Wyoming Hunting Question

[kshunter]

This past fall in Wyoming, while hunting antelope, I came across a lot of State Trust Land. On the signs it indicated public hunting. It ended up being the best land in the area I was hunting, and also took my goat there. So my question is, are their downloadable maps which show the state trust lands for Wyoming? Or is there any source for these maps? Thanks!

[Garminator]

Ks, you can get that map from anyBLM (Bureau of Land Management) office in Wyoming. The map will show you BLM land, State land & Private land. I happened to get mine at the BLM office in Worland where I was staying. If not contact them via land line & i'm sure you can purchase one over the phone. Hope that helps.

[game4lunch]

A short history.
"State trust land" is land that was originally deeded to states in the west in the amount of one square mile per section (36 square miles)so that there would always be property to build a school. If you'll notise, the school or state property is always #36 in each section. Here in Wyoming, some guys still refer to them as "school sections".
Anyhoo . . . I would suggest going to your local sporting goods or book store and look for an atlas by DeLorme called "Atlas & Gazeteer". They make them for many states, including Wyoming. In them are detailed BLM/topo maps of the entire state. Blue squares are state, orange are BLM lands, and Green are National forrest. There is state land all over now because over the years, land is bought, traded for, or even confiscated by the state.

[kshunter]

Oh my goodness. Okay I went and looked at the Wyoming WIHA maps, which are downloadable off their website, and after I look at the legend it shows the state land in Blue. And it matches up with the land I hunt. I can't believe how much land there really is! Wow, I wish I would've known that sooner. So is virtually all state land accessible to public hunting, or only marked areas? Looks as if most of the land is leased out, from the state. So maybe that takes away the public use, in those areas. I don't remember seeing many signs at all, in regards to the state land. But as long as I have a good map, i'm sure I can stay in the right area. Thanks again.

[manboy]

i have a few things to add here.
1. if you look section 16 and 32 is "usually" state, BUT every year the state trades land, so you need to get the state trades before you go on the land. this can be done at the county assosors office.
2. these state lands have to accesed from county roads or public hwy or through private property with WRITTEN permission. just in case you get caught by a neighbor to this "land locked" state land, he will and can call the game and fish on you. for accesing without permission. or "tresspasing"' as we no it!
LAST THING IS IF IT IS LEASED, THAT MEANS 2 THINGS YOU CAN HUNT IT AND SOMEONE HAS "AG." RIGHTS TO IT. MAYBE HAWS IT OR LETS CATTLE ON IT. IT IS STILL PUBLIC LAND SO HUNT IT AND ENJOY!

p.s. i shot my biggest goat this year on state land!

[wyotimberghost]

There is nothing I hate more than when ranchers decide that "land-locked" public land bordering their property is their personal hunting reserve and they won't even let people walk across their ranch on established roads to get to it. It's a load of crap and everyone knows it. They have no more claim to public land than you or me.

[game4lunch]

Right on WTG!
Ranchewrs often lease land from the state and blm, and also will pay to graze such lands as well as national forrest. Nothing more frustrating than to be scouting that perfect park miles away from civilization and on opening morning, the whole park is full of cows! BOVINES! They run elk off.
Anyhoo . . . you'll notice that most of Wyoming is public land.
The law states that all public land is open to the public IF it is accessable via a public road. That is any road publicly maintained by local, county, or state monies. A lot of public land is not accessable because it is "Landlocked" by private land and only has private roads going to it. One other point: if you look at a map and noticepublic (BLM) land checkerboarded with private, you cannot legally "jump" accross the corner where they meet to get to the other section of public land.
All that being said, there is still a lot of land to hunt, especially speed sheep. All the public lands you find on maps as well as a lot of lands the G&F have provided for us called "Walk-In Areas" and "Hunter Management Areas". These are private land that the land owner allows certain activities on. Maps and regs for these are also in the Wyoming G&F site under the link: "Public Access". Walk-in areasdo notrequire permission, but do have specific rules set forth by the land owner/G&F. Make sure the species you are huntiing is allowed and within; the dates you want to use it.
HMA's are the same, but require written permission to access. That way they can control the number of hunters on the property. Applicatiobs and acceptance/rejection can all be done right on the G&F website.
Confused yet? God bless Wyoming.

[Garminator]

Another thing that's frustrating are the outfitters/guides using solely public/state land for their personal gain. In other words, there gettin fat pockets and crowding the land that should be usedby individual citizens. I feel that if you're charging hunters to take them out and generating a profit, you should be using private land or paying additional fees to discourage some of these practices.

[manboy]

garminator,
i do not agree with that! and the reason why is, on a guided hunt you are paying for someones experiance. if that is public land so be it, if it is private well great. but all the same you are paying to hunt an area that the guide knows about, and an area that you could not be seccessful on your own. basicly i beleive you are paying for his knowledge!

[sdeshazo]

I agree with the above, you are paying for his knowledge, camping gear, food & transportation (horses, etc). Like a hunt I went on last September in Alberta, I hunted public land but in Alberta & you have to have a guide if you are a nonresident.