Showing posts with label Public Land. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Land. Show all posts

Junk in the Trunk ● Pollution and Unpleasantries in the Backwoods


Here you will find a sample of one man’s encounters and proofs of pollution in now public and wild areas. These photos, videos and writings originate from the same author and were gathered over a course of 8 years. 


Parking illegally
Parking illegally, especially when a lawful parking area is provided, can be deadly during hunting season because parking violators are unanticipated by lawful parties. The author almost shot a large/yellow/thin-coated dog that ran up on him in the dark. This happened during an outpouring of videoed Mountain Lion sightings in the area and when the dog’s owners had parked illegally. 




Target Shooting
Although public facilities for testing Waterfowl Ammunition were eliminated by The Federal Government, more than 25 years ago, it is still revolting and treacherous and to shoot at signs. 


Forgetting something
It is possible to forget something in a wild area and leave it behind. The author is guilty of leaving a pair of prescription glasses hanging on a thin branch. 




Losing something

  • Unsecured items are easily lost in rugged terrain. 
  • Waterproof items do not necessarily float. 
  • Clips, lanyards and tethers are an advisable investment for recreationists. 

Illegal Structures
Tree Stands, Ladder Stands, Hunting Platforms, Hunting Blinds, Bridges, Camps and Bike Obstacles (artificial, man-made and dirt) are some of the illegal builds on public land. 






Pollution | Litter
Pollution and Litter are the result of carelessly or improperly adding waste and contaminants to an inappropriate site or location.














Deliberate Dumping
The author once became terribly lost in a hilly area after mistaking a large number of dumped appliances as cars in the parking area. 


Nest Boxes and Houses
Wood Duck Boxes were devised in the 1930’s as man-made nesting places for Wood Ducks. Any type of unmonitored Nest Box or House will quickly become unsuitable for the intended species and result in a blot on the landscape.




Buzz The Tower | Illegal Vehicle Use
The author has witnessed these illegal vehicle uses:

  • An Ultra-Light Aircraft [Powered Paraglider/Paramotor] repeatedly circled, interfered with and obstructed the author’s Deer Hunting position, within a Public Wildlife Management Area. 
  • Snowmobiles have often passed the author’s Ice Shelter (while the author’s small children were inside) deliberately close and at full-throttle.
  • On 4 separate occasions, a boat deliberately motored through the author’s Duck Decoy Spread within a Public Wildlife Management Area.









Scents | Reflectors | Markers
Felt wicking forms, soaked with attractants or cover scents, are often left hanging in trees, (especially after the opening weekend of Deer Season) and should be considered litter or pollution. Reflective or fluorescent tacks, ribbons and wire ties, (used for marking trails and hunting positions), are often left indefinitely by unskilled hunters.

Un-retrieved, Un-retained or Wasted Game

  • Summer is the worst time to find caught fish rotting on the banks of water areas. This is an intentional and customary practice, committed by vigilante anglers who think it is their secret duty to eradicate sizes or types of fish thought to be a nuisance. 
  • At sunrise, the author has noticed rotting Coots and Crows that had been shot and left in a Duck Hunting position by previous, unrelated hunting parties. 




Air Pollution | Sound Pollution
A disgusting example of Air and Sound Pollution occurs at Public Fishing Piers and the victims are often young children. For reasons unknown, angling attracts some very rough, 
vulgar, chain-smoking, folks. This strange underclass will unabashedly crowd out families with young children, encroaching on their positions, casting in front of kids, while bellowing obscenities, cheap cigar and cigarette smoke. 







Artifacts
Land Areas usually change rights over time resulting in leftover evidences of previous activities. These may include fencing, walls, logging debris, mining hazards, and abandoned implements. 




Exceptions
Treaty Rights and Special Permits can extend well beyond typical seasons, boundaries and into Territorial Areas. Year-round and unusual methods for hunting and fishing exist throughout the continent and most are not subject to State Law.