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This was posted by a gate on the two track in area in WY where we were Prairie dog hunting

There's your problem , public land attracts weekend warriors,city slickers and various other forms of inconsiderate slugs, no thanks I'll bang on doors, has worked for me in 7 states so far.
Are you implying that folks that work during the week and can only hunt weekends or live in town and don't own land in every state they want to hunt in is an inconsiderate slug? Just curious, since that is what your statement implies.
 
I did not read it that way. I do not think that the statement implies that ALL people who work during the week or who live in town are inconsiderate slugs. I would think that like most things, some are; some aren't.
 
Courtesy up until the threat. Pretty reasonable to ask who, and what their authority regarding closing access to public ground is.

Maybe its a hunter trying to get one over, maybe its an anti hunter trying to be disruptive. Meth cooker??????

There are already millions of public acres in the west lacking access, much of it by adjacent private land owners.

No access, no hunting. Many from across the country come west to experience their Public Lands under a multi use philosophy that is threatened on a regular basis. Currently changing rules may allow environmental groups to lease lands. Substitute anti hunter, for rancher is it now a problem??????

What we need to fight for below.

1) Why would a hunter ask you to close the gate to make it more difficult for him to get in and out!

2) If you know this country you wouldn't even bring up somebody cooking meth out there.
 


This is what prompted my conversation with the blm office in Cheyenne. He was familiar with the video and was well versed on the law allowing it in Wyoming. Down to the altitude required over the private land joining (land locking) the blm land. Even recommended he send us an email stating the law so that we could show it to the state warden WHEN we were in that position.
 
1) Why would a hunter ask you to close the gate to make it more difficult for him to get in and out!

2) If you know this country you wouldn't even bring up somebody cooking meth out there.
1) Why would a hunter ask you to close the gate to make it more difficult for him to get in and out!

2) If you know this country you wouldn't even bring up somebody cooking meth out there.
Not talking about closing gates, I'm talking about closing it to access. Lots of incidents where "hunters" block roads and other antics to keep others out.

Most meth comes from Mexico these days, but cooking, and growing drugs on public land remains a problem.

Lawsuits ongoing to stop grazing on Public Land, once folks can't hunt there, what little support ranchers have will dwindle. Mining may be in trouble with new regulations. Wyoming and Utah suing over new rules. How has that worked out lately?

Personally, I grew up with This land is your land, this land is my land as a principle.
 
Are you implying that folks that work during the week and can only hunt weekends or live in town and don't own land in every state they want to hunt in is an inconsiderate slug? Just curious, since that is what your statement implies.
Being in law enforcement 26 ,and counting that's been my experience as I deal with it continuously, unless you were named personally in my complaint , and don't have a guilty conscience there's no cause for concern on your end.
 
I did not read it that way. I do not think that the statement implies that ALL people who work during the week or who live in town are inconsiderate slugs. I would think that like most things, some are; some aren't.
You are correct about some are some aren't. I have been trying to put my finger on why the statement got under my skin and how it relates to the sign in the OP. I hunt or have hunted alot of public land and a fair amount of private land in 10 states including my own. I am always shocked at how polite, friendly, honest, helpful, and considerate almost everyone I come across hunting in all of these places is. True, you get folks that don't always display the best form either moving late, or setting up too close or whatever, but it is not often malicious or intentional, just folks learning or not seeing. I am amazed at how CLEAN common camp areas in the 2 drainages I hunt most in CO stay through all of the seasons through 4th rifle. There are people there from FL to PA, NC to CA and just about all get along with good grace, keep a clean camp, and leave a clean camp. It only takes one rat to foul the barrel and the sign in the OP may just be a reminder for a gate that was left open once. I guess maybe it just bugs me because the overwhelming majority of the folks I meet on public land are not slugs. They are considerate and conscious of the resource. And alot of them are very good hunters. I am afraid without strong hunter support and use these public lands would silently 'disappear' behind the fence of special interest. The weekend warriors flooding the public land is the reason we still have it possibly?
 
I'm glad the OP clarified it's on public land. The OP should show this to the local public land office. Changing fences to not allow access is a no no by the permittee. What the individual should have posted is simply, "Please close the gate."

I get the sympathy here for the rancher and lack of closing gates. Fine. I'll be honest with you, ranchers get used to the idea that leased chuck of public land is their own.

I'm no hater of ranchers, quite the opposite. But, I'm no fan of public land glazing
Without grazing you won't see the wildlife, just the investment in having water within a couple miles walk for a cow makes a huge difference in the dispersion of game. Probably the biggest thing is without grazing you will see ZERO predator control. When the domestic sheep were on allotments here there were hundreds of Bighorns, now that the domestic sheep are gone zero bighorn due to wolves and lions.
This absolutely ridiculous sage grouse issue wasn't an issue when sheep were being grazed and the eagle population was kept in check by sheep herders, no domestic sheep, no grouse, lots of eagles. The math isn't that hard!
 
Without grazing you won't see the wildlife, just the investment in having water within a couple miles walk for a cow makes a huge difference in the dispersion of game. Probably the biggest thing is without grazing you will see ZERO predator control. When the domestic sheep were on allotments here there were hundreds of Bighorns, now that the domestic sheep are gone zero bighorn due to wolves and lions.
This absolutely ridiculous sage grouse issue wasn't an issue when sheep were being grazed and the eagle population was kept in check by sheep herders, no domestic sheep, no grouse, lots of eagles. The math isn't that hard!
So explain to me the cheat grass issue in the Great Basin.
 
I'm glad the OP clarified it's on public land. The OP should show this to the local public land office. Changing fences to not allow access is a no no by the permittee.
The experience I had with this is on a State Section that we used to cross to access some private ground we hunted.
The rancher who grazed that state ground(who also happened to be the Outfitter) went to the state because we tore up the roads.
We run all terrain tires, he runs mud tires.
We are in and out maybe a half dozen times a year and never when it was wet. He is in there that much every week.
Who tore up the roads again???
Didn't matter. He got the state to lock the gate.
 
So explain to me the cheat grass issue in the Great Basin.
Cheat sucks, over grazing by domestic, native animals or feral like in the case of wildhorses and fires are big contributors. Problem is reversing poor practices takes all sides and time. Often the concentration of livestock and game around a water source is the start to much of the issues if you don't get in there and be proactive. Spreading livestock and game out over a wider area by spreading water out reduces the impact on any given spot.
Proper grazing creates much healthier grazing for wildlife, what good for cattle is good for elk. Take away all the good stuff about multi use and your left with lower carrying capacity over the course of the year.
Read how great it was for Lewis and Clark to make it through eastern MT, the ground and trees as high as possible were stripped by the game anywhere near a water source.
 
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