How about some of those stop sticks the cops use (not sure that is what their called), those spikes they lay down to pop peoples tires? I"m sure that would stop at LEAST one of them... I would strategically lay some out around the property's perimeter in the areas that you are having problems with.... or maybe even long nails would work.

Laura

Thanks Laura, I like that. :) Will give it a try this weekend and get back to you on how well it works!

Just remember that it's illegal to build anything that might constitute a 'man trap' as it were, and you wouldn't want anyone like a pedestrian getting hurt...

I don't know about the lie of the land there, but if chains get cut, maybe some of those concrete barricades would help.

If your land borders parkland, perhaps enlist the help of whoever manages the parkland for strategies/installation of deterrents....make it their problem too!

walking or on atv, a trepasser is a trespasser. Suppose you could camp out there with a shot gun like my grandpa used to do, never shot anyone but scared the crap outta them, thats for sure.... personally, I would rather throw down the spikes.

Hehehe, a man trap! is that like one of those live-trap cages that they use for raccoons and groundhogs? The visual on that cracks me up. Do you bait it with beer and pretzels?
(Sorry, not making lite of your comment PBJ, but like I said, the visual just cracked me up)

Laura

belinda;
Do a search on this forum for "Snowmobiles, or "Trespassers on my land". At least you won't feel alone with this problem. The "ha ha Fence" that one poster suggests might work.
Pam

About 40 years ago, my mother once drove nails through a very long 2 x 4 and then cut a strip of grass to match. Every night, she'd lay down the board and cover it up with the grass so it wouldn't show. The neighbors were afraid whoever it was that was driving through the front yards of the homes (ripping out bushes, etc.) might lose control once their wheels popped. However, she stood fast - told them they can't exactly speed through the landscaped yards. It was more of an obstacle course if anything. Word got out that "measures were taken to stop this type of vandalism" and it quit almost immediately. Of course, this was a much small and controlled environment where the "word" was easily spread.

Maybe post a ton of warning signs that spikes have been randomnly planted that could cause serious damage? Fake it?
I would hate to get stuck with a flat while illegally riding on someone else's property.

Just a thought. Good luck, I know it must be very frustrating.

Have you talked to the sheriff of your county about it, maybe they can give you suggestions or somehow help monitor?

Laura

We have concrete pilings or metal pilings that sit deep in the ground to about waist high. They are placed far enough apart at the entrance of a trail to allow hikers and bicyclists to get through, but not ATV's or snowmobiles.
Seems to work just fine.
Of course, they'll only work in a spot where you can't just drive around them :)

I like the spike idea myself but like someone said, put fake signs out that are warning signs. Like Enter at your own risk , spikes are being used in the area which are hidden, etc... If it were my land and someone was doing that, I would personally tie a rope to one tree to another and constanly put it back up until they get tired of taking it down or maybe not even seeing it. Yes, I know that could be dangerous but they do not want to respect your property and want to take chances anyway going through someones yard, then they have to take the chance of the dangers of riding as well.

Spikes etc, or the suggestion that they are there are illegal and foolish, besides, what if you or one of your guests etc impale themselves?? What if it's a kid who just doesn't have any common sense, or a pedestrian who would be just as vulnerable.

If you 'take the law into your own hands' and cause somebody's tires to get ripped up, you may well escalate matters and find those people coming back aiming to do some real damage - if they don't respect property to begin with, do you think they'll stop when you really tick them off?

As somebody said, complain to the law...if you buy property in such a position, you have to accept (I'm not saying condone) that such stuff will happen.

Concrete or steel posts - bollards - are the way to go, spaced or offset to allow walkers but not vehicles.

They're visible and will act as a deterrent. Invisible traps will just annoy them.

Clearly if you think it's all at their own risk, you are not familiar with common law. Many is the case where a burglar has successfully sued/prosecuted a homeowner for a deliberate or accidental obstacle etc that has caused injury.

I heard a lawyer say that the problem with 'beware of the dog' signs is, that they can be seen as an admission of liability or accepting the likelihood that your dog will bite someone...

