinking on this and I call him and say lets go for a walk. He and I meet up and his mom comes with, LOL. We walk back and I explain the fence line jog and says that is just wrong. Lets' straighten this out and just be good neighbors forever. We shake hands and I say one more thing. You know that 30 acres is all a pretty nice ridge, if you clear cut it, stump and you will have a nice 80 acre field. He looks at me and says, and they would have no where to hunt this. So we walk the 30 acres he looks at me and says, that is a great idea. So come the next summer he clears and stumps it all. He has a nice field, I have a steady food source, we have a common line where it belongs, and we are good neighbors. Only took 35 years! Would not change owning land at all, we now have great neighbors on all but a 400 yard section. Merry Christmas all!
JL. Kansas is mostly private. Despite my battle, I have zero regrets and feel this place is the best thing I've ever bought.
I've been in some dandies! People suck!
Screwball...WOW! What a story - glad it finally worked out for you.
I forgot to add, every-time I drive to my brothers past that 80 acre field my former student now owns , for some reason I get the biggest sh## eating grin on my face! And they no longer even drive by it much less hunt it. LMAO
My friend owns 25,000 acres in Oregon. Initially there was a dead end county road that went into his property for miles. No matter how many signs that were put up people still snuck in. Finally there had to be someone parked at the entrance and follow any vehicle that drove in. Even though signs at the entrance said no public access to land. Finally he was given permission to lock up the road. There were incidents of people then shooting the metal gate and then someone welded the gate shut. State police checked local camping areas until they found a truck with a welder in the back. Even at that there are still a few poachers. Then a couple years ago the county wanted to go up into the middle of the ranch and place a dam in a canyon to create a lake. If they get to do that then property on both sides of the lake would become public lands NF poaching would really take off. Their reason for wanting to do this is so cold water could be released from the lake that would benefit fish downstream during summer and droughts. This is just stupid reasoning. The stream has been like this for probably 8-10,000 years and now someone wants to change that? One other thing in looking for property. Be careful if it has a wetlands on it. The feral government in years past have been taking and want to take private wetlands away from private owners. I could site one instance here that I know of but I’ve written enough. Buying property is great but their maybe instances you have to fight for it if any type of access exits or there is water flowing or on your land.
A dozen of my neighbors bought properties bordering National Forest. Some built houses or cabins. One day the NF did a survey and discovered that the boundary was off by between 50-150 yards due to the original survey using an incorrect starting point marked by a rock pile, way back in the day. That survey company was long out of business.
USFS offered to let them buy their properties and homes back at current market value, which was way inflated due to mountain development in the area. Eventually our Congresswoman became involved, and actually got a Bill passed in Congress, HR 3299, which amended the USFS property lines and restored ownership to my neighbors.
We wanted to save the hassle of Neighbors so when we bought our properties, we just bought all the neighboring properties except one piece. "Screwballs" brother bought it. At the same time we landlocked crown so we can have sole access. Once the border opens we have a plan on another 160 adjoining 420, Mutrie Outpost.
The worst part about owning property is that you have to tell people that they can’t use it any way they want. The best part about owning property is that you get to use it any way you want.
My parents' house sits on a small property and is on a shared well with two other neighboring properties. The guy who owned the piece where the well was located was a young guy (the jerk) who originally tried to buy my folks' property from the bank also but couldn't get enough money together. He'd hooked his house up to a larger water district but my folks and the 3rd neighbor relied on the well as their sole source of water since the district supply line didn't go all the way up the road to their properties. At first the guy was neighborly, but when my dad took interest in maintaining the well properly through the 50-year-old legally-established well corporation the 3 property owners were all supposed to be part of, the neighbor decided to turn into a huge jerk. He tried to say he was the sole proprietor of the water since the well was on his property, he'd send them "water bills" in crazy amounts with no paperwork to substantiate his fees, and if they didn't pay he'd either shut off the valves to their lines or turn on a big hose and run the well dry so they had no water. It ended up going to court multiple times, the sheriff was out for trespassing calls every time my dad walked through the easement to fix the well equipment or turn his own water back on (the sheriff eventually told the jerk he was going to get himself cited for making false complaints), my folks had to put up a new fence and get a restraining order to keep the jerk's friends from harassing them on their own property. One day in court the jerk testified that the plan he and his uncle (who'd financed the jerk's property and was the husband of a CO state congresswoman) originally made was to buy all 3 properties and connect them, and since soon they were going to legally possess the well the other two properties would be without water and basically worthless to anyone but him. It was a stupid thing to say in court and it exposed the ulterior motives behind their stories and harassment, and the judge eventually ruled for my parents and the 3rd neighbor because of it. The jerk eventually sold the place and moved on since nobody in the neighborhood liked him anymore and he couldn't make his original plan of owning the two adjoining properties work out, and he still owes my dad over $6,000 in legal fees. It was a real mess.
