Riding Restrictions During Hunting Season

[Dave]

Are the current riding restrictions during firearm deer season enough? Tell us what you think would be fair to hunters who use ATVs. The current regulations, which are ride before or after legal shooting hours and from 11am-2pm is adequate to me.

[RePete]

Seems fair to me. Where I'm located there were a few recreational riders running the trails. Surprised me that they'd be out during rifle season....kinda inconsiderate IMO.

[CHOPPERTHEDOG]

Seems OK to me. I don't hunt deer and I don't rde during deer season. Last weekend a friend called and asked if I wanted to go riding, I explained it was deer hunting season and would be inconsiderate/insane to go out in the woods. He said he had forgot all about it and agreed to go the weekend after Thanksgiving.

[metrojoe]

Dave,

I’d like to see the same courtesy of limited riding during prime shooting hours of the firearm season extended to other hunters also.

Pete,

If they are riding during prime shooting hours, then yes that is inconsiderate, it’s also illegal. I believe they also have to have a valid deer license to even ride during firearm season.

[GrouseHunt'R]

Well I can fully understand the need for restricted use hours in lands and locations where there are many hunters and the rights of the majority need to be protected.

My situation is a little different.

I hunt 400+ acres of land and there are no other hunters in "our" area. This land is made up of some private unposted (we have permission to hunt it) and the remainder is owned by the mining company and again it is unposted. This is where I have a problem with the restricted use hours. If I can only hunt certain hours during the day why does the DNR have the ability to tell me when I can and when I can not drive to or from my stand. If I am the only person in a 400+ acre area then what does it matter? I'll be honest, we don't obey this rule at all right now. If I don't get out into the woods until 7:30am because we had a long day of hunting the day before and I felt like sleeping in, then so be it. I am still going to get on my ATV and drive the 3 miles back to my deer stand at this point. If we do a couple of drives over lunch, shoot a couple of deer and decide at 2:30 that we are done hunting for the day I'm going to drive my ATV back to my truck and load it up and head home. This leads to another point, it is perfectly legal for me to drive my truck with my ATV loaded in it back into the woods on these same trails during these hours, but I can't drive my ATV?

I see some major flaws in these restricted use hours. Let's look at a couple of examples:

#1

You are firearms hunting alone on a parcel of land, you drive your ATV into the woods say 3 miles and get to your stand one half hour before legal shooting time. Outside temp at this time is near 0 degrees. At 7am a nice 10pt buck walks by your stand and you take him at 60yds. By 7:45am you have the buck gutted and tagged. Your day and your season are over for you (you don't want to buy another doe tag because you don't need the meat). What are you to do? Go back and sit in the stand until 11am in the freezing cold for nothing? Walk around the woods until 11am?

#2

Similar situtaion to example #1, but the outside temp is in the 60s in the morning and expected to reach 73 degrees during the day. You have your buck gutted and tagged by 7:45am. Again what are you to do? Wait over 3 hours to leave and head back to your truck and risk the deer starting to rot in the warm temps?

#3

What about being on stand and a sudden change of weather hits? Rain, bizzard, etc, etc?

My point in this is there are so many variables that my cause someone to break this law in order to do most ethical thing, I just wonder how often the rule is enforced and in what locations and situations.

[dogsNroosters]

Metrojoe,

It is inconsiderate to ride during the season, but you are a little backwards on your second point, I think. If you have a firearms deer license , then you are subject to the restrictions. You are not restricted if you do not have a firearms deer license. An example is a landowner or non-hunter may ride at any time (chores, checking the property, collecting firewood, or just recreation). If you do not have a license you may ride at any time. May not be sane or considerate...

[metrojoe]

Thanks for correcting me. I went and looked up the regs and it does state that you have to observe the riding restriction only if you have a valid deer license.

This just goes to show why I keep multiple copies of the regs in various places.

[RePete]

Personally I think the law is to keep people from chasing deer during all hours, opposed to keeping you in your stand when your done hunting, or dragging your kill back to the shack to keep it fresh.

If you got tagged for some common sense practice then you better think of moving to Canada...lol

Good Points!

[GrouseHunt'R]

I can prove time and time again that deer won't move because of the sound of an ATV. So if this is the real reason for the law then I really will disagree with it, besides you can't shoot them from your ATV anyhow.

I have watched deer while in my stand and someone in my party drives right by on the trail and the deer doesn't even look up. Deer don't seem to care much about the sound of an ATV, they don't see it as a much of a threat, especially if the machine doesn't stop near them.

[dogsNroosters]

I'll second that they don't mind the noise, as long as they don't percieve it as a threat. I have had some of my closest encounters with deer while having a running chainsaw in my hand. Maybe I'll have to give up all of the scentfree, noise ruducing gadgets that you just have to have to get a deer and bring my chain saw in to the stand. A second note, and I am not condoning riding during restricted hours, but in hot weather when deer don't want to move during the heat of the day, like this past season. Having people moving around in the woods and fields on the perifery (sp?) of your hunting area might not be a bad thing.

[30 inch eyes]

because I have the all season license, if I read the law correctly, if we had enuogh ice before dec. 16, I couldn't even take me atv on the lake. except before shooting hours or between 11-2pm or after shooting hours(due to muzzleloader season) I think that part of the law needs work otherwise it's not too bad,just needs a little tweaking

[KidWalleye]

I might be wrong but I think it says in possession. I thought I read that. If it weren't for an atv my brother-in-law might not have gotten his deer. It actually stopped and looked at 2 atv riders on the road and gave him a perfect broad side shot. It was his first deer. 8 freeking pointer. I also got my first deer in the same spot the next day. Whether atv's are affecting hunting or not, both of our freezers are full.

[BUSHWAC]

I have no problem with the restricted hours; I do however wish they were revised from 10:00-1:00.

I hunt in an area that contains many legitimate designated ATV trails and in no way do I find it inconsiderate for the recreational rider to be out riding. Outdoor recreation is all about multi use and we need to make room for everyone’s hobby not fight amongst ourselves as to lead to further restrictions.

Grousehunter- When you come out at 7:30 driving your ATV how do you know that your not driving by someone hunting on the non posted mining land? Are you a psychic or something? Total disregard for the ATV regulations?? Fine example for all the other hunters out there who abide by the laws!!

[GrouseHunt'R]

I know no one is there because there is only one way into the land and no one ever hunts this land, never have and never will as long as we hunt it. 65 years since my Grandpa first put his stake in this land and our two families have been hunting this land ever since, it might as well be, and is by most, considered private land.

[Surface Tension]

The restricted hours have been in place long before the popularity boom of ATVs. We need the hour restriction now more then ever. In 30 years of Deer hunting I've seen only two violations, one was a snowmobile and the other was an ATV. Thats pretty good compliance I think. The guy that uses the privilege to drive 3 miles in, drops a deer and hour later and now must wait till 11 AM has created his own situation. Plain and simple, if you drive it in you've made the commitment to stay till 11 AM. Plan ahead and adjust you hunt to stay within the law. The laws aren't stupid but poor planing is. Personally I walk in and leave the wheeler in the truck. This leaves me the option to come and go as I please.

I have a hard time with the statement.

" never have and never will as long as we hunt it. 65 years since my Grandpa first put his stake in this land and our two families have been hunting this land ever since, it might as well be, and is by most, considered private land."

I see how you can feel the laws don't apply to you.