I'll admit I haven't read every post in this thread but this subject always gives me a chuckle and I'll tell you why.

My second favorite hobby is ATVing. But I don't even take my ATV on the hunt, or it gets very limited used when I do take it. I have found that getting into elk consistantly takes place at least a mile from the nearest road. People get angry about ATV's spooking elk. They do spook elk. But I don't think relying on a trail nearby being free of ATV's on opening weekend is a good plan, at least if you want to get into elk consistantly. You've got to get away from the roads. So to me ATV's aren't a big issue. I just hate seeing irresponsible riders tear up the mountainside. But I can honestly say I've never had an ATV rider ruin my hunt because I'm too far away from any trails to worry about it.