Neighbors......
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: WhitetailHtr
17-Dec-20
Many here say to check out neighbors before purchasing hunting land. Good advice. But neighbors are a wild card. How many have purchased or owned hunting properties with "good" or "not so good" neighbors for a period of time, only to have either those properties change hands, or new hunters allowed in on those properties, that turned the whole situation 180deg. For better or for worse. Just curious.
From: Scooby-doo
17-Dec-20
Never purchased land specifically for hunting but I hunted the same ground for 52 years. The first 40 years of that time all the neighbors remained the same. I hunted every property within 2 miles of my house. Some were a couple acres, the biggest 165 acres, at least 15 different pieces. Over the last several years some folks died off, others sold. I now hunt only 2 of those pieces and although I asked every new landowner for permission none have granted me permission. I was blessed to have that long on the same land but it breaks my heart to see it turned into commercial sites. In my case I cannot complain about one thing. I grew up on that land and hunted as I said for 52 years, no complaints and no regrets!! Shawn
From: BigOzzie
17-Dec-20
We will see just had a family buy the 40 off the NE corner of my property, and they are building a shipping container tower to live in. Two brothers in the 50's and their 80 year old dad. I am a little worried, just saying, they have some definite conspiracy theories in their heads.
oz
From: JusPassin
17-Dec-20
Bought a retirement acreage on my families farm. Adjacent was over a section of timber that I'd hunted since I was 6 years old. The neighbor then decided to lease out hunting rights. That was 14 years ago and I haven't been on it since.
From: Grey Ghost
17-Dec-20
I've lost more hunting access on properties due to ownership changes and outfitters than I even care to count in my neck of the woods.
Matt
From: Inshart
17-Dec-20
Yup, same here, lost some very good spots due to change of ownership.
From: Bowboy
17-Dec-20
I'm with GG outfitters, property owner changes, and out of state leaser's. Mostly for whitetail.
From: Habitat for Wildlife
17-Dec-20
For me, the largest tracts I had access to the owners passed away and non-family members bought the properties. Since I have my own small place to hunt, at 61 I just don't feel the need to go find new haunts, but agree it would be tougher to do.
From: WV Mountaineer
17-Dec-20
Where I own land, it was passed on to me and my brother by our grand dad. It’s got a nice cabin. It’s not a big piece. Only 18 acres. But, it borders national forest on the south. As do all the land parcels along the line.
When we were kids, owners to the East, west, and north hunted through us and, allowed us the same. As they died off and sold, that’s all changed. Even guys owning 3 acres or so post their land now. And build three stands on it too.
I don’t understand it. It’s theirs to do as they wish. But, all the private for Mike’s is behind a gate. With only owners having keys.
People have sure changed.
From: kakiatkids
17-Dec-20
Scooby - what part of NY are you in?
From: kakiatkids
17-Dec-20
Scooby - what part of NY are you in?
From: t-roy
17-Dec-20
Talk is cheap, oftentimes. Your neighbors can tell you all sorts of things that sound great, but when it comes down to “nut cuttin” time, all bets are usually off, on what generally actually happens.
From: t-roy
17-Dec-20
Doorknob....I believe that Bowboy was agreeing with GG’s previous post. He just forgot to put a period between GG & outfitters. (possibly, it needs to be a comma)
From: kscowboy
18-Dec-20
Punctuation is important...
From: Mule Power
18-Dec-20
In SW Pa neighbors aren’t the main problem. It’s the clearing of woodlots for housing plans and commercial development as well as massive gas wells. I’m a lost soul these days. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise because this year was the last straw for me and I’m going to make the effort to hunt Ohio. Already have the property lined up. A co worker owns it and he wants to hunt elk pretty bad. The bucks are there too. This pic is from 2 days ago. Goodbye Pa!
From: Mule Power
18-Dec-20
A couple more from a few weeks ago. His neighbors aren’t too bad either. Yet!
From: Ricky The Cabel Guy
19-Dec-20
i hate it when my selfish neighbors don't do what i want them to do with the land they paid for, pay tax on and keep up. what really ticks me off is when my deer wander over there and get killed.
From: WhitetailHtr
19-Dec-20
How about neighbors who were inconsiderate, trespassers, vandals, etc.? Hunters allowed on adjacent properties who turned out to be law violators, etc.? Or the opposite of good going to bad. Was just curious. The question was for folks that have OWNED land. Deer were never even mentioned in the original question. Don't know how this went sideways.
From: wytex
19-Dec-20
We manage a ranch , next door ranch owners die tragically on a boat in Great Lakes few years back. Offspring decided to take the fast money and sold the ranch to Rocky Mountain Timberlands. They turned it into 35 acre lots. We've had trespassing, poaching and general disrespect for the access road in, trash etc.. Caught the most aggressive poachers, he was even illegal outfitting and taking his kids poaching. Has taken a few years to get things more under control but it's starting to look better as far as the trespassing and poaching. Some lots owners are great folks but some seem to think they own it all. I think word had gotten out that we will not tolerate any of it, we prosecute when caught. It did affect the deer hunting and still does to some extent, but we do get the fleeing deer when season opens. The elk are always running scared it seems.
From: Ricky The Cabel Guy
20-Dec-20
deer or no deer, acreage or no acreage, neighbors are neighbors. some are good and some are bad.
From: t-roy
20-Dec-20
Those your steps on the right, I’m assuming, Ricky?
From: Grey Ghost
20-Dec-20
So which is the "bad" neighbor in Ricky's pic? The one who didn't shovel his side, or the one who was too lazy to shovel both sides as a kind neighborly gesture?
Matt
From: Ricky The Cabel Guy
20-Dec-20
if you asked them, they'd probably both say their neighbor is the bad one and they'd both have a list of reasons why.
From: Ollie
22-Dec-20
It’s doubtful any potential neighbor is going to tell you that they trespass and set up stands on property fence lines.
From: lawdy
23-Dec-20
My neighbors in Newfy are wonderful, 30 miles away. My neighbors here, don’t hunt, and I plow their driveways, we take care of each other’s animals when not around, and have never had a problem. I don’t hunt my land, but others do. I prefer the big timberlands. The only thing I keep for myself is trapping the brook that runs through my property. One old neighbor bakes me cookies for plowing her road, and she can cook. We are a small village of 250 and no one posts. Having few deer up here and deer being regarded as food is probably a good thing.
From: Huntiam
23-Dec-20
Man when I was young I could hunt anywhere I could walk (miles) from my house and anything nothing was ever said and if it was I just told them who I was and my family was and all was well because that’s just the way things were back then.. boy have things changed
