4-Wheelers/dirt bkes.

[A.W]

Sunday was a great day weather wise. I decided to take a run up to my buddy's property for the afternoon hunt.

I set up my pop-up. The sun was shining and I was comfortable sitting in my folding chair. It was a bit windy but I was sheltered in a ravine. All the leaves were down and I could see for about 150 feet.

As I was listening to the various sounds that you never hear in the city I spied a couple of bluejays that were hopping from branch to branch.

I remember feeling really relaxed.

That's when all hell let loose. Seven 4-wheelers and 2 stroke dirtbikes went screaming, and I mean screaming through my little window of paradise about 80 feet in front of me.

I packed up and went home.

A few weeks ago a buddy and I went up to the property and spent the weekend posting the property with private property signs and red paint spray cans. It seems that everyone that rides these machines never learned to read. They don't give a damn about other peoples property or enjoyment. Even one of the farmers next to the property has had his fence torn down by these cretins.

[Farmer]

I can go on a 15 plus minute rant about atv's, snowmobiles and 4wd Trucks. They ride in my standing crops, on the dikes along my property and pretty well ride anywhere else they like. And they wonder why I am angry, when I do manage to stop one. ( the last one I caught was about 12 years old, with a sport quad. He was having a blast doin donut in my winter wheat, it was just comming out of the ground . His mom and dad need a kick in the @@@ for buying it for JR. )

I have been yelled at, threated, punched and almost ran over numerous times. They just do not seem to get it. I have even asked if they would like me to drive my 16,000 pound tractor in their front yard after a good rain.

Call the cops, haha. The police are of no use," can you identify the riders?" No they have full face helmets and no plates. The 65 buck fine is not much of a deterrent either.

Sorry for the rant, but I do know how you feel

[Don]

Take a couple of 3 inch pipes about 8 feet long, drive it in the ground about 3 feet, fill it with concrete. Paint it flourescent orange , the paint that surveyor's use. Make they are at least one foot inside your property line. Put them directly in the line of where they are crossing onto your property. Put no trespassing signs on either side and one big one between the two posts. As long as you are sure that they are soley on your property property anyone hitting them has no recourse as they had to be on your property at least one foot with warning signs before they hit them. Make sure they are visible from some ways off though not on a corner or something where someone could get seriously hurt.
A friend had people doing damage to his property that was costing him thousands of dollars a year. There was a distinct trail that they used to come threw the woods and into his fields. He put the poles about three feet apart in the middle of the trail in a straight section of the trail. About two days later he phoned the police to pick up an atv that had been left on his property due to damage. The poles were well signed and about 100 yards onto his property. The person who owned the atv came to retrieve it, and gave him a blast when it was gone. He gave him the policeman's card and told him to call them. The owner was hence charged with trespassing, as he had no excuse for being so far inside the property line, had to pay to pick up his bike, and had to pay to have it repaired. Did about 700 dollars damage to the two year old bike, which he was still making payments on.
Word gets around fast and he has not had anyone on his fields since.

Don

[RyanB]

Being an active Bow Hunter and ATV inthusiast I feel your pain!!!!! I have been in the bush hunting when guys have gone thru and at the time I was pretty upset untill the bush settled back down and a buck and 2 does that were 200 feet from my stand stood up and moved to a ridge with thicker cover. They didn't seem to mind the noise and actually if the ATV's had not gone thru I would have never had seen them!!!

This whole ATV subject though kinda is a sore spot for me. I know where everyone is comming from (Land owners, Hunters, ATV riders).
The first thing I want everyone to know is that I have and will never tresspass on my ATV. I do know that alot of people do, but it is something that only makes it worse for everyone else!!!!!


Currently we in the waterloo are are working on a trail system. So far it is going pretty well and have had alot of people give there opinions about what everyone wants. What we are trying to do is give a place for ATV's and ATV's only to ride therefore keeping them out of the places they are not welcome. We are setup thru the Ontario ATV Association and have trail insurance and everything else. The way it works is we get permission from the land over and all the forms are signed for insurance and what not and from that point on his entire bush is insured including feilds if anyone ever goes in them. What also happens is that because the OFATV is only an ATV association therefore dirtbikes and other off-road vehicals are not alowed on the land and because of that they can be charged for trespassing which is easier to do once there is an actual trail with trail wardens just like the snowmobile trails.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask and if you would like to get in contact with someone in the OFATV let me know and I will get you in touch with someone.

