Harassment by local yolkel in Uvalde TX

I'm new to hunting and this will be my first year so please excuse my ignorance...

I bought 10.6 acres with my dad 2 years ago as a way to hunt, fish, camp and spend time together. The property is VERY rual about 20 miles from DT Uvalde on Texas Highway 55 and about 1/2 mile from nueces river so it attracts a lot of wildlife (whitetail, axis, hogs, racoons). The area is made up of 5-15 acre lots with a majority of owners living out of town or state.

Long story short an older gentleman keeps telling me I can't hunt on the property cause I don't have 20 acres or more. (I've talked to what few people I've found and they hunt all the time on less then 20 acres)
My feeder has been knocked over and urinated on. The deer blind has been tipped over and spray painted. This gentleman doesn't live in the area and claims to have 35 acres but when I've looked on Uvalde tax office website he owns 11 acres about 1/4 miles from my property....

What are my options? What can I do? I don't want to do anything illegal.

I may be wrong, but I thought it was 10 acres minimum to hunt. That needs verified. So, lets go through what someone has done wrong.

1. Someone has trespassed on your property
2. Someone had vandalized your personal property
3. If they were armed, it is a state felony

Two things you can do. Record remotely by getting a game cam (two is better) and then also contacting your game warden. Like you said, keep it legal but you don't have to put up with this.

Are you near CR 414?

Unless Uvalde County has adopted the State minimum acreage laws for shooting and hunting you are good to go. Call the Uvalde County Wardens, they will know and you can make a complaint for hunter harassment as well. I'm sure you aren't the only one complaining about this guy.

No, not to far it's off RR 334

Welcome to the forum and I'm sorry you're having to deal with this loon.

Definitely check with the game warden and tell them about it.

Get Posted signs that state "Tresspassers will be prosecuted" and definitely a couple of game cameras. Hide the second one very well, maybe in a security box.

I have no patience for lonely old farts trying to make the world and everybody bend to their will. There was less of this crap when you could just knock the snot out of someone who needed it.

Sounds like he's playing prison rules with you. Double check acreage, defend your property. I would ask the guy if he has been damaging the property, at least put him on notice.

Get signage and cameras.

Document everything even any conversation with the guy, any witnesses also. Take many pictures of damage or whatever, even after put signs up take photos. This is your land.

I would start with not raising too much cain with the neighbor. Mark your fence lines if they are not with no trespassing signs or purple paint. If you don't have fences that is going to be sketchy. Put your blinds and feeders back up real nice put a camera on it maybe two or three, make sure you catch him, maybe put them at a gate or however you think he is getting into your property. Get good info on him and make his life a living hell.

Before you do any of this, your land is likely in a rural subdivision and probably has deed restrictions which can limit/restrict hunting etc. You need to find out what those restrictions are, I know several people who live in acreage subdivisions that have no hunting/no discharging of firearm rules.

Seems to me to contact the game warden and make a call to the sheriff's office as well and let them know what's happening. I wouldn't wait around and let it continue. If you feel your in the right, let the law know what's going on.

I would set up some cellular trail cameras on the property as well. Even if they steal the camera, you will still have the pictures available to download.

Prior to contacting the law I would make sure there aren't any deed restrictions on hunting. If you don't think there are any, I would go to the county clerks office and double check that. They have any and all deed restrictions filed of record there.

Thanks for all the input guys. I bought 2 cameras and placed one on the road leading in and one by the deer stand. I'll probably headup to the county clerks office and look for deed restrictions and call the realtor who sold me the property for input... Also who would enforce the deed restriction if hunting is not allowed on less then 20 acres??? The HOA dissolved back in the 80's???

Game warden should have all the answers you need.

if the HOA dissolved then most likely any HOA rules are gone as well

also in Texas a HOA has to enforce thoroughly ALL HOA rules that are in place and if they fail to do so for a period of time then it becomes difficult for them to enforce the one they have been letting slip (like no aluminum car ports in a city subdivision) and it becomes harder for them to enforce others as well

and in a rural area like that with no HOA and absentee owners of most properties there is not a chance in hell the sheriff or game warden is going to mess with HOA rule enforcement and I am not even sure they legally can anyway since those are mostly civil and contract issues

and you have a LOT of options to deal with that old fart.....22, .45, .9mm, .243, 7mm magnum, 12 gauge.....hand shovel, back hoe, excavator, skit steer.....the options are endless

If there was a dissolution that should also be filed of record.

