Good fences make good neighbors


Not long after we purchased the land for raising bison, we installed the trail camera I had been using to monitor the skunks and raccoons hanging around my honeybee hives.  Our initial intent was to use the camera on the new property to see what kind of wildlife was in the area, but I ended up discovering a whole different kind of "wildlife." 

We didn't check the memory card on the camera for quite a while, but, when we did, we discovered that compelling number of people had been entering the property for unknown reasons.  Some of them came on foot, but most of them were driving vehicles.  Most of these drivers only appeared to have stayed a few minutes before turning around and returning the way they had come.  Though somewhat perplexing, these brief visitors weren't our main concern.  Our main concern was the few individuals who spent more than a few minutes or came back more than once.  One particularly concerning individual came to the ranch multiple times and even paid a visit for about 45 minutes in the middle of the night.  

This type of activity is concerning for several reasons.  First, if any of these individuals became injured while on the property, we could be legally liable for the injuries.  Second, it is very possible that some of these individuals and especially the night-time visitors could be using our property to engage in illegal activities.  Third, we plan on putting bison in there and, if people start getting the idea that it is okay to go in there, we could have some serious problems.  Finally, as I continue to progress with my business plans, more items of value will, at least temporarily, be stored on the property.  Having total strangers entering and leaving the property at random times increases the odds that some of these items could disappear. 

In light of all of these unexplained activities and their potential implications, we decided to install a temporary gate in the driveway and post no trespassing signs along the road. Our hope is that by posting these signs and blocking the entrance people will understand that they will need to cease and desist entering the property without permission.  However, just in case they don't stop their activities we've also purchased and installed more trail cameras in several key locations. 

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