NO HUNTING, NO TRESPASSING
I have spent as much time as possible this past Summer and Fall in the mountains where I plan to hunt. Basically, I’ve been getting the camp area ready for hunting season this year and scouting the area out to see if the deer and elk are still using the same trails and are frequenting the same areas. Mostly I like being in the mountains and will use any excuse to go spend as much time there as possible.
This year I have noticed more farmers and ranchers posting their property and telling hunters that the area is off limits and that trespassers will be prosecuted. Happily I won’t be affected for two reasons. First, the area I hunt is quite a ways above, more remote and not as accessible as the farm and ranch areas. I also own the land the camp site is on as well as a lot of the land around it. The second reason is the one that interests me most. Several of the land owners have told me that the signs are not meant for me, but have been posted because of some of the hunters that they have had to deal with for the past two or three years. I guess they finally had enough of these guys.
It is unfortunate that some people can’t have enough respect for others property that even farmers and ranchers that for years gladly allowed hunters to hunt their land are now posting that land.
I’m not sure I know all the problems they have encountered, but let me suggest some I have seen myself.
1) Hunting from four wheelers, trucks and 4X4 vehicles and driving the same across farm land instead of sticking to trails and roads.
2) Not asking permission of the land owner and hearing his/her particular concerns before entering the land.
3) Littering
4) Not closing gates or leaving gates the way they found them.
5) Camping in areas where the land owner doesn’t want people to camp or build fires.
6) Drinking and partying in camp which upsets wildlife and causes accidents.
7) hunting while hung over from the night before.
8) Bringing pets(does not include horses) that upset wildlife and any farm animals that might be in the area.
9) Shooting in directions that could endanger farm animals or buildings.
10) Being rude to others, particularly the land owner or his/her employees.
I have even been told by a couple of people that they were on BLM land when they were in fact on private property. It would seem that if people want to hunt, they would make sure they know where they are. However, not everyone does know where they are.
Hopefully, this year will be a good year for hunting, particularly in terms of winning back permission to hunt some of the land that has been posted. Not everyone that wants to hunt owns the land they are hunting.
