TREE FARMER,My friend,your point is taken to heart,it really is.My problem [which im not yet sure you understand]is the ban on ATVs during Firearm hunting season,But not 4x4 trucks or vehicles from exactly the same trails or roads that ATVs are restricted from.My point?Why ban ATVs and yet allow other vehicles to ride the same trail that ATVs are restricted from?Makes no sense to me.Bill

 

Thanks for the clarification, Bill; I see your point. I hope you can get fair regulations for all concerned.

Tree Farmer

 

Most hunters with any sense don't set up right on a trail. I think the closest I ever sat to a trail was about 300 yards, and even then, I couldn't see a quad if it went by because of the trees. Most hunters use their quad to get to their stand anyway. They can't exactly walk a long ways into the woods before daylight. People in a big hunting area are coming and going all the time anyway. If somebody kills one at say 8:15, then they probably will be trying to bring it out in an hour to an hour and a half anyway. These guys will be on the trail, and I doubt they care about making noise. Another thing, deer aren't as easily spooked by a quad as they are by a hunter. The quad goes by rather fast, and the majority of the time a deer gets spooked, it is already in or close to the road. If its 60 yards or out, it will normally just stand there in cover and watch as the atv goes by. Like a car. Then, it will wait a second and finally proceed on its way. Even if a deer is spooked, it will normally just run off a hundred or two hundred yards and look. After 30 minutes or so, It will carefully come back going in the direction it intended.

Another side effect of spooking deer, is that in some instances, it can get them to moving. Much like dogs are used for. You can spook a deer and drive it right over another hunter without even knowing it. Like an unanticipated drive. The main thing hunters dislike is fast drivers on the trail. Most of them poke around rather slowly observing things as they go, and I don't know how many times I've heard somebody say, " That dumb bastard is going to kill either himself, somebody, or both if he don't slow that damn thing down." As far as somebody shooting you, its not likely to happen, but then again church shootings aren't supposed to happen either. There are crazies in the world, and its best not to provoke anyone. In the case that someone commented on it, I would just appologize and move on. Its better not to get mouthy. This is how it is in Arkansas. People are generally laid back here though. Just about every hunter you encounter is on a quad himself, and he knows how it is. The thing that I see a lot when riding is bicyclers. Unlike quad riders, they go slow and do a lot of loud talking. They also don't have an engine noise to take away from their vocals. The deer tend to pay much more attention to the spoken word than they do the thump of a quad engine.

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Andy Bassham *(1999 Arctic Cat 500 4x4, 1989 Honda 300)*

 

Hi guys, I was enjoying your exchange about rights, or lack thereof, and an incident came to mind that happened to me many years ago. I was on a graded county road on my street-legal 360 Yamaha Enduro, when I was stopped by a lunatic with a pistol on his hip. He told me that I could not ride on this road, and that I would have to turn around and go back. I informed him that the road was a public county road, and I had every right to ride on it. He then pulled his pistol out of the holster, and pointed it at me and said that I would leave. At this point I decided that he was truly unstable, and that I had better leave. I went back down the road about 1 mile, and went up some old skid-trails to a point that overlooked the IDIOT in the pickup. I waited for several hours for him to leave. I followed him and found out where he lived. I would go out to his place every once in a while to see if he was leaving, to hassle someone else no doubt. One day I saw him with the wife and the kids going to town. I then proceded to cut his fence at every post for about 1 mile. My hands were so sore that I had trouble hanging onto the handle bars. I also put a note on his fence asking him if it was worth it to pull a gun on me. I realize that it was childish, but then I was not as understanding as I am now. Like I said this was many years ago, I have mellowed out a lot. But, like Tree Farmer said earlier, you should not argue with a man with a gun. I also do not believe that he should get away with it. Later, Dave

 

Dave,you said you found out where the guy lived,so why not report it to the local police Dept?You certainly did the right thing by doing what he said by turning around.In todays world,branishing a firearm is a serious offense in most States.I realize that it happend some time back though.Happy Trailing-------BILL

 

Bill, I was just a kid at the time. (20)
Actually, the thought of involving the police never even entered my head at the time. This took place in Oregon, and back in the 60s, who would you believe, some kid or a rancher. If it would happen today, I would probably talk to him a little. It is amazing what a slow calm voice will do in a confrontation. He probably had some bad experience with a motorcycle rider. Some of us, and I include me, do some not so nice stuff every once in a while. Ha Ha Speaking of stupid stuff, I scared myself to DEATH today. I think that I will start a new thread about not thinking ahead. Se ya later, Dave