Jerk Neighbors?

[Goofy3392]

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum but I have been watching for a couple months and I've been a deer hunter since I was 14. But now I need some other eyes on a situation with my neighbor.

I bought my house last year, it's a little over 1 acre, I know small land. But it's surrounded by woods that my neighbor up the road owns. Anyways, my buddy was over and shot a deer with his bow, and it ran onto his land. We called my neighbor and asked him if we could go look for it. Right away he got grumpy and said ok and said we shouldn't be hunting deer on my property and the deer count is low. Well the deer count isn't low, but he must not know how to count. Anyways, now I got a letter in the mail from him, threatening to put a fence around my land and through a shared driveway to his land and my house, but the property line would cut off my access to my house.

I started righting back a letter to him but I'm not completely sure what to say, I dont want to blow up pissed off at him right away. I know it's legal for me to hunt on my land, even as small as it is. I have earned my right from serving my country to hunt on my land. He said it's not the neighborly thing to hunt on my land. All of the other neighbors hate this guy and have problems with him too.

[kellory]

First off, I would suggest you speak with a lawyer.
Second, I don't think you CAN be landlocked. Again, talk to a lawyer, but I believe you have an easement by right of use. I know with my property, I must chain and or deny access, at least one day per year, or my road can become public access.
Third THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, SIR! You have rights to hunt your own property as long as it is in a hunt-able area, such as outside city limits, not because of your service, but because of your ownership. In my neck of the woods, owners require no permits either.
Now your service DOES have hunting advantages. Check your local laws, but here, active servicemen on leave get a free pass, Check with your local DNR as well, to find out all your hunting, fishing, and trapping benefits, because of your service.

Lastly,as to the neighbor....I would thank him for the generous offer to let you hunt HIS LAND, because "He said it's not the neighborly thing to hunt on my land" and since your land is unsuitable in his eyes, he must be offering you HIS to be "neighborly."

[Goofy3392]

Thanks for the reply, I'm looking into contacting the township about the situation. I live in the country, outside of city limits and I'm trying to find out about an easement.

[Jslotter]

Im not saying you should do this, but I would invite him over and lay him the 'eff out. Again, not saying you should do that.

[Goofy3392]

Lol thanks for the advice, but this guy is like late 50's I believe. I talked to my other neighbor and I guess this guys mad because he did a ride along with a dnr warden and the warden told him it was perfectly legal for me to harvest deer on my property from my house, and now he's pissed and is going to put a fence around my 1 acre

[kellory]

Lol thanks for the advice, but this guy is like late 50's I believe. I talked to my other neighbor and I guess this guys mad because he did a ride along with a dnr warden and the warden told him it was perfectly legal for me to harvest deer on my property from my house, and now he's pissed and is going to put a fence around my 1 acre

Tell him, if he does, you will start raising dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. Or perhaps exotic animals such as lions. He will never see another deer.

Make sure it's legal for you first though.

[Deebz]

I wouldn't worry about a fence much anyway... if there's a reason for deer to be moving through your property, it would take a pretty serious fence to keep them out. That's some serious money too.

As far as blocking the shared drive, I'm pretty sure there's got to be legal recourse you can take there.

[Goofy3392]

I called my township and the guy who's in charge said there's nothing he could do, but he said he's had trouble with this guy even. And I went outside and looked at the land marker that my neighbor said he had put in the ground a couple years ago, and these markers are like 8 feet farther east into his property and don't even match close to where his computer map said. So I wrote him a letter but I'm waiting to hear from some legal advice if I should send him the letter or if I should go to the court house and. Get a prescriptive easement