Federal shutdown of hunting lands

[Jameson]

per the Strib:

Minnesota hunters will find themselves barred from hunting on some federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges and waterfowl production areas.

Hope no duck hunters had plans to hunt WPA's, and hope no archery hunters are hunting the Sherburne NWR or other NWR's. Or, hope no duck hunters are hunting the Refuge's and no archers are hunting on the WPA's.

Don't see this rule being too tightly enforced on rifle opener, if the govt is still shutdown. Hope no hunter registers a deer in a closed area like SNWR area 224.

[BLACKJACK]

Why would the goverment shutdown keep hunters out of Waterfowl Production Areas??? They're already marked, parking areas are defined, why try to keep hunters out??!

[hockeybc69]

Is it because USFWS employees are not working and liabilities of people on Fed lands without the landowners available if something happens??? No USFWS law enforcement available?

Hmmm.

[ETH310]

Not gonna stop me. They don't own the land, we do... so the "landowners" will be present.

[DTro]

You Will SeeThis

[Bear55]

So how does this work, you get charged for trespassing on public land?

[leech~~]

Those dam Repub's! It just makes you sick for what "they" did!

Good thing we have FREE Health care!

[harvey lee]

Not the Repub's. The T party and Boehner.

Boehner has a bill he has tabled to vote on a clean budget but he tabled it. The votes are there to pass it but he has the T party holding him by the you know what and Boehner I guess does not have the you know what to hold the vote to pass a clean bill and upset Cruz and a few others.

Back to the closed Parks and such.

[BLACKJACK]

I still don't get it!!! Closing National Parks, yes, don't want people in the campgrounds and bathrooms if no one is there to clean them but Waterfowl Production Areas??!! Thats about as low maintenace as there is, what in the world will it hurt to have hunters traipsing around??!!

You can bet that if they're posting the closed signs that they will have a few 'essential' enforcement people around!!! Or they'll get the county sheriffs to give out a few tickets.

[candiru]

The National Forests as well?

[leechlake]

"sorry folks Parks closed, Moose outside should have told you"

Vacation line from Wally World scene.

They close the parks to put pressure on other politicians. Just do what the WW2 vets did yesterday when the walked through the barricades at the memorial in Washington DC. I guess Federal waters off the coast shouldn't be fished either. White House is federal property, President should have to move out, same goes with VP in his home. You can't have it both ways...but actually they can and we can't. It's a joke.

[harvey lee]

"sorry folks Parks closed, Moose outside should have told you"

Vacation line from Wally World scene.

They close the parks to put pressure on other politicians. Just do what the WW2 vets did yesterday when the walked through the barricades at the memorial in Washington DC. I guess Federal waters off the coast shouldn't be fished either. White House is federal property, President should have to move out, same goes with VP in his home. You can't have it both ways...but actually they can and we can't. It's a joke.

Not great advice as you will get tagged if caught. The Vets were escorted by U.S. House reps.

[Bear55]

Caught doing what again? Trespassing on public land? Poaching on public land with a valid hunting license while following all regs? This is all bogus scare tatics by the gov.

[James_R]

I think the term 'assumption of risk' applies to anyone utilizing public lands with or without the presence of government employees. Just because they are on duty doesn't mean that you are absolved of all responsibility in regards your safety. I really believe that the closing of these public lands has more to do with spiteful bureaucrats wanting to cause disruptions than it does with liability factors or with them being concerned over our safety. Would your movement on a remote county road in Montana be denied because LE coverage in that area is minimal? Of course not. You either would or wouldn't assume the increased risk associated with driving through that desolate stretch of road. We are the landowners, not the government. They are simply our hired caretakers.

[caseymcq]

The National Forests as well?

National Forest facilities (campgrounds, outhouses, offices, etc.) are closed but the forests themselves are not closed.

[Lunker]

Interesting.I launched in the Federal Refuge yesterday...there were no signs or blockades...

[BLACKJACK]

I drove by a couple of WPA's on the way home yesterday, no signs up. Hopefully the District managers of the WPA's will have some common sense and just ignore any directive that the WPA's are closed, especially if they don't have any money to patrol them.

[leech~~]

Interesting.I launched in the Federal Refuge yesterday...there were no signs or blockades...

Well maybe they didn't get the job done, before they quit doing nothing?

[leechlake]

my point was mentioned a few posts above, maybe facilities are closed but the forest itself is not. I'm envisioning some huge Federal Forests in the Walker area and can't see how the forest land/acreage could be "closed." You can enter the land anywhere. It's not like there is one gate you drive through to access the the 100's of square miles of forest. I see if a forest is literally "closed" to hunting certain species that you're in a pickle if you enter and hunt but to merely step foot on a piece of land because the US govt is "closed" seems preposterous on it's face. A person would have to know the land was closed via some communication.

Sometimes it seems people here are either so 100% straight laced they won't make a move without a hand written note from some authority saying it's okay to do what already is okay to do. A little common sense goes a long way.

[fishadb]

Do whatever you want, I highly doubt anyone is going to give you a ticket, the government shutdown has really not affected anyone's life. It's not really shutdown anyway, people are still getting their welfare and food stamps, the roads are still open, the people who aren't working are overpaid anyway. The government shut down something like eight times during Reagan's presidency and no one even noticed.

[Jameson]

Would you get a ticket if you registered an archery deer killed today in zone 224 that is entirely a National Refuge???? Hunting in a closed area? Some areas are of the Refuge are always closed to hunting, so there is an established procedure, sort of.

[leech~~]

my point was mentioned a few posts above, maybe facilities are closed but the forest itself is not. I'm envisioning some huge Federal Forests in the Walker area and can't see how the forest land/acreage could be "closed."

I think I know of where you speak, we hunted there for years and when you or in the woods and walk from one forest to the other you will never know unless you have a GPS or see one of the very small markers on the trees. And then who is going to be out there checking on you in that big of an area? I hunted around there for 30 years and never once meet a Warden in the woods, when they were working!

[Farley]

"sorry folks Parks closed, Moose outside should have told you"

best thing i read all day.

[benbosh]

I drove by a couple of WPA's on the way home yesterday, no signs up. Hopefully the District managers of the WPA's will have some common sense and just ignore any directive that the WPA's are closed, especially if they don't have any money to patrol them.

I went and checked a WPA basically in my backyard in So. MN and they had a sign up.

[BobT]

Think about it. When was the last time, if ever, anyone encountered a federal employee while hunting on a WPA.