In December, Reason reported that game wardens were trespassing onto private land and placing trail cameras in order to conduct surveillance—all without a warrant. In an ironic twist on that trend, a new lawsuit filed this week by the Institute for Justice (I.J.), a public interest law firm, accuses Virginia's wildlife agency of trespassing on private land and taking a trail camera.
Josh Highlander lives at the end of a quiet residential road in rural Virginia. His house sits on about 30 acres and has "No Trespassing" signs posted all around the property line. On April 8, the first day of turkey season, Highlander's wife and son were outside playing basketball. When their ball rolled toward the woods, Highlander's wife went to retrieve it—and spotted an unknown person in the trees wearing full camouflage. She rushed her son back into the house and told her husband.
