Ray Cover wrote:Bradley, Dont' think that just because a person feels a need to defend their property that they are some kind of blood thirsty killer waiting for the chance to shoot someone. That just isn't reality. I have two teenage daughters and a wife whose safety I am resposnsible for. I cannot take the chance that the stranger lurking through my property is there with noble intentions. If I don't know that person I will run them off, at gunpoint if necessary.
I don't know how things work where you live but around here we are taught to ask a landowners permission if we need to cross their property while hunting and fishing. Its considered part fo being a responsible outdoorsman and respectful to the people whose land your crossing. That is even part of the hunter safety class you have to take to get a hunting license here. It is very disrrespectful to trudge across someones land without permission as if you "own the road" so to speak. Its just common courtesy when you think about it. I think you will find that most folks won't mind if you ask them politely and explain to them your purpose. If they say no you respect that.
Ray
I just think that it's unfair for everyone else that you automatically assume everyone who you don't know has ill intentions. It's one thing to start assuming if they are close to your house, vehicles, or storage building. Maybe I'm a different situation then a "drunk hunter" because I travel very far from my home to fish in the locations that I do. I may go several counties out of my own. The fact is I don't always know who owns the land so asking permission is out of the question. To be honest, if I was told in person that I may not use their land; I just drove two hours out, I'm not packing up my things and going home, I'm going fishin'.
I'm not a hunter (though I plan on starting soon) I do shoot though. I never attended safety shooting classes or anything but my Dad always told me that if you ever point a gun at someone your intentions better be to kill, and to follow up with several other shots. I'm not sure if this is common among other people but I completely understand why. Running someone off at gunpoint would be totally irresponsible, even if they had unconcealed weapons. That's a recipe to start a disaster.
I totally understand the bull issue however. I have a friend who actually escaped a bull encounter picking mushrooms. He was lucky. Where I live we don't have big ranch style pasture's, just smaller pastures that are normally enclosed in barb wire. I most certainly don't go around hoping fences. I don't see how someone getting trampled, torn up, and tossed like a beach ball to be your problem though?
