Enough with the quads already!

[Bullnuts]

I have nothing against ATVs in general - I think they're a great tool for recovering game. But there are a lot of guys zipping around in my area right now, driving on closed forest roads and making their own roads through the woods so that they can sit on their butts and call from every available ridge. It's driving me nuts hearing those things motoring into places that I know are closed and that took me an hour to get into on foot. Grrr!

[LarryBud]

I hear ya.

I have some BLM land on my hit list for next week. I'm afraid it will be over run with quads.

I spoke the the folks at the BKM office in Kremmling and they assured me that they must stay on proper trails but we all know how that story goes.

[POk3s]

I hate 'em more and more every year. Only thing you can do is catch up to those guys and make them feel uncomfortable. The fine really won't be all that much, but if they know they're being watched it's amazing how people change!

[mtnmutt]

Don't want to cause you trouble, but I might be inclined to take a picture of their registration and make sure they see me do it. Perhaps that will help them discover ethics.

I don't care for motorized use, however I respect their right to use designated trails lawfully. I have encountered more respectful users in summer when they are adult drivers. The otv clubs here appear to try you educate their members. Unfortunately, there are bad apples in every barrel.

[Wapitibob]

I just loaded my quad in the trailer for my hunt.

ATV's have no business off any road, unless in an OHV area that allows it. Recovering game is no reason to go off road with one in my opinion.

[Bullnuts]

Don't want to cause you trouble, but I might be inclined to take a picture of their registration and make sure they see me do it. Perhaps that will help them discover ethics.

I did this a couple years ago. I caught a couple guys who had driven in on a closed road and found their quads. I could hear them cow calling so I'm pretty sure they saw me taking photos of the quads, registration numbers, and my GPS cords in front of the quads. They never came out of the woods, so I dropped the info off at the forest office on the way home. The enforcement guy said that he got in touch with both drivers (both from out of state) and they admitted to driving in. He sent them tickets for $800 each, plus something more for one guy who didn't have an OHV registration sticker.

The thing is, I would have just told those guys to get the quads out of the woods if they had come out to talk and if they didn't know the regs I would have been happy to educate them.

The forest service is understaffed for enforcement and I haven't seen a game warden all season. It would be nice if those guys would come out and visit camps and do the education part occasionally, but I know how stretched they are for people and they probably have bigger fish to fry anyway.

[mtnmutt]

Bullnuts, good for you.

I agree that it is sometimes a lack of education. I have reread the big game regs over and over again for years and I am still finding things that I missed.

I believe in giving people the benefit of doubt the first time. After all, I make mistakes too.

A few years ago, the forest service changed their motorized trail destination. The old policy was if the trail marker was marked for non motorized use (slash thru motorized symbols) then no motorized traffic, otherwise motorized use was ok. Motorized users were pulling up the trail markers so they could claim the trail was for motorized use. The new policy is that the trail marker must explicitly indicate motorized use is ok (no slash thru motorized symbol).

[Bullnuts]

One trail in particular has been closed to all motor traffic for the past 3 years. The forest service actually went as far as to build a big log fence at the trail head, along with a berm and a sign. The ATV army this year has been blowing right past all of that, and some have even gone so far as to make their own supplemental trails to the mid point on the main trail so that they can by-pass the fence and signs. I guess it makes their conscious feel better if they can say they didn't see any of that stuff, but the rules in my area are pretty explicit on off-trail use. It just irks me to have guys like that around. Mtnmutt - by the way, why aren't you hunting???

[mtnmutt]

Dang that is pretty bad. I would start taking pictures of them.

5 years ago, the FS came in and used heavy equipment to get a trail blocked off that atvs ruined. It was suppose to be a hiking trail only. 1st yr, dirt bikes tried to keep using it. Now it looks like no one has attempted to use it which is sweet because it can be a honey hole.

I don't have enough vacation time to take all of September off. Long weekends now for the next 3 weeks. Heading up Wednesday evening for only 3 days of hunting. Maybe a 2 day deer hunt the following weekend. Last weekend of season, I may get 5 days of hunting.

[pointysticks]

they are off roading? damn.

i find a weird peace when i am top of a mountain that is unreachable by quads. i love watching them buzz around below me like fools.

my first and only elk..we took above a freaking parade of those things. up high, the elk were at peace. down low, non-existent. i would love to know how many elk were taken by a bowhunter off the back of a quad. the number cant be that high.

[Lefty]

I own and ride an ATV a lot,.. but it never comes along on an archery hunt.
Ive had some great oppurtunities ruined by ATVs.

Where we hunt an ATV means duck and hide or run to the elk.
Saturday I was a mile plus from camp, For 10 minutes I could hear an ATV coming down the road,.. I just dont get it why guys consider using an ATV to hunt/glass for elk

[Vanish]

Bullnuts, I had almost the same exact situation last year. Some guys from OOS (not that it makes a difference) had cut a trail right around a gate up into a roadless area I would occasionally hunt. I put logs over the trail each night, and each morning they would move them out of the way again and drive their ATVs up. I wanted to talk to them, or take pics or something, but I was also concerned about my camp being just a 1/4 mile up the road and having them mess with it while we were out hunting.

[ishy]

We've approached these types multiple times and have yet to have one admit to knowing the rules, even when they drive right by signs. We might have to start doing the picture thing.