Trespassers :-(

[NM_Shooter]

Got word that a group of trespassers was on our property early this week.  A neighbor spotted them going in on ATVs and motorcycles. 

I suspect that our pond is attracting attention, as the fish in it are getting large.  I am more concerned about vandalism than I am concerned about theft.  I had not planned on going up this weekend, but if one of the other owners sees any damage I may need to go up and take a look. 

I have very serious issues with people who don't respect the property of others.

[MountainDon]

The vandalism part is what worries me the most to.

[archimedes]

Sorry to hear that.  That's always my worry too.  Hopefully they are just joy riding with no ill intent.

[peternap]

Game cameras and boards with pole barn nails help!

[StinkerBell]

<hug>

[NM_Shooter]

Three other owners went up this weekend to mend fences and do some maintenance.  I asked them to check my cabin and let me know if there were any problems.  No news is good news....

We've got a couple of game cameras up there, and I need to figure out a way to put some more around my cabin to keep an eye on it.  I have some security shutters, but I don't want to install them if I don't have to, as they are terribly ugly!

I need to find some cheap trail cams that are halfway decent.  Some that we don't worry about getting stolen. 

[firefox]

Solar cell, battery pack, tape recorder, amplifier, speakers, infrared trip, recording of a mountain lion scream. Also some simple posters that
say it is illegal to shoot mountain lions.

You may need to clean up a few smelly messes.
Bruce

[OkieJohn2]

Have you sited your target practice range near the point of egress?  With a target showing how nice a grouping you are capable of!

[Native_NM]

A few of these should fix you right up.......

[firefox]

 
Maybe find an ATV from a wrecking yard and make it look like it
ran over a mine. Free fire zone signs are great as well.

Another idea might be to put up a sign that told how many points are
given for ATV's, Bikes, etc. with a note at the bottom advising to
be careful to avoid hitting fuel tanks due to the fire hazard.

Bruce

[NM_Shooter]

Have you sited your target practice range near the point of egress?  With a target showing how nice a grouping you are capable of!

Or I could post one of my daughter's.  She is practicing for elk season, and on her first try with my 30-06 I told her that if she could cover a group at 50 yards with a dollar I would buy her Coldstone Icecream.  (~0.45" ctc)



We've got some income for the ranch coming in again by way of ranching, so we'll have some funds to work with.  We need to build a pipe fence along our north border, and that would help a lot.  The main problem with this ranch is that there are 10 families that own it, and the board of directors move excruciatingly slow on anything.  I tend to lean more to the get-er-done side of things, and if it was just mine I would have clear cut a 100yd path up the north boundary and had it fenced by now. 

Unfortunately, this ranch is square in the middle of the Tierra Amarilla land grant, and the old families in the area still think they have access to everything even though they sold off a lot of their property a long time ago.  I caught a group of 4 old men poaching fish out of the lake 3 years ago, and I damn near snapped when I confronted them and they told me that they knew the owner and they could fish there.  When I told them I was the owner, they changed their story and said they thought it was public land.  I was ready to push their truck into the ravine.  I had to temper my response due to the fact that these folks also tend to be vindictive, and I had a lot more to lose than they did.  Later we had game and fish run their license plate, and the plate that was on the truck didn't match the type and color of the truck that it was on. 

I think a camera will be the best response for future issues. 

[gandalfthegrey]

Damn I    think you could cover that group with a quarter.

[MountainDon]

Dang, she's good!

[peternap]

  I had to temper my response due to the fact that these folks also tend to be vindictive, and I had a lot more to lose than they did.  Later we had game and fish run their license plate, and the plate that was on the truck didn't match the type and color of the truck that it was on. 

I think a camera will be the best response for future issues. 

I have the same problem and found that a two step approach was the best.
The first is to have zero tolerance and it has worked. They are afraid of me, not only because they don't know if I really will shoot them...but also because I have had a few of them locked up.

I have working and broken cameras scattered all over. I have a couple of hidden working cameras pointrd at broken ones and have shown them pictures of themselves looking at the broken ones.

Slowly I'm making progress.

[NM_Shooter]

I like the idea of a hidden camera pointing at a fake camera. 

Northern NM can be a rather scary area.  The locals tend to keep to themselves and protect one another.  Not unlike the locals in the movie "Deliverance". 

Damn I    think you could cover that group with a quarter.

Thomas Jefferson approves of this message :



We just finished the NM hunter safety class together.  She is learning to shoot from shooting sitcks next.  Gotta get her some boots and a vest and she is good to go!

[MountainDon]

Northern NM can be a rather scary area.  The locals tend to keep to themselves and protect one another. 

Add to that the fact that there are meth labs scattered about as well as people who use meth and it can be even scarier in the boondocks.

I had an attempted mugging/robbery experience a dozen or so years ago alongside one of the 2 lane highways. You now know why I'm very happy NM is an open carry state.