Trespassing

Trespassing

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Shelley Neal of the Gill Ranch in Lucille Idaho talks about the size of her spread and some of the problems associated with it. “It’s a huge allotment, there’s almost 30,000 acres,” she points out. “It’s a lot to cover. We’ve had a lot of forest fires that make it hard to get around. A lot of changes. We’ve got a lot more hunters and recreationists to deal with, we’ve got wolves to deal with, a lot of different dynamics that have changed over the years.”

When hunting season arrives each year, Shelley braces for the impact. “Since the wolves have really hit the Lochsa and Selway country, we have a lot more hunters coming down here.”

Frequently, hunters don’t respect the difference between private and public lands, she said. “What we find is they cut the deeded fence if the gate’s locked, and just go through. I think it’s more about getting the big antlers that they see over the fence. They don’t respect the private ground.”

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