My property is 15 acres, so tall fences aren't an option. Random stray dogs are not my concern. It's the dogs that come onto my property and into my barn to kill chickens or cats while their owners were "walking" them off-leash. Having the signs up makes pressing charges a bit easier. David
I got the best deterrent around now, her name is Dutchess. I love my sheep, she loves them more...a lot more. So far she has 2 Fox, and 2 coyote kills to her name at age 5. Last week a hunter who has permission to hunt on me started to cross into the pasture and did not get 20 feet before Dutchess was right there, teeth bared, snarling. He went back over the fence some quick and texted Katie..."You have a dog!" She is great with us and the kids, herds the sheep so she can constantly keep an eye on them, and sleeps most of the day, but she LOVES her sheep. For that loyalty we do nothing; we cannot dote on her, cannot bring her in the house...really do nothing but feed her every day. It seems mean, but her "kennel" is measure in acres not square feet. I know a dog is not the answer for everyone, and not everyone is a farm, but she is better than a no trespassing sign.
Yeah you also have to have the property posted here or the cops can't do much of anything about ATV and dirt bikes. We had a trail going thru our property that I ignored until a couple of drunk punks decided to maliciously tear all my cedar and oak plantings up . Had to post the property and NO ONE could have permission to use the trail. The kids tore down quite a few of the first signs I put up, the next ones I put up with a step ladder out of reach. I put mine on plywood with a stick behind the plywood so I could use two nails not pounded all the way in. A couple of them had been beat on with sticks and knocked down but most are still there. I've had to put up a 4' x 8' sign with no dumping written on it for a jerk neighbor. Hoping he puts up a fence so he doesn't have to look at it.
I would suggest a 2nd set of signs then, .5 to 1 acre out of the living area - same w/ the perimeter signs, back from the property line 150 to 300 feet. Anything plainly visible, beyond your "line-of-sight" is going to be a target for getting knocked down. Signs reading "Premises subject to Video Surveillance" / "Smile, You're On Camera" are a great deterrent, regardless of whether video is being recorded (or not). A few well-placed "Smile, You're on Camera" signs in potential entry areas seem to deter folks who give 'half a hoot' about respecting property lines. Of course animals can't read, so I guess you have to do what's necessary, but if not properly posted: you could potentially face legal liability for any harm. Have you contacted your local / regional Fish & Game office and discussed your options w/ them? That's what I would do, if here.
That sounds about right! Unfortunately, we live on too small of a property (~16 ac.) and the neighbors are all to close to let any of our dogs (6) run off leash. They would almost certainly be shot by my neighbors, no questions asked. I'm always jealous of people who have big enough flocks/land to have real livestock guardian dogs.
I'm not a lawyer but I'm pretty sure the landowners liability does not change posted or not, unless you charge a fee (to hunt, cut wood, pick berries, atv, snowmobile, paddle, etc. Maine has bulletproof landowner protection from liability, up until you charge someone to........ Other state's don't and it virtually cut's off everyone from recreating on private land, a very smart move on Maine's part. Maine's Landowner Liability Law - Rudman Winchell
You may very well be right, reading that link seems to spell it out fairly clearly, but you you know what they say about the internet and I don't trust lawyers any further than I can toss them, especially lawyers who are fishing for a liability case. I didn't really want to get into it too deep with my lawyer at the land closing, and I haven't really pursued it since. The question came up with the bank as to whether we needed liability insurance on the land, the bank didn't care so we don't. I hope you are right. There is a long standing snowmobile trail that crosses the corner of our property, it follows a stream that empties into a nearby lake that is a popular ice fishing spot. I don't mind as long as the users are respectful, and I don't really want to deny the long standing use of the trail, imagine the backlash if I tried, who knows maybe I'll get a sled too. It is my understanding that the trail is "maintained" by a local club, signage, clearing blowdowns, a few bridges etc. I have nothing to do with it nor do I really want to, and nobody has asked me if I am OK with it either. However, once you start directing the general public (general idiots) with signs, or maintaining the trail with bridges or clearing it seems like you could open yourself up to some liability. What happens if one of these bridges that I didn't build and don't maintain fails and someone gets hurt or dies or damages their machine.
Shop Fas-n-Rite 1-lb 1.75-in Round Plastic Cap Nails at Lowes.com I use these. I mostly use vinyl signage, but these will work for the paper and metal also. I tend to look for less desirable trees to post on if practical. The plastic washer seems to hold the sign on a little longer. I don't sweat the zinc plated steel nails. Fairly certain it is illegal in my locality to cut down a marked boundary tree without both landowners consent, so they likely will not end up as firewood or sawlogs. Paper signs will last about two years here, vinyl about 5-6 before becoming brittle or being pushed off by tree growth.
Nothing. When the Amish first moved in this area they dug a foundation for one of their houses next to a trail, and one night an ATV came blasting through and drove in and got all busted up, enough to call the Fire Dept and the Ambulance. That is the whole reason for this law, so landowners will NOT be held liable for allowing public access. My land has over 1 mile of Interconnected Trail System (known as ITS 83) and it has been in existence since 1983 with no problems. If you are concerned, call the Maine Snowmobilers Association and they will send out the Game Warden Landowner relations officer, and your local snowmobile club president. They will explain everything way better than I can, and with more authority. It is NOT a law that is too good to be true though. It is the equivalent of the Good Samaritan Laws where a person can help an accident victim ad not be worried about later being sued. This is the same thing, it is just a Good Samaritan Law in regards to landownership.
I read through most of the posts but I may have missed some points. You could use bungee cords; they would expand as the tree grows but securely hold the sign in place. Out of sunlight they should last for a good bit of time.
I would use good ol wire. I like the rust proof wire in spools at tsc. Watch it every year or two and should be fine. When i had property i did not post it, had 3bar vinyl fences but had great neighbors on a dead end dirt road. Didn't need to post anything. Had gates that rarely got closed, much less locked.
