so here's a little story...
Ever since I was in middle school I had been going to this empty piece of land east of my parents house. its about 2 square miles of land, don't know if it has only one owner. or its split up. Recently as of like 2 years now, the land has been developed a little, nothing major, just put a fence up in one part, around a drainage ditch. and some no trespassing sign's in another part. I haven't ever met the owner of the land, but recently I decided to go back out there to see what's changed.
So I'm out there, and decide to go to the creek - it can be kind of swampy sometimes because I live in Florida. But wasn’t that day.
I'm out there for maybe 2 hours walking around decide to go back because some clouds are rolling in. Thing is I left my dirt bike [that has tags on it] back at the entrance to the swamp off a dirt path, where I came in at, I didn't see no- no trespassing sign's
Come out of woods, I see a white truck, figured its for the power transformer station that's near by off the service road. Think nothing of it.
Walking north, away from the white truck, I had to cut through some bush, come down the walk way where my bike is sitting. white truck parked by it, some guy with a rifle in hand, wearing an high vis orange jacket. I yell, "Walking through" the guy says nothing. I walk forward, some old guy driving the truck, younger guy with the gun. He says "what are you doing out here" I explain what I'm doing. and he keep's asking me "why would someone want to be walking through a swamp." I simply explain that those are my intentions and that why does he really care? Asks me if I had a gun, I had no gun. tells me he could shoot me If he wanted to and completely get away with it. tells me I’m trespassing. I tell him that I’m sorry, I didn't know. I'll leave. tells me to stay right there, gun still pointed at me. old guy holding his cellphone out w/ camera on. I explain that I didn't want any trouble, that ill leave and won’t come back. Makes a call on his phone, says nothing, must of not picked up. He tells me to wait right there, that he’s trying to reach the owner, 10 minutes go by, its pouring raining, all I got is a t-shirt and a sweat shirt on. Being held at gun point. He informs me that he can’t get a hold of the owner, so he called the sheriff on his personal phone. I told him that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, trespassing yes, but I didn’t know I was. He tells me that he’ll figure out what to do once the sheriff arrives, if I have no prior convictions that he’ll let me go. I get him to talk some more, to give up more information. He basically does not own the land, nor does the older guy in the truck, they basically go out there to keep boar off the land, not contracted just as a favor.
So about 15 minutes goes by, its still raining. And its cold. Sheriff shows up, finally. Nice guy, way nicer then the two who had me at gunpoint. They talk to him first, then he talks to me, I give him my drivers license and he runs my motorcycle plate. Me the younger guy, and the sheriff standing in a group. Sheriff ask’s what he wants to do, the guy says since I had no prior run in’s that I can go, as long as I stayed off the land, and tell my friends who might come in to stay out too. I ask for the owners name/phone number as the sheriff is walking back to his car. The old guy yell’s “DON’T GIVE IT TO HIM!” I look dumbly at him, and the guy tells me that I don’t need to know that kind of information? I questioned him for a little bit, then put on my helmet, and gloves [both soaking wet, and cold!] and ride off back to the house.
It’s been a few months since this happened. And I’m still a little upset about how the two guys treated me, I have no action or civil suit, nor do I want to take this kind of thing to court. It wasn’t even about the gun either because I wasn’t even the slightest bit scared of the gun the whole time, or them. What im mostly mad at, is they wouldn't give me the owners name/phone number so I can contact said owner, to get permission to be on his property, all I want to do out there, is pick dewberries/wild grapes/blackcherrys when the season is around, and take pictures of plants/birds because it’s a haven for native birds and plants! I would of even agreed to wearing a high vis vest/shirt/hat at all times out there, and not be out there the days his friends he allows to hunt out there. [the two guys in the truck]
I still need to head on over to the tax collectors building [parcels office] to get land map records and names/phone numbers of anyone who might own that nice piece of natural swamp land, to attempt to get permission to access that land for gathering/fishing[the creek]
but yeah, this rustled my jimmies, and still rustles them!
