This issue is not limited to the Crawford mountains.
It does not matter where the road comes from or goes to.
The wyoming BLM is responsible for the road closures all over the state. There are many. The Wyoming side of the Crawfords is one tiny piece of a much larger closure.
Its not just the Crawfords.
The closure that contains the Wyoming side of the Crawfords extends north, south and east into Wyoming.
All roads inside the boundary, on the Crawfords or not, are closed as soon as you hit the Wyoming state line.
There are two dates. The dates depend on the closure area.
Some are closed Jan 1 - April 30, others close Nov 15 - April 30.
Its an all motorized vehicle closure, not just a road closure. No snowmobiles, ATV's, or any kind of motorized vehicle.
Whats the fine?
Here is your quote.
Violation Fines
"Seasonal closure orders may be implemented as provided in 43 CFR, subparts 8341.2 and 8364.1. Violations of this closure are punishable by a fine not to exceed $1000.00, and/or imprisonment not to exceed 12 months. "
Thats right off the Wyoming BLM web page.
None of this is new. The law has been in place since Dec 2008.
There are permits available for groups who have work related interests or other ecological interests. They are not going to give you one, just so you can look at deer.
Its really not that uncommon. Utah does it as well.
In the south cache, there are roads that close Nov 15. They just shut the gates and lock you out.
There are roads in north fork, above pine view that close during the winter and spring months. Same deal. Close the gate. It does not open until the roads are dry enough to not get torn up and rutted out by guys wheeling to get the old truck muddied up.
There are tons of WMA's that have all access closed, not just roads and motorized vehicles.
The Wyoming ones, you can still walk in. They are not closed to you being there. The roads are just closed to motorized vehicle travel.
Its not that big a deal.
I don't feel like they are infringing my rights at all.
And yes, they do take it serious. Every year in the paper, if you read the Wyoming papers, there are articles about guys caught violating the closure.
They get the fines and a little public humiliation.