How to preserve hunting when all land is posted

[Bed Wetter]

I’ve been rolling around ideas for making changes to existing G&F statutes if all land becomes posted. In the USA, all game is considered the possession of “the people.” These are not the kings fowl. To maintain this North American model of wildlife conservation, our approach to hunting/trapping laws will have to change dramatically if all private land becomes default posted.

I have some ideas. Some of these ideas may be dumber then others, so feel free to make suggestions and point out flaws. It’s not helpful to come up with retaliatory rules, I just want to keep on hunting in ND without it being a commercial affair.

GST, get your keyboard ready so you can misconstrue what’s discussed here later for political purposes.

- Land posted “PLOTS” or “open to hunting” or otherwise enrolled as CRP acreage is open to hunting/trapping without landowner permission.
- Eliminate gratis tags: otherwise these deer become “the landowners’ deer”
- Eliminate hunting units or dramatically reduce the total number of units: you may have to search far and wide to fill a tag. G&F can adjust the total available tags accordingly.
- make ditches and section lines open to hunting: just like you can fish a navigable waterway that touches someone’s land, you should be able to hunt navigable roads and trails.
- require landowners who earn income from granting land access to possess liability insurance (whether hunting, development, rigging, etc.)
- require landowners or leasers who earn income from granting land access for the taking of game to possess an outfitters license. (Exclusion for sportsman who exchange agricultural labor services in return for access.)
- access ND Legacy funds for establishing recreational shooting areas
- access ND Legacy funds for purchasing property to be permanently devoted to wildlife habitat and public sporting opportunities
- establish an excise tax from non-resident hunting license fees to fund the maintenance of publicly owned/operated wildlife habitat.

What else?

Obviously, much of this would require legislative action. Some of it agency policy. Some of it constitutional amendments.

 

[Kurtr]

you do realize that in the usa Nd is a minority when it comes to the all land is posted

 

[SDMF]

you do realize that in the usa Nd is a minority when it comes to the all land is posted

You say that as though we're supposed to think that all the other states are correct and we're wrong?

 

[Zogman]

My opinion only. When all land is considered "posted" the NDGF are going to be the big losers. As I understand their budget/revenues is limited by their income and they do not get monies from the general fund. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Walleye202]

The current management of ND's resources by the G&F will leave the future of outdoor activities alot to be desired. The trend towards commercialization and outfitters across hunting and fishing along with the lack of forward thinking by the G&F will greatly impact the level of the next generation to be interested and enjoy these activities. Sad if you ask me

 

[Kurtr]

You say that as though we're supposed to think that all the other states are correct and we're wrong?

I wasn’t I was saying as I wouldn’t use the rest of the states for comparison because if a non hunting person who doesn’t really understand it looking from the out side is voting on something if it comes to that might be swayed just because the rest of the states are all posted. Plenty of people hunt in all those states would be a compelling argument for those who are going for the all land should be posted.

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Ditches should be open any way it’s public ground

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I hope it stays the way it is a couple places on the border that are not posted I want to shoot waterfowl in next year with the kid.

 

[Whisky]

The current management of ND's resources by the G&F will leave the future of outdoor activities alot to be desired. The trend towards commercialization and outfitters across hunting and fishing along with the lack of forward thinking by the G&F will greatly impact the level of the next generation to be interested and enjoy these activities. Sad if you ask me

Please provide specifics as to how the current NDGF mgmt of our natural resources, and lack of forward thinking will negatively impact the next generation. (Good god I sound like GST).
I'm genuinely curious.

 

[feather_duster]

Ill just poach with all the others once its all locked up. #$%^&>

 

[Allen]

Ill just poach with all the others once its all locked up. #$%^&>

Yep, and THEN we vote to defund Game Warden positions. :;:stirthepot

 

[db-2]

All land posted will probably benefit me but i vote no. I feel it is being push by some for their own personal agenda and that is to keep the rest of us from hunting. For me, land owners never seem to get enough and keep pushing for more so all it does is further the wedge between me and them. And i have a list a mile long as to the bull crap land owners put out there as to why they are special. Take the time to post if that is what you want.

