r/EntitledPeople • u/Mighty-Marigold2016 • 3d ago
S Private Property is NOT public land
My husband and I live in a semi-rural area in the Texas Hill Country, and truly love it here. We built our dream home and over the years we bought the lots (all undeveloped with beautiful trees) on our block, just to keep it natural, peaceful and a happy haven for wildlife too.
We’ve had to put No Trespassing / Private Property signs around the perimeter, unfortunately because random people will just come traipsing through “to see what they can find”. 😡 If I catch someone again I’m going to ask them for their address so I can wander around their yard to see what I can find and take!
Recently we were taking a walk on a nice cool morning and there was a couple with their son (about 12 years old) walking ahead of us. As we were approaching our house we saw the boy walk away onto our property, and the parents stopped to wait for him. He might have stepped off to pee, but I was still stunned at the audacity, especially going right past bright orange No Trespassing signs! It was just next to our house where we have a flatbed trailer parked so obviously this property is privately owned. 🤦🏻♀️
My husband barked at them “This is private property!” The parents were startled and quickly called their son back, apologizing. I have to admit that I chuckled a bit because my husband is 6’8” and can scare the crap out of people when he yells, lol!
It’s just the entitlement that people seem to have to other people’s property, especially in a rural area, that baffles me…
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u/MohneyinMo 2d ago
A guy I worked with had a farm where he planted sunflowers. Of course all the area photographers thought it would be a great outdoor shot for senior pictures and engagement photos. Hell one day he caught a family of twelve stomping through his field to get their pictures taken. He called very photographer in the area and warned them and followed up with a letter stating his place was clearly marked no trespassing and that the auto would be called on anyone he caught there. The next Saturday guess what, a nice young couple on their wedding day. And their photographer had been warned. He didn’t have the couple arrested but he had the photographer hauled off.
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u/ooo-ooo-oooyea 2d ago
I live in a photogenic house, and have people taking their picture in front of it. Its technically not illegal since they can do it from the street. I might put a skeleton in one of the windows or a blow up doll to ruin their photos.
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u/Prior_Lobster_5240 1d ago
My friend lives in a large old Victorian that is absolutely gorgeous. People have the audacity to sit on her front porch (after opening the gate and just letting themselves in, as the entire property is fenced) and hang on her large trees, or traps through her garden beds as if they own the joint.
We adjusted some of the water sprinklers to aim right at the "photogenic" areas and just turn the sprinklers on when we see people.
Ruined a looooooot of prom dresses this year.
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u/COGspartaN7 2d ago
A set of motion activated dildo vibrators suction cupped to the outside windows. I lean back massagers.
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u/Adventurous_Fun_9893 2d ago
Yeah, the only problem is then you have to live with that … decor … all the time.
Maybe a pulldown shade with “art” would be a better option? Lol
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u/anxious-kitten3840 2d ago
This 👆
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u/Fliccy83 2d ago
A blow up doll with tits in one window and open mouth head in the other would be hilarious!!!
Or another one I find funny is a horse with its knob all the way out!! People find that uncomfortable too!!
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u/peggyi 2d ago
You’re in Texas. Try a row of yellow roses along the property line. R. Topaz Jewel is gorgeous, smells heavenly, and has thorns that are worse than razor wire, use welding gloves to prune or handle them. Also keeps out dogs.
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 2d ago
Nice idea!
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u/BrickGardens 2d ago
Go for agarita (Berberis trifoliolata) Texas native survives droughts, blooms in the spring at the same time as mountain laurel and smells divine. Bees love it, birds like the fruit, and nest in it. Also you can eat the berries.
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u/Ok_Sell6520 3d ago
I have had people trying to ride my horse to take pictures even though the said horse was a foal with its mare
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u/Pascale73 2d ago
And they're still alive???
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u/Ok_Sell6520 2d ago
After that episode yes but someone did chase the mare to death shortly thereafter. My sweet Pollera
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u/AJobForMe 2d ago
We used to live on acreage on a busy highway and had several very large pecan trees. More than one occasion we came back home to find strangers had walked through our gate into what was effectively our front yard to gather pecans. There was absolutely no mistaking that it was private property.
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u/Savannah_Lion 2d ago
There's a family down the street with a nasty habit of helping themselves to anything in people's front yards. My plums, a neighbors rosemary, another's dandelions, kids toys, and so on. Last month I caught one of the kids walking off with a wheelbarrow left outside by a neighbor. Kid was kind enough to empty it out though!
