Rancher/outfitter close public road in eastern MT

[cgasner1]

I'm curious how Rinella allegedly walking on a road to BLM in the spring inconvenienced @Big Shooter?



Dont most first responders keep "Master Keys" on them?
View attachment 375410

Some gates don’t allow for that key. Also if it’s a barn burner of a fire they will be pist for having to stop and mess with a gate

 

[INMT]

Interesting.

According to bourbon snow cone: According to Montana law, gas tax roads must be open to public travel.

According to Eric Albus: gas tax roads have never been “legal access roads”.

One is right, one is wrong. I’ve never looked into it. Time to do some digging.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I'm curious how Rinella allegedly walking on a road to BLM in the spring inconvenienced @Big Shooter?



Dont most first responders keep "Master Keys" on them?
View attachment 375410

Yes it is.

Some more FYI; gas tax roads have never been “legal access roads”.
The road in question is not, has not, and won’t be open to the public.
If you think the outfitter in question thought there was a chance that it was legal access he wouldn’t have touched it.

That got answered:

If you think the outfitter in question thought there was a chance that it was legal access he wouldn’t have touched it.

And i totally get his point

 

[TheTone]

Some gates don’t allow for that key. Also if it’s a barn burner of a fire they will be pist for having to stop and mess with a gate

Bulldozers rarely care about any gate if it’s a fire IME

 

[brockel]

That got answered:

If you think the outfitter in question thought there was a chance that it was legal access he wouldn’t have touched it.

And i totally get his point

So was it for the landowner having to pull people out of the mud or was it put in for the outfitter?

 

[Elky Welky]

According to the association of Montana counties, the roads must be public to use fuel tax funds. The statute they cite is far less clear.

County Fuel Tax

www.mtcounties.org

 

[mtmiller]

A gas tax road can be redefined very quickly.

 

[Wildabeest]

According to the association of Montana counties, the roads must be public to use fuel tax funds. The statute they cite is far less clear.

County Fuel Tax

www.mtcounties.org

“Must be open to public access” unless you put a sign up stating otherwise. Wtf?

 

[Forkyfinder]

A gas tax road can be redefined very quickly.

Can you expand - not sure whats applicable or meant by redefinition.

 

[Eric Albus]

Interesting. Id have assumed the public paid for it -- they had access. Is that in code somewhere?

Yes

 

[Eric Albus]

Wonder how many people have access to the key to this gate. If lighting or something causes a fire or there is a medical emergency it could cause some serious issues for the guy that put the padlock on.

The gates isn’t locked most
Of the year. On account of fire access and being a good neighbor. it’s a combo lock so keep hunting for the “hidden key”

 

[Eric Albus]

Interesting.

According to bourbon snow cone: According to Montana law, gas tax roads must be open to public travel.

According to Eric Albus: gas tax roads have never been “legal access roads”.

One is right, one is wrong. I’ve never looked into it. Time to do some digging.

Please do and correct me if I’m wrong

 

[Eric Albus]

I'm curious how Rinella allegedly walking on a road to BLM in the spring inconvenienced @Big Shooter?



Dont most first responders keep "Master Keys" on them?
View attachment 375410

According to my sources Rinella trespassed to get to the BLM. This was not the first time either.

 

[rogerthat]

According to my sources Rinella trespassed to get to the BLM. This was not the first time either.

Rinella thought it was legal public access. He didn’t knowingly trespass. I think the jury is still out on whether or not it is legal public access too.

 

[cgasner1]

The gates isn’t locked most
Of the year. On account of fire access and being a good neighbor. it’s a combo lock so keep hunting for the “hidden key”

Thanks for letting us have access to public ground when it’s convenient neighbor

 

[brockel]

Should help hunter distribution in 700

 

[mtmiller]

Can you expand - not sure whats applicable or meant by redefinition.

Local government can can request a change in classification to state DOT.

When I was working on an RMP probably 20 years ago we were discussing a road that crossed private on both both ends with many miles of BLM in between and was identified as a gas tax road even though it was not maintained by the county. I was pretty excited that this would have to be open based on the current status of the road. Got a rude awakening a month later when it no longer was a gas tax road.

I don’t recall there being any pubic meetings about the change, but it was no longer identified as gas tax road.

 

[Eric Albus]

Thanks for letting us have access to public ground when it’s convenient neighbor

I don’t have access to it, and would expect nothing less than a trespassing fine were I arrogant enough to drive through the gate without first speaking to the landowner.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Think this might add some color/clarity here.

Where were people getting stuck "trespassing" i wonder? That little pissant section in the middle? I wonder how many miles of road are blocked because of one section of road on that private half a mile long. If you live in montana i can promise you paid more on your lawn property tax than those 370 acres in the middle of that blm.

I dont have access - but if i was arrogant enough to lock it up - id expect no respect/help from the community.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Where were people getting stuck "trespassing" i wonder? That little pissant section in the middle? I wonder how many miles of road are blocked because of one section of road on that private half a mile long. If you live in montana i can promise you paid more on your lawn property tax than those 370 acres in the middle of that blm.

I interpreted the quoted statement as people getting stuck on BLM and looking for help from whoever they come into contact with nearby of which the landowner and hired help would be likely.

My initial reaction to this was pretty negative as it points towards an outfitter trying to make life hard for public to access the public ground near/on where he takes paying clients. That said, I can understand why a landowner wouldn't want to deal with additional traffic through his land, impacts to roads, trespassing and why they would take steps to reduce the negative exposure to the general public if the option is available. The "we dont have fences for signs" and "the cattle dont go on BLM" quotes do hit my BS sensors a bit though.