I only bow hunt whitetail. Rifle, if ever i get a tag again for mule deer.

But i do not need much land to bow hunt and i am able to bow hunt on others land simply by asking. At the present time i have 6 different active food plots that are spread over 30 miles. Have a new one this year that is 70 miles, away. I also have a few other places i could work on but taking care of 6 is enough. Expense and time consuming but it is what i enjoy. And i live for the pictures and shed hunting.

I have found that a visit to landowners i will usually get permission so if all land is posted chances are i will be the only one there and be just like a land owner. (the 6 plots i have cover very little land and it does piss me off when they put their stand within arrow range of mine)

So i will overcome all land posted by asking permission and all land posted will benefit me at other hunters expense. But that works for me and may not for all. I vote no.

God bless the farmer for the food i eat and the cow/calf man for my steaks and your welcome for the monies i spend on your steaks. db

 

[NDbowman]

I'd prefer if it would just stay as it is and then we wouldn't need any of those suggestions.

I'm a landowner and yes I post my land, but generally let almost anyone hunt it as long as they ask. Only one I turned down in the last few years was a guide and only reason I didn't let him is I thought some others were going to be hunting that weekend, I told him to check back later in the season and I'd let him but he never came back.

I don't really understand this thing about opening up ditches and section lines to hunt. Most of the ditches around here are mowed to look like a lawn and section lines are usually farmed right up to the wheel track trail. You'd spend weeks trying to find any game in them unless you got real lucky. Where does the ditch end? at the fence? or 66ft from the center of the section line?

I think the real questions we should be asking is why is so much land posted anymore. I'm sure we all remember not that long ago when you didn't see all that many signs up except for maybe a choice piece of deer land. Now even people that don't hunt are posting their land.

I don't know how to make things go back to the days of unposted land all over but this new attempt to post all land isn't going to help. I wish it would just stay the way it is.

 

[eyexer]

There is lots of good ditch hunting out west. The section lines are 66’ I believe. So that would be the end of the ditch line. I think if this passes there is going to be some very vocal people raising hell about section lines being farmed, fenced over etc. the reason for more posted land vs yesteryear is that farmers now days are very arrogant. And far fewer farmers farm the same acres as has always been farmed in ND. Farmers now, for the most part are greedy as hell. No sense of community and don’t care about anybody else. If it doesn’t make em money they aren’t interested. There’s just no comparison to farmers attitudes, friendliness and sense of community from when I was a kid to now.

 

[db-2]

eye:
For some farmers they prefer no trees, cattails or whatever that prevents it from being cultivated. With auto steer it is nice not to have to put your hands on the steering wheel. And those farmers could care less about all land posted as their is no habitat to hunt. Yes land services one purpose and that is monies.

But not all farmers/ranchers are like that, thank goodness. We just need their help in defeating this. db

 

[Fritz the Cat]

I’ve been rolling around ideas for making changes to existing G&F statutes if all land becomes posted. In the USA, all game is considered the possession of “the people.” These are not the kings fowl. To maintain this North American model of wildlife conservation, our approach to hunting/trapping laws will have to change dramatically if all private land becomes default posted.

I have some ideas. Some of these ideas may be dumber then others, so feel free to make suggestions and point out flaws. It’s not helpful to come up with retaliatory rules, I just want to keep on hunting in ND without it being a commercial affair.

GST, get your keyboard ready so you can misconstrue what’s discussed here later for political purposes.

- Land posted “PLOTS” or “open to hunting” or otherwise enrolled as CRP acreage is open to hunting/trapping without landowner permission.
- Eliminate gratis tags: otherwise these deer become “the landowners’ deer”
- Eliminate hunting units or dramatically reduce the total number of units: you may have to search far and wide to fill a tag. G&F can adjust the total available tags accordingly.
- make ditches and section lines open to hunting: just like you can fish a navigable waterway that touches someone’s land, you should be able to hunt navigable roads and trails.
- require landowners who earn income from granting land access to possess liability insurance (whether hunting, development, rigging, etc.)
- require landowners or leasers who earn income from granting land access for the taking of game to possess an outfitters license. (Exclusion for sportsman who exchange agricultural labor services in return for access.)
- access ND Legacy funds for establishing recreational shooting areas
- access ND Legacy funds for purchasing property to be permanently devoted to wildlife habitat and public sporting opportunities
- establish an excise tax from non-resident hunting license fees to fund the maintenance of publicly owned/operated wildlife habitat.

