Hunting the RR tracks?

[OntarioHunter]

I just learned that a woman and her hunting dog were killed on BNSF tracks a few weeks ago on Montana Hi-Line. As I was told it, she was driving down Hwy 2 and saw some pheasants cross the road into the tulies in the RR right of way between highway and tracks. She thought it would be cool to let her young hunting dog work up the birds. Both woman and her dog were run over.

I sometimes hunt just outside the BNSF right of way at two different locations. One has hogwire fence so I'm not terribly concerned. I will still pull the dogs in anytime I here the train coming. More concerned with the highway on the other side of the tracks so I keep them very close in there and very strict. And NEVER shoot at anything flushed in that direction. Duh! The other place has no fence and really impossible to tell where the right of way ends. Two crossings on both ends of the very large property are whistled so we always have lots of warning if a train is coming. The tulies are very thick in there so the dogs really can't get far from me. I understand a fella lost a fine young yellow Lab to the train at that spot a few years back. Sad. Not a place for uncontrolled dogs.

 

[Gellar]

Bnsf and cp have been cracking down on people crossing the railroad right of way along the Mississippi River the last few years. I understand the danger of crossing tracks but it went for years unchecked and railroad did not care. Now they are blocking access to large areas of the upper Mississippi wildlife refuge especially in winter when ice fishermen cannot travel long distances from a boat launch or other access to ice fish fishing spots.

 

[406LIFE]

Montana Rail Link is also becoming fanatical about policing thier right of ways.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Montana Rail Link is also becoming fanatical about policing thier right of ways.

Well, the explanation is simple enough: there's a litigation lawyer under every rock. Hard to fault the RRs for being strict when we see stupid stuff like this happening.

 

[2rocky]

 

[wolfpup]

I called the CPW a few weeks back to ask about the legality of crossing through a river and a set of retired railroad tracks to access BLM and State Trust lands that are otherwise land locked by private. The agent said that the CPW officer would not be the person to write any ticket unless the Railroad complained, then you would be facing trespassing charges. Basically I think the above encounter and accidental death will eventually lead to more serious crack down by the Railroads.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Not to make light of the situation, but how does a train sneak up on somebody?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Not to make light of the situation, but how does a train sneak up on somebody?

I doubt that it did. I'm guessing this young dog had been cooped up in that car and wanted to run. She was trying to catch it when they were struck by the train.

 

[Bgriffith]

As someone that works for a railroad, all I can say is please please please stay off the tracks. I know we use to have a really good fishing spot that was on the other side of a BNSF main line and it was stop, look, listen and cross straight across. That same spot a few people had been killed walking down the tracks to connect to the trail a little closer to the water. As far as crossing a right of way say to get to adjoining blm or such I can’t say what the agents would do but... I do know there isn’t very many of them... they don’t take kindly to people riding our equipment... or stealing stuff... just sayin