Don't necessarily expect sympathy from the law if you do cause somebody to be harmed by these suggested measures, it's a form of vigilante-ism and most law enforcement bodies take a dim view, despite what your cousin earl or whoever may suggest :)

In short, build a fence/posts or something, but don't be tempted to do more.

i agree that in today's society you would likely be held liable for any injuries/damage caused by spikes etc.. a good barb wire fence, that is well marked, is perfectly legal though. just hang a couple of flags on it to show you marked it to keep soneone from accidently running into it. if they tear your fence down, then the law HAS to take action. if possible, get pictures fo the riders trespassing on your land. you will hold the burden of proof, so you must provide all evidence.

sorry, but that is just the way it is.

i had a problem with kids riding dirt bikes on my land when we first moved in. they had always been allowed to do it, as one of them's grandfather was the previous owner. when i explained to them that they could cut across at one spot, but to stay out of the rest, they immediately did as i asked. so in my case at least i came out good without having to go thru your experience.

call the law EVERY time someone trespasses. when the law says they are tired of coming out, then tell them you will keep calling until they stop the folks.

i do not know about MO, but here the STATE can stop trespassers when they are causing damage to woodland or wetland. check with a local game warden to see fi this is the case in MO as well. enough people get fined, and word gets out to stay away.

as a last resort, you could put up a steel pipe fence the entire length of your property. this will force them to atleast change their route. i know one farmer here did this. he welded 3 inch pipe for a solid mile down one side of his field. every 15 or 20 ft he welded a pipe to it as a post. those were sunk about 2 ft int he ground. the entire fence was about 2.5 to 3 ft high, jsut high enough to not allow an ATV to go under.

Thanks for all the responses. We did a little of each so far. ;) Warning signs posted, fencing laid out and we have decided I believe to go with the steel pipe fence. We have also gotten with the Park Ranger and the sheriffs department. They (the devils) are already pretty angry with us I'm sure, but I think the deer like us better now.

I went through with the spikes, yes, it's terrible I know, but in Missouri the Castle Law is enacted and it states, according to the Sheriffs dept that a property owner can protect his or her property to any means necessary. This basically says that victims of burglaries and vandalism as well as tresspassers etc... now don't have to worry about being sued by criminals. The warning signs state that there are placed spikes as well as cameras, which of course there are both. Best place is bluecherry.com to find outdoor cameras. Sheriff Deputy told me about them! There are 48 signs placed warning no tresspassing and of ground laid spikes. Photos and sheriffs deputy witnessed. All we can do now really is wait it out and see.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Keep us posted as to how it goes. So glad to see your state is willing to allow property owners to protect themselves and their property without fear of being sued. It gets a bit ridiculous when you have to worry about protecting the very people that are doing you wrong. I say.... ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Good luck!

I'm sorry you have these people trespassing and making a mess, and I'm all for the fencing etc - but the 'castle law?' Spikes? Pure evil, I think, and it turns US into THEM, and no good will come from it.

'Justified force' or whatever you want to call it, is the cause of a lot of the world's problems today, IMHO.

Belinda, Good for you. I hope it works out. I, too, am tired of being pushed around because of fear of reprisal from the perpetrators.

PJB999 - amazing!! Transfering the 'evil' from the victim to the criminal. Smooth logic there. I smell male bovine droppings!

"'Justified force' or whatever you want to call it, is the cause of a lot of the world's problems today, IMHO."

You are certainly entitled to your opinion - it's foolish of course - but you are entitled to it.

If we follow your (lack of) logic, to fight back if someone trespasses in your home turns me into them. I'll have none of that BS thank you - I'll act like a honorable, law abiding man instead and fight to the death. Belinda - fight the bastards.

Interesting that you talk about me being entitled to my opinion, and being 'honourable' whilst deriding my opinion...in my experience it's amazing how often your view, and your attitude go together.

I do believe people have the right to defend themselves if in danger (say of attack by a burglar), but the operative word is DEFENSE - following your 'logic' I suspect you think anybody who's trespassing in your home is fair game - but that thinking leads to tragedies like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshihiro_Hattori

The problem with this black/white logic is there IS no room for grey - what if a Law enforcement officer, on Belinda's land for legitimate law enforcement reasons, impales his/herself on the spikes? What about a small child - and, as for ATV riders, some kids start riding them pretty young, maybe before they can even read or understand such signs - at what age is it 'their problem' if they trespass and are injured? I can't see how that 'castle law' wouldn't end up with a lot of holes and issues when people get hurt who genuinely don't "deserve" to.

Evil begets evil - force begets more force - my point being, if you do something more aggressive than barriers, those ATV riders, who already are showing a lack of respect for others, may get really ticked off if they get injured or their atvs are wrecked, and decide to take revenge - having the moral high ground isn't much comfort if your house is burned down, or you cop a shotgun blast in the face....

