There’s a large game-hunting park in western New Hampshire that is kind of weird. Called Corbin Park, it covers 25,000 acres or so surrounded by a 26-mile-long fence and is allegedly the biggest park of its kind east of the Mississippi, yet it is open only to 30 hefty-dues-paying members and their guests, and remains largely unknown to most of the state even though it covers parts of five towns and has been here since 1891.
It has a checkered legal history. It was established by special act of the Legislature at the urging of Austin Corbin, a railroad tycoon and banker who was the epitome of the “robber baron” model (and a public anti-Semite, to boot) and has unique legal protections.
I’ve written a couple of stories about it this week because a legislator wants to require people who hunt elk and wild boar in the park to buy a hunting license, like people do who hunt deer or bear or turkeys in the rest of the state.
Turns out, however, that those legal protections create a weird barrier: Elk and boar in the park are considered private property, not wild animals – even if they escape!
Want to know more? Check my story in Wednesday’s paper (right here) – the setup in Tuesday’s paper has a little more background (right here).
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Close Corbin Park down. It’s for wealthy people who really don’t know what hunting is all about.
Pass a law that makes this Park open to the Public who have the right to purchase a reasonably price hunting license on a set number of days in the year- say 90 days. At the same time the 30 folks who are supposedly paying members of this preserve. Must obtain a full state Hunting license as prescribed by NH State Statute and Law, even though it is a fenced in property owned by a very Elite and entitled group of Folks. 25,000 acres is a lot of land and who knows what goes on during the year? [are they licensed/inspected as a “Animal/Hunting Preserve by NH Fish & Game?]
By allowing paid public access as mentioned above, the rights to hunt Game in the preserve would be well founded. If they will not, then the state should close the facility on grounds of specific animal Cruelty and Elitism and possible public danger if a hunter shoot with a very high powered Rifle to near the Fenced Boundaries and local roads.
Private property is “private” . Please waste your time on something meaningful to society. Requiring a state hunting license to hunt on your own land is silly…
My father and brother used to hunt there.then the hospital bought it and became place to get drunk and gave oarty.dar cry to people that want to hunt.
well after reading the nh fish and game page it says to obtain permission from the blue mountain association and they will give you permission to hunt them outside the reserve,and from what i gather the law states they own these pigs no matter if they are on or off there land but the association can be held for damages to your property as well as if you shot the pig you would have to pay them for that property,but they dont want that so they gladly give the permission and looking at the park land map hunt the outskirts in claremont and the closest town lines so you can avoid being on there property and claim trespassing,i need more details they say other rules and times but cant find anything else on that subject or what rules are in play,what weapons are you allowed to hunt with.what is the limit what about the sow and hunting them.