One homeowner said their wildlife-friendly yard was disrupted by the arrival of new neighbors with guns and a drive to pick off the local critters.
Their complaint appeared in a subreddit alongside many other stories about living near people with different values. Some simply seemed careless or selfish, like the Harley owner who liked to ride at 1 a.m. Some likely didn't know the harm they were doing, like the residents who planted invasive bamboo. But some were outright malicious, like the neighbor who openly poisoned a gardener's plants.
This time, "reckless and destructive" sounds more like it.
"New renters moved into the house behind us, and they apparently have a regular habit of sitting in their backyard and shooting birds and squirrels out of the trees that overhang both of our properties," said the original poster.
The OP continued, saying, "The problem is my wife and I have intentionally cultivated a very wildlife-friendly yard in the six years we've lived in our current house, so it's extremely upsetting to have these folks show up and just start killing everything indiscriminately."
According to the Redditor, the neighbors didn't seem to be using actual firearms. "They're using an airgun or something that is pretty quiet," they said.
Despite the dangerous actions of the new neighbors — or perhaps because of them — the original poster said they didn't want to go the legal route if they could avoid it.
"We'd rather handle the situation personally than narc to the city on these idiots, so would love some creative ideas on how to confront the situation," they said.
But commenters weren't impressed with that idea.
"Narc on them. Report them," said one user. "I would also contact the landlord … People who need to be asked to be respectful with something so obvious, never will be, and they'll escalate behavior when you bring it to their attention."
"Be sure to film them for evidence," said another commenter — a solid suggestion that would help protect the original poster and make it easier to prove any report.
"Are you in the U.S.?" asked a third user. "If so, call your state wildlife agency. They are very interested in illegal killing of wildlife."
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