So my sister lives out in the country where things are generally pretty casual. Unfortunately her next door neighbor is a bit of a shiny happy person. The situation is that sister has her house and barn fairly close to the property line, runs a vet clinic out of said barn, has two small children and numerous animals (including a Clydesdale). Her neighbor has decided that a spot perhaps 100' from her site is the ideal location for shooting so all year long he and innumerable friends hike/drive 1/2 mile from his house to a spot as close as possible to sisters' and bang away. This spooks animals, causes children to fall off ponies, general distress among clients who have come for vet-work, etc. Sister has asked if they could please move the shooting to another location on the 300 acre farm and was ignored. County sheriff is good buddy to neighbor and comes out there for dove hunts in the fall so no help there. Legally the neighbor isn't breaking any laws that I know of but definitely is a cantankerous shiny happy person.
So I put it to the hive mind, what would you do?
As long as he is on his property and not shooting towards her house im not sure there is anything you can do. Im normally against people tying to tell others what to do on there own property but can understand her issue from a concerned parents point.
The joys of living in a rural area. Moving to a farm is not the answer to urban problems, its just a brand new set of conflicts.
slefain
UberDork
4/15/16 10:08 a.m.
He's doing what he wants legally on his own land, so I wouldn't do anything. Did he move his shooting spot just to piss off your sister, or has that been his shooting spot for years?
Why mess with a group of people who are already shown to be shiny happy people AND are armed?
Start stashing roadkill and manure all along their trail to get there. If they are within 150 yards of a structure, a good lawyer or officer could pull safety zone violations probably. If they are intentionally coming to the property line to shoot, it could probably even go as far as harassment or intimidation. Causing the kids to get tossed from spooked animals sound like a simple case even if the owners are friends with the sheriff. One good(I guess bad) ricochet or missed target would turn into a huge problem for the shooter.
Of course, I want acreage like that, so I can shoot, but because it gives me so much room from the neighbors. We're going on 10 years with our neighbour dispute here, including threats, harassment, illegal surveys, illegal timbering. It's been a mess, and still has no end in sight. I was almost arrested for trespassing on my own property because of this c##t, and none of the cops seem to care about property lines, noise ordinances, threats, or blockading our (split) driveway with giant rocks that get buried in the snow.
Basically, there's no easy fix inside of the legal realm until after something bad happens, like a kid or animal gets hurt. It's unfortunate on many levels.
Do something entirely legal that will annoy them into moving where they set up the shooting range.
Like, set up a compost pile with all the horse manure and everything on the edge of the property as close to the shooting range as possible. Maybe some leather tanning vats. Find an excuse to have industrial sized fans that blow the smell in the direction of the shooting gallery. Like drying out that rawhide you're tanning.
WilD
HalfDork
4/15/16 10:16 a.m.
How much money does she have to spend to make this problem go away?
That sounds dark...
I'm merely suggesting she A) buy him out of his farm B) buy herself a new bigger place away from any neighbors or C) offer to buy him all the suppressed firearms and ammo he wants as long as he agrees to only use those (bullets will still be flying around nearby, but it will be quieter).
RossD
UltimaDork
4/15/16 10:21 a.m.
Slayer and as many 4x12 cabinets as possible.
Noise barrier wall, might be cheaper than legal fees.
Shooting 100 ft away from a building (assuming you aren't shooting the building) isn't illegal (unless you make some harassment/lost business case out of it, see a lawyer), but hunting is, (at least up here in MI) and the DNR is about the last group of people you want to piss off at the state level.
Actually, offering to pay to have his firearms outfitted with suppressors is not a bad idea. And, entirely legal for him to possess and use on his own property, as long as he doesn't attempt to sell/give them to someone without a Title II license.
My thought was a PA system and death metal/gangster rap. Not particularly neighborly but she tried being reasonable first so.....you reap what you sow.
bluej
UltraDork
4/15/16 11:16 a.m.
could she put up some bright lights or something from farther down the property line in the direction they are shooting and aim them at the shooters? Keep a video recording the lights and the shooters in case they decide to shoot at the lights?
Let's assume that that had been the spot he's shot at for years and he's not just shooting there to be a dick.
Offer to build bench rests and maybe a canopy over them at a new location to compensate for the move. There is no benifit for him to move the site (besides empathy.)
Make it so the reward is more than the pain in the ass of moving it.
There are no winners in a neighbor war, only casualties.
bluej
UltraDork
4/15/16 11:28 a.m.
Appleseed wrote:
Let's assume that that had been the spot he's shot at for years and he's not just shooting there to be a dick.
Offer to build bench rests and maybe a canopy over them at a new location to compensate for the move. There is no benifit for him to move the site (besides empathy.)
Make it so the reward is more than the pain in the ass of moving it.
There are no winners in a neighbor war, only casualties.
That's a better idea. Even better if you can get the sheriff, or another party they are friendly with to listen to you and help with ideas for where, then bring it up with the neighbor.
In reply to Appleseed: She's lived there for ten years (the neighbor for longer) and the shooting has been a thing only for the past three.
I do like the idea of the "range" however. It feels a bit like bribery but that may be what it takes.
bluej
UltraDork
4/15/16 12:34 p.m.
Has she been doing the horse/clinic thing for longer than they've been shooting there? That makes it sound like they decided to do the shooting right there because of the horses/clinic.
SVreX
MegaDork
4/15/16 4:55 p.m.
Who's a better shot, sis or the neighbor?
SVreX
MegaDork
4/15/16 5:03 p.m.
I like the range idea.
It's certainly not bribery. It's negotiation, with compensation for the aggravation factor.
He's doing something legal on his own property. If she recognizes it, and offers to enhance the experience for him, she may come out ahead.
BTW, if she pushes in a less friendly way, it could certainly end badly for her. Since the Sheriff is his buddy, there are any number of zoning or permitting issues she might be found in violation of (vet clinic, licensing, property line setbacks, etc, etc).
Take the high road.
Offer to pay for the bench rest and canopy... I like that idea.
ncjay
SuperDork
4/15/16 5:49 p.m.
Logically, if the situation allows for it, I'd be looking into moving the barn. If that's not practical, I'd just move. Or blast classical music in neighbor's direction. Wouldn't hurt to talk to a lawyer or two and see what the law actual is. Noise wall is a good idea as well. Your sister's neighbor is a jackass. Seems like it can be proven he's going out of his way to be a nuisance.
Planting some animals to look as if they've been poached and calling the DNR to report it is the answer, make sure to get the caliper right to match what they shoot at the range