WY Land Hunting Etiquette

[mtmiller]

I'm not sure how a fence stretcher would close a gate even if I had one in the vehicle. Or a piece of rope. What's that supposed to do?

 

[OntarioHunter]

I am somewhat dated I guess. The wire stretchers I used only had wire gripper clamps at both ends.

I guess if a rancher decides to make his gates so they have to be opened and closed every time with a wire stretcher, he's not planning on using the gates on a regular basis. Not a real handy design for access. Or more likely, he just doesn't want anyone going through the gate who doesn't have a wire stretcher. And yet he complains when hunters leave the gate open?

 

[Dakota79]

Right. So the next guy who comes along is going to have a fence stretcher to close the gate? And the next guy? I fix the problem to ensure there's no reason for gate to be left open by anyone. Duh!

If I caught you taking apart a gate on our place to loosen it up you can bet you would not be hunting here anymore.

You just don't do stuff like that to rancher's property.

You shouldn't be jacking with anyone's property just because it's an inconvenience for you.

 

[rwc101]

If only out of self-preservation, I would never f with a rancher's gate. I'll crawl under and walk in before that.

 

[appaloosa]

Cat Urbigkit is a clown. She has made a living trespassing her sheep all over public land, demanding compensation for "lost" sheep, and complaining about the government and all the hardships she has to endure.
She also wrote a shitty book about the wolf reintroduction and has spent her career perpetrating the myth of the Canadian super-wolf. If it has her name on it, it's not worth the vomit that came up on the back of my throat reading it.

 

[OntarioHunter]

If I caught you taking apart a gate on our place to loosen it up you can bet you would not be hunting here anymore.

You just don't do stuff like that to rancher's property.

You shouldn't be jacking with anyone's property just because it's an inconvenience for you.

And I bet there's no public hunters on your ranch anyway so it doesn't matter. I would fix your fence if it was broken even if you didn't want me to. Livestock would appreciate not getting stuck in the wire. FYI I do know how to fix fences and build gates. If a rancher chooses to make his property accessible to hunters then he should make it accessible. Not whine about gates left open because he chooses to make them nearly impossible to close.

 

[thusby]

I could write an article about landowners. Just sayin’.

 

[Keep on]

Most of us are visitors to these rural counties for only a week or two each year. Even if Cat is a clown, it serves as a great reminder to treat ranchers, their property and community with respect. I try and go out of my way to be an ambassador for ethical hunting. Sadly, some do not, and negative interactions have a more lasting impact than positive.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Most of us are visitors to these rural counties for only a week or two each year. Even if Cat is a clown, it serves as a great reminder to treat ranchers, their property and community with respect. I try and go out of my way to be an ambassador for ethical hunting. Sadly, some do not, and negative interactions have a more lasting impact than positive.

Invariably the abusers of ranch property I've encountered are locals. In Montana this is often indicated on their license plates. Typically the first number on the plate before the dash indicates county of residence (e.g. #1 =Butte, 2 = Great Falls, etc). The respectful ones who stay on designated roads, sign in at the boxes, etc are out of state. While the meth head from Havre is tearing up muddy roads and shooting up mailboxes this non-resident "dude" is fixing ranchers' fences and gates.

 

[Dakota79]

And I bet there's no public hunters on your ranch anyway so it doesn't matter. I would fix your fence if it was broken even if you didn't want me to. Livestock would appreciate not getting stuck in the wire. FYI I do know how to fix fences and build gates. If a rancher chooses to make his property accessible to hunters then he should make it accessible. Not whine about gates left open because he chooses to make them nearly impossible to close.

SMH! Some people just don't understand.

I'm glad the people I let hunt and have helped get started hunting aren't like you.

 

[220yotekiller]

If I caught you taking apart a gate on our place to loosen it up you can bet you would not be hunting here anymore.

You just don't do stuff like that to rancher's property.

You shouldn't be jacking with anyone's property just because it's an inconvenience for you.

yes,yes and yes

 

[wytex]

Wow, some of you need to learn how to close a gate. A fence stretcher is not needed just common sense.
You pull on the wire before you open the gate to stretch it a bit, then make sure the gate post is deep in the bottom holding wire before you hug the both posts to close it up and put the wire across the post.
A rancher knows how to open and close a gate, if you have access to his or her land then you should know how to open and close a gate too. If you can't then you don't open the gate, pretty simple.
That is common courtesy, some seem to lack it I guess.

 

[220yotekiller]

this lady hit the nail on the head, ranchers are not all evil and often are just making a living while we are out there hunting. of coarse there are bad ones but l could name more than a few bad hunters/shed hunters. there wasn't anything passive agressive about the article and anyone who thinks so is being thin skinned. l am totally on her side on this one. lf hunters would just follow a few simple rules not only would the world be a better place but we would have a lot more country to hunt, the burden is on us as hunters not on them, they don't have to let us on or through.

 

[Dakota79]

Wow, some of you need to learn how to close a gate. A fence stretcher is not needed just common sense.
You pull on the wire before you open the gate to stretch it a bit, then make sure the gate post is deep in the bottom holding wire before you hug the both posts to close it up and put the wire across the post.
A rancher knows how to open and close a gate, if you have access to his or her land then you should know how to open and close a gate too. If you can't then you don't open the gate, pretty simple.
That is common courtesy, some seem to lack it I guess.

Bingo! Thank you.

 

[270.Rose]

Alot of BS in that article.
Parked in the 2track? Would have complained if they parked in the sage.
Kept an eye on the hunter? She said her truck had a flat tire, how did she do all that "work" with no truck?
Etc....etc....etc...
No offense but it all came clear when at the end it was explained Cat was a she?

You can tell Cat was a she reading through the article by how she was diplomatic, my husband and the other guys on the ranch would come in after finding the trail of destruction left by inconsiderate hunters and say things a lot more graphically than she did.

 

[Rhcuam]

A eye roll emoji needs to be added.

 

[treedagain]

You can tell Cat was a she reading through the article by how she was diplomatic, my husband and the other guys on the ranch would come in after finding the trail of destruction left by inconsiderate hunters and say things a lot more graphically than she did.

Funny, if it was so bad.....why let anybody on your property?

 

[JEL]

Right. So the next guy who comes along is going to have a fence stretcher to close the gate? And the next guy? I fix the problem to ensure there's no reason for gate to be left open by anyone. Duh!

Yeah, I would prefer it if you left my gates alone.

 

[wytex]

Funny, if it was so bad.....why let anybody on your property?

I'm betting their friends and folks that respect the land get invited back, some folks do not.
"Funny", not if it is your land.

 

[treedagain]

Funny that after leasing a big chunk of private ground in Northern Utah, with county roads on 2 sides of the property and public access on the back I can think of maybe 5-6 instances of any issues worth noting. How does a piece of ground in Wyoming get trashed worst than a property in Utah with far more hunters? Public ground here gets pounded and with county roads and a common border the risk is pretty high for the potential for bad things to happen.