What else?

Obviously, much of this would require legislative action. Some of it agency policy. Some of it constitutional amendments.

The Game and Fish or the people of ND do not pay depredation. In lieu of that, it is my understanding that a gratis tag "trade" was made for tolerance of deer.

I don't hunt deer but I do like viewing them on my property. To a point......

In 2019 we harvested sunflowers. The deer moved in after the rifle hunt. 200 deer congregated on 80 acres is a site. However, they went after my tree row seedlings. They really liked the ash.

It's not posted and six bow hunters moved into an abandoned yard. Well shit, too many guys walking around and talking, they didn't shoot any. Two friends asked if they could post it. They killed deer. They wouldn't have had to, but I found a 12 pack of Budweiser in my garage.

Everyone knows the story. In the late 1800's railroad crews etc. didn't have refrigeration and grocery stores so they hired hunters to shoot everything. The first settlers moving west killed wildlife instead of eating bessy the milk cow. The North American Wildlife Conservation Model was born. Government agencies were formed to protect the publics wildlife. Bag limits were set and the wildlife came roaring back.

Good times and hunting is supposed to be fun. And then in the late 1990's the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation was written. Notice the play on words. The word Model was simply moved from the end to the middle. Usurpers.

Now we fight: road verses roadless, private land tags, season dates, resident verses nonresident, crossbows, technology, ATV's, baiting, tournaments, the list is long.

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

^^^^Good read.

 

[eyexer]

Two things would end their desire to close it all really fast I think. Like mentioned no gratis tags anymore. And no payment for depredation. If it’s all locked out they won’t have a problem getting tags for their zones so there will be no need for gratis tags. And if they don’t want people on their land then they sure as hell can deal with depredation on their own

 

[Radar13]

Game and Fish should be required to have a App like Onyx maps to show all land owners names and cell phone numbers at no cost to the hunter

 

[Mr. Stevenson]

^^^^I guess this would depend on the number of calls you want to field: If I were a landowner; I'd be posted tight and correctly with the number of my Jitterbug on the signs. From mid Sept to early Jan the Jitterbug would rest quietly in the charger.

 

[Bed Wetter]

^^^^I guess this would depend on the number of calls you want to field: If I were a landowner; I'd be posted tight and correctly with the number of my Jitterbug on the signs. From mid Sept to early Jan the Jitterbug would rest quietly in the charger.

Bingo. If all land is posted, your phone will never stop ringing. Not just from strangers looking to hunt, but everyone you’ve ever known coming out of the woodwork desperate for a places to hunt.

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There’s lots of unnecessary painting all landowners with a broad brush. Realistically this isn’t an argument between all landowners and all non-owning hunters. it’s between all hunters and a group of selfish landowners content to ruin hunting for everyone because of their localized issues.

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The Game and Fish or the people of ND do not pay depredation. In lieu of that, it is my understanding that a gratis tag "trade" was made for tolerance of deer.

If you think depredation is a problem now, just wait until all land is posted and the number of hunters is instantly cut in half. You won’t need gratis tags because you’ll be able to buy them over the counter.

 

[Rowdie]

You'll never "preserve " hunting for the average Joe hunter. Its becoming an elitist sport, where only those who can afford it will do it. People will save up and it will become a one or two trips a year for people. The hand writing is on the wall, just look at areas of SD where it's been pay to play for 2 generations. Average guys don't hunt, at all. It used to be a perk of living out here in rural America, but that's soon disappearing. I lived a year in the area of SD that started pay hunting. The Average Joes perception of hunters was more negative than positive. "Hunters" were seen as rich boys who came out here to party raise hell. There was a lot of that going on for sure down there. The average Joe that hangs in there may still go, but not as often, and having to spend a lot to do it. The public ground will get hammered more than it does now. Future is bleek