Talk to the Title Company that did the closing. If they had to issue a Title Policy it should reference any/all deed restrictions and HOA information.
Until you have the answer, fence, signs and cameras.
Once you have the answer, and it's in your favor, talk to the Game Wardens.

Sounds like your guy might be related to a PITA I used to have to deal with back in the late '80s, early '90s not too far from you.

GAME WARDEN, GAME WARDEN, GAME WARDEN! Call the Game warden! This guy has broken multiple laws. Hunter harassment, Trespassing, and vandalism. Even if the HOA does not allow hunting, he still was trespassing, and he still vandalized. An HOA not allowing hunting would not be enforced by the game warden anyhow. That would be enforced by the HOA in civil court.

I agree on documentation very important in making a case. Contact local law enforcement and make a criminal trespass report with property damage try to exceed 750.00 on property damage if it's reasonable. This will increase the degree of offense. Game warden also

I also thought it was 10 acres, but that was several yes ago so things might have changed.

hunt in a subdivision on lots 10 acres or less in an unincorporated area of a county if the commissioners court, by order, prohibits the discharge of a firearm or the use of archery equipment in such subdivisions. (Contact local county clerk and ask about §235.022, Local Government Code.)


http://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoo...eas-in-counties

I don't think the OP can prove it was this guy...

Keep us posted

this is typical of a place being sold into "ranchettes"...
expect a high-fence going up soon on at least one side...

I don't think it matters at this point if he can prove its the neighbor or not. Let the law handle it. It seems clear enough that someone was trespassing and damaging his property. That should be enough to contact law enforcement. No need to wait around for more stuff to get damaged or stolen or someone to get hurt.

It's an 11 acer minimum. He's not liking all his new neighbors if I had to guess. Maybe some hidden trial cams. Catch him in the act. Let him know you own the property and are going to be there hunting all the time. I guess it's better then having poachers on your land. Try to be nice cause it will pay off later.

I have a place in northern Real CTY, in a subdivision. A few owners have less than 10 acres. Not illegal to discharge a firearm. Check with appraisal district for deed restrictions. Game warden or Sheriff needs to be contacted immediately. Hope you catch this skallywag.

Call the county clerks office and they can give you a yes or no answer on hunting in your subdivision.

Call the sheriff and game warden. At the very least, one or both will pay him a visit and let him know that if this continues or they find evidence from what's already occurred he will be subject to arrest and prosecution.

I agree he needs to contact the game warden. As to this guy breaking multiple laws...that has not been proven. It easily could be a different neighbor or vandals that's actually done all this stuff.

You need to report it to the GW and then hopefully get something on one of your cameras and if you do prosecute to the fullest!

Get evidence such as game camera pictures before you start accusing someone!
The Warden in most cases won't act unless there is some type of proof as to who is doing it.

While I would be trying every way I could to get pics or other proof, you should not have to do all the legwork yourself. The GW is not supposed to wait for you to bring in evidence, he should be gathering it. Heck, the new TV series portrays them as detectives without equal in modern law enforcement. Most I have known were more than ready to investigate crimes.

maybe different rules for different county's, deputy told me that a plated subdivision must be at least 40 acers to hunt, in Bastrop county law is 5 acers, unless its plated subdiv. not that stops the low life's that disregard the law.

Any subdivision is a whole different thing, and usually the Sheriff is the one that gets called out. Check with the county offices to make sure before you alert the GW. Even it's to report vandalism, you could then open yourself up to being in the wrong as well.

True, I should have phrased it "Someone has broken multiple laws". Either way, if the OP has not reported it to the game warden yet, he needs to. Just because it has been reported does not mean you can't put up a game camera, and do some evidence gathering on your own while the GW is doing his. Of course, don't break any laws yourself while gathering such evidence.

Put No Trespassing Signs up, then put a game camera up somewhere that focuses on your stuff, but is disguised. Get pictures of the SOB and file a complaint with the local LEO.

Use game cameras