Old but, a great read.......
I kinda like TeddyBear's dry sense of humor. I think spending a week hunting with him would be sheer entertainment. He just needed to rant a little and some folks took it personally. The problem with putting your thoughts in writing..........each reader has a different take on what the writer really means.
I'm just beginning my learning curve on Wyoming. I can relate to some of TB's frustrations. I've talked to 2 wardens so far and didn't get much more than general information to specific questions. Pretty much canned answers. I can only imagine they are more than tired of people calling them. So, I got about what I expected.
Wyoming does some things well and some things not so well. The biggest issue I see as a novice trying to learn the Wyoming ropes has to do with access to the public land areas (specifically BLM). There are a lot of acres of public land cut off by private property.
As I spend my time reading and researching (about 200hrs now), I continually run across stories of frustrated sportsmen that are kept from hunting public owned land (their land, the land they pay taxes to manintain) by a closed road or a strip of private property. Crowded hunting is one of the most common complaints I read about over and over. If all the BLM land in the state of Wyoming was accessable to hunt, hunters would naturally be spread out over more acres and crowding would be greatly reduced.
According to the official BLM website, The mission of the BLM is to "manage public land for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations". Emphasis on "use and enjoyment" not use or enjoyment............it is supposed to be both. So, the rancher can use it for grazing and everyone else gets to use it for whatever enjoyment they choose, like hunting. The way Wyoming has it structured, you are an instant criminal for moving across touching corners of BLM sections. That is just "wacked". I doubt the local BLM range manager gets a ticket for driving on the back road to a section of BLM ground for a forage evaluation. I also doubt the range manager has to ask permission from the land owner to cross 100ft of private ground to get to a section of BLM land. The tax payer funds the BLM and therefore pays for the maintenance of public land the rancher has locked up. Why shouldn't the taxpayer be able to access the public land on the same easement the BLM range manager uses.
I understand the politics. And, that's all it is, "politics". Some time way back when, some rancher/politicians decided this little gem of an idea could pay dividends so they manipulated the trespass laws in Wyoming to favor their interests. Now a ranch that has private property interspersed with BLM can pretty much totally control possibly twice the land they have deeded. It only cost them a token amount in grazing fees. And, if they decide to hook up with an outfitter for some pocket money, they have way more land to offer and in turn get more pocket money.
The whole premise of the Wyoming trespass law in regard to BLM land is wrong! If the land belongs to the taxpayers of the nation, the land should be accessable to those taxpayers. There should be an established right of way to every parcel of BLM land in the state. Granted, the BLM could stipulate whether that access is by foot or other mode. But it should be the same access the BLM uses.
It stands to reason, if all BLM land was truly accessable for the real owners, people would spread out, game animals in hard hunted areas would experience less hunting pressure and numbers and quality would begin to recover, outfitters would have less of a strangle hold on the ranch land they lease with BLM holdings, the resident and non-resident hunting opportunities would increase greatly and very possibly the state of Wyoming and local economy's would have more dollars from hunting revenues.
Wyoming could make it easier for all of us (residents and non-residents) if they would solve this "small town politics" antiquated trespass law problem. It seems to get quite a bit of lip service but, nobody in the state seems to be serious about getting it changed. I read the Eastmans thread titled: Public Lands in Public Hands, I thought a better title would be: Public Lands in Wyoming Rancher's Hands.
Just so you know, I'm an Idaho rancher. I understand the way land owners think. MORE LAND, MORE POWER, MORE MONEY. We all want to control our domains. But, right is right and wrong is wrong. Wyoming's trespass law is wrong and the power they give to the ranchers over public land access is more wrong.
TeddyBear wasn't all wet when he said "Wyoming is a crock", I'm saying it in a different way I guess. Solving this one Wyoming issue would have so many positive impacts for game animals I can't understand why there is no serious grass roots effort to correct it.
