Thoughts on "Corner Crossing"?

[mdwest]

Apparently, this has been something of a hot topic in some western states for a while? It looks like one particular case in WY is going nuclear...

On one hand, I can see the aggravation if/when a hunter literally brings along a self made contraption, knowing he is going to piss off a landowner by touching private property, even by a couple of inches..

But on the other hand.. $7M in claimed damages, for someone touching the air above your property (on the very edge of it)?

https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/hunt-fish/wyoming-corner-crossing-lawsuit-damages

The only public land hunts I have ever done have been on very large swaths of property where there was no "corner crossing" concern.. To my knowledge I never got within even a mile of any privately owned property... So I am completely unfamiliar with whats being argued in WY and other locations..

Thoughts or opinions?

 

[375er]

Somebody needs to take a valium and stop being so entitled.

 

[R.M.C.]

Oh boy, this could get heated

 

[Red Leg]

Apparently, this has been something of a hot topic in some western states for a while? It looks like one particular case in WY is going nuclear...

On one hand, I can see the aggravation if/when a hunter literally brings along a self made contraption, knowing he is going to piss off a landowner by touching private property, even by a couple of inches..

But on the other hand.. $7M in claimed damages, for someone touching the air above your property (on the very edge of it)?

https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/hunt-fish/wyoming-corner-crossing-lawsuit-damages

The only public land hunts I have ever done have been on very large swaths of property where there was no "corner crossing" concern.. To my knowledge I never got within even a mile of any privately owned property... So I am completely unfamiliar with whats being argued in WY and other locations..

Thoughts or opinions?

Property lines and inheritance bring out the very worst in human beings.

 

[wesheltonj]

The proverbial $1 in damage’s case.

 

[CEO]

I'm all for private property rights, but the corner crossing issue is weak stuff. People just want private control of public areas.

I did listen to a podcast with these guys. Entertaining story.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Whatever their legal rights are, here’s an idea: don’t be a dick.

 

[slam8031]

I have listened to two pod casts about this case and read a few articles. The legal banter is interesting for sure. how a private line owner thinks he has the only right to public land is a bit much, and how 7 million in damages by breathing air and climbing over a fence? what if they had pole vaulted? (only slightly rhetorical)...
Bert--I think you hit it correctly!!!

 

[375er]

As the helo flies over his property and six hunters fast-rope to the public land......then what??

 

[Randy F]

One would think the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885 should be the end of it really. It would be a nasty precedent to set if those four guys get toasted when they obviously went to great pains not to interfere with the private property.

I wonder how the cell service is in Wyoming. Mr. Eshelman better hope he never has car trouble in a bad cell service area while he’s out visiting his holdings. The gazillon dollar lawsuit he would face for defiling someone’s sidewalk as he attempts to get help could prove disastrous…you know, breathing their private air and all, flattening a blade of grass, making the dog bark, scaring the birds off. Oh my gosh…the list of serious infractions is endless!

Where does this stupid $hit end?

 

[503]

It's the dumbest thing I have ever seen end up in court.

 

[Randy F]

It's the dumbest thing I have ever seen end up in court.

Then stop looking or you’ll continue to set records.

 

[503]

Then stop looking or you’ll continue to set records.

Unfortunately you're correct sir

 

[375er]

One would think the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885 should be the end of it really. It would be a nasty precedent to set if those four guys get toasted when they obviously went to great pains not to interfere with the private property.

I wonder how the cell service is in Wyoming. Mr. Eshelman better hope he never has car trouble in a bad cell service area while he’s out visiting his holdings. The gazillon dollar lawsuit he would face for defiling someone’s sidewalk as he attempts to get help could prove disastrous…you know, breathing their private air and all, flattening a blade of grass, making the dog bark, scaring the birds off. Oh my gosh…the list of serious infractions is endless!

Where does this stupid $hit end?

Well said sir!!

 

[Tgood1]

Property lines are "lines" one side one entity owns, other side of line one does not, if ingenuity and technology collide for people to cross such line with no harm done or trespass occurs then shit just happen

 

[375er]

Were is Kevin Costner when we need him?

 

[WAB]

If you look at the reason the checkerboard was set up it becomes even more bizarre. The checkerboard follows the rail routes. It was set up to incentivize development along the rail route while continuing to ensure reasonable public access to land. Case law has completely turned it on its head and resulted in exactly the opposite outcome.

It gets even worse. I have had ranchers try to run me off public land that I had legally accessed. One even called the warden. He got a bad surprise when the warden showed up with his supervisor, both of whom were good friends of mine. I told them I wanted to file charges for hunter harassment. That’s when the backpedaling started!

I had Sango Ranch try to run me out of the canyon on the North Platte where I was fly fishing (just upstream of Bennett Peak). Any of you Wyoming guys pull a map and you will see the 1/8 section wide strip that gives you legal access to the canyon If you’re up for the climb over the ridge. Please do it and be sure to use their picnic ground, which they have illegally set up on public land, while you’re in there!!!

As you can probably tell, I get a little pissy when some rich city slicker pretending to be a rancher tries tell the locals how to live. The real ranchers in that part of Wyoming; The Buzzard, Stone, Seminole, etc. are happy to allow locals to hunt. All they ask is that you give them the Harvest tags.

 

[Andrew Short]

This is unbelievable…. What a douche

 

[Tracey Colson]

The corner crossing issue has been a big debate in the western states for years. There are literally millions upon millions of acres of public ground in the west that are landlocked and cannot be accessed by the general public.

The thing that gets me is the guy is saying that by them crossing from public land to public land they are decreasing the value of his ranch by $7 million. That means that he is getting $7 million dollars worth of good from MY land by leasing the hunting rights on public land because it can only be accessed by way of his land. I personally believe that if this is truly the case we need to find a way to tax landowners on the value they are gaining by having the exclusive access to public ground.

I am not sure how closely you have followed the case, but the guys being sued have already been found not guilty of criminal trespass or a similar charge in criminal court and now they are being bullied in civil court for these "damages". There was a go fund me type page set up for them and they have the dollars to fight this from that I think.

The problem I can see if they are let off of this stupid case, and I hope they are, is that if you don't cross at exactly the corner and get caught the landowners are going to be all over you and then you will be responsible for some stupid amount of damages. The corner in this case from what I can understand was clearly marked so they knew exactly where to set up the ladder in order to cross the exact corner.

This case is a very interesting case and I am certainly interested to see where it goes. This year will be interesting in Wyoming since they were found not guilty on the criminal charges I am sure there will be lots of people using some sort of similar method to gain access to landlocked ground. I am glad I am not a sheriffs deputy, I have a feeling they are going to have a busy hunting season.

 

[sureshot375]

It’s absurd to me that private landowners think they have the exclusive rights to public land.

In my part of the world a landlocked situation would create a prescriptive easement.