There is a post card campaign in Hubbard county to ban ditch riding. You can get more information from www.atvam.com middle of page press ACTION ALERT . They also have the e-mail addresses of the commissioners that you can write to and protest. The tree huggers are out in full force. If you ride in the area, or plan to sometime in the future please give us your support. If we don't try to stop this now this could lead to more counties losing their rights to riding in ditches. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

 

i got a ticket for riding in the ditches in Wisconsin. i think that is is bull $&!@ that u cant ride in the ditches.

 

This has always been a sore spot with me, first off, they allow ditch riding until April 1st, but look at the conditions: just thawing out, soft,wet soil on top of partly frozen ground, so the tires make a real mess out of things. Anyone with a brain knows just WALKING on that kind of ground makes deep marks, let alone an ATV spinning tires. So ATV owners, anxious to get out after a long winter, make a few ditch runs, leave muddy ruts, and the public spends weeks B!tching about the damage. Now, a little later, the frost is gone, the ground is dry and firm, so now you can't ride until August, don't want to disturb those nesting birds, except for the fact that most ditches are mowed flat from all the gomers too cheap to plant a little alafalfa or buy hay, and see the need to bale the ditches all summer ( I am NOT slamming farmers, I was raised on a farm, we left ALL our ditches alone ) I'm not a biologist or a bird expert, but not too many pheasants or meadowlarks and such can nest in the 2" stubble left in the ditch all summer. PLUS the fact that a lot of the areas around me are mowed and baled by people who don't even own land in that area, they see a nice,overgrown ditch, figure it's worth a load or so, bale and run. But let me or any one else make a quick run on the previously mowed ditch, and pop!!, ticket for disturbing those " birds" in the stubble. I have even talked to DNR officials about the riding / mowing difference, and they only shrug their shoulders and say, "that's just the way the law is written,it doesn't make sense to us,either ". So, if I tow a mower behind my ATV, am I legal ??? I would be doing exactly what the guy before me with a tractor was doing with impunity from the law. I am all for giving the birds a break, nothing I like better than walking a field or ditch with my son and dog for a few birds, but if WE can't drive from April to August, then NO ONE should be allowed, in all fairness to the birds and the law. To sum it up, Yes, ditch riding in certain situations can cause a lot of damage ( early spring, heavy rain ) it is up to us as responsible riders to KNOW BETTER than to damage the areas we ride. But in all fairness, a couple of wheel tracks is less disturbing than a clean mowed ditch to a nesting bird . Just my opinion, shoot me if you feel I have overstepped my bounds, but this topic always sits the wrong way with me.

THERE, I'M DONE VENTING, AAAAHHH, I FEEL BETTER !!!

 

It's always bugged me that you can only ride ditches in the early spring when the ground is too soft to ride in them anyways.
Seems really dumb. People give atv riders crap about riding but no one want to work with us to try to setup new riding areas. ATV's are here to stay so they should be thinking of ways to work with us not canning the little riding area we have. in southern MN there is almost no riding area outside of little gravel pits and ditches.
oh well.

 

there is a bill in the Capitol right now that is trying to ban ATV's in MN completely. Check the ATVAM site to see if they have anything up about it. I don't have the link. There is a senate meeting that ATVAM sent out an alert on that is scheduled for either the 15th or 17th (next week). They aren't certain which day yet. It will be short notice.

 

Lepp,
with elections coming up, I'm sure a lot of senators will be trying to score brownie points with the tree huggers, land hogs, enviro-freaks, etc. by introducing legislation like this. Problem is, with the negative press we get every spring with big tracks on muddy trails, the non - riding public sees us in a very bad light, and we need to address the problems that a few bad riders are causing for all of us. It is vital to contact area senators and reps to express our input for this unfair legislation.

 

u know what else pisses the hell out of me is how snowmobiles own the town in the winter, they can ride the roads, ditches and even pull up to the gas station, it makes me so mad i could spit. we cant even rides ditches, but snowmobiles get whatever they want. i know sometimes they dont rip as much stuff up as quads do, but then u get the guys who decide to go riding in 2 inches of snow and they just rip the $&!# out of the ground. i cant stand it

 

Hi LEP7MM, I don't think that the bill to ban atv's will fly very far. Artic Cat I heard employs 2000 people up in Thief River Falls and I have no idea how many people are employed by Polaris but a lot. The state economy I don't think could afford to antagonize these two enployers and take the chance that they would leave the state. It just goes to show you how stupid some of our politicians are. On the subject of ditches, I don't believe that they should be tore up either. Up north you can ride on them anytime. Set up times that when the season is dry you can ride on them. When it gets wet put the ban on. That shouldn't be hard to do. I have been getting information on riding in northern WI, I get the inpression that they are atv friendly and want our business. The replys I have got from them has been great. I wish MN would take that kind of attitude. lol

 

Nubbin,
Wisconsin is VERY ATV friendly, most of their trails are open all winter, where as in MN, trails close until April . My son and I spend a lot of time riding in Wisconsin, they have great camping areas, thousands of miles of trails, and great maps of all the areas. It is sad to live in MN, and have to drive 3 - 5 hours to ride, most of the time, we just go over the border and ride Wisconsin, the trails there are set up much better, marked for easy location when riding, and the people there recognize ATVs as a valuable tourist draw, and treat us as such. I have never had anyone say a bad word to me while trail riding there, while in MN, you get yelled at for killing the forest/wetland/ditch, etc. It is slowly getting better here for more trails, but we are way behind other states when it comes to miles of trails, access, and overall attitude towards the off road riders.

 

Nubbin,

I believe that Polaris employs more than Arctic Cat. But it's not only the manufacturers that would be affected. Look at the dealer network that would put several thousand people out of work.