Hunters with ATVs cause thousands of dollars of damage to alpine tundra trail

[Gr8bawana]

What I find disturbing is that every time the subject of atv's come up pretty much everybody that uses one claims they follow the rules all the time.
I know it's just not so as shown by the pic from AK.

 

[Wyohunt]

I absolutely hate atv’s and have had nothing but bad experiences with them. Found a homemade trail and camp chainsawed into a forest in one of my elk areas. Reported to FS and they sent two agents in on horseback and caught them. Fined them thousands of dollars. Hahahahaha These people have an entitlement problem. over The years my hunt spots have become more and more remote so I don’t have issues with them anymore But the sour taste remains.

 

[diamond hitch]

In a couple of my spots the Atvs have knocked the FS bridges off the abutments making them dangerous to cross. Some of the wetlands are so deep I don't feel safe to get a horse into it and have establish a bypass to get stock and foot traffic past that point.

I don't have have a problem with ATVs until the turn the trails into a dirt and mud event. The damage is done in the summer and the rest of us have to live with it under adverse conditions.

 

[Anschutz]

I saw that when I went up there. I'm new to the area and didn't want to go up that anyways. No winching points, deep ruts, and no evidence of a legal trail. What got me is, on the other side of the road, someone put up posted signs on a side trail. I ignored that as ONX showed it as BLM. Dude came roaring up the trail with his kid saying it was private. We had a small argument and he assured me it was private. Worst of all was he's teaching his kid that it's okay to post public land just because you're camping in a basin.

 

[Gr8bawana]

This is a pic of an atv trail that runs along the base of the hills in one of our favorite chukar and quail areas in so. NV.
I'm so sick of slob "hunters" ruining these areas because they are so lazy. I first noticed a couple of tracks about 5 years ago and now it's just a regular trail. Illegal of course.

 

[rwc101]

Last trip out for grouse I packed four ATV motor oil bottles out of the woods. There seems to be a sizable portion of ATV/UTV users who hold the natural world in disdain.

 

[Desk Pop]

These aren't "hunters" nor should they be labeled as such. If you break the law while hunting you become a poacher.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

Our public gets ridden pretty hard too. So does the private, some idiots think it's ok to trespass and drive around crops, cut cattle fences and leave gates open...

 

[elkhnter]

It’s not just hunters. Was in Wyoming last year and hiked back in a couple miles. Sitting there in the peace and quiet and here come a jackleg on a dirt bike. Just about everywhere I went in that area, bike tracks. These are young kids doing this. I’ll bet it’s worse this year without in school learning.

 

[tiburris]

As a person that likes to camp, I cannot stand ATVs and dirt bikes. I kind of like to hear nature and not a bunch of motorized ugliness when I'm camping. That's kind of the whole point. I really wish they would all be banned or at least relegated to a couple of places in each state. They create more noise pollution and destruction in beautiful places. We have enough noise pollution in the cities. Just so sick of where this world is headed sometimes. So much far right ugliness and so much far left ugliness. Just no happy mediums anymore. Praise God for Jesus Christ. May He come soon.

 

[dgc1963]

I packed into a non moterized unit in Id one yr and one moring im hiking up a mtn and heard a engine kept thinking it cant be but it got louder n louder then a dirt bike buzzes up the trail then another didnt have my camera out to get a pic
had company near me for a few days kinda pissed me off

 

[tillicant]

Last year, Sept, decided to take a couple of days off and headed north. Wanted to see some elk since we were not hunting. Did not realize how many people utilize the atv-utv trails. We went up Wednesday, was very quiet. Thursday also, saw alot of bear hunting/hounds, also saw some elk. Thursday evening noticed a few trucks,trailers and offroaders. Friday, every other vehicle had a trailer with an atv/utv on it. Seems like its more popular now that covid hit. Trails are marked pretty well and we were hiking them Wednesday,
Wife & I utilize a utv but not interested in going off road.

 

[Buschy]

From my very brief experience in AK the attitude of locals tends to be pretty well towards the FU side of the environmental spectrum. Everyone I met expressed very openly that there's SO MUCH LAND who really gives a flying F about what they're doing.

I lived in Alaska for a couple of years and your summary is pretty accurate.

