Nameless Range
Well-known member
Most of the time when I think about hunting/trapping on private land, it’s about legitimate permission and staying within that permission. I had an interesting issue last week that went beyond that, and into the dynamics between two landowners.
2 years ago I received permission from landowner X to trap muskrats on her property. She is an elderly woman, who “hadn’t been into that swamp for many years”, even though it is only a quarter mile down the road from her house.
In our initial conversation, she was very hesitant. Not only flummoxed by my mission- “What in the hell does a person do with a muskrat!?” She was very concerned that I stay on her property, and said so numerous times. The last thing she said to me was, “I do not want to get crossways with landowner Y.”
This fall, I once again got permission to trap on landowner X’s parcel and was once again reminded to not cross landowner Y. It’s only 6 acres, but pure beaver dams and muskrat huts filled with mink and whitetail and skunks. A really cool place, and I assured her I would stay on her parcel.
As I was hiking out of the swamp last week, a man stopped on the road and yelled at me. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing!?” I explained what I was doing and where, and he accused me of trespass. I had both the parcel boundaries on my phone (OnX), as well as the certificate of survey in a pdf, which I do for any private parcel I gain permission on. Despite the fact that I held a 20 lb spud bar and was 30 years younger than him, he became aggressive, and I wondered if it escalated if laying flat a senior citizen was in my future. He hollered that he didn’t “give a..” what was on my phone, and he would be telling his “gal” (landowner Y). I said that was fine, and would be happy to give him my number so she could call me. He floored it down the road a hundred yards. Slammed on his breaks, and backed up, wanting that number.
Landowner Y called, and admitted her proxy was in the wrong, but she was still upset. She went on about all the BS she has dealt with over the years in terms of trespass and poaching, which I am sure is all true. She doesn't want people accessing landowner X's place because "they just come onto mine". Landowner Y is a powerful individual in the community in which I am trapping. Landowner X is an elderly woman who lives in a trailer that just inherited this property from her late husband. Landowner Y employs some of landowner X’s family. Landowner Y said she was going to call landowner X and demand a survey be done and maybe fences put up and tell her she shouldn’t allow me to trap. I know this is not how it works.
I talked her out of this by telling her I would pull my traps and that I hoped she wouldn’t drag landowner X into this because she was just a nice lady who was very hesitant to begin with who had done something nice for me. Landowner Y agreed to these terms.
It was a fun spot to trap, close to my house, and my kids and I had a lot of fun down there. One could say, and it was a voice on my shoulder, that I was given permission and was not trespassing and that is that and pounding sand is always an option for Landowner Y. If you don't like what a neighbor is doing or access they are allowing, that's a personal problem. But when dealing with neighbors it seems there’s just more to consider. Perhaps I should've brought landowner X into the discussion and see how she felt, but that seemed to come with risk that was clearly not desired from the get-go.
The next afternoon when I was pulling my traps, the man who hollered at me stopped. He walked up to the fence and I thought “here we go again.” Instead, a teary-eyed apology was delivered, which I accepted.
It's both unfortunate and at base wrong, but I’m not heartbroken over it, and it expanded what I think about when acquiring permission. Honestly, now the kids and I get to explore somewhere new.
It was a cool little spot.
2 years ago I received permission from landowner X to trap muskrats on her property. She is an elderly woman, who “hadn’t been into that swamp for many years”, even though it is only a quarter mile down the road from her house.
In our initial conversation, she was very hesitant. Not only flummoxed by my mission- “What in the hell does a person do with a muskrat!?” She was very concerned that I stay on her property, and said so numerous times. The last thing she said to me was, “I do not want to get crossways with landowner Y.”
This fall, I once again got permission to trap on landowner X’s parcel and was once again reminded to not cross landowner Y. It’s only 6 acres, but pure beaver dams and muskrat huts filled with mink and whitetail and skunks. A really cool place, and I assured her I would stay on her parcel.
As I was hiking out of the swamp last week, a man stopped on the road and yelled at me. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing!?” I explained what I was doing and where, and he accused me of trespass. I had both the parcel boundaries on my phone (OnX), as well as the certificate of survey in a pdf, which I do for any private parcel I gain permission on. Despite the fact that I held a 20 lb spud bar and was 30 years younger than him, he became aggressive, and I wondered if it escalated if laying flat a senior citizen was in my future. He hollered that he didn’t “give a..” what was on my phone, and he would be telling his “gal” (landowner Y). I said that was fine, and would be happy to give him my number so she could call me. He floored it down the road a hundred yards. Slammed on his breaks, and backed up, wanting that number.
Landowner Y called, and admitted her proxy was in the wrong, but she was still upset. She went on about all the BS she has dealt with over the years in terms of trespass and poaching, which I am sure is all true. She doesn't want people accessing landowner X's place because "they just come onto mine". Landowner Y is a powerful individual in the community in which I am trapping. Landowner X is an elderly woman who lives in a trailer that just inherited this property from her late husband. Landowner Y employs some of landowner X’s family. Landowner Y said she was going to call landowner X and demand a survey be done and maybe fences put up and tell her she shouldn’t allow me to trap. I know this is not how it works.
I talked her out of this by telling her I would pull my traps and that I hoped she wouldn’t drag landowner X into this because she was just a nice lady who was very hesitant to begin with who had done something nice for me. Landowner Y agreed to these terms.
It was a fun spot to trap, close to my house, and my kids and I had a lot of fun down there. One could say, and it was a voice on my shoulder, that I was given permission and was not trespassing and that is that and pounding sand is always an option for Landowner Y. If you don't like what a neighbor is doing or access they are allowing, that's a personal problem. But when dealing with neighbors it seems there’s just more to consider. Perhaps I should've brought landowner X into the discussion and see how she felt, but that seemed to come with risk that was clearly not desired from the get-go.
The next afternoon when I was pulling my traps, the man who hollered at me stopped. He walked up to the fence and I thought “here we go again.” Instead, a teary-eyed apology was delivered, which I accepted.
It's both unfortunate and at base wrong, but I’m not heartbroken over it, and it expanded what I think about when acquiring permission. Honestly, now the kids and I get to explore somewhere new.
It was a cool little spot.
Last edited:
