Landout Laws

Bruce Friesen wrote:
Wonderful post. One wee addition.

A friend of mine swore by a wrinkle to the "offer to take the owner's
picture with the glider using

your digital camera and email him the photo" strategy. His idea was to
get the farmer's youngest _kid_ in the cockpit, take a photo, and
promise to send a copy. Instant enthusiastic friend and ally! Well

That always works here (NL) too. I've heard of people offering a small
bottle of liquor as a bribe. Nothing fancy, not big at all. Bye,

David
NL

I disagree. I think Bob Kuykendall is dead on the money.

No matter what happens in the future, you have to get your ship out. And it
is unlikely that anyone will sacrifice their Ventus for the sake of
soaring's posterity.

Make the offer of a hundred bucks. It is a lot cheaper than what he will do
with a tractor and a chain, or what a dozen cattle with do with their
tongues.

It is not fair. But do it because it is smart. Forget theories and logic.
Get your glider out. The longer he has it, the more it is his.

He voted for the sheriff who is his cousin anyway.

I have dealt with ranchers successfully all my adult life. They are a lot
like suburbanites and apartment dwellers...just more spread out. They object
to people getting inside their space whether it's rational or not. Once
inside, they want to exercise power.

They get tired of people shooting their cattle, dumping garbage on their
land, and living better than them. You are the personification of all those
mysterious "city people" that **** him off. On the other hand, he knows that
you know where he lives and his assets cannot be protected from uncivilized
acts. He is thinking that the whole time you are standing there. Of course,
you wouldn't shoot all his cattle in the ribs or put a hole in his aqua
ammonia tank or put 2, 4-D in his spray rig or Crazy Glue in all his locks,
but he doesn't know that.

You should be willing to show a little starch. Be polite but don't kiss ass.
He did not want you there but once you are, it is a little like the love
scene in Deliverance. If he wanted you gone all that bad, he would help you
leave. He is trying to exercise power. You don't have to threaten to let him
know that he better not screw with your airplane or you will do whatever
ominous and arcane things that city people do to rural people.

I do not recommend doing this at home but once a farmer told me that he was
going to lock the gate. I did all the Bob Kuykendall things and he still
wanted to shove me around. So, I told him I was going to drive through his
fence. I think he got the idea that I wanted to kick his stupid face in more
than I wanted my glider back...and by then, hypoglycemic and tired, I really
really did. I'm not a pretty guy and when I am thinking about cannibalism,
it shows.

More acceptable versions of this exist in the form of straight, un-hurried
talk, eye contact, friendliness, and plain dealing. If he is a jerk, he will
still be one. If he is okay, he will stay okay. But I have seen lots of guys
go in winning and come out losing because of the way they handled it.

That's your first lesson in Rancher 101. There WILL be a quiz.