Neighbor complaint/conflict. Opinions?

[esh21167]

So I recently had a timber harvest on my 10 acre property and have started some cleanup for firewood/etc. Yesterday my neighbor (with whom I've had a good relationship for 4 years) comes down while I'm cutting some firewood and goes off about 'me f***ing up his hunting, running that saw every day, I haven't seen a deer real time or on my camera in 4 weeks, you can do what you want/it's your property, but if you don't stop, we are NOT going to be neighborly anymore.'

I calmed him down and said that wasn't my intent. We're kind of on a schedule to prepare a pasture and run-in for a horse or two, so if we wait 2 months, then we're approaching winter and might have to board the horse over winter for at least $250/month if we can't get the clearing done/building and fence up. He relaxed, but still is going on about 'we're a hunting family, I have $400 in licenses, that's how we feed our family, I bought my place for hunting. If you wait until deer season is over (almost 2 months), we'll help you clean up.' I told him we'll figure something out and talk later this weekend.

Conflicted. Who is he to 'tell' me what I can do? What if they started building a house on the property on the other side of his with construction going on? He'll try to tell them to stop? During our short conversation I mentioned a rift with another neighbor who tried to hunt on my property without permission. (That guy is a problem with nearly everyone around him.) He acknowledged that but said 'I don't care about anybody else. I care about me.' That says a lot.

OTOH, I'd like to keep the peace, but if I compromise with him, I'm potentially going to be putting out an extra $1500-$2000 for boarding the horse until spring, and have a pile of lumber and fencing lying around that I've already ordered and paid for.

Just interested in the feelings of others.

[McSull]

Tell him to give you the board money and you'll wait until spring.

[bogey1]

Deer aren't afraid of saws and whatnot, they are afraid of people walking around in the woods.

[wanneroo]

Deer aren't afraid of saws and whatnot, they are afraid of people walking around in the woods.

Uh yeah, true, deer watch me shoot on my range all the time. I've had them less than 50 feet away while shooting and they stand and watch.

[bogey1]

Uh yeah, true, deer watch me shoot on my range all the time. I've had them less than 50 feet away while shooting and they stand and watch.

But you wont see one within 500yrds opening day

[wanneroo]

Well, I have run into plenty of issues over the years on a wide variety of such things involving property and the first thing I will tell you is that within the bounds of your property you need to do what you need to do. Period. They don't pay to maintain it, they don't pay the taxes on it, they have no say at all.

If anyone approached me like that, they'd get told off.

I'm happy to work with neighbors and most people you can talk to to reach a conclusion that benefits everyone. I have done this on multiple things like hunting, water drainage, access, etc.

But I'm not putting up with people flying off the handle. If you need to put up a fence, cut wood, do maintenance, do what you need to do.

I think you will find if you acquiesce to this a-hole, that you will end up out of money and on the losing end. It is neither to your benefit or your responsibility to do what he wants you to do. You do not control the deer or tell them where to go.

[esh21167]

Thanks all. He sent me a text offering to come over with his teenage boys today (Sunday) and help with clearing. I think his wife (who is very chill) might have told him he went off the rails. If he's calmed down and apologetic, and offers help every Sunday, I think I'll just say that this is what I have to do, but I'll try to avoid sawing through those dusk hours. We'll see how it goes.

And his initial threat of being 'not being neighborly' meant we'll just have no communication/relationship at all. Update later tonight for those following the drama, lol.

[sota]

Tell him to give you the board money and you'll wait until spring.

Pretty much in agreement with that. Maybe with the option of, if the work is done in time, you'll give it back, minus any labor fees you incur hiring help to get it done on time.
Actually, tell him it's $10k he has to put up, so that you can hire people to get the job done regardless of the weather.

[GunLawyer001]

There's no way I'd rely on a vague promise to help in a few months, without a signed and notarized contract backed up by a performance bond, specifying the work to be done and how much time is available and how many hours of work they commit to doing.

Selfish people ALWAYS justify why they never give, always take. When you ask for him to help, you'll get a sob story about his back, or they'll be on a cruise, or he just won't answer his phone.

You bought your property for the horse, he bought his to hunt. Do you complain about the gunshots? Why does he get to complain about the saws?

On a practical basis, unless you're sawing at night in the dark, any critters scared by the sound of saws would have hours to filter back and be right there to be shot in the morning. Personally, I doubt that the sound of sawing scares them away; the sounds of cars don't seem to keep deer away from roads, based on the number of corpses I see.

I also agree that "the time of neighborliness is over". Has he been helping you out, do you owe him any favors from the past? Probably not. If he's pulled your car out of a ditch or run his sled dogs 1,000 miles to get your family medicine, then OK, he can call in the marker. Otherwise, he's asking you for credit, and it will hurt you to do it, even if he really did help you make up the time later, which he won't.

[streaker69]

There's no way I'd rely on a vague promise to help in a few months, without a signed and notarized contract backed up by a performance bond, specifying the work to be done and how much time is available and how many hours of work they commit to doing.

Selfish people ALWAYS justify why they never give, always take. When you ask for him to help, you'll get a sob story about his back, or they'll be on a cruise, or he just won't answer his phone.

You bought your property for the horse, he bought his to hunt. Do you complain about the gunshots? Why does he get to complain about the saws?

On a practical basis, unless you're sawing at night in the dark, any critters scared by the sound of saws would have hours to filter back and be right there to be shot in the morning. Personally, I doubt that the sound of sawing scares them away; the sounds of cars don't seem to keep deer away from roads, based on the number of corpses I see.

I also agree that "the time of neighborliness is over". Has he been helping you out, do you owe him any favors from the past? Probably not. If he's pulled your car out of a ditch or run his sled dogs 1,000 miles to get your family medicine, then OK, he can call in the marker. Otherwise, he's asking you for credit, and it will hurt you to do it, even if he really did help you make up the time later, which he won't.

The last time I had my sled dogs deliver medicine the guy completely dicked me over. Last time I ever do that.