No hunting on State land , Locked Gates ?

[marlin]

well I have a story  to share,  I was hunting this past year . I was hunting on state land , per my OX MAPS ,a LIFE SAVER. The rancher came up and told me that I couldn't  hunt there?  ***My question  is this isolated  problem,  or do fellow  hunters have the same problem . Locked gates ,  also no hunting signs state land ?

Edited March 26, 2020 by marlin
Miss spelled a word

[cw4192]

You can thank flatlanders side by side driving idiots cutting fences and idiots that don’t respect the ranchers shoot

 

[muledeerarea33?]

Depends on the particular state trust parcel. It’s not always open to hunt on.

[Flatlander]

13 minutes ago, cw4192 said:

You can thank flatlanders side by side driving idiots cutting fences and idiots that don’t respect the ranchers shoot

 

What the heck do I have to do with this?

[ThomC]

You were in a no pass year.  Since you are a newbie we will give you a pass this year.  😫

[marlin]

Thanks man,  

[AZAV8ER]

Over the last couple of years I have experienced two ranchers locking  access to USFS land. Locks were put on gates where the access road crossed private property, these were USFS roads and were the only access point to public lands. According to the AZGF access coordinator in that district it is legal to deny access to public lands. One rancher got peeved with the state and feds and in a fit of frustration decided to block access. The other "rancher" is a super wealthy individual who happens to own "The Outdoor Channel" and locked his gate for no other reason than he could. 

[tontotom]

Hard to know without some more specific location. Most State Land is checkerboard with private in my area. Access to State Land can be restricted through Private Land. If you crossed private land to access State Land how can you get back out without crossing private without permission?

 

[trphyhntr]

16 hours ago, cw4192 said:

You can thank flatlanders side by side driving idiots cutting fences and idiots that don’t respect the ranchers shoot

 

you mean old farts from minnesota and canada who dont even have permission to be on state land. 

[Tight Guy]

Had this same problem before. Its my understanding that State trust land is open for hunting season with a valid hunting license. Had ranchers tell me I was trespassing before when I knew from my GPS and landowner layer that I was on public land. Mr. Perkins in 19A seems to think he owns the whole valley. Of course he charges $$ for Antelope hunts and wants the private / public checkerboard area all for his clients.

The checkerboard private / public is a tough one. The legal right to cross from public to public at the exact corner intersection is something that is Im sure is depending on who you talk to.

As far as the USFS access. We had outfitters in Colorado gate off roads with access to Forest Service land. They would do this the night before opening day. By the time the warden for the area could come out 2 to 3 days later to remedy the situation the best days to get a Elk were over, and they of course weren't the ones who put that gate up. I was also told by a rancher / Outfitter that he could block access to FS land across his property as long as 1 access road into the forest somewhere remained open even if it was 50 miles away.

I agree with the ranchers restricting access to their property because of idiots. Heck we all would do the same. 

[Sneaker]

If you can access state trust land by using other public lands or right-of-ways, then you can legally hunt on it during season(hunting only with legal hunt license and tag, scouting would be different). If you want to camp(even during a hunt) and generally recreate(scouting here too), however, you have to secure a separate recreation/camp permit. It can get a little touchy. Like a helper, spotter, kid tag-a-long, technically, is not allowed to be there with you when you hunt, unless they have a recreation permit for themselves. But, they could have a license and a weapon and be "small game hunting" and be ok... If you had to cross private to get to it, then you would need permission to cross the private first. Lots of State trust land that isn't accessible because you have to cross private in northern AZ. Much of the state trust lands aren't specifically marked and fenced, others are marked really well and have signs that explain what it is when you enter.

[marlin]

The  state land  in question  had a AZGFD sign a, while back , but now its missing, I did contact  AZGFD and they are going to speak to the rancher/lesser about his actions . AZGFD  is also reaching out to the state land commissioner  , As this isn't  his  first time  this has happen . They are going to be placing a new sign on the state land  to welcome HUNTERS  not sure how long this sign will stay ...

[high rise hunter]

I ran into this same scenario in NM last season in an area with a large piece of BLM that's limited access is entirely through state land sections. All three sections of state-owned land had "No Trespassing" signs posted on gates by different ranches, some locked some not. I followed up with the NMDGF when I got home. Sure enough those sections are indeed open to the public and should not have been posted. It completely thrashed my plans for hunting that specific area. Now I'm antsy to get back there and see what these ranchers are collaborating to hide. 😉

[AZHunter1]

Tough situation there! Ranchers get their stuff tore up, gates left open, trash, people driving cross country. Where is this at?