Grazing Lease or Personal Hunting Property?

[BorealBucks]

This seems very incorrect.

Had an Agrologist who "controls over 300 leases" tell me that a lease holder may deny permission if he has cattle on a lease but is allowed to have friends and family come hunt said lease with cattle.

Seems like this is private land not crown land and that cattle are the excuse to deny everyone but allow all the buddies come to their personal crown land hunting property to hunt.

[Hilgy]

Lol this will be fun....

Happens all the time. Does it suck that it happens? you bet it does. If you are dead set on getting access its doable but takes a bit of time.

Lease holders invest a fair bit of cash in to GR's with fencing and what not so part of me see's how allowing access only to find cut fences and other damage would have lease holders not wanting to allow access.

At the same time though, when they lease the land they know that some public access is expected.

I'm guessing this thread is shut down before days end.

[catnthehat]

This topic comes up every year about this time .
If you search grazing lease threads , you will come up with your answer- of course you will have to sift through probably about 200 or so rants , complaints and " it's public land not private land " proclamations before you find it!
Cat

[Smoky buck]

I don’t agree with the abuse of the lease system by some but in all honesty I would be hesitant with hunter I don’t know accessing the lease with cattle present vs a trusted friend I know has solid ethics and safe judgment

I have never owned a lease but I can put myself in their shoes

Honestly it seems more access problems have been caused by disrespectful idiots then the small portion who abuse the lease system

I am sure glad I do 95% of my hunting on crown land because hunting private/lease land seems to be full of drama

[calgarychef]

I’ll say it a thousand times. There’s no reason the government can’t take over the administration of hunting permission on leases. Treat each lease like a WMU apply for permission and if you don’t get it your priority raises for next year. Some leases with little hunting pressure would have the same hunters back year after year and the busy/desirable ones a fellow. Might have to wait a couple years. Everyone would get their turn. The government could make some revenue that could be used partially for lease remediation when idiots cut fences etc. there’s no down side. When people buy the wildlife certificate it should include insurance to protect the lease owners and even provide $ for search and rescue etc.

[leo]

Reasonable access must be granted, provided there is no stock or people working in the area. If there’s stock there, they have the right to allow or deny who they wish. Some lease holders keep stock year round on their leases. It’s their right to control access then at all times. It might be frustrating for many to accept, but it is the reality of it.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Lol this will be fun....

Knowing some grazing lease holders, I see both sides of the issue. Best scenario is if you know and trust the people hunting them, but it doesn't work out that way . There's a reason steak knives don't have points these days.


Grizz

[heretohunt]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I’ll say it a thousand times. There’s no reason the government can’t take over the administration of hunting permission on leases. Treat each lease like a WMU apply for permission and if you don’t get it your priority raises for next year. Some leases with little hunting pressure would have the same hunters back year after year and the busy/desirable ones a fellow. Might have to wait a couple years. Everyone would get their turn. The government could make some revenue that could be used partially for lease remediation when idiots cut fences etc. there’s no down side. When people buy the wildlife certificate it should include insurance to protect the lease owners and even provide $ for search and rescue etc.

I like this idea. They already have to allow access for oil field workers, contractors, surveyors county personnel etc. They don’t know a lot of them. If they have the name and contact info of the hunter who is accessing it that would be more than what is expected from others that are accessing this land.
I personally know of two people that are abusing this system. One is profiting from it. He sells access to his land and the lease. I know this because I had access to this lease until He realized he could make money. The others just like tying up the land in case they may want to use it. If you ask Fish and wildlife they will say it’s somebody else’s responsibility and nobody seems to care.
Sometimes I think Fish and wildlife dislikes hunters. I guess that’s a whole other conversation.

[Stubb]

Originally Posted by BorealBucks

This seems very incorrect.

Had an Agrologist who "controls over 300 leases" tell me that a lease holder may deny permission if he has cattle on a lease but is allowed to have friends and family come hunt said lease with cattle.

Seems like this is private land not crown land and that cattle are the excuse to deny everyone but allow all the buddies come to their personal crown land hunting property to hunt.

Yup, they trust their buddies will close gates behind them.

[Dewey Cox]

If it's leased private land it is none of your business what the owner and leasee do with it.

[HuntingAlberta]

Government needs to change the rules so that lease land is open access to all. No access restrictions, just restrictions on fires, vehicles, etc.

There is so much lease land in alberta, there would be very little pressure on any of it if it was just opened up. It would save headaches for everyone.

[coyotecaller]

Grazing lease holder in our area only lets his buddy and all his buddies hunt it. I’ve seen some of the deer on there. I wouldn’t let other guys on there either!

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Stubb

Yup, they trust their buddies will close gates behind them.

The abuse by hunters I see on a large tract of lease land I hunt (and have hunted for over 30 years) truly angers me. This isn't by the small minority of hunters either, rather the majority. Restrictions need to be tightened up and enforced.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I’ll say it a thousand times. There’s no reason the government can’t take over the administration of hunting permission on leases. Treat each lease like a WMU apply for permission and if you don’t get it your priority raises for next year. Some leases with little hunting pressure would have the same hunters back year after year and the busy/desirable ones a fellow. Might have to wait a couple years. Everyone would get their turn. The government could make some revenue that could be used partially for lease remediation when idiots cut fences etc. there’s no down side. When people buy the wildlife certificate it should include insurance to protect the lease owners and even provide $ for search and rescue etc.

The govt can’t even get the rules for 3 ministers licenses figure out in 9 months
Do you think they can handle this?
Not a chance

[FortMac]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

If it's leased private land it is none of your business what the owner and leasee do with it.

That is private land, not leased land.

If I have private land, I can build a house, Shop, bowling alley, Pool, Movie theater on it

If I have lease land, I can NOT do those things.

What is surprising is how year after year people assume lease land is private land.

What the government SHOULD do is maybe start charging private land rates for lease land. Maybe then all this confusion would go away.

Ask for permission, Close all gates, walk off the road. Both parties need to be respectful of one another. They rent the grass to feed the cows and your livelihood doesn't depend on it.

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

The govt can’t even get the rules for 3 ministers licenses figure out in 9 months
Do you think they can handle this?
Not a chance

lol. No kidding

[leo]

Folks. Bitching about it on here does nothing but pit agricultural producers against hunters. If you feel strongly enough about it, write your MLA. Closing this now.