Grouse Hunting from ATVs

[BucksnDucks]

I will say that alot and I mean alot of the areas that I used to be able to drive my atv, are all now non-motorized areas. Just in the last 4-5 years alone, the scene has changed drastically. So to say that they need more non-motorized areas is a joke. We are evolving people, either change with it or be left in the dust, thats life. Survival of the fittest! I for one believe there is already to much land that has been turned off limits to atv's because of what some joker did during the spring or summer when the ground was soft. Dont punish the hunters using atv's for hunting, get after the num-skulls ripping the [PoorWordUsage] outta the trails in the summer. I guess my biggest gripe is thats fine if certain ppl dont want to use atv's on public lands, but some of us do, now why should my freedom be intrepted to accomdate theres? They dont have to walk down the trail that was busted by an atv if they dont want to see one, theres plenty and I mean plenty of areas of public land where there is no trails for atv's, use that land if u dont want to see me on mine.

[Matt Breuer]

shack, great point about the confusion between legal and non-legal ATV hunters. I think a lot of people are assuming the pro-ATV people are taking birds FROM their ATV. I am completely against doing it illegally.

The ATV riders and road hunters are getting by pretty easy now days. What ever happened to the laws requiring you to turn off your vehicle, and be X amount of feet from it before discharging a firearm? Now all you have to do is step off or out of the vehicle. And the cased gun law.... don't even get me started!

As stated before, I prefer to walk behind my dogs, because that's what it's all about. However, as long as an ATV hunter is doing things legally and resepctfully, I think it's okay.

[SledNeck]

My gripe with people who hunt grouse from ATVs (not people who ride them to get to their walking spots)

1. Gives abled bodied hunters a horrible image to the non-hunting public. One reason we are thought of as loud, fat and lazy.

2. I Cant even safely walk half of the trails in the woods cause they are so rutted out and after a rain its downright dangerous.

3. I dont see the appeal. Why would someone not want the exercise and use their senses of sight and hearing to get grouse?

[crappiekiller77]

I will say that alot and I mean alot of the areas that I used to be able to drive my atv, are all now non-motorized areas. Just in the last 4-5 years alone, the scene has changed drastically. So to say that they need more non-motorized areas is a joke. We are evolving people, either change with it or be left in the dust, thats life. Survival of the fittest! I for one believe there is already to much land that has been turned off limits to atv's because of what some joker did during the spring or summer when the ground was soft. Dont punish the hunters using atv's for hunting, get after the num-skulls ripping the [PoorWordUsage] outta the trails in the summer. I guess my biggest gripe is thats fine if certain ppl dont want to use atv's on public lands, but some of us do, now why should my freedom be intrepted to accomdate theres? They dont have to walk down the trail that was busted by an atv if they dont want to see one, theres plenty and I mean plenty of areas of public land where there is no trails for atv's, use that land if u dont want to see me on mine.

We don't all hunt the same stretch of woods buddy, the areas I hunt could use some more non-motorized trails. Like another poster said the land that is non-motorized is not the most ideal grouse habitat and I would have to agree with that from what I have seen. I think there is probabaly a happy medium that could be reached.

[Dave S]

They should just ban ATV'S for grouse hunting or make more "walking only trails", I totally agree this. With that being said I have hunted off of an atv before and many of us have. I prefer to walk for the most part, I mean that's what it's all about. But when you hunt state land and you have these unethical idiots out there, you have to keep up with the jones' IMO and cover some ground. So many times I have parked my wheeler or truck at the head of a trail and some douche comes flying by as many of have said. So in turn this causes a disadvantage to the guy walking and puts pressure on you to follow suit so to speak. I hunt in the Nemadji state forest and the thing that ticks me off the most is dirt bikes up there. These morons rode them during deer rifle season (talk about dangerous!) a couple years ago until they were banned recently. State land is really a joke these days. Step it up DNR and make more non-wheeler trails or ban hunting from them.

Banning ATVs for grouse hunting isn't going to fix much. If someone has poor ethics on an ATV, they'll most certainly have poor ethics on their own 2 feet.

