game refuges & game preserves.
First of all, same or different?
I have both labels on my maps but lack the understanding of differences.
I've never understood game refuge boundries (the aimless scribbled path that looks like it was drawn by a 2 year old) & the regulations of passage & accessability to these places.
let me explain something,
The far hill side is the area that I hunt the most.
Behind the pines in the bottom is the highway where I hike in from.
from top to bottom & twice as far ,left & right. Thing about that is, I have to cross over a fence & walk the road 2 miles across game refuge around the back to get to the top. I've hit the mt. straight up & its not ideal.
There are no refuge signs posted anywhere along the highway fence or the access road going in across the 2 miles of refuge which is only vehicle accessable to those with keys & includes forest service, fire dept, water company & the electric company & anyone who works there, their friend & anyone they copy a key for & so on.
now on the first gate (road side) there is 8 different locks!
thank god for a land owner who bought a chunk of hunting property ON the game refuge & put up another gate around a few turns of the road just off the highway preventing most accessability to the top. theres only 2 locks on this gate. That only cut down access to land owner, his friends, forest service employees & their friends.
This is the only sign I have seen In readable condition & its nowhere near where I hunt.
Its on the 1 road down to where I shed hunt & find dead deer. & heck ya I carry a gun because I refuse to give up my right to protect myself! period!
Now, if you cant read it, it says, state game refuge all hunting & possesion of guns prohibited. division of fish&game.
It is perfectly legal to cross the refuge with fire arms (guns unloaded) from the highway to the top of the ridge shown but not further down the line of the same preserve?
Now, why would this be any different with the other access road having the same distance to public land?
Its also legal to push deer off the refuge & shoot em as they cross but people dont wait & shoot em where they first see em. So whats the point of having a refuge? How could fish&game regulate this when your legaly allowed to drag a deer back across the refuge? They cant because whos to say it was'nt shot on public land?
More wildlife, especialy deer, are shot on game refuges in my area than public land due to the vast area of refuge with easy easy access & very small amount of public land thats hard as all heck to get to.
I speak with forest service & fish & game offices often & its not a high priority zone & isnt as important as other major cities & hunt zones so we almost never have game wardens anywhere close & only see 1 a few times a year, if that! We only have 2 forest police officers who only patrol parks & back roads but are generaly too busy with camp site disputes & violations to have the time to do whats needed.
I'm glad most people dont see the lack of enforcment here because the wildlife would be in a world of hurt.
How is it legal to purchase land ON a game refuge or preserve & use it for the sole purpose of hunting?
Half the mt. side shown in the pic is an aquaintances property, undeveloped & in the middle of nowhere!
At the top is the back of his property & just beyond that is the preserve line.
could it be that the property was purchased before the designation of the preserve border line?
Is it possible the preserve line might have been relocated for some reason due to housing or other development?
THIS IS AN OPEN DISCUSSION FOR EVERYONE TO SPEAK ON.
FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR THOUGHTS, OPINIONS & QUESTIONS AS YOU LIKE.