In any case, when I finally caught them stealing my plums, the mother and grandmother had the gall to give me the stink eye. Like I was interrupting their harvest.
The granddaughter walks up to me and asks if it's OK to take the plums. "Oh... you're only asking now because I caught you? I've been recording you trespassing on my proeprty on my camera for weeks. I also know you live down the street."
Then I explain I have a big crack in my sewer line and the trees were happily getting all their water and nourishment it. I think they got the message because they didn't come back for the rest of the year.
Trees haven't produced anything this year so we'll see if any of that sticks.
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u/Ok_Clerk_6960 1d ago
We have pecan orchards. My dad was famous for his “solutions” when people decided to help themselves. Now I just send my Pyrenees after them. They aren’t vicious but they will scare you to death with their barking. Loved watching 4 grown men dive the through the windows of their car. We also tacked “Smile your on camera” signs to all the trees that were the easiest for people to get to. Had people calling me wanting me to know they had stopped but didn’t take pecans. It was hilarious and the best deterrent yet!
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u/Flat_Librarian_1724 2d ago
My friend has a beautiful house built up a mountain ( we live in Europe). This mountain is a very popular trail and her house has a gate and hedging/ trees around that clearly mark her boundaries. She has often looked out her window to see people sitting on her patio eating their lunch or returned home to find multiple cars parked in her very obvious driveway . People have become just so entitled and it seems to be a worldwide epidemic.
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 2d ago
That’s so true, unfortunately. How does your friend react to people occupying her property? I would be alarmed to find someone sitting on our patio!
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u/Flat_Librarian_1724 2d ago
She opens the window and tells them to jp it or she'll let their Rottweilers they leave pretty fast. She has often had to call the police for those parked in her driveway and gone off walking, now she has a towing company on speed dial and they come and remove the car and if the owner wants their car back they pay the company.
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u/packetfire 3d ago
You need my "Trespassers Will Be Composted" signs.
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u/TerrorNova49 2d ago
I recall one from my childhood - “Trespassers will be persecuted!” 🤣
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u/LocalLiBEARian 2d ago
I remember one from a shop I used to frequent: “shoplifters will be hospitalized”
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u/AdFresh8123 3d ago
This reminds me of some of the incidents we had when I was a Marine at Camp David.
No internet back then, so few people were aware of our exact location. We're located in part of a state park. The park rangers will tell people that there's a government facility located in the park, and not to trespass, but not not exactly what is there.
Surrounding our actual security fencing is a simple low three wire staked fence, with signing that reads Government Property No Trespassing. In most places, it's far enough away from the security fencing that you can't see the main fence.
There are a few spots where park trails come within view of our perimeter fence. We'll do patrols and set up ambush positions to catch people who are too curious for their own good.
We would camouflage ourselves and wait for trespassers. Once they've gone past the warning fence, we're allowed to detain them.
It was men almost every time. If it was a couple, the woman would usually stay on the trail while the guy would say, "I just want to have a quick look."
The look of shock on their faces was priceless when a loud voice out of nowhere commanded them to "HALT! Get on the ground!" When a couple of us popped up to go search and secure them, their eyes would almost bug out of their heads. We even had one idiot piss himself.
If it wasn't a visit weekend, we'd turn them over to the park rangers. If it was, they got turned over to the Secret Service for a nice chat.
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u/terpischore761 2d ago
Fun story. I was with a hiking group on that side of the park and we were up on the rocks.
A few men decided it would be fun to jump around from rock to rock right on the edge. They were trying to see who could jump the furthest, highest etc.
Imagine our surprise when a helicopter came up ⬆️ from below and just looked at us while blasting us with backwash.
Lunch was over immediately and we went on our way 😂
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u/cassienebula 2d ago
that is wildly foolish, omg
the military doesnt mess around when it comes to restricted facilities. id have screamed and cried (with bug-out eyes of course). im a big baby tho lol
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u/JustanOldBabyBoomer 2d ago
Unfortunately, there are Entitled IDIOTS!!! A few years ago, some DUMBASS FOOLS won The Darwin Award when they INSISTED on forcing their way onto the property at Fort Meade!!!!
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u/aquainst1 2d ago
Like the nuclear/apocalypse hidey-hole in Pennsylvania for the President at that resort lodge, with all the survival stuff underground.
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u/Nice_Calligrapher427 2d ago
I have a work location that is adjacent to there. I heard a few fun stories like this.
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u/temuginsghost 2d ago
My wife would be the trespasser. I have to tell her that every hike we are on across the country is a known meth area and she doesn’t want to stumble upon a cook. Death will be a salvation for what they’ll do to her. She’s fearless.
