Poll: Hiking

[Ron Wenrich]

Expires 5-22-05

[etat]

Uh, I believe the poll is flawed.  I only have 16 acres, mostly pasture.  Not really enough to hike on.

[Sprucegum]

I said yes because I am not there to say no  ??? I only go there on weekends.

My property is not easily accessible to the general public, it is surrounded by rednecks who think the same way I do ;)
I let them hunt,fish,hike, or whatever and they guard the place like it was their own

[Tom]

I have hikers (tresspassers) but not by design.  If someone were to ask, I would let them take a walk, might even let them hunt a day or two.  Nobody asks, they just appear. 

[Jeff]

Ron, I added an option because I only have 1.3 acres so I dont apply, but I wanted to see the voteing results so I added an option where people like me could vote could vote. ;D

[MemphisLogger]

My hikers are usually crackheads or hookers. If I know 'em I don't shoot at 'em.  ;)

[Shotgun]

My land is bounded on two sides by National Forest property. I'm not there much so I don't have much choice.  There are not many hikers in the area though.

Norm

[pigman]

The only hikers I have on my 300 acres are hunters. I let a few hunters I know hike bacK on the farm to hunt. I have never had anyone just want to hike. Maybe because of the bulls I keep.  ;)

[Furby]

I fall into Jeff's option, my largest piece of property is 1.25 acres.  :-\

[sprucebunny]

Hikers aren't likely to damage much and I don't mind a few hunters .
As long as they don't have wheels , I don't mind.
I am thinking about posting against loose dogs though, 'cause they upset nesting birds .

[Ernie]

I voted Yes but with permission.  No foot hikers, they are probably wanting to plant Taranaki Green (dope)  but we do allow the local pony club to use the track through our place in conjunction with most of the neighbours.  It's good to see the kids with an interest in something outdoors.

[Paschale]

This brings up something that I'm pretty passionate about.  Recently, here in Michigan, there is a case that's been going through the courts regarding the rights of the public, vs. the rights of private landowners when it comes to walking the beaches of the Great Lakes.  On inland lakes, the official legal description is that your "land" extends from the boundaries of your property in a continually diminishing triangle to a point in the center of the lake.  People own the beach, and their part of the lake.  But on the Great Lakes, it's different.  It's generally been accepted that anyone can walk along any part of the beaches of the Great Lakes, up to the level of the high water mark.  But now, there are property owners who are demanding that should own the land up to the level of the water, and if anyone wants to walk along "their" shoreline, they must do so by walking in the water.  That just BURNS ME UP!  I'm all for private land, and the rights of private landowners.  Heck...we own about 60 acres, and I don't want just anyone galluvanting across it.  But the GREAT LAKES...and their beaches...that belongs to the people, and no fat cat rich sonuvagun should have the right to put up a fence along the shores of the Great Lakes at all.  I hope the law that states that the high water mark is public land is maintained.   >:(  I fundamentally believe that the shores of the Great Lakes are owned by the public as a whole, and no one should ever allowed to prevent anyone from walking any inch of our Great Lakes.   >:(

Here's the group of private landowners, trying to prevent the public from walking on "their" property.  They have the benevolent sounding title of Save Our Shoreline, or S.O.S.  Their mission is to make their ownership go to the water's edge.   >:(

Here's a link to the story about the woman who caused all the ruckus by walking on somebody's shoreline.

http://www.gtherald.com/2005/feb/27beach.htm

Thanks for making this poll, Ron. 

[customsawyer]

This is very interesting if you stop and look at how we are divided it shows you how different everyone is. Just might explain why the people that are put in leadership positions are always making someone mad.
I voted yes with permission. I figured if they want me to respect them and let them be free. Than they can respect me and my rights. If it is someone that I know a simple phone call on your way there is all that is needed, if it is someone that I don't know we will have to meet. 

[gary]

I don't let anyone on my property for any reason. My cabin was broken into to many times . The place has no electtricity,and I had an old refridarator there for storage and someone broke in and stole that within two within two weeks of my putting it there.Then kids stated to use it to have parties and burnt it down. So now if I catch anyone there I have them arrested.

[woodmills1]

I have a main woods road that crosses my property east to west.  It was actually on the USGS maps as late as 1900, then disappeared from the current maps.  There is also a branch off that road that runs north onto the next property and connects with another old historic woods road(david or "butt" smith) road that shows old house sites and foundations.  The smith road crosses some 300 acres and connects to main paved roads at both ends.  The smith road and my road both cross a major power lines.

