Fences. It doesn’t matter if you are city, suburban or rural, fences are everywhere. The very look of a fence can explain what that barrier is meant to do.
For example, a four-foot-high fence between back yards are meant to keep fido in his own back yard, whereas an 8 foot tall “privacy fence” between those same two yards means “let’s not let fido out, or the neighbors in”.
Out here in the rural area… the place I call BugOutLand (because it’s where a lot of people plan to bug out TO, not bug out FROM), fences can mean different things… and those meanings may not be obvious to city folks.
Salty’s Note: This is part of a multi-part series called BugOutLand Basics. The idea behind the series is that Salty and Spice… a couple that lives in BugOutLand (an area where people are much more likely to be going to be bugging out TO than FROM), want to share some basics about living in BugOutLand that may not seem obvious to a lot of people from the city, suburbs or coastal area.
My that’s a tall, strange looking fence
I’ve got a perfect example of what I mean with the “city folks may not know” statement.
Have you ever been driving through the country and see a section of farmland sectioned off with really, REALLY high fences?
Something like this?
Why on earth are those fences so high? Are there giraffes around?
No, that’s not it. When you see a fence like that, you can suspect that you are looking at a “game preserve” where people pay money to hunt for stocked animals.
The phrase commonly used is “high fence hunting”.
The property owner… or “outfitter” as some like to call themselves either raises or buys the game animals for his customer to hunt. Sound strange? Well, let me tell you, there is BIG MONEY to be made in this business.
Seriously, this is a thing?
It’s a thing. I personally know more than 10 “outfitters” who either run high-fence operations or bird-hunting businesses.
For deer high-fence ranches, the deer are bred from massive-antlered “stud bucks” and either sold to other high fence operations or are released into the “wild” (the couple hundred acres inside the fencing), which basically guarantees that the hunters who pay to play on this ranch will have plenty of game to shoot at.
The birding operations are different (obviously, since fencing doesn’t matter). A good friend of mine owns one of these, and he and his business partner purchase quail and pheasants from suppliers. The day before a hunt, they drive out and place the birds in certain areas. Since the birds are not wild but rather are captive-raised, they don’t fly off, they just stay where they were left.
It then becomes a matter of if the customers can actually shoot, whether they take home game or not.
Fences I have known
There are generally three types of “country fences” you will see a lot of.
- Fences in good repair
- Fences that are falling down
- Electric fences
When you see fences in good repair, you should expect livestock to be in the neighborhood. Cattle are expensive, and if they escape not only does the farmer risk losing a valuable animal, but he’s also responsible for any damage that the animal does (including getting hit by vehicles).
Good, tight, well maintained fence? Look for livestock behind it.
Fences that are falling down (unless augmented by electric fencing) don’t generally have animals behind them.
Electric fences… which can be something as simple as thin wires stretched between really thin posts… nearly always mean that farm animals are around.
PRO TIP: Mythbusters did a segment to determine whether a person can get shocked by urinating on an electric fence. The team came to the conclusion that the myth was busted, that you can’t be shocked this way. This conclusion is 100 percent wrong. You CAN get shocked by urinating on an electric fence. This is a very, very hideous way to find out that there is a hidden electric fence wire back behind that old shed.
Pay attention to purple
In many states, you will see fence posts and trees around the fence painted purple. Purple paint means No Trespassing. You can read more about that in this article.
Leave them as you’ve found them
There’s very little you can do (that doesn’t involve actual vandalism of propertey or theft) that will annoy a landowner who’s land you are on than leaving gates in any condition other than the way you found it when you got there. Leave open gates open, leave closed gates closed.
Yes, it’s a big deal.
Also, country rule… if you call shotgun, you have to open the gates. Sorry, it’s the price of admission to the front seat.
Many o range wars were over fencing in the day.
Now it seems that “Good Fences make for Good Neighbors”
My how things have changed, I remember sharing a many stories yacking over the fence with a cool brew in hand, now it seems people scream at you if ya even look at them.
Salty pointed out that there are differences between urban and rural perspectives…and that city-folk might be ignorant on the topic of rural areas and fences. I would like to add to that with my own experiences in “bug out land.” My family owns property in a rural area bordering a very large lake that is popular with tourists. They built it in the 1950’s when it was really rural and sparsely populated…except for a few farms and moonshine camps. The area has since grown to include city-water, waste collection and other modern conveniences. Based on our decades of experience, I can tell you that city folk are much more respectful of property lines, fences and the like…and they are also much more likely to ask permission to enter other people’s property to hunt, hike etc. than are the “locals.” Over the years, the trouble we’ve had with poachers, ATV’ers, people cutting X-Mas trees, litterbugs and trespassers has been almost exclusively the rustic local folk. And “rustic” was not the word I wanted to use, but it too begins with “R.” It seems, at least from my experience of living in both city and country, is that city people are much more aware of boundaries, privacy, property lines and personal space. It comes with the territory as they say.
Scouts in Australia (and the UK probably?) are taught the ‘country code’
Five simple things that stand up in rural areas…
Leave gates and fences as you found them (often farmers have left them open if they are open for a reason, like to move stock, or allow stock to reach water).
Take care of plants and animals, and take out whatever you take in (ie don’t litter, stomp stuff or kill furry critters for giggles)
Manage your dogs…
Have a plan, follow signs, directions, maps and instructions… (they are usually giving warnings)
Be considerate. (Don’t be a yobbo. Don’t shout/yell/smash stuff. Don’t push people around. Remember people are going to come through after you – don’t take a poop in the path.)
These five are a good guide also for country towns. Follow them and you might only take 15yrs to be accepted as a local, instead of never.