Closure of public lands in az

[armoredman]

I have actually heard of shooters being cited for poaching for simply being armed out in the sagebrush in AZ.

Never heard that, been shooting and carrying guns here for 30+ years. Especially after August 3rd that would be VERY hard to pull off by any Ranger - laws are changing in our favor again.
I have heard of lands closed off or restricted shooting due to fires, BUT I suspect the danger of shooter cause fires is exaggerated for political gain. Fires are usually cause by people who don't care, throwing cigarette butts out of car windows, lighting camp fires in no-fire zones, and generally doing stupid things. Heck my stepfather the mechanic told me of fires caused by hot catalytic converters hitting dry brush off road - never saw it happen, though.
Slobs, whether shooters, hunters, campers, off roaders, etc., are the hazard we face in a free and open society. The natural instinct is to "shut it all down!" which punishes the law abiding majority for the actions of a few. Far harder to do is to get LEOs in force in an area to enforce laws that are being willfully broken by slobs, far harder for it has no immediate gratification like "close the roads!" or "no more wildcat ranges!", etc., but far more effective on word of mouth, "Billy said don't go drinkin' and shootin' back behind that mountain, cops been cruisin', and a couple of our buddies are in jail".
Far easier to close roads and restrict the rights of ordinary Americans to travel...which IS a Constitutional right, IIRC, and if anyone wants to fight this.
I quit going to wildcat ranges years ago because of slobs who dragged everything and anything out to shoot, including cars, water heaters, TVs, etc, and left the landscape a scarred and disgusting mess. It would have been nice to see some of these people on TV being cited for aggravated littering, destruction of protected species, (I've seen saguaro cacti and Palo Verde trees used as target holders), and held accountable. That would cut down on the problems, as well as education on responsible public land use in schools.

 

[WardenWolf]

I have to question the legality of ticketing you just for going down a road with no sign. I honestly don't think that would pass any court muster. They can say what they want, but if I got such a ticket I'd definitely be challenging it. It's too easy to make a wrong turn when you're up in the sticks with no cellphone service.

 

[alsaqr]

We who shoot, hunt, fish, whatever on public land are losing access because we have failed to police our own. Shooting ranges got trashed because we failed to educate, report or confront slob shooters. Trails and roads were closed because we failed to educate, confront or report slobs on trail bikes and four wheelers.