A proposal to ban people from hunting, fishing and trapping anywhere in the country if they get caught trespassing in Wyoming goes overboard, some outdoorsmen said.
“Yes, I 100% think it’s overkill,” avid hunter, angler and trapper Adam Ashmore told Cowboy State Daily. “I mean, what if someone new hunting, or the GPS on OnX is slightly off? Two years is way too stiff. I understand trespassing on private land is serious. I am landowner myself, but let’s stick with fines.”
“OnX” is a smartphone app popular among hunters, because it displays maps of hunting areas and includes boundaries between public land and private property.
“All they’re doing is consolidating more power to private landowners, making people scared to go out hunting” John Burd, past president of the Wyoming Sportsman Association, told Cowboy State Daily.
They were referencing House Bill 109 – which calls for a two-year loss of privileges as the penalty for trespassing while hunting, fishing, trapping or collecting shed antlers.
Groups representing Wyoming farms and ranches said stiffer penalties might be necessary to curb trespassing.
“This legislation could be very beneficial in reducing intentional trespass,” Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna told Cowboy State Daily.
“The current misdemeanor fine for trespassing is a risk that some hunters are willing to take in their determination to harvest an animal,” he added.
Wyoming Farm Bureau spokesman Brett Moline told Cowboy State Daily that stiffer penalties might deter “a minority” of hunters who blatantly ignore private property lines.
“It’s a small minority who think, ‘I’ve got a license, these are state animals, I can go wherever I want,’” he said.
Getting Banned In 50 States, Three Countries
The loss of hunting, fishing and trapping privileges would hit hard, because it wouldn’t apply only to Wyoming.
Under the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, people who are convicted of a wildlife related offense and lose their privileges in one state, likewise lose privileges in all the other states.
Burd said that to his knowledge, the compact extends to Canada and Mexico.
Americans frequently travel to Canada to hunt a variety of big game animals, as well as black bears, grizzly bears and wolves. And Mexico is a popular destination for hunting desert bighorn sheep and other prized species.
‘Hunting Is Not What It Used To Be’
Burd and Ashmore said they worry that HB 109 is part of larger trend of hunting becoming increasingly more expensive and difficult.
Once considered luxury items, GPS devices and apps such as OnX seem to be practically required for hunting.
According to hunting regulations, landowners aren’t required to post their property with “no trespassing” signs. Hunters bear full responsibility for knowing where they are in relation to property lines.
So, hunters increasingly rely on GPS devices to know where they are, and to avoid trespassing by accident.
Burd owns Centennial Classic Arms and said that as a successful businessman, he can afford gadgetry, or guided hunts on private property.
But he’s concerned about hunters of more modest means, who are out trying to get meat for their families.
“What about the little guy out here who is making only $12 an hour? They want the little guy to go spend $500 on the newest GPS that you can find,” he said.
“It’s gone away from traditional hunting,” Burd added.
Ashmore expressed similar sentiments.
“Hunting is not what it used to be to be when I grew up,” he said. “It’s like they just try n set u up for failure.”
He added that he’s concerned about whether younger people will take up hunting. Over-the-top punishment for trespassing won’t help that.
“(HB 109) doesn’t do anything to get new or young people interested in it, for fear of all the rules and regulations,” said Ashmore, who lives in the Hartville area, but hunts all over Wyoming and Nebraska.
The current first-offense fine of $750 for trespassing is enough deterrence, Ashmore and Burd said.
Difficult To Prosecute?
Moline said that many farmers and ranchers have gotten weary of their property lines being ignored and would like to see stiffer penalties for trespassers.
It (trespassing) is a chronic problem that ebbs and flows. It’s kind of an ongoing issue, it never goes away, but some years are worse than others,” he said.
He added that his only major concern about HB 109 is that, because trespassing cases can already be difficult to prosecute, such a steep penalty might make prosecution even harder.
“I know if we can deter trespass, so it is less of a problem, that’s good. But it’s getting it prosecuted that’s a concern for us,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at Mark@CowboyStateDaily.com
