Saw this sign in Wyoming recently...
They spent a bunch of time with “volunteers” staking state line boundaries so sportsman could know where to go. They put up these signs on metal fence posts. The newspaper made a big deal of it. They were using “precise” GPS units (handhelds) staking the lines determined by the “accurate” GIS drawings. Needless to say it was a catastrophe. One good thing about it was that it got me a bunch of work. Never had so much pleasure pulling stakes out of the ground than I did jerking those sign posts out. What a joke!
what sense would it make
to mark lines(right or wrong), then to inform hunters that the location of boundary lines were their responsibility.
I would think that if the government would mark the line(right or wrong), that if a hunter were to be caught on private land, he'd have a valid argument that he used the line the government marked.
what sense would it make
If the government did it there might be some kind of an argument. In this case it was a couple of the most obnoxious “know-it-all” types who are so impressed with their abilities that they stamped around and tried to intimidate landowners who called them on their complete incompetence. Really, when you are dealing with the kind of ranchers and landowners around here you better know what you’re talking about. Throwing around GPS and GIS didn’t get them very far.
The only thing the government supplied were the signs and fence posts, many of which ended up in bone yards once it was figured out just how far they were from the actual property lines. But, they set a bunch of them and I haven’t been to all of them by any means. Never have found one of them on line except when they stumbled on an actual corner monument. When you stake lines that look like a trout swimming upstream then people start to wonder what you're doing.
Well....I hope you had your sportsman's license.
It is very important to know where the boundaries are when hunting.
How else would you know how far you're gonna drag a dead deer to get it back inside the legal hunting area?
I know a guy who got in some trouble for trespassing while hunting. Tried to plead ignorance with the court. That he did not know he had left state land. The small town judge knew he was a PLS and just looked at him shaking his head. 🙂
I know where the boundaries are
I was getting back into my truck on our family land after hunting when a game warden roared up to me in his truck. He jumped out, swiveling his head, looking for the "red painted line" of the Forest Service. I just pointed to the nearest painted tree about fifteen feet away. He still questioned which side of the line I was on. I gave him a quick run-down of the local lines and property owners, including knowledge of concrete corner monuments. He said, "you sure do know the boundaries around here." I then told him I was a land surveyor.
He said, "oh." Hee hee !B-)
I had another game warden (fresh out of the academy) do a 180 in a major highway and race back to where I had just loaded my atv with survey gear. He rushed up to me and then got this stunned look on his face. I was wearing a hunter orange vest for my own personal safety during our local deer hunting season . He said, "you are not hunting, are you?" "Nope" sez I. I did not say anything about taking out my "gun" and "shooting" a few distances. I figured that using our terminology would have resulted in a long explanation to more than just him.
I am more concerned about people who are not wearing a badge and who do have a gun when they challenge me!:'(