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question about state owned land

Rifleman WI

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hey, new here, been coming here for a while, finally made an account. alittle background, in 23, in the Army, currently stationed at Fort Riley. i have a few questions about OC type stuff for my next trip to WI,i was planning on a little " camping " trip. where i have the idea of staying is north of antigo, neer the Ice Age Trail by jack lake. i was wondering if any of you knew of any regulations of open carry for state owned land. also ive been reading up on OC, but i was wondering if there were any restrictions on what you can and cannot carry. all i currently have is a 20" mossy 590A1 and an Ar-15 Carbine. i do plan on getting an XD hopefully before hand, but i was wondering if ide catch too muchcrap if i carried the AR while i hiked and what not, incase i did run into some unhappy animals or people. thank you for all your help, i appreciate it. im not going to be hunting, but like i said the AR is probably the only thing i could take. the place im looking at staying at is pretty far away from everything, its down a long dirt road through the woods on a small lake. i used to fish this lake alot, and rarely saw people out there. and ill be staying in a 2 man tent.
 

bnhcomputing

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If the area you are referring to is a state park or DNR "owned" lands, then you cannot carry a loaded firearm regardless of type without a hunting license and hunting being permitted in that area, at that time.

What you carry doesn't matter. If you can give use the name of the area you are staying, we can quickly determine if carry is allowed there.
 

Rifleman WI

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heres a map, the black line coming off of the main road it to represent the dirt road, from what i can remember. this lake is about 15 min north of antigo, off of hwy 45. i dont really know if the spot i want to stay in has a name or anything, like i said its on a tore up dirt road, about 2 miles back, im pretty sure its the first lake in the circle. ive seen people camp out there before in just a tent.
 

Rifleman WI

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Master Doug Huffman wrote:
Why might it be state owned land? On Google Earth I see cultivated and mowed fields in the angle between CR-J and State-45 and maybe even a homestead on the south side of the east-west county road.
i allways thought it was state owned, since the road came off a major road, and their arnt any no tresspassing signs. its all woods and trees back there. ill have to ask my dad to see if he remembers what its concidered.
 

Rifleman WI

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just talked to my dad, its county owned land for the public to use. theres a campsite and well setup at one of the spots, but ill prolly stay away from that one. are there any regulations against OC on county owned land? thank you guys again for all the help.
 

bnhcomputing

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Rifleman WI wrote:
just talked to my dad, its county owned land for the public to use. theres a campsite and well setup at one of the spots, but ill prolly stay away from that one. are there any regulations against OC on county owned land? thank you guys again for all the help.
There is no state law prohibiting carry in/on County Parks or lands.

BUT, some counties think they can restrict your rights and it hasn't been tested in court as of yet. If you can tell us what county, we can do a quick ordinance search to see if they have one of those unenforceable ordinances on the books.
 

bnhcomputing

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Cannot find anything available online about their ordinances. I can suggest contacting the county seat (clerk) and asking if they have the county ordinances available online.

If not, then you would need to check (with the clerk) and ask if they have any ordinances restricting the possession of firearms on county owned land.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help
 

Nutczak

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bnhcomputing wrote:
If the area you are referring to is a state park or DNR "owned" lands, then you cannot carry a loaded firearm regardless of type without a hunting license and hunting being permitted in that area, at that time.
Not exactly, or entirelytrue,
You cannot carry in state parks or state campgrounds. State owned lands are not on the 'Do Not carry list" they are open to exercise your 2A rights in any way you see fit except for target shooting.

Lets use my area for a reference, I am surrounded by state-owned land, it is where I do all my hunting, fishing, etc. I just got to watch out for the boundaries for the state owned campgrounds to make sure I stay out of those area's with a loaded firearm that is not in a case.

Examples;
Clear Lake campground, Buffalo Lake campground, Patricia Lake campground, Madelaine lake and raven lake ski trails,etc etc.And all along thoseareas where those campgrounds are located is land owned by the state, and available for any activity besides recreational off-road vehicle use. A vehicle licensed for highway travel is legal to drive down through the woods on the existing trails and fire-breaks. The area around Sweeney lake and clear lake (Oneida County) is a perfect example.
 

AaronS

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Master Doug Huffman wrote:
Yes, it seems that Langlade Co. has few ordinances on line. But they do have an on-line county map at http://www.langladecounty.org/Tourism/pdfs/map7.pdf that shows county property around State 45 and County J.

I guess the internet is not the answer all the time.

I bet a few quick phone calls would do the trick though. If it is jail that you fear, and you have no other contact, call the county. The county will be able to tell you who owns the land, and any local laws. I would not hold back the reason you are asking. I have found that just telling the people why you are asking the questions makes them think about the issue.
 
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This is where that link URL refers, "lrrd" stands for Land Records and Regulations Department.

http://lrrd.co.langlade.wi.us/ordinances.htm

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[font="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"]Zoning Ordinance [/font]
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[font="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"]Land Division[/font]
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[font="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"]Private Sewage[/font]
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[font="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"]Nonmetallic Mining[/font] [font="Arial, Arial, Helvetica"] [/font]
 

Captain Nemo

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IMO there is no restriction on open carry of firearms on state or county lands. If there were hunting would not be allowed, unless there was a published ordinance stating an exeption for hunting, similar to the restriction in state parks. Be aware that you cannot carry a firearm into any building constructed on the property. ss941.235(1).
 

J.Gleason

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Captain Nemo wrote:
IMO there is no restriction on open carry of firearms on state or county lands. If there were hunting would not be allowed, unless there was a published ordinance stating an exeption for hunting, similar to the restriction in state parks. Be aware that you cannot carry a firearm into any building constructed on the property. ss941.235(1).
Yep, you cannot use the county pooper while armed. You must leave your turd biscuit on the grass outside the building. Or you could always disarm and leave your firearm laying there in the grass until you have properly deposited your turd biscuit in the county owned outhouse. Don't worry, no one will touch your firearm if you leave it lying in the grass. This is Wisconsin, things like that don't happen here. Don't really understand why you need to carry a gun anyway. <-----Sarcasm.
 

Rifleman WI

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Email I Recieved Today.

Mr. Kattner,

There is no ordinance that restricts firearms on County owned property.
There may be regulations that prevent certain conditions, namely DNR
regulations that would apply to County land. Examples would be carrying a
rifle in a shotgun only area during gun season... or having lead shot in a
waterfowl area where steel is only allowed.

Take Care.


Brad A. Henricks

Chief Deputy
Langlade Co. Sheriff’s Dept.
840 Clermont St.
Antigo, WI 54409 715-627-6420
bhenricks@co.langlade.wi.us
 

AaronS

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That went fast. And now you know the law from the man, so you should be able to trust it. I might think about keeping a copy of that letter on you, but thats just me.
 
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