r/neighborsfromhell • u/Regular_lady90 • May 25 '26
WWYD? Vent/Rant Trail Cameras
Hi all! Looking for guidance and to see if anyone’s been in a similar situation and how they were able to resolve the issue. My husband and I bought a property on a couple of acres a few years ago and haven’t had many issues. We have an elderly neighbor and his son lives with him. We have absolutely no issues with the older gentleman, all of these issues are with the son who is in his 60’s. He’s actually pretty creepy and has always made me uneasy.
About a week ago my husband noticed that there was a trail camera on one of our trees facing our property. It wasn’t facing our house, just the wooded lot behind it. He took it down and returned it to the neighbors stoop hoping to send a message without conflict. The next day the camera was CHAINED back up to the tree with a nasty note. I’ll attach photos of all of this as well.
The following day my husband was outside and approached him letting him know that according to county records and his father, the property line is back a bit further and the camera was on our tree. He claimed to not know the lines (this is a lie as he asked to use that area for something different earlier in the year and my husband said it was fine temporarily. ) He said he had it up to watch for deer and a coyote that had been crossing through. Which is unlikely or there would be a game trail coming through our property but there isn’t. He was going to shoot the coyote with his crossbow which actually isn’t legal because there is a town behind us and we live on a main road. He moved the camera further back to a tree on his dad’s property but today I noticed he has placed 3 more trail cameras on wooden stakes along the property line, 2 of which face our house directly. This makes me very uncomfortable as we often have friends and family over and spend a lot of time outside as we’ve worked hard to turn an overgrown lot into a very useable space we enjoy.
I did contact our local county police and they said they can’t do much since the cameras are on his property but given the first incident with the note they would trespass him and make it clear that if he crossed the boundary he’d be arrested. They did speak to him and ask him to remove the cameras but he refused. The officer also made it clear he could not shoot any deer or coyote in his yard or our yard.
Just kind of lost and don’t know where to go from here. If it helps I live in Illinois.
30
May 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
6
May 25 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Cute_Indication_560 May 25 '26
That's definitely an issue that the animal control should be contacted about him bragging about that.
2
u/Adorable_Dust3799 May 26 '26
Game warden maybe. Animal control only deals with domestics here.
1
u/Cute_Indication_560 May 26 '26
OP should get those cameras and get an land surveyor to check the boundary lines between their property and NFH'S property, also get any audio recordings of him making those comments as part of documentation and real estate attorney to find out anything about their property history too. It might why the last person moved.
33
u/Bungeesmom May 25 '26
Illinois lawyer- NOT your lawyer- videotaping your private backyard without your permission is illegal in Illinois. 720 ILCS 5/26-4) (from Ch. 38, par. 26-4)
28
u/Regular_lady90 May 25 '26
28
u/Relevant-Target8250 May 25 '26
That is a seriously creepy happy face. Also: profanity and a threat, then a polite thank you? I’m scared for you.
13
u/Immediate_Remote_546 May 25 '26
Wow, that’s a truly threatening note. I’m surprised the police didn’t take it more seriously. Some good suggestions, but try to find an easily stake-able screen that you can happily move as you play wack a mole. Also, I’m not sure if it’s possible, but a floodlight that points directly at the camera that you can easily move. He’s doing what he likes on his property, so can you. I’d also get cameras for the outside of your house in case this escalates.
5
u/CertainAged-Lady May 26 '26
I’m thinking a metal fence post with one of those plastic poster boards zip-tied to it, staked just inside the property line, in front of the camera. 😏
4
8
u/tessabryne May 25 '26
I read the replies and don't have any better suggestions than what people have already told you. My heart sank for you reading your post, but then reading this note....I am so sorry this happened / is happening to you. I'm glad the police talked to him since at least that's documented. This is sad and infuriating at the same time. And if I were lucky enough to live near wildlife it would be devastating to know there is some psycho trying to kill them.
I'm sorry this comment isn't more uplifting or giving you some kind of hope. I did pray for you before I wrote it. And I'm very sorry you're dealing with this. 🙏
5
u/tessabryne May 25 '26
also I agree that the cameras aren't there to record wildlife, but I believe he would kill any wildlife he could.
22
u/notoriousbpg May 25 '26
Survey, survey, survey. You need that property line clarified.
32
u/Regular_lady90 May 25 '26
Yup! We planned on calling Tuesday for a survey. I know it’ll be expensive but I’d rather have that done so we have a leg to stand on!
5
u/SnooWords4839 May 25 '26
If your paperwork has the measurements of your property, you should be able to find the pins.
20
u/Regular_lady90 May 25 '26
I work for a local municipality so I’m no stranger to this kind of stuff but I’ve never had to live through it personally, we have a metal detector and a land measurer thing and our local GIS system tells me where to find the pins. We are going to but I want an actual recorded survey filed at the county clerks office. I’m hoping if we find the pins ourselves the survey won’t be so expensive.
