Stay Limits during Hunting Season(s)

[midwestcowboy]

Wasn't it a holiday weekend this past weekend?

Yeah it was, but these weren't recreationists. People don't go this deep into this specific unit unless they are hunting or maybe thru hiking lol.

 

[TSimons9]

I went on a scouting trip 8/15-8/17 and there was a dude we ran into that had his camp up there for 2 weeks already and admitted that he was leaving it there until the end of archery elk season.

I didn’t call him in and I don’t plan too but it is infuriating that people cannot follow simple rules.

 

[sndmn11]

Yeah it was, but these weren't recreationists. People don't go this deep into this specific unit unless they are hunting or maybe thru hiking lol.

Seems like you were there and not hunting or through hiking.

 

[midwestcowboy]

Seems like you were there and not hunting or through hiking.

Rifle on me for bear/wolf/lion, checking my cams throughout the unit, and glassing. I'd call that hunting/scouting but idk lol

 

[sndmn11]

Rifle on me for bear/wolf/lion, checking my cams throughout the unit, and glassing. I'd call that hunting/scouting but idk lol

Cool!

My point is that not everyone else on public lands is out to get you, has nefarious goals, or isn't engaged in the exact same thing that you are or any other public land use activity, including just being present. When you are out doing what you do and coming back to say others are trying to prevent you from something, just because, it is no different than if one of "them" said the same thing about you... "This guy was out mucking up my scouting by pretending to bear/wolf/lion hunt when I KNOW he was just trying to mark his territory and keep me out!"

 

[justinspicher]

I always find it impressive on how much stuff folks will bring to the backcountry. They are out there roughing it in the wild and are just as comfortable as they would be if they were home.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I always find it impressive on how much stuff folks will bring to the backcountry. They are out there roughing it in the wild and are just as comfortable as they would be if they were home.

The newer outfitter camp I found had 3 wall tents 4, 110 rotomolded coolers and smaller dome tents, weird thing is I expected horse trailer at the trailhead as it was just the day before season… a saw them pack it in a month or so ago, general question, do outfitters in CO have to post their outfit and registration # at their camp? I’m guessing these guys are on the up and up, but I also have heard of people “outfitting under the table” which is sketchy

 

[midwestcowboy]

Cool!

My point is that not everyone else on public lands is out to get you, has nefarious goals, or isn't engaged in the exact same thing that you are or any other public land use activity, including just being present. When you are out doing what you do and coming back to say others are trying to prevent you from something, just because, it is no different than if one of "them" said the same thing about you... "This guy was out mucking up my scouting by pretending to bear/wolf/lion hunt when I KNOW he was just trying to mark his territory and keep me out!"

Yeah man I hear what you're saying and agree with the above, but I'm not sure you're understanding the intention of this post. I was simply trying to understand if 14 day stay limits apply to guides OR if 14 day stay limits are actually enforced for regular folks during the hunting season. I have no problem hiking past somebody's camp or a guide camp, it's public land so I'm quite used to that.

I was simply stating that, "wow a lot of people have long term campsites set-up 2 weeks prior to the hunting season in this remote unit, is that legal? If so, then fine! If not, then that's kind of frustrating and annoying + I'd wish somebody would enforce the rules."

 

[Poser]

We have a local outfitter who is getting extremely aggressive with his approach. He's been buying out other outfitters and consolidating, but, what is really concerning to me is that he is starting to buy defunct mining claims in the wilderness area. He bought one 2 years that is in a large basin I have hunted before. He's put up some permanent structures to run his guided goat, deer, elk hunting out of as well as fishing clients. I've heard a rumor that he intends to buy more and build them out with a nice yurts and offer helicopter access for his clients into the middle of the wilderness area. I looked at his setup and he would have to do a good bit of tree cutting to land a helicopter + the standard civilian helicopters used for touring purposes, as I understand it, have service ceilings of about 12,000 feet which would not work for that area. You would at least need safety margins into the 14,000 foot range with the surrounding features being in the 13k range. You'd have to hire out the backcountry heli ski operators to do that and I don't believe they even have their helicopters here locally during those seasons, so I'm unsure how much truth there is to that. You can hike to this spot in 4 hours. Horses probably cut that in half. Who's the person out there who wants to go elk hunting out of a 4 star yurt, but doesn't have time for a 2 hour horse back ride to get there? I suppose if you have enough camps, you could fly your clients around based on what the guides are seeing, but who's going to do that for 0 point elk unit?

 

[taskswap]

14 days is the rule but I've never actually seen it enforced. With severe budget cuts across the board in these agencies, I doubt it will be. It's not like they're hiring "meter maids" to chalk tents and track who's where and for how long...

 

[Serrano]

The stay limit is sometimes enforced where I hunt in Colorado.
Last year in the Rio Grande Forest I had two tags for the same area a few weeks apart. I moved my utility trailer 5 miles after the first hunt to park it until my next hunt. It was not in a spot for camping or where it would disturb anyone. They put a sticker on the door telling me I had to remove it from the forest. The Rio Grande Forest does not have the 5-mile rule to move. You can only stay 2 weeks anywhere on the forest. I moved to BLM and then back for the second hunt.

