And worst yet - on private property....MY property!
With this outstanding weather I had to get out for a ride this weekend. The boys and I did a ride on the Atlanta C loop yesterday, and today I wanted to get out on my loop here at home. I had already done two laps on my course and was on my third lap. As I came around tight bend around poplar tree on the left, I caught a quick glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye - not so sure I really realized what it was at that instant, but I dove further inside on the line around the tree and instinctively ducked my head.
I came to a stop to look over my shoulder to see what in the world it was I had seen - to see a strand of barbed wire strung between that poplar tree on the left, and the pine tree to the right. :yikes:
The wire went over the poplar about 9 feet up, (the poplar leans at quite an angle from to many bark buster smacks), drooped down to neck height right across the trail, then sloped upward to about 7' up on some branchs on the nearby pine tree.
My property was fenced many years ago, and does have an old fence line around most of the permiter. I have not worried about pulling up any of the old wire, as I have tried to route my trails such it would be of no concern, and now the trails near the boundries are well established. The wire in question, came from the nearby fence line. Now keep in mind, this old fence line has YEARS worth of leaves and other debri on top of the wire - such you REALLY have to yank on it to pull it out of the leaves. It appears someone came along, pulled up the fence line, evidently breaking it (or it may have been broken before) such the loose end was tossed up on that poplar, pulled across the pine tree then running back to the fence line. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, the wind somehow blew this wire up there ...NO WAY NO HOW!
The scariest thing is - I had already been around that same corner two times before and somehow missed that wire! Evidently my line was far enough inside I just missed it. OR, the wire was strung up after my second lap. (I doubt that based on how the pine tree's bark was scraped up from the wire).
The adjacent property owner is a 88 year old widower - her home is located such there is no way noise is an issue for her. BUT...she does allow some local people to hunt her property, and this fall, a new deer blind had been constructed near the west edge of my property - about 300 yard from where the wire was.
Needless to say, I was/am rather upset with this! :yell: :yell: I did call the local police, and filed a complaint. The officer I spoke to said he often found that if the police get involved, quite often things escalate really quick with retaliatory actions. He suggested, and I agreed, that I would try to do some informal poking around to find out who might have been hunting on the neighbors land. If we can get a feel for who this may of been, then maybe go to the neighbor with the story - not accusing her (I really can not see her in any way involved) but basically letting her know that the people she is allowing to hunt her property are doing some rather crappy stuff!
I had pulled the wire down after I found it, (I wanted to do a few more laps!) but did go back and take some pics of the situation, and put the wire back up like I had found it for some pics to show it like it was. I then took it down and left it. My thought is to let it lay a while and see if it some how finds its way back up again in the near future. I do however plan on removing all the wire I can find to eliminate the opportunity for this idiot to use it again. (so for those of you who do ride here on occassion - dont worry, it wont be an issue in the future!)
The more I think about this, and what could of happened, the more pissed off I am! What if one of my kids had been out riding? Or a friend? Or if I had not ducked when I did? I am convinced that even if I do risk what has been to this point a good relationship with our neighbor, I am gonna take further action! Again, I am confident it was not the neighbor, but I am sure it is either a hunter she is knowingly allowing to hunt her property, or it is a hunter there without her consent.
What are your thoughts with how I should pursue this?
Whew...i needed to rant a moment...thanks guys!
With this outstanding weather I had to get out for a ride this weekend. The boys and I did a ride on the Atlanta C loop yesterday, and today I wanted to get out on my loop here at home. I had already done two laps on my course and was on my third lap. As I came around tight bend around poplar tree on the left, I caught a quick glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye - not so sure I really realized what it was at that instant, but I dove further inside on the line around the tree and instinctively ducked my head.
I came to a stop to look over my shoulder to see what in the world it was I had seen - to see a strand of barbed wire strung between that poplar tree on the left, and the pine tree to the right. :yikes:
The wire went over the poplar about 9 feet up, (the poplar leans at quite an angle from to many bark buster smacks), drooped down to neck height right across the trail, then sloped upward to about 7' up on some branchs on the nearby pine tree.
My property was fenced many years ago, and does have an old fence line around most of the permiter. I have not worried about pulling up any of the old wire, as I have tried to route my trails such it would be of no concern, and now the trails near the boundries are well established. The wire in question, came from the nearby fence line. Now keep in mind, this old fence line has YEARS worth of leaves and other debri on top of the wire - such you REALLY have to yank on it to pull it out of the leaves. It appears someone came along, pulled up the fence line, evidently breaking it (or it may have been broken before) such the loose end was tossed up on that poplar, pulled across the pine tree then running back to the fence line. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, the wind somehow blew this wire up there ...NO WAY NO HOW!
The scariest thing is - I had already been around that same corner two times before and somehow missed that wire! Evidently my line was far enough inside I just missed it. OR, the wire was strung up after my second lap. (I doubt that based on how the pine tree's bark was scraped up from the wire).
The adjacent property owner is a 88 year old widower - her home is located such there is no way noise is an issue for her. BUT...she does allow some local people to hunt her property, and this fall, a new deer blind had been constructed near the west edge of my property - about 300 yard from where the wire was.
Needless to say, I was/am rather upset with this! :yell: :yell: I did call the local police, and filed a complaint. The officer I spoke to said he often found that if the police get involved, quite often things escalate really quick with retaliatory actions. He suggested, and I agreed, that I would try to do some informal poking around to find out who might have been hunting on the neighbors land. If we can get a feel for who this may of been, then maybe go to the neighbor with the story - not accusing her (I really can not see her in any way involved) but basically letting her know that the people she is allowing to hunt her property are doing some rather crappy stuff!
I had pulled the wire down after I found it, (I wanted to do a few more laps!) but did go back and take some pics of the situation, and put the wire back up like I had found it for some pics to show it like it was. I then took it down and left it. My thought is to let it lay a while and see if it some how finds its way back up again in the near future. I do however plan on removing all the wire I can find to eliminate the opportunity for this idiot to use it again. (so for those of you who do ride here on occassion - dont worry, it wont be an issue in the future!)
The more I think about this, and what could of happened, the more pissed off I am! What if one of my kids had been out riding? Or a friend? Or if I had not ducked when I did? I am convinced that even if I do risk what has been to this point a good relationship with our neighbor, I am gonna take further action! Again, I am confident it was not the neighbor, but I am sure it is either a hunter she is knowingly allowing to hunt her property, or it is a hunter there without her consent.
What are your thoughts with how I should pursue this?
Whew...i needed to rant a moment...thanks guys!
