Scouting and Accessing Public Land
 

Here's one of our favorite ways to scout and ultimately hunt some of our hidden public land sweet spots. This one comes with an added bonus of being able to use nature itself as a tool for a stealthy approach to our stand.

Disclaimer for a select few: Don't be the guy who burns himself with his coffee then gets sue happy... Know you're states laws, because I'm not going to point them out too you. ;)

That's a good way to get into out of the way public land areas IF the water is considered navigable and legal to use to do it. You need to check with your individual state to see that it's legal because if it's not considered navigable by a watercraft you may get a ticket for trespassing.

If there is a landing leading from public into a body of water, it's wide open for use. There is a canoe/kayak landing I leave from.

Not in every state. For instance in CO if someone owns the land on both sides a river then they also own the river bottom, the river itself and access to it. This means you can put in on a public landing but get into a place where you can definitely be tickets for trespassing even if you never get out of a canoe or kayak. I know of several places on the Colorado River that have fences stretched across them for this reason.

This is why TOP tells you to check regs for individual states. What is legal in your area may get you arrested in another.

The one time I'll actually say thank God I live in Minnesota... lol. Here unless the body of water is completely on your property, it's wide open for all too use as long as there is an access too it from somewhere public. If not, say a pond for example, those with land connected to the body of water have access. In the case of this specific river, I drop in at a kayak access point, and as I go up river the public that is land locked is still on the East side of the water where it's still accessible by water, but is no longer accessible on foot. I think in the case of this river, any state should be safe because you're always within arms reach of the public land from the water.

That is not a correct statement in a number of states! Try that in Utah and you'll be behind bars! PS: What you THINK should not be put out in your videos or on a post when you are just guessing based on the one state you live in! This is a huge issue in Utah right now due to court rulings that shut off access like you're talking about to a lot of landlocked public land!

He ain't listening TOP. Read my post. In CO you can find yourself arrested for trespassing while sitting in the middle of a river in a canoe. Doesn't matter where you put it, heck your entry point could be 10 miles away ind it won't matter. If a rancher owns both sides of the river (and this isn't uncommon) then they own the river bottom, the river itself and all the fish in it and they can enforce it in court. Not all ranchers do, as a matter of fact most don't but there are plenty of cases in CO courts where ranchers have had charges pressed for people canoeing through their ranches.

This guy saying you are within "arms reach" of public water is simply wrong!!!!!!! I wonder if he will pony up the ticket $$$ if someone gets pinched following his advice especially since he links to his business.

Too bad he has that out on youtube for all the world to see and many will think he knows what the heck he's talking about and possibly be in a state like Utah and do what he mentions only to get a nice, expensive ticket and trip to court based on what he THINKS! If it were me, I'd yank that video and either toss it in file 13 or edit it and tell people the real story before he possibly gets sued in this litigious happy society we now live in!

That is a terrible law and IMO should never have passed any state senate. I can see a person not being allowed to beach a canoe or even fish the waters without permission when a land owner owns both sides of the river. But to not be allowed to pass through on a canoe or boat is ridiculous. IMO the water is NOT owned by anyone if it is free flowing.

Not saying I agree with the law. As a matter of fact I don't and sportsman groups have tried to get it changed several times but the Cattlemen Associations in the west carry a lot of political clout. However that isn't the relevant point. Whether you agree with the law or not is moot, IT IS THE LAW. And the OP saying it isn't, is liable to get someone a ticket.

The west is a different animal than the northeast or the mid-west. Doesn't matter if you like it or not, it is what it is. You should always check the local laws and never assume that what you can do back home is allowable in other regions. For instance, in my native CO I can bone a deer out where it hits the ground as long as I leave evidence of sex attached to one piece. But in TX where I live now I can't piece a carcass down any farther than quarters and I have to bring the head out, even if it is a doe. To me it makes no sense to bring bones and head out just to have to dispose of them later. But that doesn't matter, the law says that is what I have to do.