WMA's

[Shadrap5SJ]

Was out pheasant hunting around Ortinville this past weekend and found a couple wma's that had no public access to them. Just wondering if anybody else has came upon this before?

[Snag]

I know of one that doesn't seem accessible. I've seen 3 or 4 around the cities that have houses right up against the property lines. I wish they would make a law that you can't put a house less than 500ft from public land. Due to the houses, portions aren't huntable.

[Neighbor_guy]

Land locked state land is just that. Land Locked. If you dont have permision to get to it, you cant get to it. Locked up.

It is what it is. If there is no easment there is no access.

No good for anyone unless they own the land around it. It's an unfortunate rule. Lots of good state land out there just sitting, and it only benifits the neighbors around it.

[aanderud]

No good for anyone unless they own the land around it. It's an unfortunate rule. Lots of good state land out there just sitting, and it only benifits the neighbors around it.

Lots? Really? The state buys "lots" of WMA land without thinking ahead to get easements to provide access to it? This is not only surprising, but quite disturbing. Most WMA land that I have seen has been through controlled burns and other active management activity at least once through the years. How would the state manage the land if there was no access? Is it possible that in most cases there's an easement that just isn't obvious as to where it is? I mean, they obviously aren't going to put in a sidewalk or anything, but it very well might be the case that it's got access on the edge of a guy's lot. You might check county plat maps or something to verify that there is indeed no access available. Or, maybe an easier option would be just to ask the people living there if you can get through on their land.

[Dave S]

There are a couple areas around me that have no public access. I thought there was a post a couple years back where someone posted about legislation that all state land must have an easement/public access.

I don't recall the specifics. Hopefully someone 'In The Know' will post that info.

[Tom7227]

The 'you can't build within 500 feet' idea won't work. It would be declared an unlawful taking of the rights of a property owner and the governmental entity that was responsibile would end up paying big bucks.

I don't know of any land locked WMA's. A possible explanation would be that they were simply tax forfeited land that was reclaimed by the state, and possibly tax forfeited because of a lack of access.

There may be sound management reasons for keeping the land unaccessible - provide the wildlife with a sanctuary, to protect unique resources like fens or some type of plant or animal. I suspect there may be other things. I also suspect that such places are rare. Maybe even the lack of access has resulted in low land prices if the land was actually purchased by the state.

[123fish]

We have a couple of WMAs here in southwest Mn. that if you didn't know where the easement was you wouldn't know it was an easement. They aren't marked at all but they are easements. I definitely can see where it would be confusing to someone who wasn't from the immediate area.

[CJH]

At least the land is there as habitat and helps support the overall population.

[Fishinguy40]

I would contact the area DNR office for the particular WMA and ask them about access. The WMA's I have hunted, the local DNR office responsible for them always seems very familiar with the land.

[RumRiverRat]

Just more fantastic work by the MN DNR land acquisition department.

I hope they buy more potholes surrounded by a 300 yard ring of cattails.

They are the best waterfowl breeding sites in the country.

[jparrucci]

LOL, exactly. Although at least they make decent late season pheasant hunting ground...does absolutely nothing for the ducks. I've come to the conclusion that we do NOT have a shortage of water or wetlands in MN, it is just the quality of the wetlands. Cattail lined ponds are everywhere in the S, SW and WC parts of this state. None of them produce much for ducks, and the migrators sure don't like to stop in them for very long. I too have seen a number of locked up WMAs throughout the years for what it is worth.

[RumRiverRat]

Once those Cattail sloughs freeze there are excellent for Pheasants.

[brittman]

Landlocked WMAs are rare and most are probably not purchased, but secured because of a donation, forclosure or tax forfeit.

County land up north can be landlocked. Again the county gets it via tax forfeit situations. Neighbors figure why try buy when they get it for free.

[Shadrap5SJ]

Just to clarify what exactly I encountered: My buddy and I were driving around checking out wpa's with our map book when we decided to check a certain one out. He says turn right and wpa should be up on the left. So i'm driving down this dirt road and it looks like were heading up to a farm house. We get up there and the farm house is on the left and the barns are on the right and up ahead looks like a farm road with standing corn on the right of it and a tree line on the left. My buddys say lets turn around this must be the wrong road but I see the farmer and say lets ask him and this is what he said. Yeah the wpa is down this road but some guy, who is a lawyer owns some land back there and put up a gate across the road. This doesn't seem right but he's a lawyer and should know the laws but I would ask a CO about it. That's what the farmer told us. We helped the farmer with a combine and then he let us hunt his land but something doesn't smell right about the whole thing! Read the sign on WPA's, they all state open to public hunting. I've come across several wishy washy things like this over the years.

[Shadrap5SJ]

I need to correct myself. In my post above I mentioned wpa but meant WMA.