I have actually been known to repair broken fences when I find the wire down. ALWAYS stop hunting and find the rancher if cattle are out. However, I rarely go back to the house to thank them after a hunt. Some want their private family time after a hard day. But I ALWAYS stop to chat when I find them out and about working. Or at least wave. Drive on through the gate and leave the rancher gal to close it on her own? Don't even wave hi? My dad would have kicked my ass. Man, stay the hell away from the guardian dogs! Those are often Greater Pyranese and not to be trusted. Definitely do NOT go anywhere near those sheep if you have bird dogs!
Getting her nose out of joint because a hunter ground pounded a sage grouse seemed to be odd behavior for someone from Wyoming. Most ranchers I know we're raised shooting grouse with a .22 and not out of the air either. I generally leave gut piles on the ranch property but I can certainly understand her frustration about having to pick up "gutless method" bone piles, especially if she's running sheep. Coyotes aren't much risk for range cattle by hunting season but they are hell on sheep year round. Sheep or cattle, I'm never leaving a mess like that on someone else's property. It is as UNNECESSARY as coffee cup litter. Birds will clean up a gut pile before dark. A boned skeleton will be there for days, maybe months.
Sometimes it's the rancher's fault a gate gets left open. I have encountered countless barb wire gates that were strung so tight it would challenge Hulk Hogan to close them. And yes, it is always easier to open a barb wire gate than closing it. At least once a year it seems I have to dig out the tools to take apart and re-engineer a gate closure. Either that or leave the damn thing down ... which I will not do. Last year I had to rebuild a gate that wouldn't stay up ... right after the rancher drove through and left the droopy thing barely off the ground. And yes, there were cattle behind it. Did it for the poor cows, not the rancher. And for the neighbors who drive the adjacent county road at night and don't want their truck mated to a black angus.
The most important thing we hunters can do to show our appreciation to ranchers is help police their property. See some asshole driving where he's not supposed to be, at the very least get in his face about it. Call the rancher or block management officer if that doesn't work. Report any potential management issues to the rancher: cows out, fences down (they will worship you for that!), etc. If you think a gate is open that should be closed, get off your butt and close it. If the rancher wanted it open he will be fine with reopening. When a rancher wants a gate left open, it's usually hung up in the barb wire fence. If on the ground, some slob hunter was probably too lazy to close it. So you close it.
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