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We got out there a couple days early to do some scouting. One afternoon after driving all over the unit one of the guys says "pull over, gotta pee." County road, middle of no where, we all get out standing there....here comes a white truck. You guessed it, the guy was decent about it but he made it perfectly clear the "company" owned everything we could see and they didn't care for visitors. Just had to pee man....
One thing is for certain, if you are on BLM, and either a rancher or oil and gasshole person tries to run you off illegally you need to report it to the BLM Ranger (Law Enforcement Officer in the closest district office).
If you look up BLM's website each area will have the ranger's contact details available.
They fine the heck out of anyone illegally blocking access to public land.
Of course in Wyoming they get detailed out to search for people tresspassing via ATV into wilderness areas, so most of the BLM rangers are not where they normally work during the hunting season. But you might get lucky.
In Montana they have game warden wildlife violation ticketing authority, or did last time I was there.
In Wyoming the BLM and the G&F aren't so close.
This is all fabulous information related to roads and the need for up to date maps and info.
I would like to restate part of my initial question for further discussion...(differences in types of land).
"BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, Bankhead Jones, Corp of Engineers, DOE, Fish & Wildlife, Forest Service, State and Nat'l Grasslands?
Are these all open to the public? Are the access/hunting rules different depending what type of land it is?"
Also, when the term School Land is used, is that referencing the blue state lands?
Yes, it is blue on maps. Usually in sections (1 mile sq/640 acres) Most of the lands you ask about are generally open. Hard to say about Bankhead Jones as I don't know. Corps of Engineers & DOE could or could not be open depending on what the land is set aside for.Quote:
Originally Posted by cycloneshooter
I have hunted on a large ranch in Wyoming for years (almost 200K acres of deeded/leased land, There are several "school sections" totally surrounded by their land, obviously no public assess. Not uncommon in Wy.
I used to live next to a school section in Wyoming, as a kid it was 640 acres of my childhood paradise, as we didn't have but about 40.
It bordered a public paved road so it was legal to go in there.
School Sections can be a handy source of public land IF you can access them. IF not they are just tied up.
All of these types of land are GENERALLY open to hunting. In general, assume they are open and identify the unit you plan on hunting. Then check with the local warden / agency involved and ask if there are any limitations. School land usually does not allow camping, but hunting is ok. Again, there are exceptions. Most Bureau of Reclamation land is similar, often with developed campgrounds or specific restrictions near their dams, etc. Don't forget to research private walk in areas in each unit as well. There is a lot of good info on the department website. Do your own homework to find areas with adequate access according to the ownership status on maps, etc., and then follow up to confirm with a phone call or two. The exceptions are rare, but you want to know about any that exist. MOST of this public land is open to hunting and you should have a good trip.Quote:
Originally Posted by cycloneshooter
llp
Just to clarify, school sections, aka state lands, state trust lands, etc., are not technically "public" lands. They are lands deeded to the particular state to raise money for that state's school systems, to be used as the state sees fit. In Wyoming they are open to public access unless otherwise specifically closed (no camping, fires, off road travel etc.) In other states such as Colorado, they may not be open to public access.
Bottom line on roads, if they cross private land and do not specificaly have a PUBLIC easemnt, they are not public access. An oil and gas development may use a road to access the field across private which may not be open to the recreating public.