Originally Posted by Eddie Loves You
I just think that you have to be reasonable. If you have a lot of land (10 acres!) and (IF) there is no indication that the land is owned (no "no trespassing" signs, far away from any dwellings), it can be reasonably assumed that the camper is not purposefully "stealing" your land from you. He/she probably doesn't know that it's your land, or anyones. This would be the most likely scenario, and brandishing a firearm would definitely be unwarranted.
And stealing his/her stuff?! C'mon man, can't you see the irony in that?
You need to read what I wrote. In my state, you do not have to mark the boundaries of your land nor post "No Trespassing" signs. It's a weird state law but it is the law. Cross someone's boundary that doesn't want you to and they can call the local constable. Trespassing in Colorado requires being taken before a judge. The local cop isn't going to pick your gear up nor will they likely let you pack up your gear before taking you in. Your stuff will sit there. When you come back to retrieve it, you can either trespass and risk another trip to see the judge (and he ain't gonna be happy to see you again
) or ask the landowner if you can retrieve your gear. If he says no, you are SOL. And if the local landowner happens to poke a gun in your face to keep you from running off, who is the local cop going to side with? The guy he sees at the coffee shop every day or somebody dressed in weird bike clothes? Is it worth the hassle to save a few bucks? Out here, we call that being pennywise and pound foolish (or at least that's the least earthy way I have of saying it
)
You can camp on US Forest land, although there might be some restrictions as well as BLM land, again with some restrictions. If you know that it's public land, I have no problem with camping there, although I've seen what happens to the areas that are frequently used for disorganized camping...it's not a pretty sight.