My parents are retired and live in a cozy little house on about 7 acres of land. It’s a peaceful spot just outside of town, with 6 acres of beautiful woods and a creek running through it. It’s a haven for wildlife—deer, foxes, wild turkeys, coyotes, and more frequently pass through. A couple of years ago, we got my parents some trail cameras for Christmas so they could enjoy capturing photos of the animals, especially since my mom loves photography.
As you might expect, their property is prime hunting land. While my husband occasionally hunts there during deer season, my parents are very selective about allowing anyone on their property. They’ve had several people ask for hunting access, and they always say no—it’s just big enough to hunt legally, but they don’t want strangers wandering their land. My husband is the exception because he’s family, and even then, he doesn’t hunt often.
One persistent neighbor down the road has repeatedly asked for permission to hunt on their land, and every time he’s been told no. Last year, my husband found a tree stand in the woods that wasn’t his. When my parents checked the trail cameras, the SD cards had been removed. While they couldn’t prove it was the neighbor, they strongly suspected him. My husband took down the tree stand, and my parents replaced the cameras with newer ones that don’t rely on SD cards.
Last month, before deer season, the neighbor asked again to hunt on their land and was once again told no. My husband decided to hunt there this year, so he got a deer permit and went out on the first day of the season. Within 10 minutes, he shot a decent-sized buck. My dad heard the shotgun blast, came outside, and helped with the cleanup. My husband field-dressed the deer, and my dad used his tractor to scoop up the buck and load it into the bed of my husband’s truck. Hunting was over for the year just like that.
About an hour later, a county sheriff’s deputy and a game warden showed up at my parents’ house. They explained they’d received a complaint about unauthorized hunting and deer poaching. The neighbor (who they named) had reported that hunting wasn’t allowed on the property. He claimed he saw someone enter the woods with a shotgun, heard a shot, and witnessed someone using an orange tractor to load the deer into the bed of a black truck.
In our state, poaching is taken seriously. If caught, you can lose your firearm, hunting gear, and any vehicles used in the process—including my dad’s tractor and my husband’s truck. Clearly, the neighbor was hoping this would happen.
My dad, being the kind but firm man he is, said, “This is my house and my land! The orange tractor is mine, and the black truck belongs to my son-in-law, who has permission to hunt here anytime he wants.” My husband provided his valid deer tags, proving everything was legal, and the officers quickly left without issue.
Screw that neighbor, though. He clearly had to be spying on the woods with binoculars—there’s no way he could have seen all of that from his property otherwise. It’s petty and ridiculous, and I’m just glad everything worked out.
