Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward meets with Ammon Bundy at a remote location outside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Three Oregon sheriffs met Thursday with the leader of an armed group occupying a federal wildlife refuge and asked them to leave, after residents made it clear they wanted them to go home. Ward said via Twitter that he asked Bundy to respect the wishes of residents. Ward said the two sides planned to talk again Friday. (Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian via AP)
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BURNS, Ore. (AP) - Three Oregon sheriffs met with leaders of an armed group to try to persuade them to end their occupation of a federal wildlife refuge after many local residents made it plain that's what they want.
But it was unclear whether the Thursday meeting at a snowy intersection in southeastern Oregon would lead to an end of the occupation by Ammon Bundy's group any time soon.
"There are some positives that could come out of this," Harney County Sheriff David Ward, accompanied by colleagues from two other counties, told Bundy and his group.
"Before this thing turns into something negative, which would ruin all of that, I think we need to find a peaceful resolution to help you guys get out of here," Ward said.
Bundy said his group poses a threat to no one. He also said his demands that federal land in Harney County be turned over to local residents to manage are being ignored.
"I didn't come to argue," Ward said. Bundy said neither had he.
Ward offered to escort Bundy and his followers out of the refuge, which Bundy scoffed at.
"I'm not afraid to go out of the state," Bundy told reporters after the meeting. "I don't need an escort."
Ward said he plans to talk with Bundy again on Friday.
The encounter came as pressure mounts on Bundy to end the occupation of headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, south of Burns.
Bundy's demands are a continuation of long-running arguments that federal policies for management of public lands in the West are harming ranchers and other locals. Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who in 2014 was at the center of a tense standoff with federal officials over grazing rights.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday called the occupation of the wildlife refuge "unlawful" and said it had to end.
"It was instigated by outsiders whose tactics we Oregonians don't agree with. Those individuals illegally occupying the Malheur Wildlife Refuge need to decamp immediately and be held accountable," she said.
Bundy's group - calling itself Citizens for Constitutional Freedom - comes from as far away as Arizona and Michigan.
Sheriff Ward has repeatedly said the occupation has to end and violence be avoided. He got a lot of support during a packed community meeting Wednesday night.
At that meeting, local residents said they sympathized with the armed group's complaints about federal land management but disagreed with their tactics and called on Ammon Bundy and his followers to leave.
Bundy came to Burns to rally support for two local ranchers who were sentenced to prison on arson charges. The ranchers - Dwight Hammond and his son Steven Hammond - distanced themselves from Bundy's group and reported to prison Monday.
The Hammonds were convicted of arson three years ago and served no more than a year. A judge later ruled that the terms fell short of minmum sentences requiring them to serve about four more years.
Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, holds a U.S. flag as he talks with a journalist next to a manned watch tower Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. A small, armed group occupying the wildlife preserve has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands, but critics say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, holds a U.S. flag as he rides his horse in the refuge Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. A small, armed group occupying the wildlife preserve has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands, but critics say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, walks to a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. The small, armed group occupying the wildlife preserve has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands, but critics say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, walks to a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. A small, armed group occupying the wildlife preserve has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands, but critics say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon, Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, walks his horse Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. The group has said repeatedly that local people should control federal lands, but critics say the lands are already managed to help everyone from ranchers to recreationalists. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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A member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters looks on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Cheers erupted Wednesday evening at a packed community meeting in rural Oregon when a sheriff said it was time for a small, armed group occupying the national wildlife refuge to "pick up and go home." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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A member of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters stands next to a fire Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Cheers erupted Wednesday evening at a packed community meeting in rural Oregon when a sheriff said it was time for a small, armed group occupying the national wildlife refuge to "pick up and go home." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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An American flag hangs on the sign at the front entrance of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. Cheers erupted Wednesday evening at a packed community meeting in rural Oregon when a sheriff said it was time for a small, armed group occupying the national wildlife refuge to "pick up and go home." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, rides his horse Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. The leader of an American Indian tribe that regards the Oregon nature preserve as sacred issued a rebuke Wednesday to the armed men who are occupying the property, saying they are not welcome at the snowy bird sanctuary and must leave. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Cowboy Dwane Ehmer, of Irrigon Ore., a supporter of the group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, rides his horse Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, near Burns, Ore. The leader of an American Indian tribe that regards the Oregon nature preserve as sacred issued a rebuke Wednesday to the armed men who are occupying the property, saying they are not welcome at the snowy bird sanctuary and must leave. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Jesse Svejcar expresses his opinion during a community meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, right, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the armed group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Georgia Marshall, a rancher, expresses her opinion during a community meeting with Harney County Sheriff David Ward Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Merlin Rupp, 80, voices his opinion to Harney County Sheriff David Ward during a community meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Harney County Sheriff David Ward arrives to a community meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the group of roughly 20 people from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Residents raise their hands as Harney County Sheriff David Ward addresses their concerns at a community meeting at the Harney County fairgrounds Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Burns, Ore. With the takeover entering its fourth day Wednesday, authorities had not removed the armed group occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon's high desert country. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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