Last night I had the joy of tracking down a couple of coon hunters that were tresspassing on the family farm. It frustrates me mostly because noone ever asks permission to hunt on our land. For the most part, if you dont look like a meth head, you have a decent chance of getting permission, but that never happens. I dont know if its a sense of entitlement or the arrogance of thinking they wont get caught, but it makes me sad that it has come to this. I realize there are a lot of people in this country who'll never have the chance to own a piece of nature, and there isnt much public land left for people to enjoy, but I still think stepping onto private land without so much as a courtesy call is plain wrong. I'm more than understanding when it comes to neighbors' guests picking up deer or tracking down a dog that ran off, but deliberately walking onto private ground with the intent to hunt is over the line. I have every respect for city folk who go out of their way to get permission to hunt on private ground. That takes dedication and a concerted effort. What ive noticed, though, is that it's mostly trailer trash (pardon the euphamism) from local small towns that tresspass, poach and steal. Fortunately, this hasnt become a regular issue, but I get a little overly wound up when it happens. Are these isolated incidences from a few bad apples out there? Or is this a sign of things to come?
