Guss

To telll ya the truth I think the use of them as a hunting tool has gotten out of hand. I see a great lack of respect for both written and un written rules andin some casesdestruction of the place we all love.

In my state it is illegal to drive any vehical on any CFR (private land that can be used by everyone), but every year I see more and more roads being cut into CFR lands by quads. WHY, most of these sections have great road neworks.

I dont know if it is a law on the books but I have always just thought that if there wasnt a road there you didnt make one, on any land other then your own. But time and time again I see new two tracks being made by bikes.

The quad distruction that realy gets me is when they driveover a plowed in road and nock the bearm down. People put time and money (taxes)in to these roads and they are a great place for alot of animals to find food. They are plowed in for a reason. Most of them have been planted with clover to feed wild life, great idea, why reck it, just to save on alittle walk time.

Ihave seen a guy drive behind his bird dog wait for a point on a woodcock drive up and shoot it, vary illegal. (he wasnt disable in anyway). Not only is itaginst the law but it is just plain wrong.

I thik quads and other orvs should be limiter toroads just like autos. And violators should beshoot.God gave us legs we should use them.

Just to clear things up, I dont have anythig aginst anyonewho uses them with respect to the land and others.Like a hammer they are a great toolbut I know when it is time to put the hammer awayand usefiner tools.

Lets hear it.

Finch

I hear ya man. They have made all kinds of trails and roads up at my parents house. I have permission to hunt and walk to this private land which adjoins to the national forest. I mainly use it to get to the N.F. Anyway, they have been forbidden to ride on the private land but they still do. They ride on the gov't land too where the wardens have pushed up "humps" to keep cars out. The wardens cut down many trees to keep them from riding on these paths. This lasted for a while but that just gave 4 wheelers a reason to ride up there and cut firewood.

It really gets me when they ride during hunting season. Its not hunting 4 wheelers either...its the blasters and the other racing ones that wake up the dead.

hardcorehunter

I agree...I don't like them in the woods period. Public land in IA is off limits to them so they don't impact my life much. Hunting is walking and doing it on your own...although I have no problem with horses for elk hunting..keep the motors though out of the woods.

Ryan Campbell

Too many hunting videos and hunting shows have made people believe they have to have a 4-wheeler in order to hunt. Very few people that hunt actually need one of these ATV's. Most of them are purchases made because the customer thinks he needs one. In reality they are noisy, cost too much and wont go some places that I've used horses and pack animals to go.
A lot of land owners I know have banned them on their property for people that lease the land. Too many people have abused the privlege.
All legal issues aside, they are by and large an unnessary, wasteful expense.

lethalconnection

I completely agree with you on the whole driving the quad into the wood and tearing the place up especially the ones with chains on the wheels. I do own a quad and use it for hunting but i respect the land that im on and i stick to the roads that the rancher has already made with his truck, so if the animal isnt near a road it looks like im slapping the harness on and startin to pull. And really if your always bootin around on the quad out where you hunt all your doing is tearing up the land that the animals feed on and if you tear it up with your quads then there is really no reason for the animals to stick around now is there.

m.t.hands

just like any other tool, used properly and for the right job there handy, i mean ever spent a day runnin fences[:@], but give an idiot anything and he'll figure out a way to mess it up for everybody[:@]

skeeter 7MM

For me it is a tool and required, as i don't own any horses. Hauling a moose or elk out of the forest without one would be near impossible, at the very least without spoiling meat. I don't use the quad to hunt off but merely a way to transport game and gear to remote areas where most folks don't like to venture. I honestly don't know that I'd attempt huntinglarger gamewithout a quad inmy province(at least the areas I hunt). Well unless you consider driving up and down logging trails in the truck more sportsman like?

I agree respecting land &nature is required. How many times have you seen or picked up litter by the walking folk?? Some people just don't get it but that doesn't mean we should all be painted with the same brush!

I see no problems with using an atv if common sense is used.

Champlain Islander

I don't own one but see no reason to not use them as a tool to get gear and or animals out of the bush. I am against using them to transport a hunter to the hunting spot though unless the hunter is disabled.

oldelkhunter

I personally have no use for one period. However this is a free country and if the laws allow their use and they are used responsibly that is fine wth me. I would say that most people use theirs responsibly but the 10% that don't put a bad taste in everyones mouth.

Pass_Thru

I personally dont use one while hunting except for getting game out of the bottoms. We ha two major trails and that is all we stick to. Drag you kil to the trail and get it out. Also we use them for plots. Other than that it is walking to and from stands. Just like anything people get out of hand with thema and ruin it for the guys who use them as a tool and not a rec. vehicle. I could live with out ours but it sure makes the 1.5 to 2.0 mile drag alot easier on our Illinois lease. I wanted to put a stop to them altogether except for game retrievel but voted down buy our lease members. Some of the guys in our lease forgot how to walk to a stand.

Jason