That's just MY opinion, though, Doc84, kindly show me the respect I show you, and don't result to childish personal attacks - I respect YOUR right to your opinion, although clearly I don't agree with it.

Here is a link that might be useful: The story of Yoshihiro Hattori

your argument boils down to personal responsibility. if a KID is too young to read, then they are too young to be on an ATV by themselves. if they are injured then it is THEIR PARENTS FAULT, NOT THE LANDOWNER'S!

a LE assumes risks when they take the job. if they were in pursuit of someone, or otherwise working, they are covered by the agency's worker's comp. besides, tire spikes are easily stepped over. if they tripped and landed on them, it really is no different than tripping and landing on a large sharp stick. is the land owner supposed to pick up every limb that falls in the 8 acre parcel to keep someone, who was not supposed to be there in the first place, from getting injured?

i do agree with you that the ATV riders will resort to more aggressive tactics. not all of them, but several will. those should be dealt with by the law. most of the riders see an open trail where everyone else cuts across and they follow it. if not for the bad riders, this trail would already remain closed and the majority would simply go around the property.

back when i was in high school i rode my 3-wheeler everyday. i cut thru some woods to get to a common riding area, as did every one else in my area. one day i saw a tree laying across the path so i went around it. the next day the land owner was standing there when i came up. he told me he had purposely put the tree there to stop us from riding on his property. i apologized, and told him i had assumed he did not mind since everyone was doing it and he had no signs up. we talked for a few minutes, and he told me that if i wanted to go around the woods it was fine, but to stay out of the woods and out of his crops. I spread the word to my friends, and he had no further problems from us.

a couple of older guys, out of school and grown, had a problem with HIM though. so they decided they would ride there whether or not he allowed it. they tore down signs, fences, gates, what ever he put up. they even resorted to riding around in his bean fields to destroy crops. his solution to the problem came when his tractor broke down and got stuck next to the woods. he hooked an old steel cable to it and proceeded to attempt to pull the tractor out. well, wouldn't you know that his other tractor got stuck too! just so happened that the 2 were about 75 ft apart, with one on either side of the trail out of the woods, and the cable was about 18 inches off the ground. after 2 wrecked fourwheelers, no one rode thru there again. there was nothing that could be done to him, as they were trespassing on a farm property and the owner was not liable by law.

as to defense when in danger, in my area "defense" covers life AND property. these riders are destroying the owners property and ARE CRIMINALS. this would allow her to take almost any means necessary to stop them.

as to your link, that has already been decided by a court of law. although clearly the homeowner should have reacted differently, he was within his rights to protect himself and his property. the boys were in the wrong for going around his house in the dark.

the land owner has gotten the approval to do what is necessary, so BRAVO!

Thanks DavidandKasie for your well-reasoned post. I agree with most of what you say, however, I think the homeowner did react disproportionately, I think this tendency to assume the worst is what makes this world such a dangerous place....you may not like or agree with what Michael Moore says, but in his first film Bowling for Columbine, he makes the very good point that the media report so much bad stuff people do assume the worst, yet across the border in Canada (where I live) people don't even lock their doors.

I don't know how you change the mindset of people but clearly that's what needs to happen so more tragedies don't happen....

I may not have made it clear, my biggest worry with Belinda's plans are that the spikes however they are constructed, aren't clearly marked, the original post indicated the property is adjacent to the Katy trail which I assume is some sort of public land, if the private land boundary isn't marked clearly, a person could quite innocently stumble across them (the spikes) and that'd be my concern. At least Belinda has put up warning signs on the perimeter.

I don't care if a kid's parents are the irresponsible ones for letting them trespass or not, if a child or innocent person was injured on my land because of something I'd put there, I'd never forgive myself.

Sorry but that's just how I am. Even if the injured person was up to no good on my land, I don't wish harm on anyone. Maybe I need to be harder and meaner to satisfy the hard-liners?