[FlyingAce]

AW,

I have a couple of comments for you from personal experience: 1) I'm not quite sure how it is in Canada, but here in the states if you post a property as "No Hunting" that means that there is no hunting at all whether it is your property or you have permission; now, if you post it as "No Hunting without Written Permission" then the land can be hunted by someone who has permission, 2) a couple of years ago I had permission to hunt on a shade < 1000 acres of choice deer, bird, and small game habitat, but some a$#holes came and tore up the place trying to get their four-wheel-drive hunting rig unstuck when they did not have permission; needless to say, we lost permission to use the property. I have absolutely no patience for people who trespass.

I used to have a friend that used to get monster deer every year. I finally got him to take me with him when I was in high school. We saw a deer (a 4x3 buck). He yelled at me to stop the truck so I did. After he jumped out I saw the "No Hunting" sign and laid on my horn. The deer took off like a rocket. Needless to say, he got a serious tounge lashing. I do not think that I have been ever so mad my life.

[Red Label]

I think the ATV's are great for doing work, etc., however I think they get a lot of people into the woods and back country who have no business being there in the first place. In this regard I feel they are the scourge of the outdoors!

The pit where I hunt is plagued with them. The loader in the pit had it's windows smashed in for Pete's sake! (I know that the ATV didn't do that, but it highlights the point of mischief, vandalism and recklessness away from the public eye at night that these machines afford their riders.)

For the guy that uses one to set up his heavy stands, haul his game out, do firewood, etc., I say "great", but for the hellraisers and trailblasters I say "get out of the woods".

Mike

[Sandman]

This be a topic that makes me blood boil!! The property I hunt is also a gravel pit (about 50 acres pit and the remainder 230 acres is farm land but still owned by the pit company) in exchange for the hunting priviledges I "police" the property for them. ALMOST EVERY BLINKING TIME I GO OUT THERE SOMEONE HAS BEEN THROUGH IT ON A ATV.

Case in point I have been laid up with some injuries from a car accident and have not been able to get out until about 1 week ago. I made my way out to one of my stands on a perfect afternoon good and early around 2:30 pm after sitting for almost 3 hours that magic time was upon me...as I slowly and anxiously awiated the arrival of "the big one". Just then I hear that *#$*&(*&^^%%ing familiar sound of an ATV motor approaching the fella comes down the big hill through the corn and then right by me (of course he did not see me) and drives right through the swamp were I had hoped the deer would come from. A few days later I went back to the area and noticed that this particular person had not only trespassed but he had the b*#*s to cut a trail from the back of his property through the swamp and hardwoods (all of which is not his property and it is posted in accordance with the Trespass to Property Act). I cant beleive these people.

The companies biggest worry is that these *&^* people trespass onto a clearly marked property and go into the pit and jump the gravel piles and climb almost vertical pit walls. Sooner or later someone is going to get seriously hurt and/or killed and the parents of this person will turn around and sue the company. Approx 6 years ago at another pit owned by the same company and clearly marked a group of teenagers climbed the gate and had a swimming party. One of the kids who was drunk drowned. The pit was sued for not having security guards and signs stating "no swimming".... Dont get me wrong the loss of life is very serious but the circumstances just baffle me!!

Sorry got carried away.....
I had a thought and I am going to give it a shot....I am going to make up a bunch of signs and post them on the property stating "HIDDEN TIRE DEFLATION MECHANISMS DEPLOYED ON THIS PROPERTY" It's worth a shot!

Just my opinion from up here in the cheap seats.
Regards,
Robin

[Woodsman]

Well I just became an ATVer this weekend! I bought a cottage up north and the lady sold the place with a Honda Fourtrax. I was like most folks on this post and dead against ATV's...until I sat on one and drove it. What a freaken blast! (and I thought my boat with inboard was fun!)

I feel for you folks that get trespassed on. Here in Quebec, the only signs that are lawfull are: "Private" or "Private property". You cannot stop someone with a "no hunting" or "no fishing" sign. It is legally meaningless here unless it was put up by the government.

The problem isn't the ATV but the owner or the parents in case of minors. I drive a farely big boat and now the ATV but I am a responsible owner. I have my safety boating course (and so does my 11 year old son). I have my plates and insurance on my ATV...but what's most important: I respect others, their space, their property and their right to their own enjoyment.

These "ATV rogues" are nothing short of being criminal in the way they use their machines wherever they want. A "far west cowboy" attitude overcomes some of these yahoos and "respect for others and their property" goes right out the window as soon as they get on and ride.

