We have hunted my Grandad's place, well, for as long as I have been alive. The neighboring place has been mostly unoccupied and definitely not hunted for as long as I can remember. I have my rifle stand and feeder along a power line cut about 100 yards from this fenceline and have for probably 20 years. We don't have an overabundance of deer but we have good quality deer and this spot has always been the most productive area for us.

I just spoke with my grandad yesterday and he tells me someone has built a box blind, been shooting rifles, and cut senderos and the whole nine yards on the neighboring place. So they aren't doing anything illegal and are well within their right to do so.

The thing that bothers me is the stand is within 200 yards with clear line of sight to my stand and my feeder and within 250 yards to two of our bow stands back in the woods. My grandad hasnt had a chance to catch the people while they are out there so he can talk to them and tell them where we hunt and where our stands are so we can be safe about this. They apparently haven't made an effort to introduce theirselves either. I unfortunately havent had a chance to hunt there yet this season do to other obligations and will start hunting hard over Thanksgiving. I am the one who does the majority of the hunting on his place anyway as my grandad only bow hunts.

I just think it is a little unsafe where they have placed their stand and if we are both hunting and they shoot my direction or I shoot their direction it would be an unsafe decision on both of our parts. My stand has a much larger field of view than his so it doesn't really cut off much of my shooting but what worries me is it cuts off about 50% of his.The area where he is hunting has always been a bedding area so I know they have probably run several deer out of there. As the place has been unoccupied it is very thick and overgrown (or was until they started cutting).

I hope I can catch the guys over there so I can let them know that they set up in a position that concerns me for safety. It also annoys me because now I have to contend with them where I have been unbothered there my whole life. Hopefully we can be civil about it and work something out to be safe about it so noone gets hurt. Ideally we won't ever run into each other or hunt at the same time but being thanksgiving they will probably be there.

So I open it to the scrutiny of the THF. I'd like to know how you guys have worked out these situations in the past. I know there is nothing I can really do about it but I wuold like to nkow where they are set up and would like them to know where we are set up so we can be safe about this.

just dont shoot over the fence. If they can see your stand you should be alright

First, you should never take a shot where the bullet has a chance of crossing a fenceline. While probably next to impossible to prove, it's illegal to shoot over a fence.

With your stand 100 yards to the fence, do you shoot in the direction of the fence? That seems like a pretty bad setup in my opinion. Of course, it theirs is set-up the same, it's poor as well.

If I were you, I'd just let your grandfather go talk to them. Go put a plastic bag with a nice note in it on their gate and just say you'd like to meet them. Don't be confrontational as it will get you no where. If you can't work it out, let the gamewarden handle it.

I've had a similar situation and it eventually worked itself out, but it was touchy for a few weeks. In my situation, I just moved to the opposite side of my property for a season.

Well I have been the only stand there for 20 years now so there has never been a problem since the neighbor property has never usually been occupied, no cows, nothing. Someone set up there in this same spot about 10 years ago but we never saw them there so it wasn't an issue and they moved out after a year. that's the only sign of people I've ever seen over there. I don't shoot toward or over the fence anyway. I don't need to shoot in that direction because I have a huge field of view in the opposite direction and 75% of the deer I see aren't in that direction anyway. He does not because his stand is surrounded by a lot more woods while mine has view of a lot more open area. Most of his field of view is right in my direction. That's what bothers me the most.

I'm sure it'll work itself out.

How close is his stand to the fence and is his stand positioned to mainly shoot in your direction?

His stand is probably 100-150 yds from the fence to the west of us. He only has clear line of sight about 100 yds directly in front of him and then east and west along the powerline cut whereas I have line of site for 300 yds north, 400 yds east, and 100 yds south.

About half of the shots he could get are in my direction. The other half are in the other neighbor's direction (about 100-150 yds away also). He has his stand on the narrowest part of that piece of land (at the powerline). It's only about 300 yds wide at the most where he is and ours is probably 600 yds wide at the powerline.

I'm sure as long as we are both aware of the other's presence we can be safe about it but it just makes me a little uneasy. I have more options than he does as far as hunting somewhere else but I hate to give up my primo spot I have hunted my whole life. Most likely they are just leasers anyway. Leasers usually don't stick around forever and we'll be there a long time after they are gone I'm sure.

It's one of those oh well situations.

I interested as to where about this is? I ask because I am kinda in the opposite situation, but no ones stand is visible at all. Only stands are visible from the perimeter fence. I haven't talked to the neighbors, but don't feel a need to since I am set up in a secluded cover area with no line of sight and hundereds if yards between me and them.

Now I know this can't be me cause I haven't shot a dang thing in a year tomorrow lol. Just some ducks.