Colorado private land regulations

[sled_guy]

I'm not from Co so I'm curious... is private land considered open unless posted?

I pissed a land owner off last weekend. I was hunting in Western Co and was walking up a drainage. I came to a fence, one of several I had crossed in the course of 2 days of hunting. I crossed it and went on.

Well a while later I run in to a guy that turns out to be the landowner. He was not happy with me, which I understand. I tried to explain that I had crossed several fences and he said, "yea, those are for controling grazing areas". So I asked how I was to have known the last one was actually the private property border. He thought I should "know". I unloaded me gun and asked him how he wanted me to get off his property the fastest or least intrusive and he eased up a bit on his anger.

I'm happy to admit I was wrong. I guess I just expected it to be marked as it typically is in Utah. So it got me wondering about the rules/laws in Co.

I'm not faulting the landowner one bit, I understand his anger 100%, and take full responsibility for my tresspass. I just want to avoid that in the future.

sled_guy

 

[tailchasers]

Stay out unless you have permission. Pvt land does not need to be posted, you are expected to be aware of where you are.

 

[SoleSearcher36]

>Stay out unless you have permission.
>Pvt land does not need
>to be posted, you are
>expected to be aware of
>where you are.


To add to the above and accurate comment....private land does not have to be posted, marked, fenced or defined in any way. You are expected to know where you are even in the lack of presence of any marker. Fences and posted signs mean nothing here and most paper maps are fairly useless unless you go to the county assesors office and with their assistance accurately define the private property boundaries in your chosen hunting areas. If in doubt....keep out. We also have a "corner law" here in colorado that prevents you from entering a tract of public land if it only butts up against another private section at the corner.(it assumes you have to physically step over private to access public and ergo prohibits it). So checkerboarded land is essentially landlocked and inaccessible except to the adjacent landowners.(who can and do essentially treat it as their own ground). Be careful as it can be a hefty fine especially if you take an animal on the private ground.

 

[earthman]

In CO it is 100% the hunters responsibility to know what is private and public. It doesn't even have to have a fence i don't think. Just have to look at maps and if you are close to a piece of private then you better be carefull.



It's all part of the experience Clarke!!!