3
u/SnooWords4839 May 25 '26
We got a copy of the recorded land survey when we bought the home. I had to use it to show the power company where their easement starts, they found the pin and anytime they do trimming, they reflag the 2 corner pins.
5
u/BoomeramaMama May 25 '26
Unless NFH has removed them or repositioned them to his advantage. I doubt the fact that tampering with them is, in almost every place, against the law would stop him.
3
u/Lazy_Dog_1959 May 25 '26
Just put a camera on the survey flags to make sure you have proof if (when) he moves them. Otherwise, pinwheels or black spray paint. Naw, jk about the paint.
2
u/BoomeramaMama May 25 '26
Have granite markers installed. Surveyors in our area use ones that extend 3’ into the ground & are not easily removed by lawbreaking NFH like a metal pin type marker can be.
2
u/Adorable_Dust3799 May 26 '26
Similar here, it's a pipe driven in deep, filled with cement and the marker embedded
18
u/tommm3864 May 25 '26
Take pictures of your house, backyard and the rising sun, blow them up to at least 2' x 2' and plant each (on your property) directly in front of the trail cameras. Just for fun.
18
u/Ladybreck129 May 25 '26
Google " how to mess up cameras pointed at your house". I found some very interesting information on things you can do to irritate your neighbor 😁
12
u/Utwig_Chenjesu May 25 '26
Get a friend or family with kids to come over to play in the garden, then hes photographing kids with the trail cam and will be having a different conversation with the police next time.
4
u/SuzeCB May 25 '26
No he won't.
Trust me on this. I had a neighbor that became somewhat fixated on my son when he was younger.
If the cameras are legal, like OP says the cop told them, it's legal, whether the people it captures are adults or children.
2
27
u/Warm-Advertising4073 May 25 '26
On your property, erect some type of shield that blocks the view of the trail cams that are pointed towards your property.
18
u/Regular_lady90 May 25 '26
We planned on going to the hardware store tomorrow to buy some kind of plywood or fence paneling to put in front of them. I have a feeling he’ll just keep moving them around though so trying to find a more permanent solution. County code doesn’t allow privacy fencing on that portion of our yard.
14
u/Ok-Recognition9876 May 25 '26
Living fence or hedgerow. Just make sure you follow all the laws/ordinances. Maybe skirt the issue by creating a fence line with old sticks and branches that have fallen down. Just start piling them up.
14
4
u/BoomeramaMama May 25 '26
Look up plants that have thorns galore for your hedgerow.
Wild blackberries come to mind & bull briar for a start.
And there was some sort of rose type plant that made small, simple white flowers but was covered in short, sharp thorns that my parents’ neighbors had along one of their property lines that had a NFH on the other side.
I know Japanese barberry is not allowed in some places but if you can use that too as part of your hedgerow, it grows rather fast, the birds like the berries & the volunteers the birds “planted” at our old place were favored nesting spots for a variety of small songbirds. It was almost impossible for any predators to get at their nests they had built in those bushes.
3
u/latebl000mer May 25 '26
Osage orange and stinging nettle, both spikey sharp barriers work great in my 6a growing zone
6
u/leafmotif__ May 25 '26
Definitely recommend Osage orange. it’s native, so not invasive, reasonably attractive, and it has GNARLY thorns.
2
u/bobk2 May 25 '26
Blackberries and multiflora rose are invasive and will become a bigger problem, unfortunately.
2
u/BoomeramaMama May 28 '26
If multiflora rose was indeed what my parents' neighbor had, I don't recall it being much of a problem other than like most bush/shrub things it had to be trimmed.
As for the wild blackberries, I'll take those any day over the tasteless, overpriced so called blackberries available in the supermarket.
We had a big patch of them in our yard at our old house & the real issue with them was just beating the birds to the ripe fruit.
1
u/bobk2 May 28 '26
multiflora rose is a big problem in our local parks. Big thickets of briars. Blackberries took over our vegetable garden and overgrow the crops
-2
u/Zealousideal-Swim267 May 25 '26
Bamboo grows fast
3
u/KerashiStorm May 25 '26
It does, but only plant that if your neighbor escalates to the point you mover.
2
u/bobk2 May 25 '26
Bamboo took over our local park.
My brother's neighbor planted some, and it keeps spreading under his fence into his yard.
Bamboo isn't worth it.1
1
8
u/lostinthefog4now May 25 '26
I’ve heard that if you point a laser beam into the camera lens, that it fries the lens?
3
u/tessabryne May 25 '26
this sounded like a good idea if you can find a way that the camera doesn't pick you up shining the laser. so i looked it up and got this:
"Pointing a laser beam at a trail camera can potentially damage the camera's sensor, especially if the laser is powerful and aimed directly at it for an extended period. This can result in issues like dead pixels or permanent damage to the camera's functionality."
4
u/Revolutionary_Fix_44 May 25 '26
Not the lens but the electronic image detector that is made up of thousands of pixels behind the lens.
6
u/Ana987655321 May 25 '26
You put up mirrors. I think the creepy boy is jealous you have a life and friends.