I've had several cases where I've been riding the designated Nemadji ATV trails only to encounter.......you guessed it, a grouse hunter with a springer having the time of his life 30 feet off the trail. Not that this is the case for the ATV complaints here, but if you don't want to encounter ATVs while grouse hunting, don't hunt designated ATV trails as it was in my situation.

[BobT]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned. You all are talking as though hunters are shooting from ATVs. Isn't that illegal? You can't be on an ATV with a loaded shotgun to my knowledge.

[Dave S]

Matt posted this a few posts back. But good point either way. Unless someone sees an ATV rider actually shoot from their machine or carrying an uncased/loaded gun on their ATV, then they should be calling the CO. How often have the calls been made?

shack, great point about the confusion between legal and non-legal ATV hunters. I think a lot of people are assuming the pro-ATV people are taking birds FROM their ATV. I am completely against doing it illegally.

The ATV riders and road hunters are getting by pretty easy now days. What ever happened to the laws requiring you to turn off your vehicle, and be X amount of feet from it before discharging a firearm? Now all you have to do is step off or out of the vehicle. And the cased gun law.... don't even get me started!

As stated before, I prefer to walk behind my dogs, because that's what it's all about. However, as long as an ATV hunter is doing things legally and resepctfully, I think it's okay.

[crappiekiller77]

Originally Posted By: crappiekiller77

They should just ban ATV'S for grouse hunting or make more "walking only trails", I totally agree this. With that being said I have hunted off of an atv before and many of us have. I prefer to walk for the most part, I mean that's what it's all about. But when you hunt state land and you have these unethical idiots out there, you have to keep up with the jones' IMO and cover some ground. So many times I have parked my wheeler or truck at the head of a trail and some douche comes flying by as many of have said. So in turn this causes a disadvantage to the guy walking and puts pressure on you to follow suit so to speak. I hunt in the Nemadji state forest and the thing that ticks me off the most is dirt bikes up there. These morons rode them during deer rifle season (talk about dangerous!) a couple years ago until they were banned recently. State land is really a joke these days. Step it up DNR and make more non-wheeler trails or ban hunting from them.

Banning ATVs for grouse hunting isn't going to fix much. If someone has poor ethics on an ATV, they'll most certainly have poor ethics on their own 2 feet.

I've had several cases where I've been riding the designated Nemadji ATV trails only to encounter.......you guessed it, a grouse hunter with a springer having the time of his life 30 feet off the trail. Not that this is the case for the ATV complaints here, but if you don't want to encounter ATVs while grouse hunting, don't hunt designated ATV trails as it was in my situation.

Whatever, no matter what someone is going to have something to say. Unethical ATV or truck hunters are much worse than a guy walking anyday. Hate that when I am walking in the quiet and all of a sudden a loud fourwheeler passes by, makes me feel like I should turn around and quit the trail.

[BucksnDucks]

Common sense tells us yes!! Correct

[uplander]

Maybe if we argued less and hunted more ....we would all be happier.LOL..Just tryin to lighten the mood. Haeading North of Deer Rinver Sunday and Monday...try to avoid running me over..Have fun however you do it!!!!!!

[mixxedbagg]

mixxedbagg, I love how you clump all of the ATV riders into the "redneck" cluster. Have you read your own posts?

Not so. Just able-bodied folks using their ATVs as grouse-taking tools. I never said I was antiATV--they have their uses--I just that rolling around blasting grouse from trails is not hunting. It might be legal, but so are a lot of other tacky activities one could engage in.

And it's pretty darn easy to tell who is using a wheeler to get to another place to walk and who is just driving around really slowly looking for birds to pop. (It's been a long time since I saw an ATV just parked at a trailhead while the owner was off walking for birds.) I guess that's OK if it's more important to fill out on meat than it is to actually hunt, but I'm amazed the regs have gone the wrong direction on this regarding uncased guns on wheelers.

By the way, safety-wise, I'll take my chances with a guy (or gal) on foot who has been continuously assessing the situation and able to listen for people, buildings, vehicles, etc than someone who just rolled up on an ATV with an uncased gun and hasn't had much time to look or listen for for this stuff and shoots because they found a hapless bird. People "hunting" from ATVs undoubtedly pose a greater risk to other hunters.

