The open gate

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Delete Me

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Texas
In Texas, nearly all public access has some sort of signage. When there isn't a sign you look for purple paint and gates to determine if it is private. We've got a pretty good network of pavement where country navigation isn't an issue... But we also don't have much gov land.
You can be on a Texas county road and find locked gates or not. Most of the time you'll run into bump gates. Our county roads go across some big ranches. I mean big ranches with exotic game running across the distant hills. If the ranch has agreed to take over servicing the road, they can make that agreement with the county and lock the gate if they wish. If the county services the road, they are NOT suppose to lock the gate but sometimes they get pissed off by folks and lock it up. Can't really blame them for some of the stuff.

Leave every gate you find it. If its swinging in the breeze try and figure out if some asshat left it open and go ahead and secure it without locking if there are locks laying about. Pay attention if you have to unlatch a gate. Some will have double chains and latch on both sides. Horses can be pretty smart and hard to catch. Thats one sure way to piss off a rancher. Latch it up the way you found it. Exactly the way you found it. Give it a look over before you start unlatching.

No idea what you mean by purple paint and signage. I've ridden a fair amount of dualsport in West Texas and have seen some crazy looking gates. Appearance has little to do with private or not. Don't leave the roadway. Leave gates the way you found them. Know where you are going. Don't cut locks. Find another way. The ranchers that I've run into are hard hard hard working guys that have no time to spend chit chatting. So, if your gabbing with someone then something is wrong and you should be polite, understanding, supportive and appreciate their advice. Though it may not seem like advice at the time. :)
 
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Longshot270

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No idea what you mean by purple paint and signage. I've ridden a fair amount of dualsport in West Texas and have seen some crazy looking gates. Appearance has little to do with private or not. Don't leave the roadway. Leave gates the way you found them. Know where you are going. Don't cut locks. Find another way. The ranchers that I've run into are hard hard hard working guys that have no time to spend chit chatting. So, if your gabbing with someone then something is wrong and you should be polite, understanding, supportive and appreciate their advice. Though it may not seem like advice at the time. :)
Texas penal code

Sec. 30.05. CRIMINAL TRESPASS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person enters or remains on or in property of another, including residential land, agricultural land, a recreational vehicle park, a building, or an aircraft or other vehicle, without effective consent and the person:

(1) had notice that the entry was forbidden; or

(2) received notice to depart but failed to do so.

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Entry" means the intrusion of the entire body.

(2) "Notice" means:

(A) oral or written communication by the owner or someone with apparent authority to act for the owner;

(B) fencing or other enclosure obviously designed to exclude intruders or to contain livestock;

(C) a sign or signs posted on the property or at the entrance to the building, reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders, indicating that entry is forbidden;

(D) the placement of identifying purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property, provided that the marks are:

(i) vertical lines of not less than eight inches in length and not less than one inch in width;

(ii) placed so that the bottom of the mark is not less than three feet from the ground or more than five feet from the ground; and

(iii) placed at locations that are readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than:

(a) 100 feet apart on forest land; or

(b) 1,000 feet apart on land other than forest land;
 

Longshot270

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My phone is having issues connecting with their server so I'm keeping it short tonight.

In a nutshell, this is the law. You'll always find people that want to make up their own but this is what a LEO will probably be referring to if there is a disagreement and they get called.
 

Delete Me

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Contributor III

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Texas
Texas penal code

Sec. 30.05. CRIMINAL TRESPASS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person enters or remains on or in property of another, including residential land, agricultural land, a recreational vehicle park, a building, or an aircraft or other vehicle, without effective consent and the person:

(1) had notice that the entry was forbidden; or

(2) received notice to depart but failed to do so.

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) "Entry" means the intrusion of the entire body.

(2) "Notice" means:

(A) oral or written communication by the owner or someone with apparent authority to act for the owner;

(B) fencing or other enclosure obviously designed to exclude intruders or to contain livestock;

(C) a sign or signs posted on the property or at the entrance to the building, reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders, indicating that entry is forbidden;

(D) the placement of identifying purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property, provided that the marks are:

(i) vertical lines of not less than eight inches in length and not less than one inch in width;

(ii) placed so that the bottom of the mark is not less than three feet from the ground or more than five feet from the ground; and

(iii) placed at locations that are readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than:

(a) 100 feet apart on forest land; or

(b) 1,000 feet apart on land other than forest land;

I've never seen any purple paint. I have seen "no trespass" signs along some roads but thats about it. This is pretty typical:
 

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Desert Runner

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In Nevada, you follow the creed of leave it the way you found it. open...leave open, closed....close it behind you. Since so much of the State is BLM, and the cattle/sheep business is leased, you respect how the gates are found. Actual signage is rare on them, unless your entering private property.