02-27-2009, 04:05 PM
It only takes a handful of bad anglers to really mess things up. In almost 50 years of fishing, I've had four really bad experiences with other fishermen on public waters. Unfortunately those were bad enough that I now very carefully watch my back on any body of water and I never fish unarmed.
I think in most cases the benefit of the doubt will have to go to the landowner because he has the most to lose. I live in a formerly rural area that borders on public land. Two or three times a year I catch people trying to dump truckloads of garbage--usually broken concrete, rocks, cardboard, or yard waste. I get deer and elk carcasses and hides dumped every year. I looked out the window one morning to find that a Scout group camped overnight on my posted property. I have had tools stolen and animals harrassed.
Every year ot two I see someone fishing in the stream that runs on the back of my property, which is pretty funny because it only runs four months out of the year.
Usually when I explain to these people that they are on private property instead of apologizing they try to justify why they have the right to be behind my fences.
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I think in most cases the benefit of the doubt will have to go to the landowner because he has the most to lose. I live in a formerly rural area that borders on public land. Two or three times a year I catch people trying to dump truckloads of garbage--usually broken concrete, rocks, cardboard, or yard waste. I get deer and elk carcasses and hides dumped every year. I looked out the window one morning to find that a Scout group camped overnight on my posted property. I have had tools stolen and animals harrassed.
Every year ot two I see someone fishing in the stream that runs on the back of my property, which is pretty funny because it only runs four months out of the year.
Usually when I explain to these people that they are on private property instead of apologizing they try to justify why they have the right to be behind my fences.
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