Poll - skinny public land access

[Stein]

In the past, I've felt comfortable hunting up to 200 yards or so from a boundary when I am using On X and know exactly where the boundary is.  This situation is a bit different, I found a potential new honey hole in a unit that has difficult access.  I happened to notice that a very small sliver of public land intersects a county road and one could potentially park on public and walk a narrow public corridor to a much larger piece of contiguous public land to hunt.  The parking and access corridor are the only concern, once you get in there you are hunting a very large piece of contiguous public land.

So, the question is how narrow of a corridor would you park and walk through without worrying about trespassing?  Post a number in yards below.  Assume you have On X and the phone app and no other issues other than you want to be sure you are parking and walking on public 100% of the time.

[boneaddict]

I do it without onx. its where a corner piece of state intersects a county road.  I know the fence corner is state and it is accessible from the easement of the county road.   

I also do it with a duck photography spot.   Wildlife section is about 20 feet wide. About 100 yards in it widens to a much bigger piece of land

[bobcat]

I would think you'd need at least 30 feet but even then there's no guarantee the GPS and/or the parcel lines on your map are accurate enough to ensure you're not trespassing. But I'd probably still do it because if it's not obvious where the boundaries are how would they even prove you weren't on the strip of public?

[SkookumHntr]

Sounds exactly like a spot I hunt! Theres like a 5 foot section that gets you into a mountainside of state land, without huntonx you would never find it!

[idaho guy]

Ten yards but I would probably do it with a yard or two of public.  As long as you have good evidence(onx maps etc) of public land and its not marked in any way I would go for it!

[Special T]

I would have at it with one yard.

Trespass only occurs if you don't leave when asked. If you have any kind of credible evidence it would make it pretty hard for a Leo to charge you with trespass. 2c

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[npaull]

 

It's either public, or it's not. If it's public, you're fine.

[Stein]

All right, I guess I am being a wimp.  I have plenty of room to park and hike so I'll check it out.  I just hope there isn't a cliff I can't get around halfway up the corridor, it's only about 200 yards until it opens up so I should be able to get through.

[fireweed]

How wide is your boot?  Timberland has to be conspicuously posted against trespassing, or the owner has to personally communicate to you that it is closed, or fenced.   
But don't be surprised if the "no trespassing" signs slop onto public land.

[Stein]

Yeah, I have seen plenty of fake or wrong trespassing signs.  I was really surprised to see the shape and location of this slot.  I’m now going to look for more.


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[syoungs]

Im pretty comfortable with most situations being 10 yds wide or so. if the area is marked off in any fashion (fenceline or something) a few feet and im doing it.

in Wyoming this year we had a spot roughly 20' long, along the side of a road, where we could access 400 acres. saw lots of trucks pass it up, made the onx system worth every penny.

[Bob33]

Turn tracking on with the GPS. It will record where you walk. If the map shows you were on public ground the entire way you would have a solid defense if challenged.

[cougforester]

Turn tracking on with the GPS. It will record where you walk. If the map shows you were on public ground the entire way you would have a solid defense if challenged.

I did this during last fall when I was hunting south of Spokane. An adjacent landowner to the parcel I had permission on thought he saw me walking around his fields, but I knew this could be an issue so I had my tracks on the entire time. He apologized, wished me good luck and we went our separate ways.

[Shawn Ryan]

Trespass only occurs if you don't leave when asked. If you have any kind of credible evidence it would make it pretty hard for a Leo to charge you with trespass. 2c

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That's not great legal advice; no offense meant.

Agree that using the tracking on your GPS will likely persuade an LEO not to move forward with a citation, but if a landowner wants to bring an action, the GPS will be good evidence, but not determinative.

[Bob33]

While not definitive, use of a GPS with current maps and tracking on shows a concerted effort to be legal