I'll try my best to keep this relatively short so here goes. I and my kids and dad have hunted my wife's papaws farm for years. He has been in the nursing home for just about a year now and my mother in law is power of attorney and listed as a property owner. She has me oversee the property and help take care of it. The papaws nephew lives on the land just beside us (this whole area is basically family owned for over 100 years) and he has quite a bit of land as well. He is a lazy type of hunter. He likes to sit in his truck and hunt and we have a great pasture field to do that in which is also where my oldest son has laid claims as to his hunting spots. So my mother and law has made it know that no one should be hu ting on this property but us and in anger the man called his buddy the game warden. So Monday evening I get camera pictures of a game warden in our fields. I called my local Twra office the next morning and they said there is no way an officer should have been there they had no dispatch records. I got the number and called the officer personally as he is well known around here and he admitted to being there and would only say he had heard the house had got broken into and he was just patrolling and wasn't sure where the county road ended which I told him ended where the blacktop does right at the house and the remaining gravel road though the farm is private. I also told him had there been a break in it's a police matter I would think. So I talked to another family member and he told me they had called a game warden cause they seen where a deer had been killed down there and thought it was a poacher which isn't true either cause they had spoke to me and knew I killed the deer. So both them and the game warden lied about why he would have been there. Anyone have any advice on how they would handle this situation or should I leave it alone and do nothing?
Any advice?
- Thread starter DThomas02
- Start date
kaizen leader
Well-Known Member
I think your actions will be warning enough for them. Wait and see. Good luck.
Thanks. I was thinking that possibly I'd done enough for now. I was hoping I had done the right thing and not jumped hastily.
I would keep a backup copy of any pictures. Also, while fresh on your mind, document everything in as much detail as possible, and keep both pics and documents in a safe place.
I believe you should take a step back and observe at this stage.
I believe you should take a step back and observe at this stage.
You have a people problem not a law enforcement problem.
Set a meeting with the family and come up with a plan for hunting the property next season. See if you can get some different hunting lease/club agreements to use as a sample to piece an agreement together. Cover issues like permanent stands, who gets first dibs on a "spot" and how that is determined, work days, guests, what is fair game to kill, where carcasses are disposed of, how trespassers and poachers will be handled.
If you can handle this well and get them to join in, it can be great. More like minded people pushing for the same goals. IF you let things go, expect frustration and hard feelings as you are already annoyed. Heck they might be annoyed with YOU and think you have done wrong since it sounds like nobody communicates.
Good communication can be a wonderful thing. Find some common ground and work towards a positive solution instead of a plan of attack against an enemy.
Set a meeting with the family and come up with a plan for hunting the property next season. See if you can get some different hunting lease/club agreements to use as a sample to piece an agreement together. Cover issues like permanent stands, who gets first dibs on a "spot" and how that is determined, work days, guests, what is fair game to kill, where carcasses are disposed of, how trespassers and poachers will be handled.
If you can handle this well and get them to join in, it can be great. More like minded people pushing for the same goals. IF you let things go, expect frustration and hard feelings as you are already annoyed. Heck they might be annoyed with YOU and think you have done wrong since it sounds like nobody communicates.
Good communication can be a wonderful thing. Find some common ground and work towards a positive solution instead of a plan of attack against an enemy.
Omega
Well-Known Member
It's always a good thing to show restraint, at least until there is reason to do otherwise. The fact that you contacted twra should put the warden on notice so that should be enough to quell the situation.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Call your sheriff's dept and get everything on record. That warden was either lied to or not being honest with you. Either way, he should not have been investigating a break in or robbery, and that really sounds strange on his part to admit to that reason for being there. Wardens are spread too thin already with their duties, and that is obviously a county sheriff deputy's job. Good luck.
I see where you are coming from. I'll try on my part to be more clear. There isn't an agreement. No one is supposed to hunt that property except me, my sons, and my dad. That's always been the case. They try and sneak in. As far as a law enforcement problem I do not have an issue with them but I could be wrong in thinking they can't be on private land without a warrant or notification now.
There's nothing you'll be able to do so I'd let it go and keep the pics for the future if needed. If you're upset he came onto the property and make a big deal about it you'll just be out a lot of money and he'll be excused with all kinds of excuses. There's different sets of rules for us and them.
Uhm unless mother in law gave him permission he was trespassing and should be charged if he didnt have a warrant. Things have changed and they(twra) cant bully you over due to your neighbors anymore without a warrant
Game wardens are kinda like people with diplomat immunity.
A rogue warden isn't something the TWRA wants to deal with right now. They've got quite the public affairs mess going on already. My guess is that particular warden heard from his boss and I'd be surprised to see him on that property ever again without a dispatch record. Whether he lied or not, he shouldn't have been there and his boss is now aware that he was.
As for the family issue, your MIL should probably give written permission to those allowed to hunt, then prosecute anyone else when they trespass. If she's unwilling to do that then you're out of luck. You have no power unless and until they die and/or your wife inherits ownership. Until that happens you're in no position to make decisions or dictate who hunts or where. Your MIL is the only one with that power right now.
As for the family issue, your MIL should probably give written permission to those allowed to hunt, then prosecute anyone else when they trespass. If she's unwilling to do that then you're out of luck. You have no power unless and until they die and/or your wife inherits ownership. Until that happens you're in no position to make decisions or dictate who hunts or where. Your MIL is the only one with that power right now.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
It sounds like someone is being less than truthful
Why isn't there a gate at the end of the county road?
Why isn't there a gate at the end of the county road?
And probably not the warden. He doesn't have a dog in the fight.
Unless he and the upset party are good buddies
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
My thoughts exactly
Would have to be awful good buddies to risk his job then lie about it. I don't have a buddy I like so much that I'd go those lengths over a family squabble that has nothing to do with me.
What would happen if the OP was on site when warden showed up? Would he have been harassed or ticketed for not having written permission? IMO the warden likely showed up thinking something shady was going on and he likely wasn't given clarification about property lines. I doubt he lied. Maybe. But I doubt it. Likely he was the one lied to.
I would see if my MIL would lease me the property for an agreed amount with paperwork drawn up. I would also be proactive and look into purchasing insurance to free your MIL from any liability. Probably would never be an issue but there may come a time when your son wants to take a buddy or girlfriend hunting. All is well and good until somebody gets injured (or worse) and then your MIL is liable. Once it is completed I would talk to every family member that you are concerned about and tell them what you have done so that nobody gets to claim ignorance. Then be prepared to utilize the game wardens for your benefit.
