Landlocked State/Federal Lands

[Timber]

I am curious if anyone knows how our lands(state and federal lands) get landlocked. I do not understand how this is even possible and why is there no easements put in place? Basically what is happening is the 1000,s of acres that we pay taxes on is unreachable to elk hunt except by helicopter or by paying a trespass fee to pass through the private land. How and why is this allowed or tolerated?

[Swede]

Good question. You are right. You can write your congressman or congresswoman, but I doubt it helps. Mostly it is due to the agencies with landlocked parcels not being willing to demand public access. The surrounding landowners know that, and give the agency employees permission to cross to do their work. No one else can come through.

[Charina]

To incentivize the construction of rail lines through the West in the 19th century, the federal government granted every other square mile—or 640 acres—parcel along rail corridors to a railroad company, such as Union Pacific.
The company would sell parcels to raise capital and finance construction, while the federal government held on to every other parcel in hopes that they would increase in value for sale at a later date.
While this scheme worked well in the more arable East, it proved difficult to dispose of lands in the arid West.
Many of the government-owned parcels never sold, resulting in a checkerboard pattern of land ownership
found in parts of the West, with alternating public and private land.

The enclosure of public land can result from different circumstances. Lands may be completely surrounded
by private lands without any right-of-way to access the adjacent public lands. There may be a public road running
through private property which has been closed off. Public lands can be surrounded by private lands in a
checkerboard pattern. Sometimes landowners have been known to illegally fence off public roads, effectively
shutting out the public from crossing onto publicly-owned land.

http://westernpriorities.org/wp-content ... Access.pdf

[Indian Summer]

Thanks for saving me a bunch of typing Charina.

You will never change those laws Timber. The subject has been hashed out a thousand times. All the relative topics such as corner hopping and the right of airspace over private land etc. have been discussed thoroughly as well. I recall a guy who wanted to use a log boom truck to get over a 30ft piece of private between a road and some BLM land. Airspace laws prohibit that too.

The only legal way to get on those tracts of land is via helicopter which has been done. And the saying "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission" does not apply. If they catch you they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.

[saddlesore]

A lot of closeted land is also due to homesteadersthat filed on the river and stream bottom lands. Knowing if they controlled that, they controlled all the land in back of it

[Lefty]

Western states have a strong history.
At one time section line and waterways all had easements/rightaways. Through federal law The courts in ND SD and Nebraska Gave back those easements Utah has been arguing for yearsn The biggest proble is wealthy landowners keep/taking what was never theirs to begin with but powerful lobbing in many places the easments/rightaways were taken.
At least the mine claim possession has changed

[Timber]

Yes I figured there was some good 'ole "reasoning" behind this all. I guess to sum it all up it is wrong that we have no access to these properties when we pay taxes on them. There should be something done but what can they do is the question..............? It is not right nor is it fair to lets say if I could buy 30 foot of property surrounding 1000's of acres to have it all mine and paid by you. Just a frustrating situation.

[Lefty]

,..r to lets say if I could buy 30 foot of property surrounding 1000's of acres to have it all mine and paid by you. Just a frustrating situation.

Those were call Protection strips in Utah and they existed to prevent others from use. Access to their property.
Im on a cul-de-sac, and have a protection strip,. the adjoining neigbor offered me 1 3/4 acres of premo potato field for for 1000 sq feet

I also own some river bottom that only has river access. The adjoining neighbor bought the road accessing properties in the 40's from the township,.. good ole boy

WGS84 DD: -111.735, 42.417

[Timber]

Yep sounds like a great deal.............

[Tigger]

This whole topic is being played out in the Durfee Hills in Montana. The rich landowners are played by the Wilkes brothers who are Texas billionaires. They want to exchange some marginal land on the Missouri River so they can own ALL of the Durfee Hills (and thus control one of the biggest elk herds in MT at around 5,000 animals). Thank goodness, the agencies have said no at this point. But they will keep trying. Fresh Tracks with Randy Newberg did a hunting show on it. You can look it up on youtube.

[Timber]

Yes thanks Tigger, I will watch this video for sure. Just wrong.........