Pot Grow Markings While Treasure Hunting?

[Nitric]

If this isn't allowed in the forum I completely understand...Not sure where to ask.


We found small spray painted markings on our land and were not really sure what they are for. The thing that comes to mind after thinking about this is that...... someone's marking a grow?

We have a piece of land that borders a piece of national forest. While walking part of it over the weekend, we ended up in a section that is really hard to get to, really overgrown. But there are fresh small spray painted symbols and marks on the rock. I was there last year and it wasn't there.

At first I thought bored kids with some spray paint. But.....Who carries spray paint in a back pack and wonders a mile into the woods just to make a few marks. and if you were going through all that trouble? Why not something big!!

No, clue! The only thing I can come up with is that someone is marking something. But what?

anyone else run into woods markings while out treasure hunting, or hunting arrow heads, prospecting........? And what would be marked? Ginseng? pot? Anyone educated on woods Graffiti?

And I'm kind of ticked that they are marking the rock!!! Now I have to remove it. More curious why it was marked.

 

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[taz42o]

No reason for markings to grow weed. That would just draw attention,as it did with you.

 

[Nitric]

No reason for markings to grow weed. That would just draw attention,as it did with you.

Thats true. I couldn't look around much because had my 2 years old and wife with me. Just makes me curious what anyone is doing down in there. And why they chose to mark it there. I don't care if people wonder in and explore, but I don't like the paint marks.

On the flip side..I've walked most of it a few times over the years. And there was a spot that I started chiseling our names in the rock an few years ago....We still haven't found that spot again. haha...parts of it are really rough. and if you were to grow, it may be marked unless they knew the land really, really well.

Who knows...Either way, I don't really care, if I find any I'll destroy it. just more curious than anything.

 

[relic nut]

How close to the property line?
My dad has property that boarders National Forest and 15 years ago they surveyed and moved the line 20 feet on our side of the existing line. It was marked with paint on the trees. We complained but it didn't do any good. We were told it was up to us to prove the new survey was wrong. You can't fight the federal government unless you're loaded.

HH, RN

 

[releventchair]

Look up the markings.
Could be survey ,or forestry related.
Could be inexperienced with navigation hunters marking a trail and wandering off the federal property ,on purpose or not.

None of that should be going on your place without a notice , but someone has been out there.

I agree,marking a trail to illegal activity would not be too bright. But ,people are people...

Survey trails here have limbs / brush trimmed in places to allow line of sight with equipment.
Strips of survey tape often used for targets on corners or midline ect..

 

[Nitric]

It's not on the line. And yes, the timber and forestry borders are clearly marked with 4inch concreated pipe. And paint lines on the trees every so often. This is in a place that is not easily accessible. The easiest would be to walk up the water(small creek). And maybe they thought they were on the forestry land. That would makes sense and could be easily confused if you looked at the maps wrong.

A lot of small caves, cliffs, rock walls, they may have been marking to find theirt way back out to the lake , maybe came in by boat and walked up the creeks. who knows.

One of my few concerns was camping with my wife and small child. Kind a curious who's sneaking around and why. Like I said I could care less if people explore. Just don't want to run into anything funny.

 

[digger460]

In a month or two, get down wind of the area. If you smell a skunky smell, call the authorities. They'll find it.

 

[jeff of pa]

"national forest"

I would expect maybe Rangers marking their opinion of their territory ,
or codes for someone they hired to do something. Like survey by Land or Drones

don't rule out a land grab.

If I was 100% sure it was my land they marked,
I'd remove them. Even if I'd need to flip Rocks
or Bury Marks.

If they Complain, tell them they need to apply with me for Permits.
then find out what hoops I'd need to Jump Through to Treasure Hunt their Land And
make them Jump through Similar Hoops

 

[ARC]

In the day of GPS hiking doo dads that cost less than a hundo...

No need for paint to find your way back to anything anywhere these days.

 

[releventchair]

In the day of GPS hiking doo dads that cost less than a hundo...

No need for paint to find your way back to anything anywhere these days.

No gps for me.
Compass.
Just not trusting of " modern" devices or signals.

