Hunter Harassment - Antelope Unit 19 State Trust Land

[Widrig]

How'd things go in this area for 2019? Any more issues?

 

[magnum44270]

Keep in mind that the property lines you see on Onx maps can easily be off by 100 feet, 200 feet, or more. Sometimes a lot more. So if you see a fence that's nice and straight and relatively close to a property line on your Onx map, the fence very well could be on the actual property line, and the Onx map could be wrong. I'm a land surveyor and see it all the time, when county assessor maps don't match up with the true property lines.

or GPS is correct and the fence was put up for convience and to gain the landowner an extra few acres.

 

[magnum44270]

I live in area 19 and draw tags for it yearly. Havent been on this specific piece but will make a point to hunt it next year. I hate confrontation like this because it ruins the hunt but also love it because i love putting idiots in their place. Ill have my gun and badge handy!

 

[ImBillT]

I ran into similar last year in NM, and am probably going to go back to that spot this afternoon. Not looking forward to it. The good news is that the GW is pretty good. Unfortunately he told me that if they hassle me again, I should back out politely and give him a call. He’ll take care of it, but I’m not terribly interested in conflict, or backing out politely. Hopefully I’ll just shoot a buck at the spot I just pulled up to, and won’t have to go to that spot.

I definitely would have asked the GW to come out immediately or send in some other form of LE. People in that frame of mind might do things a rational person would not.

When they tell you “we lease this land” the proper response is, “you leased the agricultural and grazing rights, and I leased the hunting rights. Don’t believe me, go read your lease”

 

[Washington Hunter]

or GPS is correct and the fence was put up for convience and to gain the landowner an extra few acres.

The point is you can't rely 100% on a GPS.

 

[Indygasman]

Sorry to hear about your experience on that piece of land. My Dad and I hunted on that exact spot and I killed a small buck near the entrance.
We also sat on the road near the Williams border on the west edge for several hours watching a buck just off the State trust land. That west edge is not fenced, there is only a posted sign. So a hunter really needs to be careful on that part. It never came our way but several vehicles passed us going on and off the Williams’ property.
Most people in their vehicles just waved, but one older man stopped to talk. He was very helpful but did mention to make sure we stay ON public land. I will mention that one pickup truck honked at us as he drove by, but who cares. I can’t say who these people were I only assume they were somehow affiliated with the ranch.
It’s crazy how different a person’s experience on the same spot can be. Hopefully anyone else who hunts there in the future will have fun because we saw antelope there every time we hunted it.
A side note, I found a red Carbon Express arrow fitted with a single bevel broad head. Who ever owns that arrow don’t fret, it’s now in good hands with a Hoosier hunter. I plan on sending it through a corn fed whitetail any day now.

 

[Jmnhunter]

wow, wtf; that boils my blood how they think they can do that; I'd say you handled it pretty good considering how everything escalated!

 

[Buffs35]

Makes me sick.

 

[Buffs35]

Please keep us up to speed.

 

[LuketheDog]

Sorry to hear about your experience on that piece of land. My Dad and I hunted on that exact spot and I killed a small buck near the entrance.
We also sat on the road near the Williams border on the west edge for several hours watching a buck just off the State trust land. That west edge is not fenced, there is only a posted sign. So a hunter really needs to be careful on that part. It never came our way but several vehicles passed us going on and off the Williams’ property.
Most people in their vehicles just waved, but one older man stopped to talk. He was very helpful but did mention to make sure we stay ON public land. I will mention that one pickup truck honked at us as he drove by, but who cares. I can’t say who these people were I only assume they were somehow affiliated with the ranch.
It’s crazy how different a person’s experience on the same spot can be. Hopefully anyone else who hunts there in the future will have fun because we saw antelope there every time we hunted it.
A side note, I found a red Carbon Express arrow fitted with a single bevel broad head. Who ever owns that arrow don’t fret, it’s now in good hands with a Hoosier hunter. I plan on sending it through a corn fed whitetail any day now.

I had a very similar experience there a couple weekends ago, the old guy waved at me, property lines on south and west are not fenced but clearly marked at the road. No goats within a least a mile of that piece after sitting on the hilltop and watching a blizzard ramp up, then visibility went to crap, so I moved on.

 

[Fremont15]

This makes me wanna find a good corner crossing spot next to that ranch!!

 

[Mattff200]

As someone who has moved to Gillette I'm sorry you had to deal with that. If you have video of the sun threatening to kick you ask you could possibly have enough to charge with making terroristic threats which I believe is a felony. That might send a better message than being charged with hunter harassment.

 

[Bluffgruff]

The point is you can't rely 100% on a GPS.

I like finding the corner pins. I have never found a pin off by more than 1-2 yards from GPS. I think a fence, even a good one, is usually meaningless in the west. Pins, posts, survey markers are the end all, but GPS is pretty good, and the landowners can go f themselves if they think they own our public lands.

 

[C Bow]

You handled this VERY well. I commend you for your patience with this situation. I know this kind of situation would not turn out well for me. Thanks for sharing I hope I can learn from this. Thanks

 

[Mattff200]

We should organize a hunt in 19.... Lol good on you for standing your ground but as soon as threats start being issued its time for the local Leo to handle it. I would never show my license to anybody who wasn't a Leo but congrats on the harvest.

All seriounesd let do this. I live in Gillette and can hunt that after work.

 

[Washington Hunter]

I like finding the corner pins. I have never found a pin off by more than 1-2 yards from GPS. I think a fence, even a good one, is usually meaningless in the west. Pins, posts, survey markers are the end all, but GPS is pretty good, and the landowners can go f themselves if they think they own our public lands.

No, fences are definitely not meaningless. If it's a fence that's built on a property line, then obviously that's where the landowner thinks the property line is. And if there's been a survey, the fence is going to be built from a known corner to another known corner. Fences do mean something, you can't just ignore them because it doesn't agree with your GPS.

 

[magnum44270]

No, fences are definitely not meaningless. If it's a fence that's built on a property line, then obviously that's where the landowner thinks the property line is. And if there's been a survey, the fence is going to be built from a known corner to another known corner. Fences do mean something, you can't just ignore them because it doesn't agree with your GPS.

if its a newer, metal T-post and barb wire sure , its probably close. But if its an old ceder post fence I have seen them 50-100 yds off. Back in the day it really came down to convience as to where the fences fell along gpvernment property.

 

[cdconner]

Any hunting advice for 19?

 

[Wy067]

Any hunting advice for 19?

Captain Obvious said to have a good GPS with OnX. Preferably one that has recording capability. Just kidding... This area has a very limited amount of publicly accessible land that contains antelope. That's why there's leftover tags.

 

[tillicant]

Good restraint. Made the right calls, don't figure there's a cop within 100 miles.