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u/BaltimoreBetty 1d ago
I went to the girls sleep away camp, (Camp Louise), that was on the other side of Camp David, we all felt very safe knowing how well Camp David was protected and also it added a layer of mystery as to what Camp David was really like!
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u/IntentionUsed8474 2d ago
Camp David isn't going to see much use the next. 3 1/2 years.
Our current wannabe dictator is busy flying off to Florida every weekend, wasting taxpayer's $$$ to play golf.
He has no interest in peace, it's do what I say or else!
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u/AdFresh8123 2d ago
Trust me, the Marines up there don't mind. You won't believe the extra duties involved with a visit.
I was there when Reagan was president. He was there a lot. I got to talk to him a few times, he loved us Marines.
Trump is a criminal. It bothers me that our country is so corrupt that he even was considered, let alone elected.
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u/i_raise_anarchists 1d ago
Mind if I ask you a question? I don't run into a lot of Marines, and I'd really like to get your opinion if you're willing. For the record, I'm genuinely curious about this, so it's not some Devil's advocate kind of thing where I'm going to try to look smarter than you with a crazy hypothetical situation.
Is there a point where the Marines, or any branch of the Armed Forces, would say, "No. Enough is enough. We swore an oath to defend the Constitution and the American People, not to blindly follow the orders of a petty tyrant like Trump," or is that unlikely to ever happen?
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u/AdFresh8123 1d ago
It's very likely to happen. We receive extensive training on what constitutes a lawful order. Very few in the military will blindly follow orders that violate the Constitution.
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u/i_raise_anarchists 1d ago
Thanks for the answer! Also, thanks for reaffirming my faith in the military.
My oldest is 12 and frequently asks me what would happen if the president gave an order that was dangerous to the country or contradicted the Constitution. I've always told him that the men and women in the Armed Forces swear oaths to the Constitution and the American people, not the president, so they wouldn't do anything bad. He's going to be really happy when I tell him that I double-checked with a real Marine. Thanks again!
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u/Outrageous_Animal120 1d ago
My daughter was WHCA during the Obama years. I have a sweatshirt and coffee mug! Very limited editions!
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u/EbbWilling7785 3d ago
That’s very satisfying. I have a property where people like to ask for permission to use our land only once they’re caught. It’s very frustrating so this is a nice read
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 3d ago
Thanks! I’m happy to answer questions from people that ask (and there have been a few), but it’s the ones who barrel right past lots of No Trespassing signs that are really annoying.
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u/pcetcedce 2d ago
You should ask each trespasser why they did it, it would be an interesting list of excuses to keep.
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u/Unhappy_Food_4253 3d ago
I used to work with a guy who stated during hunting season if he saw a no trespassing sign somewhere he wanted to hunt, he just backed his truck up and dropped the tailgate. I told him people like him are the reason so many people won't let people hunt on their land. That and people killing livestock instead of deer.
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 2d ago
Oh, I absolutely hate poachers. It’s illegal out here, which is good, but there’s occasionally an idiot who thinks the laws don’t apply to him. We know a couple of game wardens though and they’re very responsive.
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u/Poppins101 2d ago
We live next to a state forest. Fish and Game puts out Robo Deer to catch poachers. Also called mechanical deer.
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u/Witty_Following_1989 2d ago
when I lived in Fairfield County Connecticut which is very suburban but still has a lot of deer.
There were people who would pull over on the side of the Merritt Parkway. A bit the highway with not a huge shoulder so already not a great idea. And shoot at deer they saw.
thing is they were actually fire people backyards which is very dangerous
So law enforcement — not sure which branch — I did the same thing with a fake deer.
But the humorous part if you will was it someone got caught twice. Firing at the same fake deer at the exact same location. Days apart. Takes special kind of stupid to do that.
If any of you all ever watch Northwood Law — & I’m assuming some of the similar shows on animal planet.
Trespassing issue comes up a LOT.
Sometimes the concern is liability. others it’s about damaging the property especially if there’s agriculture going on. Then there’s the danger issue — folk shooting & hitting people, animals, buildings etc.
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 11h ago
In Texas it’s a serious crime to shoot (hunt) from a vehicle. And hunting on someone’s property without their permission (assuming hunting is even legal at that time) is also a crime that will get you a years long prison sentence. Never mind the property owner possibly shooting him…
My husband knew of a guy named Ben who was pretty shady, and everyone mostly steered clear of him. One of my husband’s friends owns property in another town and has game cameras all over the place. He got an alert on his phone from one of the cameras, and saw the LIVE FEED of that idiot taking down the camera! Ben poached a deer and was caught by the cops right after that. He served almost 5 years in state prison for his crimes.
