Los Padres National Forest – Public Land Closed To Hunting?

Seems like an abuse of power. The more attention to this the better as the premise here is that property owners have more rights adjacent to public lands than hunters.

From NRA hunters rights:

http://www.nrahuntersrights.org/Article.aspx?id=5286

“Forest Service spokesperson Andrew Madsen gave us some more background. Although he did not know the total number of acres now closed to hunters, he described it this way: “There’s a road in the hills above Santa Barbara here (Paradise Road) and it goes from Highway 154 to the first river crossing—about six or seven miles, maybe a little more.”

Considering there is a potential $5,000 fine and jail sentence here for stepping one foot in the wrong place, let’s hope hunters have more precise information available. Madsen says there is.

“The district has a lot of extensive maps in that office, which is along the road, and folks are well aware they can go in there with questions,” he said. The front desk staff will help them.”

Although day-use recreation sites and residential areas are established along the road, this area of the Los Padres National Forest has been used by hunters for generations. Madsen said the District Ranger closed it because of “numerous complaints” from residents about hunters going into people’s yards. “Jackrabbit hunters, for example,” said Madsen, “in pursuit of their prey are following them into areas where we can’t have them. Guns and folks don’t mix in those areas. It presents a safety problem.”

However, Madsen was not aware of any shooting accidents or injuries that came about as a result of hunting in the area. “I haven’t heard that it reached that point,” he said.

Asked how well the private land boundaries in the area are marked, Madsen said, “I don’t know whether there are any postings up there or not, but hunters have been using it for years. They are all pretty well aware of where they can hunt and where they should not be hunting.”

While trespassing complaints should be taken seriously, verifying that clear signage marking private land exists, or encouraging residents to call local law enforcement, would have been a much better option than a sudden, virtually unexplained closure of a traditional hunting area. Hunters try very hard to respect boundaries, but anyone who has hunted public land knows how inadequate signage can lead to a totally inadvertent step onto private property.

Moreover, this hunting ban was apparently put in place purely at the discretion of the Santa Barbara District Ranger. Asked if the public had any chance to comment on the decision before the ban was implemented, Madsen said, “Not that I’m aware of. I don’t believe there is a stipulation that we need to involve the public in closure orders.”