Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Backcountry hunters and anglers. ......???

Just a general comment from one who is ignorant of BHA but who knows how various designated, western, public lands are used by ranchers for grazing, etc. -- what I have always thought was an utmost absurdity is public land that been allowed to be made inaccessible or mostly so by one or various surrounding private concerns. Doesn't that in effect become their own "back forty" playground?

It seems any land open to public hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, etc. should by right of domain have reasonable access to it for its designated-use purposes even though landlocked by privately owned ground.

I don't remember the when or where details but the example that sticks with me is the guy who had to have his bull elk airlifted out over private ground with a helicopter.

Here in Washington we have done land swaps to make those land locked pieces accessible.

There are a few re-entrant (landlocked) tracts like that.

Mostly, they occurred because the land was open to homesteading, and the land around the tracts became private property after being proved up on.

These tracts can be accessed with permission from a surrounding land owner. (or not)

Far more common are large parcels of BLM or US Forest that have had access roads closed to public travel, and the easiest way to access them is through someone's private property that adjoins it.

I had such a property in the mountains in NM. The forest service had closed at least two roads that gave access to 10's of thousands of acres. My place bordered one of the prime elk hunting areas of the forest there.

I didn't let the public access it through my property. Mainly because I didn't want to deal with them coming and going through my land day and night, several times a year.

I even had major trouble with one guy that showed up DEMANDING that I let him cross. He even told me I HAD to let him cross...

"Nope. I don't. Get your ass off my property NOW, before I have you arrested. And don't come back."

I did let a few good guys through with the right attitudes, though. Helped some hunters that were in trouble many times. Even took my horses and packed out an elk a guy shot that would have spoiled if he didn't get it out that way, and had to go around.

There was a plan to sell off landlocked parts of national forest a few years ago. They compiled a list of them, and were to auction them off, so that the properties could be put on the tax rolls, and become useful again.

But, some organizations rallied and blocked that sale.

Wonder who that was?

Now, it still sits there, useless and inaccessible.

I fully appreciate your approach and wouldn't expect any land owner to give carte Blanche access to the public. My point is it's not your responsibility but rather the land's governing body it seems to me.

Those get blocked too.

Who does the blocking?

The land swaps took the sections from a checkerboard to continous pieces. Access is pretty good.

I surely agree with you!

All that land had plenty of access for over 100 years.

Then the USFS closed two roads used to access it.

They KNEW it was going to severely limit access.

They don't WANT you going in there.

They accept that a few "back country hunters" will walk or pack in, but by and large, the area is closed to the public.

That philosophy of road closure has caught on like wildfire with the new management philosophies more recent management with USFS & BLM have.

rockinb,

Seems you know what's going on there,

May I ask if you know the "official" reason for the closing of those roads?

Were they failing and impacting fish habitat?

Mostly unused except in hunting season and the forest/blm district had no money in the budget for maintenance?

Generally, the forest/blm has public input on these type of things, at least a comment period. Do you know if they did and what the majority of the comments related to?

If they (NFS/BLM) don't want people in there, they usually have a reason.

Thanks,
Geno