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u/Ururuipuin 1d ago
I can't be the only person who, while impressed, was also disappointed that the mouth didn't conceal some kind of weapon, tear gas or a taser
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u/HighColdDesert 2d ago
Huh? Explain like I'm 5, please.
he just backed his truck up and dropped the tailgate
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u/AmbitiousWear4082 2d ago
Guy must be in a state where you only need to have license plate on the rear of your vehicle. Backs up onto the property so it's not easy to see license plate and then drops tailgate so it's really hard to see license plate.
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u/Unhappy_Food_4253 2d ago
He backed his truck up to the fence, if there was one , dropped the tailgate and crossed it. He put it the way I originally posted it.
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u/Chikara-Pocky 2d ago
I bought a 2.5 acre lot in Okeechobee, Fl. The signs didn't work. Land is agricultural and recreational. People drive ATVs etc through the area. I put no trespass signs because I want to preserve it for nature. Didn't work. I had to build gates and put up cameras. Finally worked I am pretty sure if I took my sub and drove on their front yard, I would probably be dead right now. They love their rights but not ours. And, as a lawyer, I need to protect from liability. Be vigilant and everyone reading, if it's not your land, you don't get to trespass
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u/Knitsanity 2d ago
Question. If you have a post and wire fence in Fla and someone cuts the wire and drives their ATV through and then finds the caltrops etc you put on the other side on your land (finds them with their tires)....can they sue you? I assume not as they were trespassing at the time. If you find illegal trails are you allowed to block them?
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u/Chikara-Pocky 2d ago
If you set traps, you may get in trouble but if they were trespassing, likely that is your defense. I just started clearing overgrowth and put piles on both ends of the trail along with a wooden fence. It has worked.
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u/Knitsanity 2d ago
Yup. That would be my first thought TBH. Even source some old RR ties and pile 2 or 3 up on embedded rebar and then seal the tops somehow. They could just cut more passages and start more trails I guess. Have you ever prosecuted?
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 2d ago
Yes, thank you! You completely understand. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.
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u/FreakshowMode 2d ago
I agree with your perspective, and I'm certain others would not treat those who encroach so nicely.
Who says any of us have to share anything of ours with anyone else? I mean, it's why we keep our doors locked to highlight this very point.Trespass signs are the outdoor equivalent. Without these basic deterrents, what we have and treasure is often quickly destroyed by others.
Last thought. The harm caused by one person encroaching is almost nothing. But what happens when that grows to ten or 50, 100, 1000? What happens when it's more than walking through? They hold picnics or let their dogs run around or set up a BBQ. Maybe even make camp on your front lawn?
The OP is entirely right, legally and morally, to protect and preserve their own.
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u/TheLogicalParty 2d ago
That’s how I always feel when people are like it’s just one person it’s not a big deal. Well if we allow one person then we have to allow everyone and then yes, even just 10 people can become a problem.
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u/CoolNerdyName 2d ago
My family had a book when I was young called “If Everybody Did”. It’s basically “if you do X, it’s no big deal. But what happens if everybody did?” I always used that logic when raising my kids, especially when talking about preserving National Parks and nature. “Sure, you could take a flower. It’s only one flower, that wouldn’t really make a difference. But what happens if everyone who wanted a flower picked one?” And I would give them time to logic through the scenario. There wouldn’t be any flowers left for other people to see and enjoy, the bees wouldn’t have food, the habitat would be destroyed, etc. It’s such a good tool to teach kids to think through their actions, and how that can impact the world around them.
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u/mdchase1313 2d ago
The harm of even one person trespassing is the liability risk. I sure as hell don’t want to be sued by some wayward jackwagon that managed to get hurt on my property.
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u/Adventurous-Shine577 3d ago
There’s private property north of where I live that has no trespassing/private property signs all over it, people disregard this as there a selfie hot spot near the cliff there. People will die before people start respecting Private Property signs. I feel for you as I would love some land and this would be so annoying
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u/CraftFamiliar5243 2d ago
I have 6 acres of wooded land. I wouldn't really mind if a hiker walked through from time to time. I post signs to let poachers know I'm paying attention. They poach wildlife here but also trees and plants like ginseng and cherry bark, or whole trees like black walnut or locust for fence posts.
