ND Landowner blows up on young waterfowlers

[brocksw]

Wowsers

 

[OntarioHunter]

Asshole. Get outa here! Christ it's just a couple of ducks. That jackass needs to be in jail. A fine isn't good enough for that jerk. He thinks a couple of ducks are that important he should try prison food. Just wants the whole county to himself ... and his clients.

Those kids kept their cool. Been me that asshole would have slipped and fell ... several times. He is nuts. Schizo. I'd love to know how it turned out. Sounds like the farmer is running an illegal outfitting business under the table.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

That popped up on my YT recommends yesterday. This dude has issues.

 

[RyGuy]

Outrageous? Yes
Surprising? No

 

[Djfan]

The reason I am a Christian is because I have character flaws that keep me from the level needed to qualify for Heaven. One of them is temper sometimes.

That man would probably have met my temper. Not saying it is the way to go, but he crossed the line. Anyone can say anything to me, but it had better be respectful. Period. He wasn't.

I take my hat off to those young men. They handled it well. Not sure I would have.

 

[Nameless Range]

If those guys were on his cornfield, even by a foot, then they are to some degree in the wrong.

It just goes to show though what we teach our children, that sometimes you can retaliate to a wrong in such a way that makes you way more in the wrong. It also makes me think of children, insofar as when one becomes unhinged, that perhaps being bent over the knee and reprimanded is the fix.

The fact of the matter is the world is full of people who act this way when under duress. I’ve seen it and I’m sure many others have as well. It can be a dangerous situation, but it’s also when reduced, nothing more than a two-year-old that knows profanity who was just told no. There’s a part of me that would appreciate the cameras being turned off, and vigilanteeism to enter the fray, if only to check people who think they can behave this way in front of other human beings. Problem is it’s as likely to escalate as it is to work.

 

[Sask hunter]

I would have lost it. Too bad they didn’t have their blind 2’ from the edge then would have been no questions

 

[Djfan]

I would have lost it. Too bad they didn’t have their blind 2’ from the edge then would have been no questions

What I learned from it is that the blinds need to be a few feet off of property lines.

 

[Oak]

The hunters were in the wrong for being on the line. Likely would have received tickets if not for the behavior of the landowner. I’m guessing either both sides get tickets or neither side. That landowner would have showed his ass even if they were off the line. Just his nature.

 

[brocksw]

What I learned from it is that the blinds need to be a few feet off of property lines.

Theres two scenarios here that make this a bit more....complex.

1. The North Dakota section line law. This law opens a 33 ft public right of way on each side of a section line (even if both sides are posted). I'm not sure if this happened on a section line or not. The angry guy in the video said it wasn't but I don't know.

2. How much would you wager that this guy planted his Corn exactly up to his property boundary down to the inch? Just because the corn and beans meet, does not automatically mean that's where the property boundary is. The angry dude could have planted his Corn 2 feet over his property line or vice versa. Having it surveyed would be the only solution. But thats not economical or reasonable for anyone involved. If the hunters blind was on the line, that's not crossing it is it? If a piece of grass from their blind was in the airspace over his land is that trespassing? If it was touching a piece of his corn that fell over his property line and onto the other side is that trespassing? Far too many variables here.

But saying the hunters were trespassing sure doesnt seem to pass the smell test.

 

[Oak]

Theres two scenarios here that make this a bit more....complex.

1. The section line law. This law opens a 33 ft public right of way on each side of a section line (even if both sides are posted).

2. How much would you wager that this guy planted his Corn exactly up to his property boundary down to the inch? Just because the corn and beans meet, does not automatically mean that's where the property boundary is. The angry dude could have planted his Corn 2 feet over his property line or vice versa. Having it surveyed would be the only solution. But thats not economical or reasonable for anyone involved.

Can you hunt the 33’ ROW?

 

[brocksw]

Can you hunt the 33’ ROW?

Yes, on the side that's not posted. If it's posted on both sides you can travel it by foot or by two track, if there is one, but you can't hunt the row.

 

[MNElkNut]

I really hope he got hunter harassment charges!

I know a guy who got a trespassing ticket for a very similar scenario with a deer stand. He paid it. Years later the irate guy's property sold and was surveyed. My friend was 15 FEET on his own property!

 

[golfer]

Is it only section lines or let’s say a random line between two property owners does that 33’ ROW come into play? Do internal lines lets say the NE1/4NE1/4NE1/4 of sec x is there a right of way on the interior of the property lines if the line separating the two owners is not on the exterior of the section line.

 

[brocksw]

Is it only section lines or let’s say a random line between two property owners does that 33’ ROW come into play? Do internal lines lets say the NE1/4NE1/4NE1/4 of sec x is there a right of way on the interior of the property lines if the line separating the two owners is not on the exterior of the section line.

Only section lines

 

[mtmiller]

I think it us funny that everyone assumed where corn meets peas beans (my bad) is the legal line. Must be my experiences with many ag fields in Montana.

 

[Hunting Wife]

The ROW on section lines is technically for transportation only. Not hunting. Hunting access in the ROW is controlled by the landowner. If it’s posted on that side, you cannot hunt it. It’s not public land…its private land with a public right of transportation.

However, even if both sides of the section line are posted, and even if there is no road on it, you can generally walk down it to access unposted land beyond. Some special cases may apply.

These are on section lines only, not property boundaries. There are no ROW on property boundaries, which is where it sounds like these young men were set up.

Regardless, I would never rely on a crop line, or a fence line, as a visual indicator of a property boundary. Guys farm over the line constantly.

 

[Hunting Wife]

There are more fistfights and arguments over waterfowl than any other game animal in ND. I don’t get why people get so crazy.

Those young men kept their composure better than I probably would have.

 

[thusby]

There are more fistfights and arguments over waterfowl than any other game animal in ND. I don’t get why people get so crazy.

Those young men kept their composure better than I probably would have.

True story. I bring a mouth guard with me just in case things pop off at the boat ramp trying to get my boat in the water.

 

[Doublecluck]

I think it us funny that everyone assumed where corn meets peas is the legal line. Must be my experiences with many ag fields in Montana.

I got a 156” whitetail stuck to my wall that two other hunters didn’t shoot cause they thought the fence/crop line was the border. Set plenty of a-frames on the edge of section lines and in corn that met peas or beans where fields meet. The border is the border. But it’s never been an issue.


Mixed feelings on this one, just a shitty situation all around. Fwiw getting permission in ND is a lot easier with MT plates than MN plates. I assume that the attitudes of some land owners there is at least in part due to the behavior of some hunters from other states. Ultimately, ND is covered in ducks, no reason to push it. Get in the blind or get the F out of the field.