Montana corner crossing lawsuit.

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.
 
Better be careful what we wish for especially witn our legislature if it ever goes on the books officially. As MT law. I’d feel pretty comfortable crossing in the current state of affairs plus knowing how the 10th circuit fell. Our governor and legislature could easily pass a law against this in the next session.
That's quite true.
Also of note if there is not a USGS corner pin then one really can’t legally corner cross. ONX is far from accurate enough to show a corner down to the nearest inch. There is a decent percent of corner pins not in around this state.
I wouldn't bet that to be the case. I will bet there isn't one in ten fence corners in MT that are dead on or fence lines that aren't off by ten or twenty feet at times.
 
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