Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire horse - like a moose

Hitting a hog is like hitting a log. They're very dense and solid.

With a low center of gravity. Unlike a moose or a horse

Jerry

Yeah, a horse or moose will go over the top of the car. A car will likely go over the top of a hog and get flipped.

Idaho's "Open Range" law is something that is more often than not, misunderstood.

It is not about fenced areas versus non fenced areas, it is about herd districts.

Only parts of the state are open range, and where this collision occurred was in a herd district, and therefore the animal was required to be kept off the road by it's owner.


Here is a quick rundown:


What is Open Range?

This is a legal description of land in Idaho that is defined by Idaho code as "All unenclosed lands outside of cities, villages, and herd districts, upon which cattle, by custom, license, lease, or permit, are grazed or permitted to roam." Basically, any land in the state that is not designated as a herd district and is not fenced is considered open range and thus, livestock can legally be on that land. Open range also applies to all public land whether managed by the Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Idaho Dept. of Lands, or other federal entities who have livestock grazing permits.



Here is the Herd District map for Twin Falls County:

http://idrange.org/ranchers/Open%20Range/open-range

I see that Idaho's open range law is up for another challenge. You might remember the Jack Yantis case last year. A couple hit a bull on a rural Idaho highway. Before it was over, the bull's owner, Jack Yantis, was shot and killed by sheriff's deputies. The couple injured in the wreck are starting a campaign to change the laws. It's highly unlikely to go anywhere. The legislature is largely controlled by the agricultural people and they're not about to change any laws that protect them.