Land ownership Question

[mybeagles]

Rather that get off topic like I usually do, the dog getting shot had me thinking.

How many acres of land is necessary to have permission on before you drop your dogs? You all have high powered dogs and in the spring rabbits run big. Even with my medium speed female a buck rabbit will take her over 100 acres. Each time your dog crosses a property line should you go contact the land owner to retrieve your dogs? Should you just let them run? If so, how long do you let them run before you decide to go get them, 20 min, an hour?

What if the owner refuses to let you retrieve your dogs? Do you call law enforcement? Do you never hunt your place again if you suspect trouble again essentially letting the grumpy land owner control all the land around him in addition to his own. What if you have permission on 100 acres but the grumpy landowner owns a long 10 acres where rabbits will often cross?

These are all questions I've considered but not sure I have the right answers.

[big mike 50]

In Michigan a person has the legal right to enter a persons property whithout permision for the sole purpose of retrieving their dog. As long as they don't have their firearm and leave the property promptly. Doesn't mean there won't be a problem. To answer your question I would drop my dog on no less than 20 acres I had permission to hunt as long as the good cover was far away from neighbor's houses and busy roads.

[Swampman]

I ask the neighboring land owners that if a rabbit crosses, they typically circle back.
Is this ok to let the hounds bring them back, if not, can I try to catch them as quickly as possible?
If so, can I run on your land also.

If they are non wavering and tell you to stay the h*ll off their land, I post up on the property line and catch the hounds before they cross.
To be honest, I have never had a land owner act in such a way.

You would be surprised how many land owners appreciate you asking and give you permission as well.

Now, during deer season, that is entirely different animal.
Too many crazies out there during gun season, I keep my hounds locked up for that week.

A little common sense and respect go a long way.

[Casey Harner]

We own shock collars for a reason, for off game and in my opinion for this reason as well. I avoid other properties as much as I can. I respect the land and the ppl that own it. If I know my hounds are getting closed to crossing their fence I pull them off and find another rabbit. I prefer to run on WMA areas during the spring and summer. I got a lot of property to run on with my uncle's farm land and have made great friends with some of theirs. I gain permission and lay down what I'm there for. If they ask me not to gun hunt it, I don't come back during hunting season. I run on a friend most weekends and every time out I call first before I go and ask anyways cause it's the right thing to do.

[rabbitatfarm]

I have 80 acres but ask the neighbor as the dogs often run rabbits from my land to his--he plants about 30 acres of corn. I usually either wait for the dogs to bring the rabbit back or leash them if the rabbit holes. Otherwise, I don't run his land.

[Alabama John]

Interesting that bird, rabbit and coon hunters are the ones usually run off. Drive up with dogs to run and kill hogs and you are welcomed and probably invited for lunch and supper too.
Deer and Turkey hunters are leasing up most of the land and do not want anyone on it.
Not taking your gun and going after your dog is allowed but still good to ask the nearest house first and in most cases they will not own the land your dog is on as it has been left to someone that lives out of state.
That is why the law was passed you have to have permission to be on any land the game warden catches you on as so much land was hunted by us without permission and the land owner didn't give a hoot.
Best to know where you are going to hunt and write a permission note to yourself.
I've been asked by one game warden in the last 20 years.

[big mike 50]

Writing yourself a note is an excellent idea!!!!

[Farm dog]

Funny how permission slips work. We have signed them for people, then you find out they add "and friends". Several years ago I pulled into a farm we bought to rabbit hunt on opening day. A guy was leaving when I got there. He didn't know who I was, said he heard the farm sold but had been hunting it all his life and was going to keep on hunting it. Another farm we bought, some guys said the previous owner gave them lifetime hunting rights. We do let some neighbors and friends hunt and we also hunt on their land. Guys could help out the farmers by shooting groundhogs to get permission to also run dogs.

[Joeyman]

Run on public land....no issues

[warddog]