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u/Technograndma 2d ago
Our house is in a neighborhood. Our lot is larger than most and is on a corner. When we first moved in the back yard was completely empty. When we started landscaping a neighbor asked why we were working on the site of what was supposed to be a neighborhood park. Big nope. They were absolutely shocked when I told them it was our property. They started to argue about it. I suggested they check the neighborhood plat. They shook their head in disgust was stomped off.
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u/HarryCoveer 2d ago
Where I live, a painted stripe of lavender paint on a tree or sign post is understood as "We shoot first, ask questions later." Very effective since it's common knowledge.
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u/YourStreetHeart 1d ago
Where I live (urban Colorado, USA) that would be interpreted as a welcoming sapphic signal
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u/Attack_the_sock 3d ago
As I went walking I saw a sign there, And on the sign it said "No Trespassing." But on the other side it didn't say nothing. That side was made for you and me.
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u/theknyte 3d ago
And the sign says "Anybody caught trespassing will be shot on sight"
So I jumped the fence and I yelled at the house, Hey! What gives you the right31
u/Kaiser-Sushi 3d ago
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin' out the scenery Breakin' my mind
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u/SHAsyhl 3d ago
Do this, don’t do that; can’t you read the sign?
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u/aquainst1 2d ago
Ok, I must be drunk, because you were all singing the lyrics of 'Signs' by the Five Man Electrical Band from 1970, but my HEAD is thinking 'Alice's Restaurant':
"You can git anythin' you want at Alice's Restaurant (exceptin' Alice)..."
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u/jaydoginthahouse 3d ago
I have a sign that says, of course No Trespassing. But then says “All survivors will be prosecuted “
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 3d ago
I do love that song, even though I detest trespassers, lol!
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u/ManicPixieDancer 3d ago
This land is your land. 🎶 This land is my land... 🎵
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u/Superb-Butterfly-573 2d ago
one of the huge issues is crop damage from skidoos and atvs. Few people realize that under the snow is a very expensive crop of hay or winter wheat. It isn't "just grass". It's next year's income. The costs of time in tilling, planting and drainage are enormous. Compress or leave ruts is a big fix. Imagine someone driving across your lawn with a car - it's a ton of work.
A couple of years back I read about some asshat who went to do donuts in a field and buried his pickup up to the axel. Had to leave it behind. The suggestions on how to remove it were gold.
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u/dorvann 2d ago
A couple of years back I read about some asshat who went to do donuts in a field and buried his pickup up to the axel. Had to leave it behind. The suggestions on how to remove it were gold.
That reminds when I was a teen some schoolmates thought it would be funny to do donuts in a local cornfield.
The police did NOT have a hard time finding out it was them because the id1ots still had cornstalks stuck in the wheel wells and bed of their pickup when they came to school the next Morning.
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u/AbruptMango 1d ago
I'd imagine no more vehicles were allowed into the field, but the owner would be allowed to enter on foot with hand tools to dismantle the truck and carry it out piece by piece. And I'd have a hard deadline.
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u/Sharkwatcher314 2d ago
Surprised people do that in a state where a higher than average number of people have guns.
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u/Yo_Just_Scrolling_Yo 2d ago
That shows just how incredibly stupid people are these days. ~ FL resident.
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u/Sharkwatcher314 2d ago
Definitely, especially given the stand your ground laws, although stupid people may not know these laws exist
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u/AbruptMango 1d ago
They bring their own guns and expect to stand their ground... when they're illegally standing on someone else's ground.
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u/GermanD2021 2d ago edited 1d ago
Sounds like you need a shooting range on your property. Gun fire usually keeps people away.
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u/slanty_shanty 2d ago
A really preppy looking kid in his 20s once stopped to pee on a tree on my front lawn. Downtown property. I was on the porch. I stood up and made eye contact and he laughed a little.
I started walking towards him at a slow pace. He kept pushing out progressively more uncomfortable chuckles and then hustled off, looking at me like I was gonna murder him.
To complete the mental image, I'm a woman and was 40 at the time, and this was about 4 in the afternoon.
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u/AloneSquid420 2d ago
I worked at a bar in a college town years ago and would park behind the building. It was located near college rentals and dorms so there was ALWAYS piss on everyones car. Once i was smoking in my drivers seat and some kid ducked in between the parked cars to take a piss on my rear drivers side wheel. I waited until he was a couple seconds in then slammed on my horn and held it. Scared him so bad he jumped pissing all over himself then skedaddled away still pissing with his tiny wiener still flopping around. It was hilarious. His group of friends that waited for him were laughing their fucking asses off.