 

[Akcabin]

It's hunting season again. And most trails will be mud holes.
Most of the damage is from hunters. Unfortunately. For me personally it hit home when 2 guys in argos with tracks, custom aluminum tops. $50,000. Rigs. And 2 of them in case one gets stuck. Ripping the heck out of the tundra that will last forever to me . Because they can. And proud as all get out.
For me. My heart sank. They had no clue how much damage they do to our environment. And the atv community. And hunters.
We have atvs at our cabin that I freighted out in the winter or disassembled to fit into a bush plane. To get them there without ripping things up. And practice tread lightly.
I believe these fellows are avid hunters. Who would do all they can to protect our hunting heritage and access to public lands.
And just don't realize what they are doing. At least I hope they aren't the I don't care group. Look how I can go where no one else can go group.
I feel all sportsfolks get a bad eye. And trying to make more laws to ban activities on public lands will only end up with more government and less access for all. That may work for you at the moment, but eventually you will loose yours too.
Maybe just me but I kinda feel that if all don't start working together instead of restricting ways n means of others. We are all going to loose. I'm pissed as all get out when I see atv trails from airplanes. But not ready to have the government ban anything as we should be working together amongst ourselves. Already enough anti everything outdoors money and propaganda working against sportsfolks now. And I suspect that when folks are ripping up the tundra going where no sportsfolks have gone before. They can't help but feel some remorse but I don't know.
What I do know is that what we're doing isn't working out too well.
BTW. Good luck to all you hunters, stay safe.
Remember take one make one

 

[Mustangs Rule]

Something to consider.

I read that 10,000 Baby Boomers are retiring everyday. Not all, but a huge number of them what the same thing. A home in the rural or semi rural west.

Many are in fine phyiscal condition, many are not. Many want to hike and enjoy nature, many can only do so via a machine.

Add to this that post Covid, the rural areas are being filled up with "work from home" younger folks who previously could not mangage to live rural before.

The challenges to preserve our public land are as never before.

The other day I was at the shooting range and two middle aged men were sighting thier rifles in at 100 yards. They we both so out of shape, they drove quads out to change thier targets.

The pressure to undo non-mechanized only regs will be getting hotter and hotter.

What we need are laws that require highly visible registration plates and have photos taken of violators constitue proof of vilolation.

A warning for the first, then a whopping fine for the next violation

 

[David658]

My wish is that we could carve out pieces of ground that can be free for all for ATVs, and completely ban them elsewhere. Allotment of say, an acre for every 10,000?

 

[The_Jim]

I was an atv enthusiast before I was a hunter and unfortunately I have participated in this kind of thing in the past. I prefer hunting and backpacking for recreation now so maybe things have changed in the last 10 years but from my past experience...There is a HUGE lack of training in the ATV community as far as respecting the trails and land. It was almost non-existent. It was fun ripping through mud holes and we would look for them. I now know better and would never do things like that again BUT at that time I thought what I was doing was acceptable.

The ATV community needs a strong etiquette campaign and some strict enforcement to change things.

 

[oxn939]

I was actually in the area of the OP's pics when they were taken and can personally vouch for how much of a circus the entire road hunt near Fairbanks was- guys on ATVs ripping across bare tundra, without a care in the world about its legality, discharging firearms from their running ATVs. There's no way to be a true sportsman and not be sickened by watching it.

ATVs ruin the experience of the outdoors for everyone. You can't drive up and toss a stick of dynamite into a popular fishing lake because it'll help you limit out more quickly.

 

[KB_]

I understand the sentiment. I however am one of the guys that has an ATV and use it to get closer to my hunting areas by trail.

I will say, utilizing Onx you can see what trails are legal and what are not very easily. You can also see what trails are open at what points of the year very easily.

I see people ignore these often. Its frustrating to say the least cause I am trying to get to my spot first before everyone else and i stop where i'm suppose to and walk the last 2 miles on the closed trail. Next thing I know someone flies by on a dirtbike/atv/sxs and beats me to the spot that they knew i was going to cause they watched me the day before.

I'm not giving up my atv to gain brownie points with any of ya'll. But I do get increasingly frustrated that people cant follow rules. Only way to fix that is to report the violations as you see them to get some foot traffic out in the problem areas and write tickets. I took some mental notes and emailed F&G yesterday about a couple I saw on trails that are closed for the year.

The rules are there to have as little impact on the area as possible, and frankly its not that hard to follow them.

 

[Akcabin]

Atvs can be used responsibly. I find that many times it's folks who are hunters who just don't realize what they are doing. But wanted to get out further than anyone else. And built rigs to do it.
I also have swamp buggies n wheelers. But do my best to tread lightly.
Having medical issues I need the help. And having this urge inside me that needs to get out have to come together somewhere. I do believe it is better than it was.