Militia takes over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters

[Martinjmpr]

The feds ownership of this much land in the west is BS.

Having places to hunt, fish, camp, go 4 wheeling, search for minerals, etc, is "BS?" Having places to shoot outdoors without paying $$ to go to a range is "BS?" Really?

Ever wonder why so many people come from Eastern states to hunt, fish, camp and enjoy outdoor recreation in CO instead of staying in Kentucky or Ohio? It's because we have so much public land that is open for anyone to use.

The states don't have the resources to manage vast areas of public lands, so if they were to get the Federal lands they'd most likely sell it to a private owner who would put up a fence and a "no trespassing" sign.

Call me crazy but I like outdoor recreation.

BTW I'm not saying I agree with everything the Federal government does, not by any means. But I've noticed that a lot of the people who rail against federal ownership of property in the West are people who live in cities and don't engage in outdoor recreation. I've talked to people visiting from other countries and they are amazed that we can just drive out to the middle of a National Forest or BLM land and camp wherever we want, without a permit, without paying a fee or anything.

Over in Europe, just to use one example, there are very few forests or unoccupied lands that are open to anyone. Most are under private ownership and behind a locked gate.

Even in our own country, people I knew who wanted to hunt in the Carolinas usually ended up joining a "hunting club" and only hunting on club property because the few public lands open for hunting were so overcrowded with users.

Our public lands are an amazing treasure and well worth protecting.