# Hunting Vs. Oil/Gas



## Ponderosa (Jun 12, 2007)

This excerpt is from the 2008 Western Slope Hunting Guide published by the Colorado Division of Wildlife and is in reference to energy development in the Bookcliff and Piceance hunting units:

"In 1986, the federal government sold thousands of acres of public
land in the Piceance/Roan area (GMUs 22 and 32) to energy companies. The
agreement required that the companies keep the land open to the public for
20 years. The public access agreement ended in 2006. These parcels, known
as the “Girls Claims”, are now private property. Beyond the thousands of
acres that are owned by the companies, these parcels also control access to
thousands of acres of public land.
The DOW has reached a 10-year $1/year hunting access agreement
with Shell to keep 19,000 private acres open. EnCana has agreed to keep
17,000 acres the company owns open for the 2008 hunting seasons. The
DOW appreciates these companies willingness to support the heritage of
hunting in western Colorado. Negotiations with other companies for other
“Girls Claims” properties have been unsuccessful.
It’s important to note that these access agreements are NOT new
lands. They are heavily hunted former public lands where generations
of hunters will be displaced as these lands are closed to hunting. If new
hunters begin using the lands where access agreements are in place, there
is the potential for overcrowding, which may make future agreements more
difficult. Please respect Shell and EnCana land so that it will be available in
the future.
If you hunt these units, make sure you have current maps. The DOW
has no control over closed lands, even if you’ve hunted there for years. If you
have questions or concerns, please contact the BLM or energy companies
directly."

Just thought I'd throw this out there for debate. Any thoughts?

BH


----------

