Mudding and witnesses

[shibumiseeker]

After all, who cares about some tracks in the mud?

Making some tracks in the mud is no big deal unless you did the above and the developer also files a damage report. In the off chance you got busted you could be in some minor hot water, but nothing major.

The people who own property often care, that's who.

It's one thing if you know the property owner is ok with it, but otherwise it is vandalism and destruction of property. The "mudding" aside which IS damage and while many folks who blithely trespass on other people's property may not care about it, that activity may also do further damage that is not readily apparent to the people doing it. Make the mud deeper for the crews to now work in causing a slowdown of the work? Yeah, that's damage. Increasing erosion causing the developer to have to pay IDEM fines? Yeah, that's damage.

Years ago I had some kids fourwheeling on some of the roads I maintain on my property (2+ miles of them) and when confronted they were like "we weren't hurting nuthin." Except that the erosion bars they cut and the drainage culverts they crushed required several hours of fixing and cost a few hundred bucks. Their dad was not happy when the sheriff presented them with a choice of paying for the damage or facing trespass and vandalism charges which I would have pursued. It makes me wonder about people who can pay thousands of dollars for a 4 wheeler yet can't seem to scrape up a few hundred bucks to take responsibility for their actions.

Yeah, I was young and stupid once, and a couple of times I had to take responsibility for that stupidity. Hopefully that's part of what made me a more responsible adult. Sadly not many people are like that it seems.

 

[Double T]

OP, would you like someone to come and ride a dirtbike across your garden or freshly planted lawn?

Anytime you are on a property that is not your own that you are "borrowing", be it fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, etc...I would strongly encourage you to leave the land looking better than when you arrived. Trashing the place is a surefire way to be asked not to return.

 

[Leadeye]

Have that problem on my land so it's being slowly fenced. ATV riders were dumping trash everywhere.

 

[Tripp11]

The people who own property often care, that's who.

It's one thing if you know the property owner is ok with it, but otherwise it is vandalism and destruction of property. The "mudding" aside which IS damage and while many folks who blithely trespass on other people's property may not care about it, that activity may also do further damage that is not readily apparent to the people doing it. Make the mud deeper for the crews to now work in causing a slowdown of the work? Yeah, that's damage. Increasing erosion causing the developer to have to pay IDEM fines? Yeah, that's damage.

Years ago I had some kids fourwheeling on some of the roads I maintain on my property (2+ miles of them) and when confronted they were like "we weren't hurting nuthin." Except that the erosion bars they cut and the drainage culverts they crushed required several hours of fixing and cost a few hundred bucks. Their dad was not happy when the sheriff presented them with a choice of paying for the damage or facing trespass and vandalism charges which I would have pursued. It makes me wonder about people who can pay thousands of dollars for a 4 wheeler yet can't seem to scrape up a few hundred bucks to take responsibility for their actions.

Yeah, I was young and stupid once, and a couple of times I had to take responsibility for that stupidity. Hopefully that's part of what made me a more responsible adult. Sadly not many people are like that it seems.

Pretty good post.

A friend of mine is a residential developer, and he's had a few instances over his 20 years of business where a new development has been surveyed and staked off (or other work done) and some inconsiderate person decided it would be fun to use his bare ground to do a little off roading. A long time ago, he told me how much a survey like that cost, and I was astonished at the price.

It's quite simple, it's not YOUR land. Stay off of it. The most honorable and considerate thing to do (after the fact) at this point would be to contact the developer, apologize and offer to pay for any damages (and there might not be any, who knows).

 

[scootn103]

If you play , you pay if it comes to that point . Myself i wouldn't worry about it in the least unless they come a knocking on the door.

 

[femurphy77]

There are places where you can legally go mudding. Like the Badlands Offroad Park.

Why would anyone be stupid, and go mudding on someone else's property illegally? If you do that, you deserve to be punished.

It's kinda like skiing the off limits areas at the resorts! "Look at all that pristine untouched mud!!!" But yeah, tear up someone elses property, pay the price.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Could be a charge of criminal mischief as well.

"Criminal Mischief"... that term cracks me up. Seems like an oxymoron to me.

 

[HoughMade]

I have a small parcel of property (2 acres) for a possible homesite that I had surveyed and staked (irregular shaped and carved out of 20 acres of a former meadow) to the tune of about $1,000. The surveyor put lath with engineers tape pounded in at the property corners. Knowing I was not going to build for a while (turns out I'm selling it) I went out with 4 foot long fence posts, pounded them in next to the stakes, and tagged them with engineers tape so I had something more permanent than the lath and I would not lose the stakes.