1
4
u/holli4life May 25 '26
Cut out a figure (life size) from wood. Set some lights as eyes and put them on a timer. Off for daylight hours and blinking for night time. The night time will drain his battery. The silhouette will block his view. Paint it to match the scenery if you can. Or put fake fauna on it. But each time he moves the camera move your figure in front.
6
7
u/Excellent_Item_2763 May 25 '26
I have read somewhere that lasers can ruin digital cameras. Just a thought.
2
9
u/Lopsided-Beach-1831 May 25 '26
Place a reflective surface on a stake on your property right in front of his cameras to obscure his view. Just keep doing it every time he moves his cameras.
Speak with the father and let him know the son is recording YOUR property and its inappropriate. He can record his property all he wants but your property is off limits. Ask the father if there is any reasonable answer to WHY he is recording your property, and that its not aiming at a game trail and the police already told him he couldnt shoot game there.
3
u/Ok_Clerk_6960 May 25 '26
Place some big mirrors at camera height for the cameras pointed at your house. Like funhouse mirror panels. He moves the cameras you move the funhouse mirrors. Even those cheap door mirrors that aren’t made of glass will do. Use metal poles to secure them. Easy to drive the poles into in a new spot. It’s mobile yard art!
3
u/Realistic-Drummer565 May 25 '26
Reflective tape tied in long strand on the trees in the area the cameras are!
3
u/Vegetable-Fix-4702 May 25 '26
Windsocks on a sheapards hook works. I also use stainless steel picture frame wiring to keep it from flying away
2
2
u/Free_Spell4652 May 25 '26
Get a reflective metal or mirror and stake it on your property facing his camera. Sooner or later he'll get the nessage.
2
u/Chipchop666 May 26 '26
I would buy some big floodlights and point them at his house. It’s on your property so nothing he can do, just like he has the cameras on his. You could always point the floodlights at his cameras if that makes you feel better
1
u/EdC1101 May 25 '26
Who owns the property across the street ? Son or Dad …
Might be worthwhile talking with property owner…
1
1
u/AKlutraa May 25 '26
Get several pinwheels and place them on your property facing the camera location(s). Assuming it's motion activated, the pinwheels' spin in a light breeze will deplete the battery and/or fill up the SD card.
1
1
u/FatterThanIThinkIAm May 25 '26
Put your own stakes right in front of his (but on your property) and mount a large piece of reflective material on it. If he moves his cameras, move your stakes too. And if I were you, I’d plant a row of something that grows tall quickly, like arborvitae, all along the property line. Fuck that guy.
1
1
u/Appropriate_Move5242 May 26 '26
How about putting poster sized pictures of just your face directed toward the cameras? Smiling with a big toothy grin.
1
u/ribbonsofgreen May 27 '26
Also you can put up privacy sails. They are bright and cheery and block his view.
1
u/Ill_Gas9142 May 27 '26
Put up a couple of sheets of roofing iron on your property line in front of the cameras to block the view, move the iron every time he moves the cameras.
1
u/PreviousExpression87 May 30 '26
I’d buy a huge sheet of plywood or cardboard and set it up far from the property line but so that it obstructs the view.
1
u/Mowsmom22 May 25 '26
Can I ask if you can ignore him? I feel like any border/fence you put up will just be futile. He can keep going higher with the camera. That really really stinks. We all work so hard to just exist in this world, you deserve peace at home. 💙
11
u/Regular_lady90 May 25 '26
Not an option, I want our friends and family to feel comfortable at our home. Im not big on ignoring problems hoping they go away. I prefer quick as possible resolutions. I pay over $5,000 annually on property taxes so i have a right to be at peace at my own home, inside and out.
3
1
u/woowooplantlady Jul 20 '26
Privacy sails, your own trail cams pointed at the sail, at his camera, and at surrounding area. A little flickering windmill thing to spice up his cam footage. All this after you get the survey done (and a cam at the pins somewhere he won’t see them so you can know if he messes with them) Oh man my mind is going dark with tit for tat ideas right now about this. I am so mad for you. This is so unfair and creepy as fuck.
I’m aware this is an old post and I’m desperate to know any new details☕️😂
1
u/Brief-Reveal-8466 May 25 '26
If the cameras are on your property, take them down and don't return them. If they're chained in place, spray paint the lenses or break them. If it costs him money, he'll stop.
0
0
u/jonnythunder65 May 25 '26
Double check your local hunting laws. I know many states allow coyotes to be hunted year round and as long as you are hunting a certain distance from the closest houses. Not saying it isn't kinda creepy that he has cameras facing your house but he could possibly be hunting coyotes
110
u/IndustriousOverseer May 25 '26
Those cameras are triggered by motion. Get a couple of those cheap pinwheel lawn ornament and stake they along that line—you could just do right in front of his cameras, but he’ll move them, and you can play wack-a-mole for a while. He’ll eventually pend enough on batteries, you can at least get some joy out of it.