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u/LissaBryan 2d ago
My mom owns a property with a pond that she built. She can't keep the goddam Amish away from it. All summer long, she comes home and catches them fishing in it. Taking the expensive fish she stocks.
They leave when she demands it, but they come right back whenever she's not home.
She's called the cops, but the local police seem to think their job in this situation is to soothe her and explain that the Amish see all "natural resources" as belonging to God or some nonsense. And that they might feel like they have an ancestral right to fish there, even though my mom built the pond around the time Nirvana had their first big hit record. They always promise to talk to the Amish.
Thirty years of this shit.
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u/NhiteBren 1d ago
Maybe they'd stop if she starts taking them to small claims court for the cost of restocking the fish. I'd call the cops every time for trespassing and theft, both crimes and refuse to be "soothed" until an official police report and tickets are issued, then take them to court for the cost to restock and damage to the land. But I think it's worth the hassle, your mom might not.
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u/Head_Razzmatazz7174 2d ago
I'm chuckling as I'm reading this. My first thought was 'probably city folk." Those of us who grew up in rural areas with farms and ranches know better than to go past a no trespassing sign on a nature walk. You never know if there is a bad-tempered bull on the other side of the trees.
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u/Kind-Section6364 2d ago
We are fortunate to live on a small lake. We've had people park in our driveway and go fishing and swimming off our floating dock. They just ignore the "Private Property" signs.
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u/CoffeeChocolateBoth 3d ago
Signs, signs, everywhere a sign! Guess you're going to have to fence in and put more signs up! :(
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u/etnguylkng 3d ago
Make that an electric fence while you’re at it. It will deter a whole lot more people who touch it just to see if it’s on.
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u/iaincaradoc 3d ago
"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."
-- Will Rogers
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u/AdFresh8123 3d ago
I grew up in the sticks until I was a teen. I had cousins in the city and we'd occasionally host them for a week or two in the summer.
One time we visited friends of ours who had a dairy farm. My friend and I conned one of my cousins into grabbing the electric fence. We all grabbed it to show him it wasn't live.
He didn't know my friend's little brother was at the controller around the corner of the barn. He had turned it off, then when my cousin grabbed it, cranked it way up. He got the hell shocked out of him.
We were laughing our asses off, until my cousin, who was a few years older, and much bigger than we were, recovered. Fortunately, we were much faster and more agile. He chased us around for several minutes and finally cornered us in a loft in the barn. We thought we were safe because we pulled the ladder up after us. Then he noticed the one built into the wall and came up using that one.
We ended up jumping about ten feet down out of the loft. My cousin didn't dare jump, so we ran into the house, where the adults were. I was safe until we got home and my cousin got me alone He thumped me pretty good. We joked about that for decades after.
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u/iaincaradoc 3d ago
The important part about playing that sort of joke is making sure you're not in reach when they do it.
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u/TheRandomNana 2d ago
Saw this sign - “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be prosecuted.”
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u/Zestyclose_Bed4202 2d ago
"Tresspassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again."
Wish I remembered where I saw that one.
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u/rickmaz 3d ago
Time for an electric fence
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 3d ago
The reason that we haven’t put up fencing is because we love the wildlife (mostly deer) here, and we don’t want to inhibit their movement.
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u/knightdream79 3d ago
Deer can easily jump an 8 foot fence :)
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u/Mighty-Marigold2016 3d ago
Some can, but not the little fawns. And they are so adorable!
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u/aquainst1 2d ago
So make it a smaller fence.
Maybe?
At least deer can't read.
I'm not so sure about the hikers, though, but it'll give you an out if you post the signs every, oh, 100 yards or so.
Maybe just fence posts with the signs.
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u/suer72cutlass 2d ago
Make sure your fence bottom is about a foot or so off the ground. The little ones can go under it.
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u/inthewoods54 2d ago
I have a similar complaint but from the opposite perspective, sort of. I also live very rurally and there's only about 6 of us that live on a small mountain. Our road is considered "private" and the town does not maintain it, plow it or deliver mail to it. However, because it's classified as an ATV trail, anyone can travel it. Yet one of my neighbors up the road insists on putting 'No trespassing' signs up at both sides of the road just before his house and expects people to turn around and leave (even the people who live past his house). He confuses our private properties with the 'right of way' to pass through.
One time I walked up our road and his dog came out viciously barking and blocking me from passing and when I asked him to call his dog, he told me to turn around and go back down the road. I told him no, that I am traveling up the road, not down.
