Hunting on leased Crown Land ?

[snowhunter]

How are the rules/regulations for hunting on leased Crown Land ?

[3kills]

i believe really it is up to the person that leases the land. if they wish to allow u access on it or not

[grizzlydown]

i believe really it is up to the person that leases the land. if they wish to allow u access on it or not

I think there is more too it than that. It used to be they had a certain date to get their live stock off the land and they couldn't deny you access to it. I think we all need clarification on this!

[bear buster]

if the land is occupied by cattle you need the permission of the lease holder, this is what we were told this fall by a lease holder up the hiway.

[mod7rem]

Look in the regs under "Site and Access Restrictions" -A person is not permitted to hunt on cultivated land or on Crown land which is subject to a grazing lease while the land is occupied by livestock, without the consent of the owner, leasee or occupant of the land.

[gamer]

How do we know if the land is leased? Posted signage? Check before you go? I see lots of cattle while hunting and am just wondering how to tell if it is leased or not.

[M.Dean]

All the land we hunt on here is Lease Land. The ranch owner has legal grazing rights, if we keep the gates closed, don't rip the ground up, do not chase cattle down the road etc there's no problem! If the Ranch owner has problems with the public he approaches the Crown and makes a complaint and then he can close the area down to the public. I'm sure it's legal to hunt Leased Land, don't shoot close to the cattle, if gates are closed keep them closed etc. I think that's the reason they shut the Gang Ranch down for hunting.If you see cattle and there's no Private Property signs, it's probably Lease Land. Also, if you do see fences down, stuck cattle or some one abusing the land, give the land owner a call or stop at the ranch on the way out, they do appreciate it! I'll see if I can talk to the Rancher here and see exactly what the rules are for us.

[phoenix]

I believe that on leased crown land the cattle must be off by Oct.31 and then it is just crown land and you are allowed on it. Up to that point I believe you are allowed on with permission of the leaseholder only. A lot of lease properties are posted private property but they are just leased. It is up to you to find out which is which and that can be very frustrating to say the least. I feel that they should have to be posted properly but the powers that be don't seem to think so.
Kim

[jhausner]

Remember there is a difference between a grazing lease and grazing license. In the case of a license you can hunt, in the case of a lease you have to ask permission legally. However; in practice, I find that since it is extremely difficult to track down lease holders and the government doesn't make it easy due to privacy restrictions, if you are respectful and as unseen and unheard as possible, you will typically have no issues.

Good rule of thumb, as you track game, track the heard of cows and monitor where they are, where they are moving, and their general habits. From there, plan to hunt by giving them a very wide birth, don't go ripping around in your truck on the logging roads near them or shooting within 500 metres from where they are. Really if you aren't stressing out the lease holder's cattle or being a danger to them, I think most lease holders will be ok with you hunting.

Your only issue is if you are confronted by a CO that wants to press the matter. In that case if you are on grazing lease held crown, they can make an issue of it so be prepared.

Keep in mind that a lot of land in BC that is assumed to be grazing lease land when there is actually a lot of land that is simply grazing license. Your best bet is to always double check with the lands office and or do some checks with iMapBC. The mapping software will give you the option (under layers) of displaying License Tenures vs Lease Tenures.

[zazman]

There are different types of grazing tenures. Leases can give the holder exclusive access rights but if it is just a grazing permit or license, then they have certain rights to use the land but not necessarily restrict access. Up here in the Peace area most tenures are permits and licenses and do not restrict access. On a lease, the holder pays the taxes on the property.

[M.Dean]

If you do a search on this site there's some good link's that solve the problem, looks like this subject was brought up just recently.

[MuleyMadness]

I believe that on leased crown land the cattle must be off by Oct.31 and then it is just crown land and you are allowed on it. Up to that point I believe you are allowed on with permission of the leaseholder only. A lot of lease properties are posted private property but they are just leased. It is up to you to find out which is which and that can be very frustrating to say the least. I feel that they should have to be posted properly but the powers that be don't seem to think so.
Kim

That is not the case. There is no common drop dead date on range leases. Some leases allow cattle year round. As well, the distinction between private and leased is really moot, when there are cattle there, because you are not permitted access to either without the owner or leasee's permission.

Like was mentioned earlier, many ranchers are agreeable to hunters on their cattle leases if you respect their property...but you do have to ask, just like it's private land (when cattle are there of course).

[barry1974w]

There are also several kinds of leases. Most of them have the same laws as privatre property. And remember you cannot hunt cultivated land without the owner or leases permission.

[mod7rem]

Last fall I went down to Bald mountain along the Chilcotin river, I hadnt been there in a few years and found it strange that the whole area was posted with no trespassing and no hunting signs. I was told, by the rancher the last time I hunted there, that it was leased land and if cattle are present you have to ask permission. Thats fine its in the regs. But last year there were no cattle in that area but the signs were everywhere. Mabye they bought the land, I dont know. Mabye they know it will steer the majority of hunters away.

[snowhunter]

Thanks for the interesting reply's in regards to this post. It appears, that to most of us, hunting and access to the leased Crown Land and leased Grazing Land is a legal "grey area" ?

Therefore I can only suggest, before hunting on leased Crown Land, make the effort find the lease holder, and hope they show the same need's and gratitude as Mulroney, Van der Zalm etc, when you, from your benevolent giving heart, give them what the Mexican's call "Mordida" (the bite), often in form of bottle of booze etc, in return for exclusive access to some fine hunting grounds :)