Over the course of a fall and winter (year before last) some yahoos in 4x4s and on ATVs trespassed on my property, tore up the ground and even ran over the small fence posts, 3 feet left exposed with orange tape everywhere, to the point where I couldn't locate the stakes. I took essentially 8 hours over 2 days finding the stakes again with a metal detector and pounding very long, very thick and very heavy fence posts in next to the stakes...then tying at least 6 several foot long pieces of engineers tape on them so some idiot doesn't run into one and then sue me for hurting himself in the midst of a trespass.

People, stay off of property you don't have express permission to be on.

 

[Darral27]

I don't think the op was out running through mud and spinning the tires. Sounds to me like they were just riding on a dirt construction road. I seriously doubt any damage was intended or done. I know some people can be A holes and tear up there's property just because, does anybody seriously think that is the case here.
I have done the same thing when I lived down south. I lived in a neighborhood that was new and expanding, had a 4wd jeep Cherokee, let the kids drive a little on the dirt. I stayed on the construction roads and several times spoke with construction workers. Never caused a bit of damage or got a single complaint. OP, I would not worry about it a bit. If you are go out there when the workers are there and drive through. I am sure people buying out there come out all the time, just say you are house shopping.

 

[HoughMade]

I don't call driving carefully down construction roads "mudding".

Anyone?

 

[sepe]

The people who own property often care, that's who.

It's one thing if you know the property owner is ok with it, but otherwise it is vandalism and destruction of property. The "mudding" aside which IS damage and while many folks who blithely trespass on other people's property may not care about it, that activity may also do further damage that is not readily apparent to the people doing it. Make the mud deeper for the crews to now work in causing a slowdown of the work? Yeah, that's damage. Increasing erosion causing the developer to have to pay IDEM fines? Yeah, that's damage.

Years ago I had some kids fourwheeling on some of the roads I maintain on my property (2+ miles of them) and when confronted they were like "we weren't hurting nuthin." Except that the erosion bars they cut and the drainage culverts they crushed required several hours of fixing and cost a few hundred bucks. Their dad was not happy when the sheriff presented them with a choice of paying for the damage or facing trespass and vandalism charges which I would have pursued. It makes me wonder about people who can pay thousands of dollars for a 4 wheeler yet can't seem to scrape up a few hundred bucks to take responsibility for their actions.

Yeah, I was young and stupid once, and a couple of times I had to take responsibility for that stupidity. Hopefully that's part of what made me a more responsible adult. Sadly not many people are like that it seems.

I had a moron friend that saw me and a couple buddies take our trucks out so he took his WRX out. We went down a lane that ran next to a creek to go play in a designated spot the farmer set up for his kids and their four wheelers. My buddy that rented a house from him had permission as long as we didn't drive in the field AT ALL. WRX moron got stuck about 50 yards behind the house about 20 feet into a no till field. Buddy had to find a new place to live because of one moron. WRX sustained damage getting yanked out by a very annoyed farmer. WRX moron paid for his cars damage out of pocket.

 

[Darral27]

I don't call driving carefully down construction roads "mudding".

Anyone?

My kids do. They think running through a deep puddle in an alley is mudding. Just my take on the OP though. I am guessing I would lean more towards "off roading". I am guessing people who go out to the badlands in a trail rig probably have a different idea of mudding than somebody in a newer 4wd grocery getter.

 

[42769vette]

I don't call driving carefully down construction roads "mudding".

Anyone?

Depends on how wet the ground is. We have had mudder's cause us to disk fields that would not have needed disk'ed had they stayed off our property. I know a lot of folks thing fuel is free for farmer's, but it is not, and time is not free either. Bottom line is, if you dont own it, stay off of it unless invited. Some folks will say "its not hurting anything, but thats not your call to make unless you own the ground.

If someone snuck into your house to borrow a gun (like the mudder snuck onto the construction site), shot it for awhile, and put it back no harm was done, but it's still not their property, so they should respect what is yours. correct??

(im not directing anything but the first sentence at you Houghmade, I just couldn't figure a better way to word it.)

 

[42769vette]

No, I am just in the minority of my generation.

Hints why you have a open invitation to use the farm.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

I had a moron friend that saw me and a couple buddies take our trucks out so he took his WRX out. We went down a lane that ran next to a creek to go play in a designated spot the farmer set up for his kids and their four wheelers. My buddy that rented a house from him had permission as long as we didn't drive in the field AT ALL. WRX moron got stuck about 50 yards behind the house about 20 feet into a no till field. Buddy had to find a new place to live because of one moron. WRX sustained damage getting yanked out by a very annoyed farmer. WRX moron paid for his cars damage out of pocket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw6iucJcJjc

 

[Bandsaw]

My view: As long as it is ok for me to cut doughnuts on your front lawn, kick in your front door and take a whiz on your living room floor, then it is fine for you to mud on my land. Otherwise, you have no business there.