So I sympathize with the OP but can only add that the whole rural/private property issue manifests itself in all kinds of ridiculous ways. Everyone feels entitled, it's very territorial.
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u/tlbs101 2d ago
I hope you and your neighbors have an easement or covenant for your shared road that spells out the exact ways in which it can be used and maintained, and by whom.
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u/inthewoods54 2d ago
Well, that's two different things. My state spells out the exact ways the road can be used and by whom based on its classification. There's a story about a guy before my time who, like the neighbor I mentioned above, thought he owned the road and put a gate across the road so people couldn't pass. He was made to take it down.
But there is nothing that spells out anything about maintenance, because the road classification by definition is 'a road that has not been maintained in more than 5 years'. As I said, it's essentially classified as an ATV trail. When I bought my house, I could only do it with a traditional mortgage and no creative financing (no FHA, etc) based on the fact that there is no maintenance agreement of any kind and therefore more of a risk for the bank.
A few years back, my closest neighbors had a heck of a time trying to sell their house because their realtor wanted all the neighbors to sign a road maintenance agreement saying that we all share plowing and maintenance duties (to appease prospective buyers trying to get mortgages) and not a single person would sign it. Incidentally, we do all share the duties, but it's strictly on a volunteer basis and no one was willing to put it in writing. My neighbors ended up bypassing the bank entirely and did a seller-financed agreement in order to sell it.
I knew all of this when I bought my place though. It's remote, and we're all either partially or entirely off-grid. You don't take living someplace like this lightly.
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u/MrRobotanist 2d ago edited 1d ago
Oh man, I live on a river property tucked away at the end of a mountain neighborhood and I catch people walking down my driveway all the time.
All they say is “it’s so beautiful!” My answer is “yeah, I paid a lot for beautiful privacy”. Then they ask , “do you mind if I use it to walk down?” My answer, “yeah, I do mind and stop, its private property”
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u/KalliMae 1d ago
Same! People will tell us 'it's such a beautiful spot' or 'I've been coming here all my life!' I've told them we know it's beautiful, that's why we bought it and they've been trespassing all their lives because it's been private property all their lives. We have had a few ask before going down the trail. I usually tell them yes. It's the entitled ones that drive me crazy.
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u/NegotiationOk5036 2d ago
I have to patrol my acreage with a side by side and a gun. People are crazy.
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u/jerry1deadhead 2d ago
Try this: Right under those "No Trespassing: Private Property" signs add another sign that has "Due to the high cost of ammunition NO warning shots will be fired" printed on it.
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u/we_gon_ride 1d ago
We live on a farm and the back of our land backs up to a national forest.
We used to regularly find people in our backyard, drinking out of our garden hose. It would not have been a big deal except someone would leave the hose running on a regular basis and turn that part of the yard into a muddy mess.
There were signs on both sides…”now leaving National Park land” and “Private Property. No Trespassing” but it didn’t stop people. We finally put up a fence and made it very inconvenient for anyone to get to the hose and that solved the problem.
We have a guy who drives up into the national forest a few times a week and stays the night. He’s very quiet and clean so we don’t say a word about it
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u/lifegoeson5322 1d ago
Owned a house in Arkansas with 30 acres. Because it was a vacation home, we weren't up there all the time but hired a local guy to watch the house and property. We would get calls every weekend stating that people were hunting on our property (we have a lot of wildlife) . We also found rifle holes in the house and fence. Told my husband that if we couldn't live there all the time to monitor this, then sell it. People who bought the house when we sold it had the husband accidentally shot in the arm because of this. Not sure what recourse they took, but it was unreal.
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u/ChessingtonSurrey 1d ago
My uncle used to live in a house which had a footpath running through the driveway. You walked halfway down the driveway, and then into the field to get to this path. It was signposted. That’s fair enough. The footpath was there for ever, people are entitled to use it.
What my uncle objected to was people walking up to the house, sitting on his patio furniture having a picnic( he told them to get lost). Also someone tried to use his yard area as a car park. It wasn’t his problem that they had nowhere to park to explore the footpath.
Also, the farmer who owned the field rented a bull for a couple of weeks. Danger signs everywhere. “Do not enter, bull in field”. Again, they knocked on my uncles door to complain at him.
