BLM Laws (incase you didn't know)

[PredHunter]

My wife and I were in Wyoming over the weekend trying to get her two antelope. Twice on Saturday while hunting over a mile off a two track. Our hunt was disturbed by guys driving off the roads thru our hunting area, trying to get close to the 400 antelope, we were hunting.
The first guy was a couple of older gentleman trying to retrieve a goat. I asked them politely if they knew it was a possible $5,000 fine and 6 months in jail for driving off the two tracks? They said they didn't know and abliged by taking their truck back over the hill to the two track.
The second time I was going to walk out and get my cart to haul one of her goats out, while she kept hunting. I got about 1/4 mile away when I turned around to see two ATV's driving up to her. So I hurried back to her( not knowing what was up) It was two fat guys on ATV's that came down to ask if we been doing any good. I came unwound and said "You know we been burned once by guys driving around out here. It is against the law.(I left alot out of this) I would appreciate it if you guys got the hell out of here and let us hunt.
SO I called the BLM ranger yesterday and he stated it is up to a $5,000 fine and 6 months in jail. He also said this was a bad year for it and was going to in the future be writing more and bigger fines for it in an attempt to put a stop to it. I asked why he doesn't post signs. He stated he does but they last less then a week before someone decides to shoot it off the psot or steals it.

So my point of this whole post is to inform those that DON'T know the ruls but it is against the law to drive off the established roads on BLM with any vehicle.

 

[Rem308]

I owned a Honda ATV but never used it on a western hunt,mostly on private land here in Michigan.Did not use it often and sold it 2 days ago.Guess I just don't need one.In Colorado on a muzzleloader elk hunt ,I had ATV's running in our area every day,even though there was signs posted NO MOTORIZED VEHECLES.

 

[Netloss]

Do you know if you can drive across private land to enter BLM land? I am wondering if it has to be gravel or not there?

thanks

 

[wyoelkchaser]

You can not access public land through private, unless a public road goes through private property to the public land.

 

[BearCat]

PredHunter,

I am surprised you even got a BLM officer to come down. I have reported so many guys riding ATV in the sage brush and even gone as far as taking pictures of them on the atv (NICE AND CLOSE) and picture of their truck and they still would not issue a tag, just a warning. I would like to know who you called. There was one guy out of Rawlins that was GREAT!!!, but the guys out of Rock Springs suck!

BearCat

 

[rumproast]

Y'Know, the older you get and the less you know, it's not quite so stroking to face anyone with laws if you are not a law enforcer yourself.
You'll find yourself out there trying to work their mistakes or violations to your advantage to get your shot on a beast.
But you darn sure don't bust on others unless it's your family's property or a sick violation of game laws and/or ethics.
Anyone can flout the book, but don't be proud of doing it to any old timers who don't give a crap about what people say while hunting camp is open, especially if you're one of those hammerheads that believe you own the game.

Rump

 

[BearCat]

Rump

Not sure if that was directed to me, but it does not matter either way. I am not some young kid or anything like that, but I am a concerned hunter that plays by the rules and expect other to play by the laws. And I also expect if you draw a paycheck to protect and serve the land then you need to care regardless of your age. And if you have too many complaints and not enough resources then for goodness sakes at least make an attempt to check on the ones that have good information and are willing to go the extra mile to help you do your job. There is NO excuse, because the rest of us still have to work 10-12 hour days to have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors on the weekends or our precious days off.

BearCat

 

[PredHunter]

I don't know who that was directed too either.

I try to play by the rules and when you are playing by the rules and nobody else is it erks the "P" out of me. Had we not walked (like we were supposed too) over a mile, before daylight, to get in a good position on these goats. Only to get burned twice in one day, by guys that were too lazy to get out there and HUNT! That was the straw that broke the camels back for me. if it were the first time or had it jsut been once that day... Okay. but to get run over year in and year out towards the end of season. Is when I have had enough.

As, any BLM or NF land goes, I feel it is mine and take care of it as if it were. While we all pay taxes on it to use at our descretion. Very few take it upon themselves to take care of it. We are so close to looseing every acre of public land in this country. Because of not only careless hunters but ATV'rs hikers, campers alike. I want my kids and grandkids to have a place they can hunt also. Thats why I do what I do and take the actions I take.

Bearcat I will get you all the contact info for the gentleman I talked too on monday.