Ever since I was in middle school I had been going to this empty piece of land east of my parents house. its about 2 square miles of land, don't know if it has only one owner. or its split up. Recently as of like 2 years now, the land has been developed a little, nothing major, just put a fence up in one part, around a drainage ditch. and some no trespassing sign's in another part. I haven't ever met the owner of the land, but recently I decided to go back out there to see what's changed.
So I'm out there, and decide to go to the creek - it can be kind of swampy sometimes because I live in Florida. But wasn’t that day.
I'm out there for maybe 2 hours walking around decide to go back because some clouds are rolling in. Thing is I left my dirt bike [that has tags on it] back at the entrance to the swamp off a dirt path, where I came in at, I didn't see no- no trespassing sign's
Come out of woods, I see a white truck, figured its for the power transformer station that's near by off the service road. Think nothing of it.
Walking north, away from the white truck, I had to cut through some bush, come down the walk way where my bike is sitting. white truck parked by it, some guy with a rifle in hand, wearing an high vis orange jacket. I yell, "Walking through" the guy says nothing. I walk forward, some old guy driving the truck, younger guy with the gun. He says "what are you doing out here" I explain what I'm doing. and he keep's asking me "why would someone want to be walking through a swamp." I simply explain that those are my intentions and that why does he really care? Asks me if I had a gun, I had no gun. tells me he could shoot me If he wanted to and completely get away with it. tells me I’m trespassing. I tell him that I’m sorry, I didn't know. I'll leave. tells me to stay right there, gun still pointed at me. old guy holding his cellphone out w/ camera on. I explain that I didn't want any trouble, that ill leave and won’t come back. Makes a call on his phone, says nothing, must of not picked up. He tells me to wait right there, that he’s trying to reach the owner, 10 minutes go by, its pouring raining, all I got is a t-shirt and a sweat shirt on. Being held at gun point. He informs me that he can’t get a hold of the owner, so he called the sheriff on his personal phone. I told him that I wasn’t doing anything wrong, trespassing yes, but I didn’t know I was. He tells me that he’ll figure out what to do once the sheriff arrives, if I have no prior convictions that he’ll let me go. I get him to talk some more, to give up more information. He basically does not own the land, nor does the older guy in the truck, they basically go out there to keep boar off the land, not contracted just as a favor.
So about 15 minutes goes by, its still raining. And its cold. Sheriff shows up, finally. Nice guy, way nicer then the two who had me at gunpoint. They talk to him first, then he talks to me, I give him my drivers license and he runs my motorcycle plate. Me the younger guy, and the sheriff standing in a group. Sheriff ask’s what he wants to do, the guy says since I had no prior run in’s that I can go, as long as I stayed off the land, and tell my friends who might come in to stay out too. I ask for the owners name/phone number as the sheriff is walking back to his car. The old guy yell’s “DON’T GIVE IT TO HIM!” I look dumbly at him, and the guy tells me that I don’t need to know that kind of information? I questioned him for a little bit, then put on my helmet, and gloves [both soaking wet, and cold!] and ride off back to the house.
It’s been a few months since this happened. And I’m still a little upset about how the two guys treated me, I have no action or civil suit, nor do I want to take this kind of thing to court. It wasn’t even about the gun either because I wasn’t even the slightest bit scared of the gun the whole time, or them. What im mostly mad at, is they wouldn't give me the owners name/phone number so I can contact said owner, to get permission to be on his property, all I want to do out there, is pick dewberries/wild grapes/blackcherrys when the season is around, and take pictures of plants/birds because it’s a haven for native birds and plants! I would of even agreed to wearing a high vis vest/shirt/hat at all times out there, and not be out there the days his friends he allows to hunt out there. [the two guys in the truck]
I still need to head on over to the tax collectors building [parcels office] to get land map records and names/phone numbers of anyone who might own that nice piece of natural swamp land, to attempt to get permission to access that land for gathering/fishing[the creek]
but yeah, this rustled my jimmies, and still rustles them!