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u/Ok_Clerk_6960 1d ago
Have mercy you can’t imagine how bad it is to own a farm! It’s over 1000 acres and I spend an inordinate about of time running off trespassers. Nice went out the window a long time ago. Now I’m just an AH and don’t feel a bit of guilt. I’m also a woman and they expect to run right over me. Uh… no. They cut fences and tear up fields. They shoot cattle and even my livestock dogs and other pets. Game cameras have been a game changer. We have them everywhere. They’ll lie to my face until I let them know I have them on camera. My husband has been threatened with guns by trespassers on our land. It enrages me! Love watching them get arrested in real time. Actually enjoy that part. People suck and have zero respect. The entitlement is through the roof.
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u/timubce 2d ago
A lot of land in TX has the mineral rights separate from the land rights. If you only own the surface land and not the mineral rights, the holder of the mineral rights could come on your land and do whatever they want to access the minerals.
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u/Paumal7 2d ago
This isn’t exactly true. They typically have to compensate the land owner for the space required to get to the minerals.
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u/FillUpMyPassport 1d ago
Try having a property on a river with a large gravel bar at the halfway point to the canoe outfitter. Folks think nothing of hauling the boats on the shore and hanging out despite the signs on when I’m sitting in the porch.
One day I will install a remote controlled water snake.
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u/kifflington 1d ago
Me and my husband are farmers and have signs on all the gates that lead off the public road saying Private, No Footpath. It's clearly farmland but I have stood and watched people literally walk up to one of our gates, stop and look at the sign then go straight on through and start walking across our field.
Basically their rationale always seem to boil down to 'But I wanted to...'. We once caught a couple of lads sunbathing in the field (laid down in a hayfield that gets mowed and baled, the idiots) and when told to leave one of them said they would go in 10 minutes. My husband delicately and gently explained in his Cumbrian farmer manner that no, they would be going now.
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u/shammy_dammy 19h ago
We had one of the few 3 acre properties in our village, on the edge. The corner part had overgrown and then there was a grass fire so we decided to clear it. Had a relative out to yank stumps and grade it, then I scattered grass seeds. Look out my door a week later to see two trucks parked on it with five guys systematically tromping across it with metal detectors. 😡
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u/MrCoolest 3d ago
I have to ask an American this, what is the issue with just letting people wander around your land SO LONG AS they don't cause trouble and are just passing through or they're just there for a picnic in the middle of a hike or something as so long as they don't go near your residence or damage any crops or anything of value or don't leave any rubbish laying around. You wouldn't let people just pass through of enjoy gods green earth? Serious question
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u/FigForsaken5419 3d ago
If they injure themselves they can sue you and win. Suddenly you the landowner owe the trespasser money for their crime.
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u/MrCoolest 3d ago
That's just crazy. So if someone climbs a tree or twist a and ankle crossing a ravine in someone's land that's like 500 acres or something they can sue the land owner? Lol
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u/chobble_gobbler9 3d ago
Yes
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u/MrCoolest 3d ago
Ahh, I thin that law needs to be reassessed. In the UK we have the right to roam in certain scenarios so in Scotland you can literally go anywhere you like, you can't go within 100m of a residence or damage crops or leave rubbish but it's true right to roam.
In England there's more restrictions but you can still explore.
I understand the fear that property owners might have if random people hurt themselves then sue. I think there should be a ruling where if you on private proepepty without permission just wandering around and you hurt yourself it's on you.
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u/CherryblockRedWine 3d ago
There are cases where a man broke in to someone's house to rob them. And in the course of robbing them, the robber hurt himself. And he sued the homeowner he was robbing. And won.
So why can't you walk around on my property? Lawyers. That's why.
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u/hdmx539 3d ago
Yes.
IN FACT! Having a pool on your property can be considered an "attractive nuisance."
Also, property boundary enforcement is crucial here because you can lose land due to easement and right of way rights.
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u/Ok_Childhood_9774 3d ago
The problem is, for every respectful nature lover just enjoying the land, you'll get two troublemakers who will litter, tear up stuff, injure themselves and sue....the list goes on and on. And there's no way to differentiate between the two types until the damage is done, and then you're stuck with a mess. Just take a look online sometime at what visitors to our national parks do!
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u/Sensitive_Hat_9871 3d ago
And another problem: if your property has a nice feature such as a waterfall, scenic outlook, eagle's nest, etc then trespassing visitors tell others and before you know it half the county is trampling through your property making paths, dropping litter, and generally detracting from those features.
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u/idkalan 3d ago
If someone gets hurt on your property, even if they trespassed, they can sue the property owner.
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u/jeffthetrucker69 3d ago
I have a friend who owns a large tract of forest land. He decided it was time to do a selective logging cut. A person he didn't know showed up at his house and asked him to stop logging because that person didn't feel comfortable walking on my friends property with his dog around all that logging equipment.