Is baiting deer/elk on national forest illegal?

[bigbucks1985]

Had a gamie tell me baiting deer and elk in natrional forest is illegal, anyone hear this? He also said a tree stand or blind left on national forest is illegal. Imagine getting a call from the gamie saying he has your cams, your blind and that you cant bait your best spot or hang cams anymore. I am about to quit trying to hunt wa, which sucks because i love this state and its game opportunity.

[CementFinisher]

Interesting. I have no facts on this but have never heard you couldnt

[JimmyHoffa]

The way it was explained to me was it is legal if it is for the purpose of hunting.  That the FS defers to state regs for hunting, so baiting is legal.  If you bait for something other than hunting it becomes feeding wildlife, which they said wasn't allowed. 

[bigbucks1985]

It is sure getting hard to hunt WA sometimes, i had a gamie call me today and tell me he had followed my tracks a couple miles through collvile nat. forest and took down my cam. I will get it back hopefully without a ticket, because i never heard anything like this and even he told me that not alot of hunters know some of these rules. Guess i will have to have a sit down and take notes on all the special rules.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Now days, you want to be real sure any activity in a National Forest is legal. The feds are hurting for money and the patrol officers are like town cops on steroids. They are writing tickets for just about everything including traffic tickets.

Had one in Alaska threaten friends of mine who were fishing near an obviously old fire pit. Was screaming at them trying to get them to admit they used the pit.  Know quite a few people who have gotten traffic tickets from them.

[huntnnw]

was this a gamie or a FS official?

[clindsayrun]

"the patrol officers are like town cops on steroids." Really??? I've never had any issue with a USFS LEO. Drive like and idiot and get caught... you're going to get a ticket! Steal timber or firewood without a permit... you're going to get a ticket! Build a drunken bonfire during a burn ban... you're going to get a ticket!
Frankly I'm happy to see the enforcement action. It drives me nuts when idiots use public land like it's there own private party zone.

My only issue has been with biologists and administrators. My first season archery hunting I had a supervisor of a tree thinning crew take one of my trail cameras, cut my cable and they didn't cut the tree. Camera had my name and number on it. When I went into the office to ask if anyone had seen my camera (since the area was thinned out I suspected it was someone on the crew) I was told that leaving a camera on USFS land was illegal (it was August, right before hunting season). When I asked the supervisor if he was a sworn LEO with the authority to seize property he said he wasn't but had an obligation to ensure the rules were followed. I advised him that I intrepreted the removal of my camera as theft. And in the future he ought to refer matters of "law" to an acutal law enforcement officer as it's their job to either enforce a law or exercise discretion. Anyway, I got the camera back.... minus the SD card!!! No explanation there...

Lesson learned: Find better stand locations!

[bearpaw]

I would like to see the law preventing trailcam use on NF lands or any other public lands. This doesn't sound right to me. Hopefully Outdoor Gaurdian can weigh in on this issue.

[bearpaw]

I have the same comment about baiting.

[seth30]

Sounds like another rumor to me.  Our state has many residents  from other states and assume the laws of there states are the same as ours.......

[Dhoey07]

"the patrol officers are like town cops on steroids." Really??? I've never had any issue with a USFS LEO. Drive like and idiot and get caught... you're going to get a ticket! Steal timber or firewood without a permit... you're going to get a ticket! Build a drunken bonfire during a burn ban... you're going to get a ticket!
Frankly I'm happy to see the enforcement action. It drives me nuts when idiots use public land like it's there own private party zone.

My only issue has been with biologists and administrators. My first season archery hunting I had a supervisor of a tree thinning crew take one of my trail cameras, cut my cable and they didn't cut the tree. Camera had my name and number on it. When I went into the office to ask if anyone had seen my camera (since the area was thinned out I suspected it was someone on the crew) I was told that leaving a camera on USFS land was illegal (it was August, right before hunting season). When I asked the supervisor if he was a sworn LEO with the authority to seize property he said he wasn't but had an obligation to ensure the rules were followed. I advised him that I intrepreted the removal of my camera as theft. And in the future he ought to refer matters of "law" to an acutal law enforcement officer as it's their job to either enforce a law or exercise discretion. Anyway, I got the camera back.... minus the SD card!!! No explanation there...

Lesson learned: Find better stand locations!

There was one up in randall giving out seatbelt tickets on logging roads about 5 years ago when that law first came out.

[Russ McDonald]

Interesting I didn't know about the trail cam thing.  I am going to ask our LEO about that one.  I know a couple guys who have trail cams of FS land and work for the FS.  So I didn't think it was a problem. 

