# Outfitters guiding on state school land



## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

At the present time it is legal for outfitters and their guides to use North Dakota state school land for their personal gain. Guiding on this land is legal and I am seeing more of it each year. With the number of hunters rising and finding a place to hunt getting tougher my question is this. Do you believe that this law should be changed?


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

Absolutely. You bring up an excellent question. Arkansas outlawed guiding on WMA's several years ago for the same reasons. If they are going to use public resources to guide on, they should be expected to pay for it.


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## Bushwacker (Mar 30, 2003)

I went to the Game & Fish web page and under guide regulations it says that they can't guide on state lands unless they have permission from the "appropriate" agency. I went to the state land department web page and they had no such listing allowing it. suppose one could get it on a case by case basis though but it doesn't look like it is just open to guides. If I see a guide on school land I just may call it in and let the warden sort it out.


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## Almomatic (May 6, 2006)

Correct me if I'm wrong, if school land is leased by Farmers/Ranchers and they have it posted you need to get permission to hunt it. I know my uncle has school land posted that he has cattle on, the signs state something to the effect that the person leasing must be contacted before entering. Would an outfitter just need consent of the person leasing the land for farming ops???


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## Duck Commander (Oct 20, 2004)

The state land department said most land is open for walkin access, some is must notify leasee other is posted. The webpage below is the only posted state lands--http://www.land.state.nd.us/data/surface/Hunting/HuntState.asp

I know baiting is not allowed on state lands, according to this website.


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## Duck Commander (Oct 20, 2004)

Should have included this website also, it says that if state land is closed even the leasee can't hunt it. 
http://www.land.state.nd.us/data/surfac ... ccess1.htm


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

The state land belongs to all the residents of North Dakota. This includes all the land that is in posession of North Dakota State University as it is a land grant college. Why should a guiding business have the right to set up shop on the land owned by the people of ND? By the same reasoning I should be able to use the football fields at NDSU for little league training camps and pocket the money . I called the NDGF and the person I was directed to told me that there was no law against guides using state school land for guiding purposes.

Almomatic I believe that anyone who leases state land and wants to post it must petition the land board. The cattle would be protected by a different law .


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

On the other side even if a guide does use state land he is "at risk" because he cannot prevent others from using that area. That can be a risky venture when you are working with a paying client who expects exclusive access to an area. A guide who is doing this on a consistent basis could get a bad rep in a real hurry.


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## Dak (Feb 28, 2005)

Good info and website. Thanks


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