People Posting Public Land

[hoyt]

I bought my first trail cam this season (cheap one to put on public land behind where I live) and am kinda discouraged at not getting any decent bucks. Can't bait here just have to put on trails,etc.

Anyway, I'm looking over other public land in the area..(Shawnee National Forest in Southern, Il.) and I'm pretty sure people are putting posted signs on some of it to try and keep others out. Especially in areas they live and there is only one little strip of public that allows legal entry to a whole lot more. They own land that boarders it and act like it's their property.

My question is how is the best way to find out for sure what's private and what's public. Some of these people go to extremes to keep others out, because they will charge people to hunt it like it's their lease.

[headgear]

I have run into similar situations many times, often people might actually own a little sliver of land on the opposite side of the road so technically you would have to cross 20 feet of their land to access the public. Other times I have seen people put up posted signs right around the public land sign, not sure what they are thinking there.

One way to find out for sure would be to get yourself a county plat book, they usually run $30-$50 depending on the year, if you are only interested in the public land you can probably pick up an old one for cheap. If there is any kind of posting despute or something doesn't look right I would contact your local CO and see what he says. Sometimes when you are on the ground things look a little different and they have cleared some stuff up for me in the past.

Another great option to skip on the book would be to check the county website and look for a GIS mapping area, basically the best of everything. They have multiple layers, you can show ownership, aerial photos, topo maps, and a variety of other things all in one place, they can have some of the newest and hi-res aerial photos too.

[JRM6868]

You can get the map from the DNR and look at it. Most county engineers office in the area will have a survey with footages you can get a copy of.

[headgear]

A quick search found this, not sure which county it's in but this link could help you.
http://www.gis2gps.com/GIS/illcounties/illcounties.html

These look like they have some nice detail too.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 107953.pdf
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 107951.pdf
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 107952.pdf

I also hunt a few state forests in MN, a lot of times there is private land sprinkled in these forests so the people posting the land might be honest too.

[dan]

I have been hunting one particular public property for about 12 years and about once every 2 times I hint there I have some sort of negative run in with neighbors trying to keep people off the public. There is no parking spot so I either get dropped off or walk a long way down the road to enter. The entrance to the public land is only about 30 yards wide and the neighbor posted each corner and the whole road side with the appearance that the property is posted but the signs are actually on there land... If they know I am in there they drive by and beep horns or get out of there truck with binos and look thru the trees. Often I can hear them on cell phones at the road talking to someone saying "yep, he is in there" etc...
When I used to guide a client shot a booner out there and it ran off the land and died on the neighbors property in an open field. We tried unsuccessfully to gain access. The next year the neighbor showed up at the Madison deer show with my clients deer claiming one of the biggest Wisconsin bow kills ever...
This client was 18, he was from Michigan and had saved for that trip for a long time and that would of been his 1st bow kill.
If your plot books and maps show its public, contact the local warden and ask him... I have seen some maps of public that were not correct. Don't assume anything.

[hoyt]

Thanks for all the good info. and links. I've run into this before in other states on public land and have had some bad experiences...like 7 flat tires in 2 or 3 days with roofing nails.

I have a friend with a plat book that I'm going to check for one area that has 2 posted signs on the only access off county road to a lot of good land that boarders the Ohio River.

The other spot I will have to go further than a plat book. A friend of mine hunted the spot several yrs. ago and had a CO park next to his truck and blow his horn to get him out. This spot shows on Shawnee maps as being Shawnee land. It's reclaimed mines that boarder an outfitter who has decided to take it in also. He's planted a food plot strip right along the public land.

The problem is crossing his land for about 75yds. There is and old road that used to go into the reclaimed mine area that is now Shawnee and he has put a cable across it and now claims it's his. There's something fishy about this as on the plot map all the Shawnee land in that area is green and marked "Shawnee National Forest" except this one little piece...it's green, but not marked "Shawnee National Forest".

Again thanks for all the info..I'm going to have to get some kind of legal authority "okay" before I go onto the land so I won't be bluffed off of it...or prosecuted.

[hoyt]

Well, I borrowed my friends plat book, looked over the areas and was wrong on all counts. It's a shame to have so much public land that the public can't hunt.

[DEERSLAYER]

...The next year the neighbor showed up at the Madison deer show with my clients deer claiming one of the biggest Wisconsin bow kills ever...
This client was 18, he was from Michigan and had saved for that trip for a long time and that would of been his 1st bow kill...

That sucks. In Michigan if the landowner won't allow you to get your deer they can not lay a finger on it or they are breaking the law also. We also have a hunter harassment law. I would use those thing's to "harass" them with the law. Also, if you can't get the help you need from law enforcement then you need to call your local representative. I know numerous people in law enforcement (including family) and you might be surprised how often they don't want the headache of doing their job when it gets difficult. Law enforcement is just like any other profession in that regard. There are people that do their job and there are people there just to collect a pay check. Sometimes you just need to add a little heat.

[goldtip5575]

Im sure most if not all of you public land hunters on here do your homework but do you no how many dont?If you had a runin with a landowner hes probably had 20 with guys that think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence or think they know the property lines.Just saying.

[DropTyne]

Well, I borrowed my friends plat book, looked over the areas and was wrong on all counts. It's a shame to have so much public land that the public can't hunt.

You have probably thought of this, but can you get to it via waterway? Is there a stream or anything that flows into it? I know in WI all waterways are public.

[john1984]

Try doing a search on google for a online platbook. Just type in your county and state then type in "Geographic Information Web Server". Maybe that will help you find something. I have found 2 good sites for the 2 counties that i hunt in.

http://www.monroecogiws.com/MonroeCoWi/
http://lrs.co.columbia.wi.us/website/Co ... mbiaCo.asp