That said, I don't have much of a problem with hikers, I just don't see too many.

ATV/motor bike/snowmobile traffic is nearly constant on weekends, with most of them leaving the powerlines onto my road but turing north to get on the smith road.  Many first timers don't realize there is no outlet to the west on my road so end up riding around in the old orchard to get out and turing around to head back. this triffic splits 50/50 between pleasant folks who will stop and say hi and hotdogs and kids who see my land as their personal playground.

Most of the hunters I have met over the years were very nice and thanked me for not throwing them off my land.  There are five or six I let park on my second driveway and hunt as well as 3 with ATV's I have given written permission to.

NH state law says it is illegal to ride unless the person has written permission from the land owner in their posession.

Two recent laws were passed that limit land owner liability from all kinds of tresspassers when the land is enrolled in the states current use tax reduction/land preservation plan as mine is.

[Faron]

I voted yes, with permission.  Really the question has never come up, except for hunting. 

[Don_Papenburg]

I voted NO but I will let people hike in the bean fields if they have a hoe and follow the rows cutting weeds as they enjoy nature .   :D No takers yet.

[SwampDonkey]

I voted yes. There's nothing to hurt out there on my land, unless someone takes vengence and burns the woods done. I have the place posted as private and no dumping. There are people that hunt moose there and use my trail occassionally. But, I'm pretty much the only sole out there hiking along with the wildlife. Most people are too lazy around here.  I don't have a road out through the lot because people would just rutt it up with ATV's and 4x4's. I don't have a camp either, too close to home and you attract unwanted guests.

[Fraxinus]

Good for you, Swamp Donkey.  We feel pretty much the same way about our land here in NH.  People hunt, fish, hike, picnic and do whatever else they feel like and it has always been that way.  Here in NH, there is an unwritten "Right of Trespass".  Hard to believe it ain't that way everywhere.
You get dumped on occasionally but we've had very little trouble over the years.
People who post their land are not held in high esteem around here.

[woodmills1]

I don't post and don't have any problems except for things like the snowmobiles coming out of my driveway cause they couldn't find another way out.

[crtreedude]

We tend to get a lot of visitors. If they are from the states, I or someone else will walk with them. The reason is that I don't want someone bit because they poked into a log they shouldn't have - if you get bit by a fer-de-lance on the property, you might has well just lay down and die... Too far to the nearest hospital.

None of the Ticos worry about it, or get bit for that matter, but if you don't know enough not to try to embrace nature, you could end up in a heap of trouble quickly.

Shoot, we even had Harold walk across the property the first time he was here - I noticed he didn't asked to do it this time... ;-)

[Buzz-sawyer]

Fred
Have you ever considered keeping anti venom around.....I would for the sake of any children etc. if it was possible.

[crtreedude]

Yes - we are going to do that - but if you are in the field away from people by yourself, you probably aren't going to get back.  The whole point is that I don't want people are are unfamilar with the dangers walking across the finca by themselves.

So far we have seen the following poisonous snakes on the finca.

Fer-de-lance
Bushmaster
Eyelash Viper (very cool - totally green - and of course looks like a vine - eek!)

I am sure there are others - Costa rica has I think about 20 different types or more.  However, they all stay away from you - except the bushmaster which is very agressive - and really big (a large one is about 3 meters long) Irritate a fer-de-lance and it will come at you too - I saw this one. If you throw a rock at one, make sure your aim is good..., or you have a lot of rocks ready.

The question is, how many different types of anti-venom would I need? The anti-venom for the fer-de-lance is a good idea since they are common - but I am not sure about the others. The  hikers normally will want to go into the wild areas - which is where you are going to find the snakes. Not many snakes in the plantation itself - snakes and machetes don't mix...

Jeff - are you going to ban me for talking about snakes?  ;)

[isawlogs]

  I voted no ....
For a reason though ...  We used to let people in and hike and camp ... but one time we let a couple in and the next thing they had a bunch in there and had a real good time ... when they left , they forgot there little camp fire  and 2 acres of  red pine trees are now charcoal  , did you know that charcoal dont sell to well ....  >:(
  So after that little eppisod  we locked the place up and its for private use only ...

[redpowerd]

only hikers on my land is dec and fsa :D oh yea, niagra mohawk came saturday to cut a cord and a half of birch on thieir right of way :D

audobahn (bird people) soceciety coming tomorry to see my birds for some odd reason. i didnt pay them. :D

only reg hikers are permission granted hunters