WHat do you think about wheelers with irresponible owners?

[Master Guide]

Just like every year before, (Contact US Regarding This Word) wheelers are all over with stupid owners who dont give a dump about locale people hunting their local woods. Too many times I see them ridin the back country trails with gus out and loaded. Last year, I was bow hunting ona trail, along comes three of these jerks, with guns out, and beers in hand. YES, BEER IN HANDS!

They saw me sittin on the trail, but ignored me and even stopped to talk to each other about where to go next. I told them where they should go, but me being a dumb po' northern MN boy, they did not give a dump. I have also, a ton of people that know where I hunt, see my wheeler hidden off the trail, but just keep on a truckin. I am a owner and operator of my own wheeler, but like to keep my rules my top priority when I ride. I NEVER ride where there are other people hunting, and when I see another hunter, or even a hiker or biker, I turn around. You ever have a wheeler run right past you on a small trail, especially on your way in? I have too many times. I really dont want to get the game warden involved, but I may have to. I know a few of these guys, and they are from the out of town area if you know what I mean, and sad to say, some are right next door that live here. Kinda tough to support the cause of keeping these vehicles legal to use off road when too many just dont care!!!!!!!!!!

Man, that felt good to vent.

Dan

[shae1986]

I have to agree with you, I also own a wheeler but sometimes i wish no one did. When i am sitting in the bow stand and they drive right by with coolers hooked on back. But, you can also look at there are a lot of law abiding atv owners out there too. I live in a small town, 600 people, the sherrifs wont always let me drive my atv up to the gas station to fill gas. Sometimes i just don't understand, there should be some common sence involved. Going back to the "unethical" atv riders, they are hurting our chances on legalizing atv and gettin some of those well needed trails.

[Riverratpete]

Don't even get me started on ^%$#* 4 wheeler cowboys. If I had my way they would be BANNED during all of hunting season except very select times ie deer hunting hours....oh yeah, except they don't follow them rules either as it is. I'd love to get one but don't want to get painted with the same brush. I'm sure there are law abiding non-cowboy 4 wheel operators...just haven't seen any.

[CaptainMusky]

There are far more responsible riders out there than irresponsible ones. The problem is, no one notices them as it is just expected that people act a certain way, but all the rednecks out there get recognized as most people are appalled by their behavior. The ONLY way to get rid of this problem is by enforcement. They need to have more people enforcing the laws and people need to police themselves. If you saw these people riding around with guns out of cases while drinking, write down their license and turn them in! A nice citation will have them thinking twice the next time. Word gets out and people will soon realize it isn't worth it. If you have a chance to do something about it, do it! Otherwise don't complain that nothing is done because CO and Sheriff's can't be everywhere. My $.02.

[Kodiak]

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Last year, I was bow hunting ona trail

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i dont want to start a riot but dont hunt along trails that atv's can drive on, that would be a easy and quick solution.

Both your stories involve you hunting on a atv trail??

[shae1986]

no i dont hunt on an atv trail, its a clear cut path made specifically for the deer. There is no atv trail, and it is on private land, i told the landowner and he is working with the CO and Sheriffs with the problem.

[subzero]

I think the same about irresponsible wheeling as I do about irresponsible driving of any motor vehicle or boat. For that matter irresponsible hunting , fishing and anything else that can be titled. The few are noticed and the majority the are following the rules and laws get to suffer for the few.

[Riverratpete]

IMO your right, everyone notices the yahoos NOT following the rules, thats the way it goes. The problem is also the ATV'rs or the bad ones at least think they can go anywhere they like because they can...seen them place plywood across cattails to bridge a swamp where there was NO trail..took pics, turned into the local CO. The sorry fact is unless the ATV'r don't control their monkeys the lawful users will be the one to suffer. I now hunt as far away as possible from any atv trail, yeah it's a little more work and I'm a little more tired but at least I don't have to deal with the aggravation and noise.

[Kodiak]

wow, it is on someone else's private land?? do the other guys on the atv's have permission to hunt it also or are they trespassing?

[lawdog]

Blaming the four wheeler for your problem is really no different than Chuckie Schumer and Diane Feinstein blaming guns for crime.

Is that the kind of logic you really want to emulate???

[captkev]

A couple of weeks back I started a topic in the ATV fourm here "DO YOUR PART"..... I will be doing my part all this fall and don't care what people think. Alot of people are down on Cell phones and think they have no place in the woods, Lucky for me my phone is a camera as well, and it has provided me with some great spur of the moment snap shots. I was hunting neer Spider lake opening weekend and came up on Two guys watching two other guys ripping the dump out of a small wetland. I once saw this same area as a kid hold a few wood ducks, not any more, they had that piece looking like a demolition derby arena. I mentioned that there were no signs stateing the area was for off road use, and they just played DUMB! "oh its not" As I stated before in the other post, I hope to see more of these type of riders this fall, I've got the number for the local CO on my speed dial too. I'll be takeing photos for evidence too. As for the safe ATV users out there, I give you two thumbs up and thanks for being thoughtfull. But please do your part as well if you would like to keep trails open for your enjoyment, if you see people doing what they shouldn't be turn them in get a lic number and better yet photos. I think its the same type of ridders that keep wrecking it for others and they are just going to ride down the trail and wreck somewhwere else if you just tell them they are in the wrong area. I'd leave it up to enforcement to make the call on weather or not they get a fine.