I hope a course will become mandatory for ATV use just as they have done for boating. I was initially dead set against the madatory boating course at first, but I have seen first hand how it has improved our waters from the Seadoo Yahoos. It wasn't the machine there either; just the darn cowboy attitude which is now mainly gone.

AW, you may wish to try to set yourself up a large "private property" sign on a tree. Next to it, hang a rope across the trail with a sign in the middle of it saying " Hunters Hunting Fall 2004". Keep out!" At your discretion, You may also wish to take down the rope when you are done for the day. This way they will know that there is actually someone there when it's up. My bet is that most of these rogue ATVers are regular passers by.

Don't give up hunting a spot because ATV's have gone through. The deer aren't bothered by them one bit. They just sit still until the ATV's pass and go about their business as usual.

[Guest]

It's not only atv's, dirt bikes and 4 x 4's.....ever try and spend a nice summer day at the lake and have these yahoo's
zipping up/down the lake 50' from shore on their sea-doo's???????????

[Guest]

This be a topic that makes me blood boil!!

I had a thought and I am going to give it a shot....I am going to make up a bunch of signs and post them on the property stating "HIDDEN TIRE DEFLATION MECHANISMS DEPLOYED ON THIS PROPERTY" It's worth a shot!

Just my opinion from up here in the cheap seats.
Regards,
Robin

I know of a farmer that drove some ten penny nails thru a few lengths of 2x4s, and set them up on the illegal truck/4 wheeler entrance to his fields, which was already posted.
Tresspassing signs failed time and again, so he had to resort to a stopper method.
Yes, it worked wonders. No more problems at all with these troublemakers.

[TAC]

I too have known some to resort to that. We even did it at a lumber yard that I worked in soon after high school. We could see the tire trails through the neighbouring wheat field so a plank with nails was put up. Never caught them but we could tell by the trails the next time that they ran into some tire problems.

I know of a farmer that drove some ten penny nails thru a few lengths of 2x4s, and set them up on the illegal truck/4 wheeler entrance to his fields, which was already posted.
Tresspassing signs failed time and again, so he had to resort to a stopper method.
Yes, it worked wonders. No more problems at all with these troublemakers.

[Guest]

Flying Ace:

If you put up a "No Hunting" sign on your property, and then hunt on it yourself, who is going to charge you with hunting? Can the authorities charge you with using your own land the way you want in the States? I find that bizarre...but then again, I am Canadian

[A.W]

Flying Ace:

If you put up a "No Hunting" sign on your property, and then hunt on it yourself, who is going to charge you with hunting? Can the authorities charge you with using your own land the way you want in the States? I find that bizarre...but then again, I am Canadian

MNR.

[cdngunner....]

POPPYCOCK!!!!!


I own a large parcel of land north of the French River. If we place "No Hunting" signs around the edges of our property, is it illegal for us to hunt our own land?

Asked February 20, 2001

Answer from the MNR

No, but you are not the only person who believes this urban legend. Think about it - if I put a no trespassing sign on my house, does that mean that I can no longer go onto my own property? Obviously not, and the same applies to any other restrictions on my land under the Trespass to Property Act.

Along the same lines, however,
-if you do place "permissive" signs (eg. "Cross country skiing Permitted" or graphic of cross country skier inside of a green circle) then the presumption is that all other activities, such as snowmobile riding, horseback riding, hunting, etc. are prohibited,
OR
-it you place "prohibitive" signs (eg. "No Hunting" or a graphic of a hunter inside of a red circle with an oblique line drawn through the graphic) then all other activities, such as fishing, hiking, trail biking, etc., are presumed to be permitted.

From this perspective, you may want to consider using "No Trespassing" signs rather than indicating a specifically prohibited activity (i.e. No Hunting).

[GREY OWL]

That's why we purchased are own property. Its posted NO Hunting, NO Trespassing, period. I can hunt on my own land if I chose. I am a die hard Hunter and Atv'er.

I also think most of you guys are being a little to hard on people with Quads, Bikes, whatever. They have every right to ride there bikes just as you have the right to hunt. And I'm only talking about pubic land here, private land is other matter. Maybe their saying the same thing, those damn hunters again, just when I want to ride my rec. vehicle.

As the world get more and more populated, or our countries get more populated, these problems will only get worse. This is sad but true.

The only thing that upsets me, is when they rip off the trail, with no respect for the habitat.

Grey Owl