Camera Surveillance

I purchased an 8 megapixel "wild game" camera from Costco recently. It is motion triggered and weatherproof. After trying it out around the house and yard, I set it up at a strategic location on my RiverBend property. I was surprised to see how many vehicles enter RiverBend each day. Recently a large buck in velvet passed in front of my car. Quite a beautiful sight.

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission website is a great resource for information. Bow season starts in September, 2011 and there are clear signs that our properties are being scouted by hunters. I see no new stands, but there are many stands from last year. Remember to wear bright hunter "orange" even if you are on your own property. In general, you should not confront a hunter concerning their right to be in RB. It is too dangerous. You can place a note on their parked car, and if you see them before they have set up, (i.e., walking through the woods or driving in) you can speak to them and ask them to show written permission. We now have an officer in the Lee County sheriff's office who is aware of our situation and willing to help.

The Landowner Protection Act was passed on July 5, 2011 and provides two ways for landowners to post their lands to allow only hunters, trappers and anglers with written permission to legally enter their property. Landowners can now post their land by using vertical purple paint marks on posts or trees, or, as in the past, by placing signs or posters. Penalties have been increased. LINK . They have included an online template form for use.

Liability for hunters on your property has been more carefully defined by the new law. Trespassers and persons hunting with permission (for no fee) are not a legal liability for the landowner as long as they understand that they are not permitted on your property (posted). If you have charged a hunter for entering your property, you are liable for their injuries and must identify any known hazards on the property.

Liability
Landowner Form

Prolific Growth

Trees and understory are having a great growth spurt thanks to the wet spring in the area. When someone does a tree ring analysis in a few decades, they will ask ... "What happened in 2011?

Vandalism continues unabated. I placed cables with locks across my entry points to keep the 4 wheelers out. A trespasser put a bullet hole in it but it held. Unfortunately, I cannot unlock it either.



Roads continue to develop deeper potholes. So far, no problems for smaller vehicles, but larger construction and logging trucks will have increasing problems. During the logging of last summer, one of the big trucks broke an axle. The driver told me he would never come down in here again.