Also, I am amazed that the antihunting crowd hasn't run with the material the road hunters and ATV "hunters" give them. If I were with PETA, I'd stage a poster of a big slob with an "All God's Creatures" T-shirt (some of you have seen it...dumb) on a 4-wheeler with a cracked open shotgun on the side and a grouse bungeed to the front with the words, "Mighty Hunter" across the top. I feel like I see that guy in the woods every weekend. I can definitely look like a hick out there at times, but I guess I'd rather be lumped in with the LL Bean guys if that were the alternative.

[Coach]

If everyone, not just people on ATV's would turn around when they see another hunter and do not pass them, this would take care of a good chunk of the issues we are having here. I am a hunter that does not have a ATV or a dog, when I come to a trail and a truck is there, you go somewhere else. I would not walk by another hunter, a ATV should not pass one either.

[mixxedbagg]

Good luck getting that to happen. ATVers almost always pass the walker and keep looking for birds ahead. At that point, unless the trail has a few forks or the woods are walkable, it's time for the walker to hike out and find another trailhead.

[grousehunter]

I think this is more of an ethical hunter vesus unethical hunter discussion than ATV versus walking. I have had people walking as well as ATV's head down the same trail I am on. I like to work the cover a lot whenever my dog gets birdy or habitat transition areas and by working it slower like this you will have other walkers catch up to you as well. I think people should resepct that another hunter is already in that area and find another trail. There are plenty of great areas when hunting in Northern MN and no shortage of public land. I have driven to and turned around plenty of times when someone else was already hunting one of my favorite areas.

I have no problem with ATV's if they are using them to get to areas to hunt or cruising a trail until they see a nice swamp edge or area that looks grousy to actually walk in. I have never hunted from an ATV, but I think that they could be quite usefull in those situations. I am sure plenty of the people you see out riding there atv's may just be out for a ride and bring the gun alone just in case. If the ATV rider is just cruising the trail until he sees a grouse and jumps off to ground pound them, than I do have a problem with that. Not only is it illegal, but it really can not be all that rewarding or enjoyable. Of course ground pounding is another great debate in the world of grouse hunting. I use to do it when I first started, but chose not to now since I do not get near the enjoyment from it as having my dog flush the bird and for me to shoot it on wing.

Either way we just need to respect eachother. There is plenty of habitat to give people there space until they are done hunting a certain area. Everyone will always have their own way of enjoying the hunt and long as its within the law and mixed with a good dose of respect for our fellow hunters there shouldn't be any problems while we are all out enjoying our time in the woods.

[Matt Breuer]

If the ATV rider is just cruising the trail until he sees a grouse and jumps off to ground pound them, than I do have a problem with that. Not only is it illegal, but it really can not be all that rewarding or enjoyable.

It is legal, and some people find it enjoyable.

[SledNeck]

Dont forget how hard it is to walk and carry a case of beer as opposed to riding an ATV

[Archerysniper]

This is kinda grouse hunting related but last year me and my dad were drawn for the MN moose hunt we were hunting state land by tofte and I had scouted for 3 weekends before season and found a area with lot of bull sign and actually had a bull at 30 feet the weekend before season so 4 days before season we go and set up camp 1.5 miles off the road were the trail narrows down 2 trucks a tent and all our gear and we would be in camp and the grouse hunters would just walk throgh we would stop and talk to them and tell them we were moose hunting and we would like it if they would not go any farther be would not stop them and everyone of them just continued down the trail. I know if I went down a trail and found a truck I would turn around but that must be old school now days

[Matt Breuer]

Dont forget how hard it is to walk and carry a case of beer as opposed to riding an ATV

Touche'

[Chef]

Wow, I need a Drink...

[fishuhalik]

I think the big difference in this debate is how you view grouse hunting. For some it's a passion, a time they look forward to all winter/spring/summer. For others, it's a tasty bird that they can kill while they're out having a good time riding on their wheeler. Myself, I'm in the second group. I like cruising around just as much as shooting the birds. In the fall i usually keep a shotgun in the scabbord and some #6s in my pocket, and if a grouse walks in front of me or I see one standing on a log next to the trail, I'll get him however I can and I'll really enjoy eating it that night. I'm sorry if I don't have the respect that some of you have for grouse, I feel the same way that you do, except my passoin is waterfowl.

