There is a piece of state ground shown on the map that is surrounded by private property with no road access for approximately 1/2 miles in each direction. Can I legally cross the private ground to access the state owned public property in order to hunt? The private property is clearly posted no trespassing/hunting. It would seem there should be some type of easement to allow hunters access to these state owned properties as long as they do not hunt on the private ground while crossing. Thank you for your help.
Answer:
Under current state law, you cannot cross the private property without the permission of the landowner. There are thousands of acres of public land in Idaho in this similar situation. The Department works hard through its Access Yes! program to try and open up these public parcels, but does not have the funding or cooperation of the private landowner to get to all of them.
Answered on:
Friday, September 26, 2014 - 12:09 PM MDT