Every couple of years, this seems to come up — we run across someone hunting or scouting on land we leased, without permission from the landowner. Most are sheepish when caught (and leave), some get belligerent. That good ol’ sense of entitlement kicks in: “I want to hunt here, so I should be able to and I shouldn’t have to get permission, much less pay for the privilege.” These are the same people who wonder why more and more land gets posted off completely.

We enforce a code of ethics on our own hunters: Do not enter a property without permission, under any circumstance. If you find you have accidentally entered another’s property, leave immediately.It’s a pretty simple concept, so sing along with me:

This land is your land,
This land is my land,
We have a lease, so please respect it
From the redwood forest to the gulfstream waters,
Fence laws were made for you and me.

As I was walking
a ribbon of fenceline
I saw above me
an illegal hunter
I called DNR…..
and then pressed charges,
Fence laws were made for you and me.

One more time…..
— Hunting Widow, signing off.