These are all very good concerns that mybeagles brings up and exactly why I say one better know exactly how the trespassing laws are interpreted in the state you are hunting. When coon hunting I have had numerous incidents in regard to this very issue and in talking with guys that are still coon hunting this issue is even worse today here in Indiana than it was 10 or 12 years ago when I quit coon hunting. How about someone that buys or owns 5 to 10 acres right in the middle of a mile section of ground that they don't own? How about someone you give permission to that brings different hunting/fishing friends every time and then they start coming without the one given permission and they bring their friends. How about someone that buys 20 acres or so and plows it up right to the road and or fence line and then hunts the fence line? how about someone that inherits 12 to 15 acres that is pasture that they now down like a lawn then hunts the fence rows of adjacent property? How about folks that have permission to hunt on adjacent property and they cut holes in the boundary fence to let their dogs through? How about someone you give permission to run on your property and the next thing you see is they have the truck loaded with game or someone you give permission to fish and they are hauling every fish they catch out to stock their new pond? How about someone you have told no but then catch them hunting or fishing anyway? How about a neighbor that has given their friends permission to hunt their 20 acre property but then they climb the boundary fences breaking and or smashing them down and that very neighbor calls you birching that their cattle are getting out because you will NOT maintain the fence? How about people hunting that you, the land owner had no clue are there and they start shooting right in your direction or you are sitting in a tree stand with several other friends/relatives throughout your property and a lady with three small kids comes strolling through right at prime time for deer activity?
These are all just some of the issues I have dealt with since I bought 106 acres of woods and three ponds on it over the 25 years I have owned it. My cousin also has 20 acres of land but yet he and I still pay to belong to a hunting lease that has 1500 acres adjacent to his property because we will absolutely NOT venture onto private property without permission from whoever has authority to give it. We also go to the old mine property to run our dogs in thousands of acres that we also know is state ground. As I have stated before I never ever could understand why land owners would not allow folks to hunt/fish their property until I bought, paid for and continue to pay the taxes on such and witnessed over 25 years people disrespect the land owners wishes. YES, I still do have folks I give permission to but they are much fewer and further in between and I have to know them pretty well now days to grant them permission.
One last thing I have encountered over my time do not think that you will not encounter problems on public land and or within hunting club or leases as there are many hunting out there that are not ethical sportsman but rather game takers. Just this last deer season while hunting the lease property my cousin and I belong to which is supposed to be a club composed of 25 members with all the same mindset of hunting ethics. I went to my tripod deer stand that I have had in the same thicket for 6 years in which most club members know, and got a shot at a nice buck. It didn't appear that I had hit him but when I got down and went over to where I thought he was I found another stand hung 30 yards from my tripod. OK, I understand that another member has the full right to hunt all of the leased property BUT this stand has a salt block as well as another deer attractant feed spread in a spot just across the stream from it with a game camera focused on it. I was totally pissed in that I had been actually hunting a BAITED area for deer and had NO clue it was even there. There was no name on the stand and YES, we called the game warden as I was not able to hunt that stand that I had been hunting for 6 years for 10 additional days due to it being just 30 yards from my stand which gutted my deer season hunting. The game warden removed the salt block and kicked the feed attractant into the water in the creek and told us he was giving me a break as the area is considered baited unless the ground around the salt and feed was removed as well but he wasn't going to do that. Had I killed that deer and was come upon by the game warden I would have been busted for hunting a baited area with a $500.00 deer replacement fee PLUS fines and court costs without having a clue it was there. All this just more food for thought as the times are changing drastically here whether we like it or not.

[beaglecrazy-scott]

Just to let everyone know ... Ohio does not have a retrieve your dog law ... Found out the hard way ..sheriff got called on my dogs ...it was running a rabbit which crossed onto private property , i unloaded and sat gun down , went and got dogs ..anyhow the sheriff said i had to control my dogs at all times , said he could write me a ticket for just my dogs trespassing . ...so be aware of the laws in each state on this .

[Alabama John]

Deer replacement fee! Around here, landowners would want to kiss you for killing the deer and hogs on their place. Way too many.
We must renew our permits to hunt on a piece of land every year and the landowners that live off, in many instances have never seen the property for many years if ever. Don't want to be bothered and say hunt it all you want but, the game warden would want to see this years permit. The only time I hear of the game warden being called is by some other hunter not wanting you to hunt where he has been hunting.

[warddog]

Plenty of deer here as well John, BUT the Indiana DNR gets $500 right up front when there is a violation concerning a deer kill. They also will confiscate your vehicle, firearms and ALL hunting gear that they say is for evidence. This $500.00 deer replacement fee is NOT even a part of the fine and is in addition to ALL the other charges. The last time I had to pay court costs they were $87.00 for a speeding ticket so there is $587.00 without a fine even being levied plus all your gear, which you may or may not get back. My sole point being, is that one better be assured they totally know the law and not merely go by what they believe it should be or what they have always believed it to be. The law doesn't care what YOU believe or interpret it to mean as when you are faced with an issue a third party (judge) will interpret it exactly for you and you may end up very disappointed with the outcome!

[TOBY]

I Guess were just lucky because around here I just let em roll.

I was at a 40acre farm yesterday and got on a male rabbit. I swear he went 3 farms over before turning. They were out of hearing distance for a while. I just let them run.

[rabbitatfarm]

I might not mind your dog running over my property but I'd rather know the possibility and who's dog it is. Someone else might not be so tolerant. In Michigan only a DNR officer can shoot a dog for running deer. Everyone needs to know their own laws and neighbors. What about roads? In my area "lettin' 'em roll" is too big of risk. With e-collars keeping them under control is fairly easy.