One other thing that I should mention is ethics. If I'm out riding my wheeler and see a truck at a trailhead, I'll just go to the next one. I always just thought that was common decency, knowing that some people do love grouse hunting more than any other kind of hunting.

[Snag]

The moose comparison isn't the same. Now if they came through on their ATV's you would have a gripe

"A good walk spoiled" from Twain would also work when getting passed by another grouse hunter on an ATV when you are walking a trail.

[Wobbler]

This ATV debate is funny and does not make any sense to me. I really like the purists who say using a motorized vehicle (ATV) does not make it hunting because you should be "hunting with your own 2 feet". Let me throw this own out there and tell me if it is a comparison. Fishing is not really fishing becasue our ancestors did not use motorboats! Fishing from a motorized boat is equal to fishing from shore or with a row boat? It is unfair chase according to those on here who say using an ATV (motorized) is not "hunting" if i can't get to the fish but a motor boat can? It is lazy that I can drive my motor boat anywhere but the shore fisherman can't? Nobody is crying about polluting our lakes with all the gas, oil, or noise from motor boats yet that is the argument I see here in the comments for hunting. There are plenty of trails designated for walkers and for those who use ATV's. Dennis Anderson I feel really did not think about this article all that much. To me fishing with his argument should be held to the same standard too. Funny I did not even mention electronics and Vexilars which really increases your chances of harvesting fish.

[Chef]

Gee, if you could only shoot all those fish down there with a SHOTGUN at close range.

Sorry, your analogy doesn't hold water

[Northdrifter08]

Sounds like we've all had our bad experiences with the unethical hunter... both on an ATV and off....

.... If an ethical hunter walks or drives upon another ethical hunter either walking or driving, the situation will turnout out fine for both.. Now if only one is unethical, here lies the problem... now if both are unethical... Here lies even a bigger problem...

I was educated by my dad on ethical hunting and then went through a "Gun Safety" course... Thus I can see unethical behaviour among hunters, where others cannot, typically people who havent been educated on gun safety and hunter ethics...

What I'm trying to say is a lot of the people who abuse the laws are not taught proper "hunting ethics".. which needs to start young.... this is for both the walker and rider...

Courses should be mandatory to get a hunting license....period...

[Bear55]

I think the big difference in this debate is how you view grouse hunting. For some it's a passion, a time they look forward to all winter/spring/summer. For others, it's a tasty bird that they can kill while they're out having a good time riding on their wheeler. Myself, I'm in the second group. I like cruising around just as much as shooting the birds. In the fall i usually keep a shotgun in the scabbord and some #6s in my pocket, and if a grouse walks in front of me or I see one standing on a log next to the trail, I'll get him however I can and I'll really enjoy eating it that night. I'm sorry if I don't have the respect that some of you have for grouse, I feel the same way that you do, except my passoin is waterfowl.

One other thing that I should mention is ethics. If I'm out riding my wheeler and see a truck at a trailhead, I'll just go to the next one. I always just thought that was common decency, knowing that some people do love grouse hunting more than any other kind of hunting.

I agree fishuhalik, like all things fishing and hunting there is any easy way and a hard way to do things. Guys hunting on foot vs ATV's, rifle hunters vs muzzeloaders vs bow hunters vs traditional bow hunters. I could go on and on. Most often if you put in more work you will have better luck and actually enjoy your success even more than someone taking the easy road.

With that said we all have different goals and passions when it comes to the outdoors. Sometimes I hunt or fish the easy way, other times I take the hard route, it usually depends how much I love what I am doing or how much time I have. We are all different and we have to learn to live and adapt to other ways of hunting that might not suite us. I have learned the less I worry about everyone else the happier I am in the woods.

I am one of the ATV hunters, but mostly I am out joy riding/ exploring, and maybe doing a little scouting for deer season, if I get a grouse or two its a bonus.

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