Guess this kinda fizzled on us...
https://www.change.org/p/oregon-state-house-stop-excessive-weyerhaeuser-recreational-fees-in-oregon
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Access to public vs private land for hunting? Beginning of the end?
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https://www.change.org/p/oregon-state-house-stop-excessive-weyerhaeuser-recreational-fees-in-oregon
Rich Coyle
Well-Known Member
I don't work for the timber industry and never did. With that stated, I'm curious why you think the companies should loose "tax breaks" if they charge a trespass fee? They cut trees like we cut grass. It's their stuff.
Check the link and read the petition above and you will see why. The tax breaks were contingent on the timber company still allowing public access.
Rich Coyle
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Barrelnut.
Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
Im lucky to have access to some nice private land to hunt. Actually locating elk, planning a stalk, and making it happen without someone on a 4x4 driving right through the herd or someone a half mile away lobbing rounds out the truck window is a wonderful thing. I would probably quit hunting if I had to go back to public land hunting.
catamountsierra
Well-Known Member
I have never been able to hunt on private land. At the same time, in 10 years working with the Forest Service I have to say that a lot of the private land issues with people disrespecting the land and property also apply on public lands that are owned by all of us. I've seen allotment fences cut so someone could drive their atv offroad, which meant that cattle were allowed to destroy wet meadows and recovering aspen stands. I've seen piles of trash. I've seen where people have cut firewood inside riparian areas, daylighting slow pools (which can raise water temperatures and harm trout) and eliminating nesting habitats, when there was plenty of wood to be cut elsewhere that wouldn't have damaged the habitat. I often talk with ranchers, hunters, campers, loggers, and managers; even if they don't always agree on the how, they tend to want a balance between maintaining the habitat and still using the land, especially the oldtimers who have spent much of their lives on the land. Having talked to hydrologists, biologists, soil scientists, timber specialists, etc, it seems like the most sure fire way to have recreation shut down in an area is when people don't respect it, and it only takes a few idiots to ruin it for everyone. I've seen the frustration when years were spent restoring a meadow so that the aspen on the edges had enough water only to have it all ruined when someone drove their truck right through the middle of it, causing the water to drain away before it could water the aspen stand.
I can also say that the people working to manage those lands really appreciate any help they can get, though they are still stuck with the bureaucratic hoops they have to jump through. Groups that take the time to partner with them on restoration projects can and do make a big difference. I often hear good things about RMEF, Duck Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, etc. If we as hunters and outdoorsmen want to keep these lands open for our kids and grandkids to enjoy, these groups are a great place to start. We also need to do a better job educating the other groups out there about the value that these lands hold, especially the values that aren't as "obvious" as timber harvest and energy exploration. To that end we may need to cultivate relationships with groups of other users, like hikers, mountain bikers, and the like, find ways to educate them, and then advocate for public land access and habitat conservation as a combined group. I get the feeling that most people these days do not understand the value that habitat and wildlife really has, or how that value affects them even if they don't use our public lands.
I can also say that the people working to manage those lands really appreciate any help they can get, though they are still stuck with the bureaucratic hoops they have to jump through. Groups that take the time to partner with them on restoration projects can and do make a big difference. I often hear good things about RMEF, Duck Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, etc. If we as hunters and outdoorsmen want to keep these lands open for our kids and grandkids to enjoy, these groups are a great place to start. We also need to do a better job educating the other groups out there about the value that these lands hold, especially the values that aren't as "obvious" as timber harvest and energy exploration. To that end we may need to cultivate relationships with groups of other users, like hikers, mountain bikers, and the like, find ways to educate them, and then advocate for public land access and habitat conservation as a combined group. I get the feeling that most people these days do not understand the value that habitat and wildlife really has, or how that value affects them even if they don't use our public lands.
Ndfarmer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2017
- Messages
- 168
Check out wildlife groups and make sure you know what they are supporting. Some sound really good until you find out their hidden agendas and how much money is actually sent on wildlife. Most do great jobs of lining their own pockets. Anyone who stops in my yard with ducks unlimited clothing or stickers on vehicles are asked to leave.
catamountsierra
Well-Known Member
I'm not a member of DU, and I am not a big proponent of them. The point is that these groups, and especially the members volunteering manpower for restoration projects, are appreciated for the help they give on these coordinated projects. Just going out there and doing stuff without that coordination is bound to cause problems, and in many cases may even be illegal, but with management agencies underfunded, bureaucratically tied up, and struggling to meet their mandates having volunteers available can be make or break for those projects. Most of the managers I know have a wishlist of projects that need to get done if they ever get time and money between all their other work.
D
Deleted member 108014
Guest
The public land is going to be all but gone someday. Here in SD the landowners are trying to get certain lakes closed for recreation. Landowner owns the land that got flooded years ago still paying taxes on it at a reduced rate and anyone can fish or boat over their private land on public water. Is it right or wrong? I don't know. You have to put yourself in the landowners shoes. The water is still in the public trust doctrine. If the water can be accessed by public property it is there for the public to use. The water belongs to the public the land under it is still private. Non meandered water law.
As a farm operation we do not allow people we don't know to hunt. Between the garbage left behind, the roads tore up that we have to use, and vehicles parked with the doors locked blocking the approach to the field we decided to not put ourself in those positions anymore. Its sad that the actions of a few people can effect so many negatively. The landowner always remembers the bad things a hunter does. They rarely remember the good things a few of us do. It is sad for the generations to come. I'm pretty young still and have been hunting since i can remember and i still talk about how it used to be. We used to be able to hunt just about wherever we wanted. Now times are a changing and the landowners have tightened up on who they let on and the public land is becoming overcrowded. Its disheartening what it is becoming.
What it comes down to is respect for a person private property and it only takes a few slobs to ruin the image of every other ethical person.
As a farm operation we do not allow people we don't know to hunt. Between the garbage left behind, the roads tore up that we have to use, and vehicles parked with the doors locked blocking the approach to the field we decided to not put ourself in those positions anymore. Its sad that the actions of a few people can effect so many negatively. The landowner always remembers the bad things a hunter does. They rarely remember the good things a few of us do. It is sad for the generations to come. I'm pretty young still and have been hunting since i can remember and i still talk about how it used to be. We used to be able to hunt just about wherever we wanted. Now times are a changing and the landowners have tightened up on who they let on and the public land is becoming overcrowded. Its disheartening what it is becoming.
What it comes down to is respect for a person private property and it only takes a few slobs to ruin the image of every other ethical person.
catamountsierra
Well-Known Member
This applies on public lands as well.
D
Deleted member 108014
Guest
Yes it very much applies to public land also. I didn't mean to leave that out. That public land belongs to all of us and it should be respected by all of us. But unfortunately it is not all the time.
catamountsierra
Well-Known Member
I'm just in the habit of reminding people of that all the time. The managers frustrated by seeing the lands trashed, and often not having the resources to do anything about it, need to be reminded that most of us care about the land and want to keep it in good shape. The users often need to be reminded not to be "those guys".
I want to see more partnerships between the managing agencies and public groups, as often that is the only way things get done, but that takes work and trust-building on both sides.
