# Neighbor Shooting onto My Property



## Trophy Specialist

What is the legalities of a neighbor shooting at a deer standing on their property, but the bullets will fly onto my property?

I have a neighbor that has set up several bait piles (spin feeders and feed on the ground too) right along my property line. They have there blinds back on their property, but they shoot at deer on their bait piles and the bullets certainly go onto my property. It is a big concern of mine because of safety issues mainly as my camp and one of my blinds may be in the path of their line of fire. When these guys first acquired the property a few years ago, they asked me about setting up stands along the property line and I said that I didn't want them shooting onto my property and didn't want them having to chase every deer they shot onto my land either. I told them I would allow them to recover a deer on my property, but that I wanted a courtesy call if they had to do so and I would do the same for them. Well, I've never gotten any courtesy calls from them and I know they have tracked deer onto my land. I'd guess that unless a deer is dropped on the shot, 90% of those deer shot on those bait piles would run onto my land. I've tried talking to them in a friendly manor about their bait pile setups near the property boarders, but they are just ignoring my concerns. I don't want to get into a tiff with my neighbors over this situation, but I'm thinking that the next time they shoot a deer and it goes onto my property and they don't call me, I'm going to post that property line (it's posted now, but not completely legally) and bar them from my land completely. If you have any suggestions on a remedy, please advise.


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## JimP

Just some random thoughts....
Willful and careless discharge, safety zones etc, is against the law. 
As you know, however, plenty of pass throughs, richochets and plain 'ol misses leave can cause a round to leave any shooter's control.
On State land or small private parcels it's inevitable for a round to wind up who know's where...
An errant shot can travel a mile and more easily.
The shooter is responsible for that round, and safe procedures like not shooting uphill or on to water, and knowing your background should be practiced.

That being said, an orange range flag, paint or a piece of cloth on your blinds may help keep another shooter from firing in your direction whether on public or private land.
Brings to mind the Amish brother on brother in a blind fatality on their private land last year.


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## plugger

I have no concern if someone tracks a deer on my property but I would have the utmost concern if I felt someone was carelessly shooting onto my property. My wife, my son, and my grandson will be hunting our place opening and I feel responsible for their safety and the safety of others. Our blinds are set up so no rounds leave our property. Contrary to MS protocol I like to see rifle blinds set on or close to the property line, with shots onto our property. The finality of a bullet is unquestionable. Talk to your neighbors and explain your safety concerns. Setting a popup just across the line may make someone think before pulling the trigger. Shooting a hole in a blind I am sure would be grounds for a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. As a landowner, parent, grand parent ect it's your responsibility to resolve any safety concerns before someone gets shot!


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## chumpchange

oh imagine that some more bone head line hunters doin somthing unsafe ...dont suprise me one bit.. post it and put a dummy blind in the area with orange on it to stop the shooting. been there done that.


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## Trophy Specialist

plugger said:


> I have no concern if someone tracks a deer on my property but I would have the utmost concern if I felt someone was carelessly shooting onto my property. My wife, my son, and my grandson will be hunting our place opening and I feel responsible for their safety and the safety of others. Our blinds are set up so no rounds leave our property. Contrary to MS protocol I like to see rifle blinds set on or close to the property line, with shots onto our property. The finality of a bullet is unquestionable. Talk to your neighbors and explain your safety concerns. Setting a popup just across the line may make someone think before pulling the trigger. Shooting a hole in a blind I am sure would be grounds for a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm. As a landowner, parent, grand parent ect it's your responsibility to resolve any safety concerns before someone gets shot!


Yes I would much prefer them to have their blinds closer to the property line and then put the bait piles towards the center of their land, however they put their camp in the middle of their property, so now they basically have most of their blinds facing on the neighbor's lands. All my stands (accept for one that I don't hunt any more) face onto my property. Their property was improperly clear cut, so the better habitat is also on their neighbors lands, so naturally, they want to hunt as close to that as possible. When I brought up the safety issues with them, they just argued that their blinds are elevated (about 4' off the ground) so the bullets just go into the ground.

I'm mainly interested if there is any legal recourse for those bullets going into my ground.


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## Mags

File a formal complaint with your local LE agency, and also call your local CO and see what he can do. I can understand not wanting to get into it with a neighbor, but when they won't listen to reason and their acts are potentially life threatening to folks on your property, that's BS and time to not "play nice" and do whatever it takes to remedy the situation before a tragedy occurs.


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## Robert Holmes

Let me guess they own 5 acers and you own 100 acres. They want the best hunting their 5 acres has to offer which is on your fence line. They should have thought of that before they bought their hunting land.


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## 1ludman

Had the same issues with my neighbors a few years back I went over and spoke to them and he acted like a idiot, so I explained to him that if he shot a deer that made it on my property he wasn't allowed to retrieve it. I also explained that he had no right to soot deer that were standind on my property much less retrieve them, He got the message after he shot a deer and I wouldn't allow him on my property and called the DNR.The reponding officier after going out and seeing the blinds within 50 ft of the property line asked my neighbor if he understood the tresspass law, He has long since left and the new neighbor and I get along very well as he has 40 acres to hunt and neither him or I feel the need to squat on each others property lines.


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## buck snort

He never said they were shooting onto his property, he stated that they shoot toward his property. Let me ask you this when you shoot a deer you are also shooting toward someone elses property. And guess what your deer may run onto his property. So relax


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## 1ludman

I'm relaxed just explaining a similar situation and no bullets dont end up off my 300 acres as my blinds are all elevated 15 feet.


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## Patman75

Not that this will help you now...

Is it possible to do some habitat manipluation to change the deer travel patterns away from this bait pile?

30 foot wide hinge cut very tree on the fence line near the bait pile so the deer have to approach from a different location so bullets are not flying your way.

Is this rifle or shotgun zone?


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## wintrrun

I had the same issue but its a simple fix.
Build some box blinds and set them up in the shooting lanes on your property.
Not saying you have to hunt them but it does force the safety issue.


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## Trophy Specialist

buck snort said:


> He never said they were shooting onto his property, he stated that they shoot toward his property. Let me ask you this when you shoot a deer you are also shooting toward someone elses property. And guess what your deer may run onto his property. So relax


If they shoot at a deer standing on their bait piles with a high powered rifle then for sure the bullet will fly onto my property. None of my gun stands face towards my neighbors land rather they face towards the interior of my land. In 17 years not one of the deer we have shot have ever run onto this neighbors' property. 

I'm still waiting for a CO's input on this issue.....


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## fanrwing

If you want the correct answer and are waiting for a COs input, then call one.


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## Scout 2

Trophy Specialist said:


> If they shoot at a deer standing on their bait piles with a high powered rifle then for sure the bullet will fly onto my property. None of my gun stands face towards my neighbors land rather they face towards the interior of my land. In 17 years not one of the deer we have shot have ever run onto this neighbors' property.
> 
> I'm still waiting for a CO's input on this issue.....


 Find the bullet and have that arested for trespassing also :lol:


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## AntiHuntersLoveMe

Quit your crying and HUNT...... The deer are not on YOUR property!!!!

posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## malainse

If they were shooting towards someone or a blind of yours that would be another story ?

About your only option for now is to contact your local DNR field office for advice.


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