You know, this is your land and you can do with it as you see fit. But, I don't understand why you would allow hikers and bicyclists to trespass and not the atv's. Rapists and child molesters can ride bicycles too...
Is this a certain group of atv's that truly need some social skills training-like the idiot that almost ran you down? Or, was that an isolated event and your anger- actually a prejudice on your part? I cannot help but wonder if the previous owner allowed them to cross for years. Before you bought this land it might have been accustomed to riders, so have you even tried actually talking to "them"?
Why is it when someone is on a motorcycle automatically they are perceived to be the enemy? I live in the dirt bike mecca of the world. It's not that these people want to hurt you! The problem comes with the counties and states. When a rider purchases a motorcycle in many states the state collects funds for open riding land. Does that land get bought and developed with those fees, usually NO. To give an example, the county of Riverside, California has received funds from sales for almost 20 years to open a safe riding park in what was known as the "Bad Lands", an arid mostly unusable hill area. What did they decide to do with that money- make yet another park for bicyclist and hikers. Not opening a park also allows counties ticket revenue so it's a win-win for governments. And I'm sorry if that rider seemed chemically enhanced. Maybe he was and maybe he wasn't, there are creeps in every segment of society. I bet any day of the week you'll find drivers on the highway in the same condition and more a threat to you're longevity. In fact, any motorcycle rider that is a serious rider doesn't do drugs, it's not good for their longevity either!

Perhaps it is all in you point of view. Get to know these neighbours of yours and let them get to know you.

Our neighbours are coyotes. They eat our sheep. We are working on something we can all (including the sheep) live with.

What makes me believe that this is a prejudice is the names that these people are being called by those who've never even met them. I don't know if this is a family or one person. I don't know if he/they are truly bad and ugly people or if this is something that has gotten totally blown out of proportion. For those posting on this thread to call them "devils" and even "bastards"... I have my own thoughts. Some people often fear/hate the unknown. Others think they are superior, or at least think their life style is and choose not to even try to get along.
I know one woman who riding alone on an approved trail was shot by a man target practicing because he didn't like the noise she made (like guns are quiet!)
One man that had his throat cut by a wire placed just so high....a real funny joke
To laugh about wishing someone harm or even death that you've never even met including children ?!?!
come on...that goes beyond reason- it's plain evil.

Property owners should have the rights to protect what is theirs. People shouldn't have to tolerate others who trespass on their property especially when that property has been clearly marked with No Trespassing signs. If people want to hunt and ride ATV's, they ought to go buy their own property to do it on and stay off of others. I didn't buy my property, nor pay taxes on it, so buttholes can take advantage of it. If you don't have a place to ride your ATV, then don't buy one! My property isn't a public place.

I've had people in the past ask my persmission to hunt on my property. I've given it to some and other's I've told no to. The main thing was they ASKED first!
They at least respected the fact that they needed permission.

Belinda--You go girl!! Goodluck!

This thread is sick.

so why do you think this thread is sick.
maybe you don't respect others property?
I think that as long the propety is posted, ie no trespassing, then the owner can use any means necessary to keep people out. yes even law enforcement. they should need a court order before entering. they need one before entering my house!!
little kids...WHERE THE HELL ARE THE PARENTS!!!! too bad if they get hurt. the parents should be watching and teaching. and the excuse 'THEY JUST KIDS' doesn't work. why you ask, so parents when do you start teaching them?? 5, 8, 10, 14, 16, 20...maybe from birth?

I think that if the warning is placed before the hazard, then is the users/treaspassers fault, period! they broke the law. not the land owner.

just incase you think i'm nuts. lets think about this the other way..
yep. warning signs. the ones like the state/national parks like to use. so If I disobey the sign and get hurt its their fault? NOT!!! it should be mine!!. just the ones treaspassing. ITS THEIR FAULT!!.

take responsiblity for your own actions...

-dkenny

ps. I parents always taught me, you can be dead right, but your still dead!!

Yes people should be able to protect their property.

Kats and everyone else who thinks property owners have no rights--I guess you wouldn't mind me entering your home without permission and helping myself to your belongings. I see that as the same thing as trespassing on someone's property. If you make it OK to trespass with no consequences, then where does it stop?

pjc,
funny how you can quote me and miss this- I believe it was my opening line...
You know, this is your land and you can do with it as you see fit.

Kats and everyone else who thinks property owners have no rights
where did I say that, quote me please. I never once said that property owners have no rights. And your comment is an excellent example of what is happening on this thread. What I said is I have my own thoughts on what is happening here and yes, I believe laws, misunderstanding, lack of communication, prejudice and even creeps on bikes may be part of the problem.
As far as this thread goes...what I'm saying is- sometimes if you follow the bull in front of you, then you just might fall off the cliff.

dkenny, To question my honesty because I differ in my approach to this problem, you also have shown and excellent example of what is going on here. And, yes I believe this thread is sick. And if you cannot see the path it has taken then maybe you followed that bull too.

Kats, I'm with you!