 

[tamrock]

Could be anything, but I'm with aarc you don't want to leave obvious marks on a hemp location and GPS is a great way to plant with pinpoint accuracy without marking the location.

 

[Kurios1]

You have a nice list of possibilities in the comments. One thing I'd be practicing is my Second Amendment right while trekking into those wood with my family. The world is booming with crazy folks these days. I'd hate to run into one defenseless in the remote location you are describing. Food for thought.

 

[ChampFerguson/TN]

Time for a couple of game cameras.

 

[Honest Samuel]

I agree with # 13, best of luck to you.

 

[Oddjob]

Sounds like that treasure hunt people do, not sure of the full name but it starts with Geo.

I only say this because I was on a bike expedition and whilst travelling through Slovenia I rode up on to a person spray painting a stone. He seemed very upset that I would just happen to be travelling through his country on my bicycle the same day he was out setting clues. He said that this was the 22nd marker point for a great find and now I have ruined it all and he has to go back and change everything.

I tried to tell him several times that I had no interest in his treasure hunt, but he did not go for it since I had a CTX strapped to my gear on the trailer. He let me know that he should beat the memory out of my head, and then got more angry that I laughed at him, and even more angry when I told him in no world would he get the drop on me 22 clicks into the bush, but since no one is around I would be very happy to let him try.

Like that would be a hard choice or something, but this person stood their and thought about it. I was cracking up.

Anyway I told my mates about this in Italy and they said it was some form of treasure hunting where people get clues and check points online. One of my mates said they responded to a call of a man acting very aggressive towards hikers, but when they showed up the man was gone but the people told him that it was those Geo people.

I would say go back, have a look around to see what else is disturbed, even in the trees or other bush.

 

[releventchair]

Oddjob: you may be referring to geo caching?

Around here an ammo box or similar container may have a notepad for comments and cheap items to take one as a souvenir..
I don't participate ,but imagine a finder could leave something too if desired.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Now this may be a stretch but...frisbee golfers?

 

[Oddjob]

That is what it is called, the way it was explained to me was that you had to go through several check points (Iguess you would call it that) gaining a clue to your next at each one before you reach the end.

Could be a marker for a clue, and now he has to find what ever it is that gives him his next clue.

I have found tea tins buried at play grounds before; it always gets me excited because I have found many kids banks full of coins this way. But these tins had a bag inside with small papers folded up that had riddles. Now I would guess that this is something like that, I always buried them back because it looked fairly new and clearly was placed there for a reason. Or maybe not; I like my MDs. LOL

Oddjob: you may be referring to geo caching?

Around here an ammo box or similar container may have a notepad for comments and cheap items to take one as a souvenir..
I don't participate ,but imagine a finder could leave something too if desired.

 

[hvacker]

Thats true. I couldn't look around much because had my 2 years old and wife with me. Just makes me curious what anyone is doing down in there. And why they chose to mark it there. I don't care if people wonder in and explore, but I don't like the paint marks.

On the flip side..I've walked most of it a few times over the years. And there was a spot that I started chiseling our names in the rock an few years ago....We still haven't found that spot again. haha...parts of it are really rough. and if you were to grow, it may be marked unless they knew the land really, really well.

Who knows...Either way, I don't really care, if I find any I'll destroy it. just more curious than anything.

If you have some need to destroy weed you might give pause. Most growers are fairly harmless but you could run into someone that's a serious bad guy. Some, it's said, set booby traps where you'd be the booby even though traps are counter productive. They might as well send up an areal flare.
Live and let live. Weed will be legal some day and you will feel really stupid if you got hurt. Like the last guy to die in a war. In CA a few grow sites have had armed guards sent from the Cartels. Or so we are told.
I've come across things like trees across a trail. I study the situation very carefully before continuing. Better to find another path.
I'm sure there are some here that might follow the signs to try to get lucky.

 

[callicles]

I think your biggest concern should be adverse possession by the forest park or others. I think someone here mentioned land grab. Place "no trespassing" signs or otherwise mark your line every year or so and document. That way the land grabbers cannot meet the elements needed to successfully file an adverse possession claim on your property.