This is too good not to post here. There is a growing sense of outrage in Montana.
I’ve been reliably informed that Montana’s governor and lieutenant governor have both seen my posts, so I just wanted to say hi. And since you’re apparently reading, here’s an open invitation. Come do a public interview with me and explain why I’m wrong on corner crossing. Explain why the average Montana hunter should not be able to step from public land to public land without touching private property. Explain who you think public land actually belongs to. Unless, of course, it is easier to hide from this issue, hope it goes away, and avoid answering tough questions from regular hunters who are tired of watching public land become private playgrounds for the well-connected outfitters and landowners. I understand. Politicians usually prefer controlled rooms, softball questions, and friendly audiences. Maybe Montana’s governor is different. Maybe he has a backbone. I guess we’ll find out.
But this issue is not just me making noise on Facebook. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and the Public Land & Water Access Association have filed a lawsuit in Montana to try to cement the legality of corner crossing and open access to roughly 871,000 acres of corner-locked public land in that state. onX deserves a ton of credit too, because they put real mapping and real money behind this fight and showed there are 8.3 million acres of corner-locked public land across the West, blocked by more than 27,000 land-locking corners. This is not about stealing private land. This is about stealing public land, and whether it only belongs to people with the money, lawyers, outfitters, and political connections to the governor to keep everybody else out. So Governor, Lieutenant Governor, the invitation is open. Come explain your position to regular hunters in public. They vote!
— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Owner, DeLong Lures
Let’s look at the landowner argument on corner crossing. They say they are worried people will trespass, wander off the public corner, cut across private land, or use corner crossing as an excuse to violate property rights. Fine. That is a real concern. But if a homeowner in town is worried someone might break into his house, he does not get to block off the whole street and tell everybody else they cannot walk down it. That street is not his.
If somebody trespasses, prosecute them. If somebody damages your property, go after them. But you do not get to block the public from public land because you are worried someone might break the law. I do not get to violate your rights, and you do not get to violate mine. Corner crossing is not about violating property rights. It is about protecting property rights. public land is all of our property and nobody gets to violate our property rights. Public land is not yours just because you own the land beside it just like your neighbors house doesn’t belong to you just because they live next to you.
— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Owner, DeLong Lures
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