This thread makes me sad. I can't believe that people genuinely believe they could sleep at night if someone was hurt or killed by them 'protecting their property' even if it was an innocent mistake or a kid. Actually, to follow that logic, every child who is harmed by a paedophile is themselves, and their parents, to blame, because they should have taught them better/resisted more/not been whereever....doesn't wash, does it?

I can't see where any item of property is worth another human being's life, even if you don't consider them much of a human being.

One of my favourite quotes is by Friedrich Nieztsche:

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Dkenny - "ps. I (sic) parents always taught me, you can be dead right, but your still dead!!"

Exactly my point when seeking to lock horns/escalate matters with "chemically controlled deliverance type guy(s)" to quote the original poster...

So I guess your propose inviting them to sit down to a tall glass of iced tea and reason with them. Evidently you've never experienced someone totally ignoring your signs. I have. It amazes me that people can't read the signs I have posted on my driveway that says "No admittance" "No trespassing" "Posted". I still get annoying salesmen. Just 2 weeks ago the jerks selling books knocked on my door at 8 am. How can you sell books if you can't read. The month before that I had someone else trying to sell meat out of the back of a truck. These are mild. The neighbor's kids beside of our property, ride ATV's and motor bikes and go round and round all day long on the track they have set up. Well, their track crosses on our property. No, I haven't put up spikes or "booby" traps. Frankly, I'm not too bothered that they have their track on 25 feet of my property, plus I'm grateful they have a track and seem to stay on it. But if they started riding them all over my property, especially when I've asked them not to--yes, I'd have a huge problem with it. Let me say on this also, that I don't particularly like hearing it either,especially since it can go on and on and on, but I know it's their property and they have the right to do it!! SEE! I respect other property owners and their rights!!!!

I have experienced people hunting without permission. The game wardens do nothing. The illegal hunter lies and they get by with it. I don't want anyone hunting, but I've given a few permission only hoping that it would keep out the ones that don't ask. You wouldn't believe how many that do ask and then get mad cause you tell them no. People act like if there is vacant property, then it belongs to no one and it's free for the taking. We also have a problem with garbage being dumped on us. You think I can call anyone to come clean it up?? HE!! NO! If it isn't in the right-a-way for the DOT, it becomes my problem and my expense. You want to know what we've had dumped on us? Tires, beds, rusted swingsets, household garbage, oil cans and the list goes on.

Like I said, I didn't buy my property for others to come and enjoy for nothing. I don't pay taxes out the rear end either for others to come take advantage of it. This isn't a public peice of property. You live on 1/3 of an acre in a development, then don't buy a 4-wheeler, cause I don't want you on my property. Don't hunt on me either. Don't trespass on me either, because one of these days, I'm going to have had enough. People need to teach their children to have respect for other people and their property. This is no different than the mail box bashing that goes on. It's no different than someone breaking into your home, or the more modern crime of identity theft. They are taking what doesn't belong to them at someone else's expense. It is destroying what doesn't belong to you. Riding ATV's does destroy property.

pcj,
belinda has never mentioned even "trying" to talk to them so why not try reasoning? Though as far as this seems to have escalated there may be no turning back. If reasoning doesn't work then unfortunately she will need to do something more to protect her property. And, if the option belinda chooses harms/kills someone then she will have to live with that. But remember- years from now it could be a member of her own family hurt by something she put down to harm another and forgotten about.

pjb999
I can't believe that people genuinely believe they could sleep at night if someone was hurt or killed by them 'protecting their property' even if it was an innocent mistake or a kid. Actually, to follow that logic, every child who is harmed by a paedophile is themselves, and their parents, to blame,

Excellent point and you're right, it doesn't wash does it? When I said that rapist and child molesters can ride bicycles too... it was ment to say bad people are all around us. If you choose to let only one segment of society on your property, and choose harm to others because of preconceived prejudices, you just might have opened your doors to the real "devil"....in more ways than one.

pjb999 and kats--maybe you should just give us your addresses and all of us with problems with trespassers can just send them to your property. We'll tell them you don't mind at all.

pcj,
belinda has never mentioned even "trying" to talk to them so why not try reasoning?

Putting up signs IS asking someone not to do it.

You like several others, have shown an animosity (hatred?) to those who wish to give a different solution to belinda's problem. I differ considerably with your solution but is there anywhere on this thread that I have mentioned sending someone to your home/business/family to irritate or harm you or your family? No.
You don't know me....I've done some pretty amazing things in my life to help people. Many times.
I don't know what kind of person you are though we do differ on how easy it seems for people to spew on this feeding frenzy of a thread.
And...honestly at this point- this thread is inconsequential since belinda made a decision and chimed out over a week ago!
Case closed.

