Rules of the road

Geappetto Hunts

Active Member
Oct 12, 2019
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If a road heading towards private property has a locked gate but shows as public land on OnX, can you bypass the gate and find a way around to walk through? The actual private land is roughly 3 miles away from the gate.
 
If a road heading towards private property has a locked gate but shows as public land on OnX, can you bypass the gate and find a way around to walk through? The actual private land is roughly 3 miles away from the gate.

This exact situation has happened here in SD Co...If the land behind the gate is Cleveland NF...Then the answer is yes.

If the land behind the locked gate is private...Then the answer is NO...You can NOT cross private to get to public without permish.
 
Thank you! I thought that was the case. Assumed the land owners got tired of hunters driving down that road and locked a gate. I put my tracker on to show I never stopped in their private land just to be safe. Made the hike in worse than it needed to be but it didn't stop me
 
You should probably check with a CNF map…
OnyX isn’t always accurate.
Good call. That same road has been open for years. Never seen the gate locked until last weekend. There was also no trespassing sign posted but the land owners actual gate he has had up for years is clearly posted. I will do some research. I want to make sure I'm staying legal
 
Good call. That same road has been open for years. Never seen the gate locked until last weekend. There was also no trespassing sign posted but the land owners actual gate he has had up for years is clearly posted. I will do some research. I want to make sure I'm staying legal
It's definitely a good idea. I was just hunting with some guys who got screwed. The piece of land still shows public on all 3 pieces of mapping software but they still got a ticket. This was in CO and there was a land swap but the land was never updated (however the apps track land info) resulting in a bad deal. Apparently, the only map that showed it properly was the one the warden had. I guess that piece gets people every year, unfortunately.
 
It's definitely a good idea. I was just hunting with some guys who got screwed. The piece of land still shows public on all 3 pieces of mapping software but they still got a ticket. This was in CO and there was a land swap but the land was never updated (however the apps track land info) resulting in a bad deal. Apparently, the only map that showed it properly was the one the warden had. I guess that piece gets people every year, unfortunately.
Makes me question every piece of public I see on Onx now, that's ridiculous. Hopefully the ticket wasn't too steep or else it just comes off as a way to raise revenue
 
Makes me question every piece of public I see on Onx now, that's ridiculous. Hopefully the ticket wasn't too steep or else it just comes off as a way to raise revenue
Yeah, unfortunately, it was a big deal. They got "off" with a $1,000 donation to wildlife which was watered down from what they originally would have gotten had it not gone to court. These guys are in law enforcement also and admitted everything to the warden not knowing it was problematic.

Watch out for State Land in CO. I don't think you'll have issues with BLM or National Forrest. Also, getting a map from the warden or local office is a good idea.
 

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