JoseCuervo
New member
I am now convinced the "education" idea does not work for ATV riders. Only Enforcement and MORE Laws will work.
I know there are some that argue only 1% of the ATV riders give the rest a bad name, but I think that is WAYYYYYYYYYYYY underestimating.
If you read the Bear section, you will see that I have been involved with setting up about 4 bait sites this year with Moosie. We went as far as to cross rivers with a paddle boat, to make sure we could get a place that would be undisturbed. (These are all on Public Lands.)
Well, the last site I set up did not require a river crossing. I wanted a site that had foot access, so I could take my daughters in hunting.
I set it up on a Friday night, down an old logging road, in a closed to ATV area, with a bermed over road, intending to keep traffic off this road. When I set it up, I was busting thru snow drifts, and I was obviously the first one in this spring.
The next Tuesday, Moosie and I played hooky from work, and went and did a bit of food hauling. On the road in, we stopped by some Ford PU that was changing a flat tire, to see if he needed help. The guy had an ATV in the back, and a 55 gallon drum. (Obviously a bear baiters). He said he was fine, and we went on up the mountain. A bit later, when we parked and began to get ready, the guy drove past us, and it was obvious we were getting ready to haul bait in. He must have found another spot, and we went on our business.
Two days later when I went in, I found ATV tracks up the closed trail, and the back trail indicated from the direction I last saw the guy with a flat tire. He made it 1/2 way in, before snow was too deep. This Fat Assed ATV Rider is an idiot for a number of reasons: 1) going in the area of another's bait site, after the others had offered road-side assistance
, riding on a closed trail, and tearing up the new green, and finally, for not being willing to walk in a few yards, to see where our bait was.
Encounter number Two.
Friday night, I took my daughters (7, 10 ) into the bait site, and as we snuck in, we spooked a bear off the bait. We refreshed the bait, and settled into watch, but nothing came in. The trail timer said another one returned an hour after we left.
On Sunday night, I took my oldest daughter in, and we got to the bait site about 4pm. As we pulled to the parking spot, there were 3 ATVs and a motor cycle there. I asked them if they had been back there, and the guy on the bike said he went on another trail, but only about 100 yards. The guy on the ATV just wouldn't answer. I asked, only because I saw no reason to go sit in there for 6 hours with my daughter, if ther bears had been spooked away.
Sure enough, the ATV tracks went down the trail, past some logs that I had drug onto the trail, and past the bait. Since we were already in, my daughter and I stayed in, we read books, played tic tac toe, and enjoyed a pleasant evening. I pulled the film out of the trail camera, and after developing it today, it shows 3 bears are hitting the site, including two during daylight.
Who is to know if the ATVs were the reason nothing came in that time, but my guess is they are the cause. Again, another Fat Assed ATV Rider with his head up his ______ who can't follow the laws, and ends up affecting somebody elses' enjoyment of the woods.
Based on the amount of time I have been in there, and the number of other rigs I have seen, my guess is that fewer than 10 ATVs have even been on the main road (still has snow drifts), and 2 of them violated the law on my trail. That seems like 20% of the ATV riders are idiots. Education does not work, only enforcement.
I know there are some that argue only 1% of the ATV riders give the rest a bad name, but I think that is WAYYYYYYYYYYYY underestimating.
If you read the Bear section, you will see that I have been involved with setting up about 4 bait sites this year with Moosie. We went as far as to cross rivers with a paddle boat, to make sure we could get a place that would be undisturbed. (These are all on Public Lands.)
Well, the last site I set up did not require a river crossing. I wanted a site that had foot access, so I could take my daughters in hunting.
I set it up on a Friday night, down an old logging road, in a closed to ATV area, with a bermed over road, intending to keep traffic off this road. When I set it up, I was busting thru snow drifts, and I was obviously the first one in this spring.
The next Tuesday, Moosie and I played hooky from work, and went and did a bit of food hauling. On the road in, we stopped by some Ford PU that was changing a flat tire, to see if he needed help. The guy had an ATV in the back, and a 55 gallon drum. (Obviously a bear baiters). He said he was fine, and we went on up the mountain. A bit later, when we parked and began to get ready, the guy drove past us, and it was obvious we were getting ready to haul bait in. He must have found another spot, and we went on our business.
Two days later when I went in, I found ATV tracks up the closed trail, and the back trail indicated from the direction I last saw the guy with a flat tire. He made it 1/2 way in, before snow was too deep. This Fat Assed ATV Rider is an idiot for a number of reasons: 1) going in the area of another's bait site, after the others had offered road-side assistance
Encounter number Two.
Friday night, I took my daughters (7, 10 ) into the bait site, and as we snuck in, we spooked a bear off the bait. We refreshed the bait, and settled into watch, but nothing came in. The trail timer said another one returned an hour after we left.
On Sunday night, I took my oldest daughter in, and we got to the bait site about 4pm. As we pulled to the parking spot, there were 3 ATVs and a motor cycle there. I asked them if they had been back there, and the guy on the bike said he went on another trail, but only about 100 yards. The guy on the ATV just wouldn't answer. I asked, only because I saw no reason to go sit in there for 6 hours with my daughter, if ther bears had been spooked away.
Sure enough, the ATV tracks went down the trail, past some logs that I had drug onto the trail, and past the bait. Since we were already in, my daughter and I stayed in, we read books, played tic tac toe, and enjoyed a pleasant evening. I pulled the film out of the trail camera, and after developing it today, it shows 3 bears are hitting the site, including two during daylight.
Who is to know if the ATVs were the reason nothing came in that time, but my guess is they are the cause. Again, another Fat Assed ATV Rider with his head up his ______ who can't follow the laws, and ends up affecting somebody elses' enjoyment of the woods.
Based on the amount of time I have been in there, and the number of other rigs I have seen, my guess is that fewer than 10 ATVs have even been on the main road (still has snow drifts), and 2 of them violated the law on my trail. That seems like 20% of the ATV riders are idiots. Education does not work, only enforcement.