Kats--I think you showed animosity in your post. What you don't seem to understand, and maybe because you have never dealt with people who disregard your property, its that people like this can't be talked to. Belinda says they had signs put up and they were torn down. Putting up signs is the best way to ask someone not to trespass. You can't camp out 24/7 waiting for the perpetrators to come by so you can reason with them and ask them to respect your property. They put up chains which were stolen, she says. They blocked the way with logs. What else can be done. I think you showed animosity by implying that she, or anyone else, was out to murder children because they don't want someone on their property and they are going to take serious measures to stop it because there are some people that are really hard headed and don't think she is entitled to keep them off, or they simply do not care. She isn't out to murder anyone. She is giving fair warning. You are the one on a "feeding frenzy."

sigh.....'giving fair warning' whilst placing man traps - what, accidents aren't going to happen? I can think of a dozen different scenarios where people who might have good, just cause to enter a property - fire dept, police, a neighbour who sees your house on fire - a child who wanders off, lost, too young to read, etc etc - it's all ok because you gave 'fair warning?'

I've never said it was ok for people to trespass. I don't particularly want people to trespass on my place, but I have all along argued for a sense of proportion, and to take steps which are PASSIVE like bollards etc - rather than aggressive ACTIVE means like spikes etc.

People set themselves up for tragedy - with all the good intentions in the world - then wonder or weep and wail when the unthinkable happens....or harden their hearts and say they 'gave fair warning'

Personally I'm very glad I live in a place where home owners DON'T have the right to take actions such as these. I actually feel safer - and know that I AM safer that way.

Case in point (uh-oh, here we go) - gun ownership. Similar numbers of guns in Canada per capita, far fewer murders (by guns or other means) in Canada per capita than in the US.

My theory? People in the US with these 'castle laws' and others expect the worst - and generally, when you expect the worst, you tend to find it. It's funny but that seems to be how it works.

Sheesh. 'night all.

You can talk all you want about being the owner of the property and having your rights... but there is nothing right about doing something to cause the injury of someone else, unless you are defending your own life.

"Defending" your property is no excuse to harm others.

Stop stick do work, and the only thing they hurt are the tires on the ATV.

I understand that property owners should have the right to not have tresspassers. We used to have a pond on our acerage that has since dried up. the fence that was across that stretch of water is not as visable as it should be due to swamp grass overgrowing it. we have atv's use the dry area. Normally this isnt a problem. its noisy yes, but there is no harm. They make fine trails to go horseback riding on.

At sundown our goats were out eating, a person who was out at that time had a .22 and took a shot at glowing eyes in the light of his flashlight. He shot one of our animals in the neck. the bullet exited. the goat bled out on the way back to the barn. she died there. she was perhaps only 200 yards from the house. We proceded to call the RCMP and they put a notice of the crime in the paper.

It is a scary situation. we could not find the bullet which means that it probably traveled a good distance after hitting the goat. what if it had been one of my family members outside?

We have also had an incident that involved full daylight. someone fired a shot for no reason and it whistled through the air not 10 feet from my sister. It could have killed her. There was someone else with the person who shot the gun and we could hear him yelling at the first person.

Perhaps one shouldn't take the law into his/her hands, but all it takes is one tresspasser to kill/hurt someone.

Think about it.

Exactly Wolfie!! That is the problem with people who trespass. They have no interest in respecting you, your belongings or your property! That is their mentality. That's why I'm still waiting for the addresses of the ones who think property owners are killers so all of us "killers" can send our trespassers to their property. They can fix lunch for them and have lemonaide. Protecting your property doesn't mean you are harming others and if other's would be considerate and learn to read signs and obey them, they will not run the risk of being harmed. Of course, you run the risk of injury just walking out your door every morning.

Sound more like you are wrecking there trail then them wrecking you land. may be if more people had more respect for others this type of thing would not happen. When you bought the land you should have seen that there was a trail running across the back and you should have asked your self am I good with this obviously you are not which means you should have kept right on looking for land. may in some development just out side of town with no dirt bikes.
And if it sound like I don't respect you or your "rights" you would be correct I would be just as happy to see you go back to where ever it is you came from.

Respect begets respect.

People have the right to protect what is theirs. If I put my hand on a hot stove (someone else's property), shouldn't I blame MYSELF if I get burned???