Interesting thread. Seems like our laws TRY to balance right of access and rights of the leaseholders, but they're not perfect. What's the population in Alberta these days - 4 million? Recreational access is going to become more and more of an issue I think. The people I know with lease land must be doing it wrong because none of them seem to be getting making much money off their lease land, especially not without putting in a lot of effort fencing etc. However, I do know of more than a few people who have had their land damaged by 4x4's etc without a request for access or who have had their fence cut.
Here's the bottom line, there is a limited amount of space and more and more people so we should make a real effort to be advocates for our chosen activity - i.e. Not only do the right thing but be seen to do the right thing. A little bit of online venting is harmless I guess but sure isn't productive either.
Best suggestion in this thread is to get out there during the offseason scouting and meet the landowners/leaseholders. Good luck out there!
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