Trophy bull and a trespass charge

[3325]

I see this thread going well.....


I assume this was BLM land?

Not National Forest?

State of Wyoming.

 

[TX_Diver]

I see this thread going well.....


I assume this was BLM land?

Not National Forest?

Too soon for memes?

 

[Billy Goat]

Too soon for memes?

I reckon.

Not enough info for memes yet except a bunch of butt hurt

 

[2ski]

All you boys wanting landlocked public land to not be allowable have a pretty fine socialist idea. Pretty fine.... lol

Because to make a prescriptive easement where none currently exists would be pretty socialist IMO.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

Who owns the ranch? A 3rd generation cattle rancher or an CEO from the east coast? That’ll determine the level of care I have for the loss of “their” elk.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Probably, but no one was thinking about access back then.

probably no one thought not allowing some form of access would become a thing.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

Prosecute for trespassing if there’s a case, but if that bull was shot on state land and the shooter had a valid tag, I don’t want to hear anything about the potential value loss the landowner may or may not have suffered. That’s like killing a big bull and getting sued by a guide because he had already sent trail cam pictures to a client.

That’s asinine.

If it would’ve been all legal if the hunter was dropped in on a helicopter, it’s not a wildlife violation.

If the hunter had a valid tag and killed a legal bull on public land, it’s not poaching. Period.

If the guy trespassed, give him whatever the worst punishment is for trespassing.

Absolutely 100% and quoted for emphasis.

 

[Cowbell]

I hear you, and agree with almost everything you said… However, there’s a lot of ranchers who are compensated by the state for loss of hay/crops, yet they won’t allow the public on their property to hunt the animals that have become a resident herd. And, if any hunting is allowed, it’s for cows only and any bulls are not permitted to be taken. A lot of ranches will claim they don’t want those herds on their property, but what they really want is a payout from the state, and to keep the bulls/bucks for themselves or to lease hunting rights for those bucks/bulls.

I work with a lot of ranching groups and this is not the majority and it's getting old hearing this dead horse continued to be beaten.

 

[Cowbell]

Who owns the ranch? A 3rd generation cattle rancher or an CEO from the east coast? That’ll determine the level of care I have for the loss of “their” elk.

It really shouldn't matter. Private property rights should be the same for each.

 

[Cowbell]

It's amazing to me how often you can read a thread like this and can tell 80% of the guys who do or don't own/manage recreational land from the things they say. Landlocked land is a big deal, But it's not the landowners fault. Most ranch owners don't go buying land excited for the thought of having public land right in the middle of their private. They also pay for the public acreates when they purchase a ranch and it's a lot more expensive than some of you realize. It's not just an annual grazing fee. And the reason land-locked pieces hold game is because of just that fact. They aren't getting hammered every day by public access. As soon as it's not land-locked, it too will get over hunted and be just the same as all the rest of the ground. And the game is often there because of the management of the private landowner.

 

[DuckDawg22]

I've always wanted to ride in a Robinson so last time I was in Orlando for work, I paid like $150 for a 16 mile flight. Would seem to be a business opportunity for an entrepreneurial type in areas where there are a lot of landlocked private.

 

[MtnW]

I am all for ranchers using (leasing) state and federal land as part of their ranch for profit for agricultural and livestock purposes. What I do not believe in is the privatization of wildlife. Some of the ranches I have hunted on have 30-40% of the land they control (land locked )are federal and state land. The old laws are draconian and wildlife was not really in the equation. Not allowing a percentage of the hunting permits for the general public to hunt on these ranches who were gifted these land locked public land areas is just wrong. Ranchers should not have the god given right to control and profit from the public’s wildlife on these vast public land areas that have land locked lands. I don’t see anything socialist about this concept. I would think these issues could be championed by someone like the RMEF or other pro hunting groups or organizations. Again many ,not all of these big ranches in the west are owned by big money LLC’s and use the wildlife as profit centers or as their own private hunting clubs for their corporate customers and crony’s.

 

[KenLee]

It’s the state’s case to prove, not the warden’s. The warden will be a witness for the state if the case goes to trial. In all likelihood, the warden could care less if the defendant is acquitted or found guilty. In all likelihood, the warden could care less if the state dismissed the case.

In my home state, a tresspass charge is tried in Magistrate Court and the warden prosecutes their own tickets.

 

[Slickhill]

Crazy that so many here are all for the government forcing landowners to allow people on their land.
With it being almost a certainty that the current landowners had nothing to do with establishing the boundaries of the ranch and land locking the public land why punish them?
If you decided to buy a ranch are you going to pass because there’s public land inside? Build a road and welcome everyone? Leave your gates open for anyone as long as they’re just heading to the public?

 

[KenLee]

Crazy that so many here are all for the government forcing landowners to allow people on their land.
With it being almost a certainty that the current landowners had nothing to do with establishing the boundaries of the ranch and land locking the public land why punish them?
If you decided to buy a ranch are you going to pass because there’s public land inside? Build a road and welcome everyone? Leave your gates open for anyone as long as they’re just heading to the public?

I'm going by dirt law that applies to accessing any other landlocked parcels. Implied retained easement by necessity. The common law should also apply to reaching BLM lands.

 

[bozeman]

If that was 'your' ranch, 99% of you would be up in arms and keeping the herd to yourself and you know it......jealousy/envy has many faces and they are all ugly. This is nothing more than covetousness being displayed publicly.

 

[MallardSX2]

Crazy that so many here are all for the government forcing landowners to allow people on their land.
With it being almost a certainty that the current landowners had nothing to do with establishing the boundaries of the ranch and land locking the public land why punish them?
If you decided to buy a ranch are you going to pass because there’s public land inside? Build a road and welcome everyone? Leave your gates open for anyone as long as they’re just heading to the public?

What's really crazy here it to think that ANY landowner thinks that they have the right to keep the public off of public land at all....

 

[mike.adams.467]

If I wanted to hunt state owned land in my home state, the powers that be would just have to charge me. It would cost the state $10k to prosecute me effectively. They'd have to pay real dirt lawyers or look like idiots in court.

This is exactly why landowners block this land and the issue continues to fester. There is always some tough guy saying "screw the landowner, I'll hunt where I want". In all likelihood, that is what this guy did.

I don't like it any more than the next guy, but breaking the law because "no one is gonna stop me" is wrong.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I believe in strong property rights. I don’t care who owns the property. You can’t erode property rights just because you don’t like the owner.

I scratch my head a little at the ranch manager smelling a rotten carcass the same day as the kill in a landlocked public land enclave. We only own 500 acres, but I’d have a hard time finding a single carcass unless I walked within a couple hundred yards of it (or watched a flock of buzzards). Makes me think there were other clues that lead the ranch manager to the right spot.

But I also expect “the little guy” to be hard for the state to convict in a case like this. Unless, of course, “the little guy” truly cut locks, drove his truck, etc. I have no sympathy for him in that case. I can root for “Robin Hood”, but part of that is his cleverness and dogged determination. I expect that when the facts come out, this nimrod probably left a trail of slime.

I smile a bit to myself at the thought of how many heads would explode if the trespasser was a YouTube hunting celebrity.

 

[AHayes111]

probably no one thought not allowing some form of access would become a thing.

Back when the homestead act was passed, most thought that all of the land would be claimed and the Gov would own no land other than a few National Parks and military bases. Mike Lee was the majority in the 1860's.