Back in the 50's, my late grandfather owned a big horse ranch and hay farm in El Centro Valley California. They had a neighbor that kept leaving the valve open on the canal and it would flood my grandpa's field. He had alfalfa and it would ruin it and he couldn't cut when it was turned into a rice paddy. He told the neighbor to stop a couple times but it kept happening. The last time it happened, he drove down to the neighbor, dragged him off the porch, and gave him a good beating. The neighbor turned him into the courts. Reportedly the judge fined my grandpa $50. My grandpa pulled $50 out of his jeans slammed it on the podium, and said "Are we done here?" and stormed out of the court. The neighbor never flooded his field again.
Ive been shot once, buck shot from a duck hunter who decided to shoot into the woods on my property (the river bisects my land). I caught 4 pellets in my calf while hanging in my tree saddle. And last year a poacher shot at something, no idea what and the bullet hit the tree i was leaning against about 4 inches in front of my nose. Good times
Let see: I have been told to get off my own land, attempted to be kicked out of my tree stand on my on land, had our locks glued shut, nails in our driveways, stands stolen, fields tore up, straps cut, cameras stolen and vandalized, told this was their land, told no one should own this much land, turned in multiple times for violations we were not committing, shot at, shot towards, threatened to many times, threatened family, kicked out kids out of our stands on our land, told from trespassers in stands on our land that they had talked to me when asked if they knew who's land they were on - like we were old friends and they didn't know who I was. My favorite, We shoot at people, we did not but it became a great deterrent.
If you want to understand owning land watch Yellowstone and how Jon Dutton feels. That is it. "We need more one way train stations!"
It sounds to me like about 40% of the people that’s chimed in on this thread has a version of stories that can’t be considered hunky dorey.
I hate that folks have these kinds of issues this regularly. I guess we are blessed in that we have not had anything like this happen in my lifetime of owning our family land. I love the Yellowstone reference above. The hate to admit that I too am inspired by John Dutton. I think I’d rather have a Rip than a one way train station though!
Gunny, you can watch my property during turkey season. There’s about six cottonwoods on one edge of it. Nearest other trees are literally miles away. Have never seen a turkey within five miles of it.
I am Rip in our family. Brother is Jon. I want more one way trains! LOL
I hunted public land one year when I lost all my private land due to leasing. Luckily for me the people I hunted off of didnt re lease and was able to hunt there again. I never had any issues hunting public though. I work afternoon shift and never saw another hunter during the week that season, but I didnt hunt there on weekends.
I own land in the big woods. Not a lot (35-acres) but it has state game lands on 2 sides. It's a decent spot before daylight savings time kicks in (early season) as I can get there after work and still get in the woods for a short sit over my field before dark. My field is the only one around for miles and it's about 1.5 acres. Hunter numbers are down in my area (I never seen anyone on state lands unless they are one of my neighboring landowners). I don't really have any issues with people coming on to my land either. Once - and only once have I found anyone hunting it. I just let him know in a nice way that it was private/posted and told him he could finish his hunt today.
I also lease land near my land (100+ acres) so that I can get my ATV much further back into state game lands. That's tough to say... I drive my ATV on my lease as far back as I can go, park it and then go into state game lands. Some of the state game lands is good hunting. Most of my season I spend my time that land. Like I said, I don't run into many people on it either. I have only run into my neighbors (sometimes I feel like they are hunting me - and I'm not paranoid LOL! This year I had put out mock scrapes and rubs and the following week, they have a stand setup. I felt bad because it turned out not to be a good spot.)
I do enjoy the land. I probably over-paid for it but I already owned a small parcel and it was surrounded by these 35 acres on all four sides (my original parcel was bought by my grandparents who with my father built a hunting cabin, the land was only 60 x 80 feet with 60 feet being road frontage). I've heard people say land is a great investment. That's not why I bought mine. It ties me to my family, eventually I may sell it or turn it over to my kids when I get too old to go. I don't think I will get what I paid for it.
I have already drawn my trust up so that my land is divided the way I want.Anyone that doesn't have a trust or will please please get one especially if you have kids or a blended family.I know all the blended families say everything will be divided evenly but thats all good until one parent dies and then all the assets go to that side and very rarely does that side remember the other side of the parents family that passed and divide equally.
Here, one cannot subdivide their land without going through a HUGE process. Very costly also. One family let their sons have a small piece each and they built homes on the the piece's of land. When time came to legally subdivide they were not allowed. Some thing about farmland cant be divided here. Now the dads land has 3 houses on it.
If you set up a trust with multiple children a good idea is to set up a maximum buyout price. If one or more want out of the trust the price is predetermined so it is affordable for those wishing to stay in.
Thats what I did set a price if one wanted to sell they had to offer to sibling for 500.00 per acre before anyone else can purchase.Spike are you in US
There are far more positives for me owning than not on private land. Biggest headaches are other people---whether trespassing, causing problems, entitled to use it etc. IMO you have to be a hard ass on the front end confronting situations, calling the law, prosecuting etc. Fortunately I've only had a couple confronting conversations and it solved the problem. We all can talk a big game, especially online, but when push comes to shove look into local law enforcement and/or lawyer. Private land for me is the only way to go. I personally just don't enjoy being walked in on hunting, worrying about my spot, confrontations and other stuff on public. Leasing is ok, but you can prosecute in many states if you don't own the land, so be careful with a lease agreement and the owners willingness to help in those situations.
