If you’re going to be traipsing around people’s backyards without their knowledge or permission, you really should have a badge or an ID or something that tells homeowners that you’re not a murderer, rapist, or pillager. It really would save us homeowners a whole lot of hassle.
UPDATE: The traipser was not a murderer, rapist, and/or pillager, and he called to apologize.
Two words.
“Open Carry”
”...you really should have a badge or an ID…”
...or a warrant.
Did they pay attention when you racked the slide on your 12ga?
Castle Doctrine anyone?
I see the county listers/assessors are out in your area. Don’t know WI law, but VT law gives them the power to inspect exteriors/grounds without notification/warrant.
No, he wasn’t either of those.
Oh well, ‘twas a guess. The town listers doing their job accounts for a goodly portion of the “intruder” calls here in VT.
Don’t try to take a gun with you in your car. I take my truck out back regularily to check on ‘visitors’. My dog rides in the back. I learned recently if you have a gun on your hip in open carry but are in a truck/atv/snowmobile and come across a police officer/warden you will get a ticket. So If I see lights in the back of one of my fields at night and I go back to check it out, I have to unload, case, and secure my weapon, then drive back, get out, uncase, load, and secure my weapon. I have to do this hoping that it is just Sam or his kids running a coon with his dogs or a warden doing whatever they do. So far no murderers and the poachers only stuck around long enough to leave carcases with the antlers sawed off. City folk just should not be allowed to make all the rules. Unfortunately, they outnumber those of us that feed them.
As an aside, for those that have not spent time in an area where pavement is an afterthought, the weapon carried is not primarily for the human sort. I have 3 distinct packs of coyotes on my property and they can take down one of my dogs pretty quick. I walk with my children out back and would not want to have to have to use a stick to fend off one of those packs. I also refuse to stay in my house all winter so that I am protected. My wife’s aunt(previous owner of the farm) shot a coyote out the back porch that was chasing one of the barn cats. The shot was less than 5 yards. My in-laws neighbor had a coyote chase one of their dogs through the screen door of the front porch and out the screen door of the back porch. They are not particularly frightened of humans.
Most municipalities have access to your properties for inspection purposes. If you look at your mortgage documents you will see that. I have a guy come around once per year to look at the water shutoffs and the storm sewer that are in my back yard. I then looked at my documents and found the very thin line that he was supposed to walk on if I were to enforce the agreement to the letter of the law. they should have proper ID with them.