 

[Blueticker]

I've never heard of anyone getting so stressed out over sagebrush. I always drive over the sage on my land in hopes that it will die a painful death. I get a smile when I hear it crunching under my tires, just ask my kids.

 

[Trekker]

There always is someone going out of their way to show their ignorance. Look at any tract of state or federal land in Wyoming and you will see years of work of people like you. Yeah I know that a blade of grass not eaten by livestock is wasted. I know that you have a god given right to drive your fat butt anywhere you want to. I know I can't expect dummies like you to understand the value of sagebrush to wildlife , soil and water. Save your nonsense for Farm Bureau's newsletter or in the bar at the petroleum club

 

[Blueticker]

Trekker
Well, tonight if I can manage to get my fat ass out of the chair I'll drive my F-250 flatbed down to the "Petroleum Club" and buy one of my rancher friends a cold one. We'll probably talk hunting, politics, weather, football, be ignorant and whatnot, but I won't give you a second thought. I'll just be ignorantly bliss and thank God knowing that your whiney little ass won't in the bar stool next to me.

If I had only listened better in class when I went to school for wildlife biology. But a 'dummie" like me just can't be trained. After almost 2 decades in the H2O field you'd think I'd be more aware and environmentally conscious of the pitfalls of driving over some sageweeds.

Mr Trekker Person, Would you please contact the BLM, USFS and WG&F and tell them about the value of "sagebrush to wildlife" and ask them to stop doing their prescribed burns?

It's just wrong!

Thanks,
Now you can go f yourself you environmental prick.

 

[BuzzH]

predhunter and trekker,

Keep up the good work and continue to turn in the slobs that cant keep their fat-asses on the roads.

Also, please ignore blueticker...as he wouldnt be worth the minimal amount of effort it would take to knock his sorry ass off the barstool at the petroleum club.

Theres nothing that whines more than a welfare rancher.

 

[rumproast]

You get intense about it, you're simply propagating YOUR OWN loss of rights, and those of your kids.
We've all got what?--maybe 50%-60% of what rights one had when we were born???
Go ahead, feed the regulation machine--see where we end up!!

Not Fooling,
Rump

 

[rumproast]

Also, B.C., don't tell people in Wyo about how hard, good and long you work.
We're not here pickin' apples, son...

Rump

 

[BearCat]

Lets see---hmm based on DWR reports 95-99% of all forbes utilized by muledeer in the winter is what----grass NOT it is sagebrush!!!! And if any of you would actually look at the sage that is still left you would see it has very little growth even though at first glance you would think it is everywhere. Lower plant growth and density of leafy material means you need more of it. Elk will eat ANYTHING from grass, sagebrush, weeds, pine needles to bark, but not the mule deer. Oh yeah cows eat just grass and tear up every freaking water source they can find (fences are not placed around springs to protect them from Elk and deer).

I still to this day do not understand why we let the rancher manage our public land (pushing their policies) vs the public. Yeah I know we have all the freaking grazing rights but at what time does all of the sportsman clubs ban together and change the laws? And yes there is room for BOTH wildlife and cows and sheep, but not to the point where one favored over the other.
When a rancher is able to push policies to have 3 extend cow elk hunts of over 1,500 animals a year for 3 years (fishlake) and the game and fish cop tells you it is because there is too many elk vs cows due to the grazing right established a hundred years ago---something is wrong!!!!

Sorry to rant, but if we can not control one piece of the equations (too many cows, oil and gas production, home development) then we try and abide by the laws and control the food source for the wildlife (sage brush just being one of them). Maybe if we had less pressure on our lands then we could ride out in the sage like when we were kids and if some died there was plenty to go around?

BearCat

 

[wyoelkhunter]

Well said Bearcat.

I don't have any problem with well managed grazing on public lands but I do have a big problem with abuse of our public lands.

 

[REDDOG]

blueticker, you are one ignorant SOB. (if you need the definition of that big word, LMK)

 

[sageadvice]

This year we only hit one small area of your great state but almost without exception, all the hundreds of deer we saw were either feeding and/or in the sagebrush habitat. We hunter higher, we hunted out on the yellow grass hillsides, we hunted the rock piles,.. The deer we came across were in the sage.

Joey

 

[GntShedz]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-12-09 AT 09:54AM (MST)[p];