[CaptainMusky]

AMEN!

In my opinion, people have no right to gripe if they do nothing about it. If I ever see someone doing the things that are mentioned here, I will be sure to let the proper authorities know. If we don't, the ATV in general gets the blame, but we all know what is really causing the problem!

[Powerstroke]

I totally agree with captKev. More than once I've seen guys tearing up trails or doing illegal things and I've jokingly asked to take their picture. Next thing you know you're turning them in to the CO or osmeone else.

[Master Guide]

Do nothing about it? The more of us that complain, the more we shoot ourselves in the foot, that is why I chose to confront them and not turn into a narc, sorta speak. We can talk this talk about policing ourselves all we want, but it will do no good. Only the authorities can do anything, and the more we turn ourselves in, the more it hurts us, kinda a catch 22. The idea of a camera phone? I like that. Next time, I will take a picture, and show them, do a little threatening, and see what happens. Or maybe a trail spike strip? It would be cheaper than losing a wheeler due to illeagal hunting right? No, I wont inflict damage, but it sure would feel good.

I saw up a few posts about rednecks doing the damage. I take great offense to that, cause I am one, and almost all the people I know that ride, minus a select few, are THE LAW ABIDING ones. The people I am talking about for the most part, are from the cities on their weekend get away, and feel they can do whatever they wamt, afterall.........it is their time off. (I actually had a guy say that who was from andover). I hunt on a trail, it is not an ATV trail, it is a logging road. Atv's use it regualarily, and I do not mind. It is legal, and I do the same, it is the people that are blatenely breaking the law, or using improper morals that I am talking about. I actually like to see people walking or riding an occasional trail, as it will cause the deer to move. But when you see someone in front of you walking a trail with a gun, it means turn the heck around and go somewhere else.

I cannot beleive some of you condone this behavior.

Stay outta the woods, unless you want to act accordingly.

I hope this clears it up a little better for some of you.

[captkev]

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that is why I chose to confront them and not turn into a narc, sorta speak. We can talk this

talk

about policing ourselves all we want, but it will do no good. Only the authorities can do anything, and the more we turn ourselves in, the more it hurts us, kinda a catch 22.

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Call me a narc, snitch, squeler or what ever you wish to call me, but I've found from experiance that if you confront them about their wrong doing, they just move down the trail and do it elsewhere. The only way to stop this sort of talk is to call a CO and let them know Who, What, When, and Where. then maybe after paying to restore the property back again they might think twice next time they go around destroying public, state or private property. Did you know destroying wetlands is illegal even on private property? Not all ATV users do this sort of thing, most are more in tune with the do's and dont's than I am. So I will keep on being a narc if that is what it takes to make it stop.

I can remember when 3 wheelers first came to the big woods where I hunted as a kid, I stood there on the edge of a hill thinking, what in the heck is that sound...? Some kind of new chain saw perhaps...? No...? maybe its one of those low flying one man plane glider thingies...?...? No...? What the...? there is someone on a motor trike with fat tires... and he has his deer on it... Over the hill and threw the brush where nothing with wheels has ever gone before... I stood there about 12 maybe 13 years old thinking thats got to be the lazziest hunter I've ever seen! To this day when I'm standing on a hill deer hunting or fallowing the edge of a remote swamp looking for Grouse and Doodles, I first wonder when the last person was there and if they were thinking the same thing. Could have it been Indians...? or maybe one of the first fur traders...? then you walk another 50 yards and someone has constructed their own personal ATV high way right up to the steps on a deer stand. What a waste, all of this land to hunt, fish, trap, hike, pick wild berrys, and enjoy... Oh and lets not forget, to rip the dump out of and destroy.

just my .02

The Snitch

[Neiko]

Captain Musky, I agree with you. If someone is ruining it for the rest of us it is not your job to try to correct these people even though it would be nice if that is all it took these days. If someone tries to correct these individuals they will just move on to a new spot and continue what they were doing. If you report them to the CO they get "educated" like they say in the CO reports and will improve the trails for everyone. By not reporting it you are letting them get away with it. It is not your job to educate them. Let Law Enforcement do that. That is all we need is the Star Diaper printing pictures of what one guy does but spinning it to make it sound like all of us riders are doing it.