Just got back from 9 days in SW Montana chasing elk in an area we are very familiar with. However, this year was much different. A small wildfire that has been contained outside some small hotspots had a main forest service road and quite a few trailheads completely closed til Dec.1. A pack-in that is a normal of 5 miles via horseback was changed to 12 for us due to having to take alternate routes into a basin we were very familiar with. We even reached out to local FS guys to see if we could ride our horses down the closed road, which would make a smooth 9 mile trip, but were quickly denied. One group that made it 4 miles down the closed road overnight via horseback was actually escorted out the next morning and then had to take the 12 mile route in we took.
Fast forward to about day 7 of our hunt, we notice the local outfitter packing in for his normal couple of archery hunters he hosts each year at that camp location. At first, we didn't think much about it. The next day, we hunted 4 miles from camp and on our loop back to camp we noticed their horse tracks came from the closed roads/trailheads. We are talking 3 hunters, 3 guides/packers and about 12-15 horses/mules. At this point, we assumed the trailhead maybe was reopened following several nightly rains finishing off the fire relief efforts. We continue to notice the trail getting used by the outfitter packing in/out over the next several days, each time going all the way back to the main closed road.
When we packed out, we determine it best to just ride out the easy route and catch a ride from the closed road back to our rig about 3 miles away at the trailhead we came in on. Regardless of being open/closed, the outfitter was using it and no reason for us not to be able to as well. Needless to say, my buddy that took the horses out (we hunted our way out) was met at the main road and told it was closed as he headed out. He was allowed to finish packing out as they couldn't send him back up the closed trailhead, either. Meanwhile, the packer for the outfitter was parked at the trailhead 4 miles down the closed road abd was allowed to legally pack out that same day and then back in. To some, this may not seem like a big deal. But from our vantage point, it gives the outfitter exclusive use of miles of roads and trails that are shut down to the normal public land owner. Since we left that basin, the outfitter has it to himself because nobody else is taking horses 12 miles deep in archery season. That entire basin is usually covered with hunters afoot but not this year due to closed access. It actually hurt the hunting because the elk were more spread out we felt, but that's beside the point.
Do you guys see the issue here? Paying clients of the outfitter were allowed use of the trail along with the outfitters/guides/packers. They were actually escorted in/out on every trip. Is this fair treatment? At what point do we need to draw the line for businesses that profit off the resource that we all should share?
Fast forward to about day 7 of our hunt, we notice the local outfitter packing in for his normal couple of archery hunters he hosts each year at that camp location. At first, we didn't think much about it. The next day, we hunted 4 miles from camp and on our loop back to camp we noticed their horse tracks came from the closed roads/trailheads. We are talking 3 hunters, 3 guides/packers and about 12-15 horses/mules. At this point, we assumed the trailhead maybe was reopened following several nightly rains finishing off the fire relief efforts. We continue to notice the trail getting used by the outfitter packing in/out over the next several days, each time going all the way back to the main closed road.
When we packed out, we determine it best to just ride out the easy route and catch a ride from the closed road back to our rig about 3 miles away at the trailhead we came in on. Regardless of being open/closed, the outfitter was using it and no reason for us not to be able to as well. Needless to say, my buddy that took the horses out (we hunted our way out) was met at the main road and told it was closed as he headed out. He was allowed to finish packing out as they couldn't send him back up the closed trailhead, either. Meanwhile, the packer for the outfitter was parked at the trailhead 4 miles down the closed road abd was allowed to legally pack out that same day and then back in. To some, this may not seem like a big deal. But from our vantage point, it gives the outfitter exclusive use of miles of roads and trails that are shut down to the normal public land owner. Since we left that basin, the outfitter has it to himself because nobody else is taking horses 12 miles deep in archery season. That entire basin is usually covered with hunters afoot but not this year due to closed access. It actually hurt the hunting because the elk were more spread out we felt, but that's beside the point.
Do you guys see the issue here? Paying clients of the outfitter were allowed use of the trail along with the outfitters/guides/packers. They were actually escorted in/out on every trip. Is this fair treatment? At what point do we need to draw the line for businesses that profit off the resource that we all should share?
