Montana corner crossing lawsuit.

[dallen]

On FB it looked like Rack Junkies posted a link to the zoom meeting in Glasgow for June 1-2. Can we get a link here?

Private Land/Public Wildlife (PLPW) Advisory Committee | Montana FWP

Private Land/Public Wildlife (PLPW) Advisory Committee information.

fwp.mt.gov

 

[AHayes111]

It’s pretty simple.

Any public piece that’s locked up for recreational purposes should be locked up for all recreational purposes.

No hunting, period, by anyone.


They can still run their production lease, grazing/farming what have you, just no recreational activities.

Watch the outfitters association pass a peach pit! And let’s be clear, ultimately this is a guide/outfitter problem.

This was tried with state land back when lease holder controlled access. It didn't work. Most ranchers and outfitters were good with that arrangement. The outfitters didn't need to hunt the state, as over the coarse of the season, every buck on the state would work their way onto the private at some point. I am sure that there was some outfitters that cheated too. The people that were hurt the most by this were family/ friends that had worked hard to build a relationship to gain access to hunt. I remember those few years, we let a lot of people hunt back then and still do. Had to tell the hunters that the state was now off limits.

I remember busting three guy from Butte on the state during this time. I was setting on a hill and hear several shots in the directions of the state. Shortly after a pickup is driving slowly up the road and parks. I look back at the state and with binoculars can see two guys in orange running through the sage. I drive home and call the warden and head down to the state. Get there just as the three are loading two ungutted bucks in the back of the pickup. One of the guys grabs a map and tries to tell me they think they are on public 10 miles away. Not the first time I have seen that one. I knew it was a lie, they had no idea where they were and figured it was private. If they had thought it was public they would have gutted the bucks and one of them would not have left with the pickup while the other two pulled the deer down to the road. I have no mercy when hunters lie to me. When they found out they were actually on state land they tried to claim I must have been hunting it too, but that didn't stick as I was setting on a hill over a mile from the state.