In 2005 I had a long bow sheep hunt in the San Isabel Forest. After 2 weeks they left notice to move my trailer 5 miles.

This year in another place a campground host told me a trailer had been parked all summer in a prime dispersed campsite.

 

[stumblinhorse]

It would be nice for any rules to be enforced. I am not that bothered by extended camps. I go around them or pull my straight piped 01 dodge diesel next to the camp at 4am, and let it cool down.

But last year a group of muzzy hunters took their atv a mile back to retrieve the cow they shot. “I don’t carry out elk anymore” is what they said as they passed by our camp. I hope at some point some gov’t EE steps up and draws the line somewhere. People hunting in a high draw unit without a tag for that unit. Shooting spikes or splits etc. I have seen it all. Pretty much people get away with whatever they are willing to try.

 

[justinspicher]

People will continue to do whatever they can get away with, regardless of the recreational activity they choose to participate in. There’s a single LE for the NF area I hunt and a single game warden. Not sure they have much extra time to check camps.

On a positive notes, the large camps are generally in the same spot so there’s that.

 

[S.Clancy]

There’s a difference in setting up a tent to save a campsite and staying longer than the 14 day limit

Not by the law. Anything, including game cameras, caches, tree stands, etc. that exceeds the 14-day limit you can be fined or, more likely, the stuff is seized as it has been "abandoned" on public land. I packed out an inordinate amount of caches and other stuff (tents mostly, but once a canoe) when I was a wilderness ranger for the FS. We would post the stuff in the newspaper, most would never pick it up (and their fine) and we would have to go through the process of donating it or disposing of it.

IME it all depends on the staff in the office. I work for the BLM now and our rangers and LEO staff are really good about keeping on the 14-day rule. The biggest thing is documenting. So if you have photos with a time-stamp get that to the LEO and they will enforce it.

 

[Customweld]

Last year there were a handful of camps that burnt in the Lava Fire. It blew up on a Monday (Labor Day) after they had left their camp up for the week. 3 years ago on a December cow hunt, I kept running into a guy after every snow storm. Turned out he left his gigantic toyhauler 5th wheel up over a week and it got snowed in. He went in after every storm and shoveled the roof and everything away from the sides. I was done hunting after December, I'm not sure how his trailer fared over the winter.

 

[Hnthrdr]

We have a local outfitter who is getting extremely aggressive with his approach. He's been buying out other outfitters and consolidating, but, what is really concerning to me is that he is starting to buy defunct mining claims in the wilderness area. He bought one 2 years that is in a large basin I have hunted before. He's put up some permanent structures to run his guided goat, deer, elk hunting out of as well as fishing clients. I've heard a rumor that he intends to buy more and build them out with a nice yurts and offer helicopter access for his clients into the middle of the wilderness area. I looked at his setup and he would have to do a good bit of tree cutting to land a helicopter + the standard civilian helicopters used for touring purposes, as I understand it, have service ceilings of about 12,000 feet which would not work for that area. You would at least need safety margins into the 14,000 foot range with the surrounding features being in the 13k range. You'd have to hire out the backcountry heli ski operators to do that and I don't believe they even have their helicopters here locally during those seasons, so I'm unsure how much truth there is to that. You can hike to this spot in 4 hours. Horses probably cut that in half. Who's the person out there who wants to go elk hunting out of a 4 star yurt, but doesn't have time for a 2 hour horse back ride to get there? I suppose if you have enough camps, you could fly your clients around based on what the guides are seeing, but who's going to do that for 0 point elk unit?

Yikes!

 

[cnelk]

Not by the law. Anything, including game cameras, caches, tree stands, etc. that exceeds the 14-day limit you can be fined or, more likely, the stuff is seized as it has been "abandoned" on public land. I packed out an inordinate amount of caches and other stuff (tents mostly, but once a canoe) when I was a wilderness ranger for the FS. We would post the stuff in the newspaper, most would never pick it up (and their fine) and we would have to go through the process of donating it or disposing of it.

IME it all depends on the staff in the office. I work for the BLM now and our rangers and LEO staff are really good about keeping on the 14-day rule. The biggest thing is documenting. So if you have photos with a time-stamp get that to the LEO and they will enforce it.

If I set up a tent on a Tuesday, arrive on the next Friday, take it down the following Friday, I’m all good.

BTW. I also take pics with time stamp of when I set up and take down. Just in case some LEO gets a little ‘overzealous’

 

[justinspicher]

It absolutely depends on the office. Our FS staff seems to preoccupied on everything but their job.

This is yet another reason why I enjoy hunting from home.

 

[Hnthrdr]

If I set up a tent on a Tuesday, arrive on the next Friday, take it down the following Friday, I’m all good.

BTW. I also take pics with time stamp of when I set up and take down. Just in case some LEO gets a little ‘overzealous’

do you have any idea if outfitters have to have their camps marked? Might call FS and ask figured someone might know?

 

[cnelk]

do you have any idea if outfitters have to have their camps marked? Might call FS and ask figured someone might know?

What’s an ‘Outfitter’?