[bobcat]

Maybe the forest service considers it "littering". I wouldn't doubt it. I would just hide them better if that's the case.

[Knocker of rocks]

Sounds like another rumor to me.  Our state has many residents  from other states and assume the laws of there states are the same as ours.......

That really wouldn't have anything to do with it.  The claim was that trail cams were illegal on USFS land.  That would be a federal law

[BULLBLASTER]

I would ask the officer to refer you to the law that states the activity is illegal. If he can't point to a law that says its illegal then it probably isn't.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Those things are illegal on a National Wildlife Refuge but not on Forest Service.

[Curly]

Bigbucks, are you sure it was a WDFW officer?  Or was it a USFS law enforcement officer?  I could see USFS officer doing that more so than a game warden..............

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I've never had any issue with a USFS LEO. Drive like and idiot and get caught... you're going to get a ticket! Steal timber or firewood without a permit... you're going to get a ticket! Build a drunken bonfire during a burn ban... you're going to get a ticket!
Frankly I'm happy to see the enforcement action. It drives me nuts when idiots use public land like it's there own private party zone.

You need to spend some time in Alaska where there is a lot of federal land and see how the feds have recently become overzealous in their enforcement.  It's not so much about protecting things as it is about bringing in money via tickets.

I agree with you that anyone driving carelessly deserves a ticket, but with budget cutbacks, how exactly are forest service personal doing their job of protecting the forest when they are spending their time setting up speed traps and doing traffic patrol?

[buckfvr]

Thats why this state is multi-tasking every agency....its how they get more for less....WE NEED TERM LIMITS !!!!

[pendoreilleadventures]

I just got of the phone with Mike Borysewicz, wildlife biologist Colville National Forest said that it is not illegal to Bait wildlife on National forest you only have to stipulations to follow.

1. Follow Washington State Fish and Wildlife Laws pertaining to Baiting(Cannot Bait Bears)

2. You must remove the bait once you're done hunting or if you remove Camera.

Same goes for Trail Cams and Treestand,Blinds, ect.

[leed]

Why would you even want to??

[pendoreilleadventures]

I don't want this to turn into a battle of whose right or wrong its a matter of personal opinion. Many people including myself use bait to help increase the odds of see game when in a treestand or blind. Some people think it's cheating other don't if it leagal than who cares.

[jdurham]

Here is what I found so far on cameras on federal land.

http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=35347

[h20hunter]

I bait...im a master

[D-Rock425]

Oh yes you are.

[h20hunter]

Stop it...you are on thin ice buddy.....

Ps. I love anchor steam beer

[bearpaw]

I just got of the phone with Mike Borysewicz, wildlife biologist Colville National Forest said that it is not illegal to Bait wildlife on National forest you only have to stipulations to follow.

1. Follow Washington State Fish and Wildlife Laws pertaining to Baiting(Cannot Bait Bears)

2. You must remove the bait once you're done hunting or if you remove Camera.

Same goes for Trail Cams and Treestand,Blinds, ect.

Thanks for providing some solid info...

[bigtex]

Now days, you want to be real sure any activity in a National Forest is legal. The feds are hurting for money and the patrol officers are like town cops on steroids. They are writing tickets for just about everything including traffic tickets.

Had one in Alaska threaten friends of mine who were fishing near an obviously old fire pit. Was screaming at them trying to get them to admit they used the pit.  Know quite a few people who have gotten traffic tickets from them.

The whole "bringing in more revenue" saying for feds doesn't really apply. Federal agencies do NOT receive ANY money from any federal tickets. All federal citations (anything from military police to a National Park Ranger) have their funds deposited into a federal account that supports crime victims. Federal citations are not like your local city pd ticket where the city retains some of the money.

And as far as traffic tickets go, all federal land management agencies have the authority to regulate traffic on their lands. In fact in some areas traffic enforcement is all the federal land management agency officers do...

[jdurham]

I just got of the phone with Mike Borysewicz, wildlife biologist Colville National Forest said that it is not illegal to Bait wildlife on National forest you only have to stipulations to follow.

1. Follow Washington State Fish and Wildlife Laws pertaining to Baiting(Cannot Bait Bears)

2. You must remove the bait once you're done hunting or if you remove Camera.

Same goes for Trail Cams and Treestand,Blinds, ect.

Thanks for the info

Thanks for providing some solid info...

[muleracks2]

Wilderness areas may be an exception to the baiting and camera rule.  If you worry about that, I would check with a Wilderness manager at a F.S. District Office.  It is likely that bait and cameras can not be left unattended in the Wilderness for more than 48 hours.