I can't speak for the entire state, but Marathon County is bad

 

Having had a few snowmobiles I'm just confirming what others here have said. Slow speed and causing ruts makes atv's not welcomed on groomed trails.

 

I've had a few snowmobiles myself and never thought about it when I would encounter a ATV, I ride slow either way to enjoy the scenery, and I guess that the ATV'rs that I met were like me, carefull because rutts never were an issue either

 

The group I would snowmobile with would let our friends that had atv's, but didn't have snowmobiles, ride with us. Those of us with snowmobiles were always having to wait a rather long time for the atver's to catch up. 90% of the time we rode at night so scenery wasn't why we were out. We were out to ride as fast as we could without wrecking. Riding at night allowed us to tell if other snowmobiles were coming around a corner before we started around that corner. Watching for headlights was the key. I'm not going to say we didn't have a few close encounters with some inconsiderate snowmobilers who would take a break in the middle of a trail with all their lights off. A couple of us were lucky and skilled enough to accomplish our high speed snowmobiling for a number of years without injury to ourselves or our machines. When I stopped snowmobiling I felt I had beaten the odds [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] as a couple of members in our group didn't fare so well. Actually we had a guy in our group one time that lost control of his atv and if it weren't for a couple of small trees about twenty feet below the road his atv would have ended up at least 100yds down the hill.

 

I've been riding a seasonal automobile road an come up to a trail head intersecting a snowmobile trail and stopped at the intersection (I saw the NO ATV sign). As I pulled my GPS out a couple of sledders came up. This Ahole started screaming at me to stay off the trail and threated to shoot me if I rode on the trail. Mind you I had no intention of riding it - until his threat. I thought about going to get my fertilizer spreader and filling it up with rock salt. I hope he's having fun with no snow this year......

I might be wrong about this, but I've read that Vermont Association of Snow Travelers is dead set against sharing trails with ATVs - and it's not because of rutting trails.

While I give them a ton of credit for what they've done, there is no reason that some of the trails couldn't be maintained and used by the ATVs too.

However, VAST simply wants 100% of all the trail money from all ORV registrations. They are the strongest lobby now and have stifled the ATV clubs.

They also blame ATVs for any loss of trails, which is true in some cases - but with no trails.......

Work with ATV clubs to establish year round systems and it would help the current situation.

And sledders, don't be jealous just because we can ride all year. It must be tough this year, but you can't blame the ATVs for the weather - we're mostly environmentally conscious 4 stroke riders[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

PS, I don't ride in VT anymore - so don't blame me for anything VAST. You should look to the east for an example of sharing.

 

i use to ride both but now I prefer atv's but I think during the winter months the atv's should stay off the the shared trails and stick with ATV only trails and during the summer months the atv's should be allowed on both trails. Here in Michigan snowmobiles have there own trails for the most part. some are shared with both.

 

The answer to our issues here is unlocking more land for use and enjoyment for all. ATVs should stay off snowmachine trails. you have all summer and spring and fall to ride they have a couple months and their machines cost the same. i would also like to see snowmobile trails in the offseason more open to atvs when there is little or no snow. single track motorcycle trails if motorcyclists want to keep the coveted single track they need to be working with the atv community to unlock more land. and possible converting older single track thats worn out to atv trails and creating new single track.

Most the issue as i undserstand with atvs in the snowmachine area is the ruts 1 and the morons wo sit and spin donuts all over and chop chit up. if on the groomed trails if the quad is going fast it shouldnt damage them much.. guess its the 4x4 guys makin the ruts and the sportys bein idiots doin dognts [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

Cant we all just get along and work towards a common goal of more land for motorized enjoyment?

 

One Fly Cowboy, I love the photo of the rat!!! Was it alive and wiggeling when the arrow shafted it??? I get pack rats up in our hunting cabin and they **** all over. Pissed on the wood stove last year and it took a few hours of burning to get rid of the smell. I hat rats and mice to for that mater.

 

No [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] I beat it with a tennis racket and made a bloody mess of the garage. then tied a string on its tail and hung it in the tree for taget practice and some broadhead ballistic tests [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] after the arrows broke out the guns. started with the 10/22 and 77/22mag then onto the 410 and 12ga's till there was nothing left. that was a funner way to dispose of it and fertilize the hillside [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] the Oil trap was succesfull aswell last week and that one was cooked in the fireplace pictured [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Ohh and wayback.. be careful with them fuzzy tail rats out there. when i was younger riding my motorcycles in the superior MT area exploring abandond mines and whatnot my buddy and I thought it would be kewl to skin one.... BAD IDEA they smell worse than a gutshot deer left in the sun for a week.

edit... Man I am horrible with reading names lately. Sorry for callin ya wayout.