Dear offroad vehicle operator,

[hirshey]

Thank you for gridding the fish and game ground every 10 feet for miles out and picking up all those lousy sheds. I didn't want them anyways.



That being said, in all seriousness... has anyone else noticed a significant amount of people hunting for sheds this year on 4-wheelers and dirtbikes?

If it were private land I'd understand but it seems like all of the locations I've been this year have had some sort of offroad vehicle traffic... a lot of forest service and fish and game land that's pretty well posted, too. Its unfortunate... they've torn up some hillsides pretty badly around the Chelan vicinity.

[CoyoteSlayer]

Those people are just LAZY and it really pisses me off. I see their tracks going RIGHT next to the "closed to motorized vehicles" signs, its not like they don't know what they are doing is wrong; They go out of their way to pass the locked gates. They even put tracks on their 4 wheelers for the snow. Its not like they just use them to go down the closed roads to get to the area either. I was out earlier this month and found their tracks all over the hillside, they are too lazy to even walk once they get to the area. It is just PATHETIC. And I have seen them with my binoculars, they are often in good shape and completely capable of hiking all the way in. They need to learn to respect the land, and respect fellow hunters. I saw the thread about that guy finding a forest service camera out in the woods...maybe they should start putting more cameras up to catch all these lazy people. These people on quads are probably the same jerks stealing cameras anyway, they are ruining great areas for all of us. I could go on and on about how mad these people make me but the bottom line is, they are just lazy and pathetic and need to be ticketed!

[hirshey]

I have a similar sentiment... especially when they're disturbing pretty well-known fawning areas, and attempting to get up some of the steeper hillsides to access the benches and sage flats... our soil type here in central WA isn't very forgiving of these types of disturbances... especially like I said on those steeper slopes, many of which have been exposed to stand-replacement fire events in the last decade or so... I've seen more this year than in the past. I have no qualms calling law enforcement on such violators... if only I could catch them in action!

[WAmuleyHunter]

Take pictures and video. Call rivercom and turn them in.  It is the only way to stop these people.

[hirshey]

I'll be happy to if I catch them. Apparantly I'm a little too late for many areas so far this season.

[WAmuleyHunter]

it is sad.  Most of the people taht are breaking all these rules do it every year.  think they are above the law, And are "upstanding" members of our communities here in NCW and across the state.  And a few of them lurk on this site.  A few of them even get caught on their motor bikes or snowmoblies and continue to do it and get away with it.  Best thing anyone can do is try to get pictures and video of it happening, license plates.  You pretty much gotta do your own detective work but call the cops and stay on the case till the judge decides their fates.

[MtnMuley]

That being said, in all seriousness... has anyone else noticed a significant amount of people hunting for sheds this year on 4-wheelers and dirtbikes?

This has been going on for many (15+) years.  I often think of all the hard miles I've put on, only not to know of what was in sight before sleds or bikes were there.........

[hirshey]

That being said, in all seriousness... has anyone else noticed a significant amount of people hunting for sheds this year on 4-wheelers and dirtbikes?

This has been going on for many (15+) years.  I often think of all the hard miles I've put on, only not to know of what was in sight before sleds or bikes were there.........

Yes... it kind of takes out some of the fun of shed hunting... even if you wouldn't have found a shed that day anyways, its always nice to think there's the possibility.

[CSOUTFITTERS]

Hey guys i thought of a new sport.   We can hunt the guys riding illegally on 4 wheelers, No we can shoot them (i know some of you guys were thinking it).   Set up trail cams to catch them or find them and turn them in.  Wonder if F&W would be willing give bonus points or put you in for some sort of Mule deer incentive tag drawing for guys who help out with violations.    (WAMuleyHunter would be exempt becaue he doesnt need to shoot anymore Booner bucks) 

Im good with F&W gating all the roads although they will just drive around them.  I dont have a problem hiking to kill game or find sheds.  They did this in the Colockum/Quilomene but there are still guys chasing the bulls on quads hoping they will drop their antlers.   

If you are caught in a closed/gated or no motorized vehicle road F&W should be able to seize your truck, quad or motorcycle.   After a couple seizures and the word gets out some may stop doing it. Im sure a quad will fit in the bed of those gold F-150's.     

[CoyoteSlayer]

  except I don't even need the points, just the satisfaction that they get prosecuted. Problem is, I rarely actually catch them in the act, and I fear they wouldn't hesitate to take your trail cam with them. Something sure needs to be done, it is getting out of hand. I'm glad there are at least a few people who agree with me.

[loaderboy]

Me and my friends ride our atv's all the time we stay on open roads and respect the land. Just a thought if the guys were on horses doing the same thing would you guys still be pissed. I hope that these guys breaking the law dont ruin it for the rest of us but it always does. It sucks. Alot of my hunting ground has been gated because of people dumping garbage and stealing firewood.

[Antlerking]

it is sad.  Most of the people taht are breaking all these rules do it every year.  think they are above the law, And are "upstanding" members of our communities here in NCW and across the state.  And a few of them lurk on this site.  A few of them even get caught on their motor bikes or snowmoblies and continue to do it and get away with it.  Best thing anyone can do is try to get pictures and video of it happening, license plates.  You pretty much gotta do your own detective work but call the cops and stay on the case till the judge decides their fates.

It is getting crazy out there
 

[Antlerking]

I have personaly seen 1 guy (who is an entiat native) ride his old 1980's dirt bike up a ridge and them jump off, lean his bike against a tree and then run around in a cirlce and then jump back on race down and up the next ridge and then bail off again, run around in a circle and repeat this over and over for 4 months out of the year. I can always tell if i was beat to a certain spot cause his bike tracks will b all over the hill side and every ridge line and every bench,flat. but he cant get em all, I still find a bunch with my 2 legs! They only get the easy 1's and the big 1's. They are very experianced riders i find bike tracks running across bare hill side that r pretty steep 1 wrong move and its all down hill to the river.

[boonerboy]

These guys are just cheating themselves. They are the same people that are true, blue "roadhunters" driving back and forth on the same road, drinking beer and waiting for someone to run an elk or deer across the road to them. By trying to take the easy way out, they just miss out on a bunch of cool sights out in the woods. I feel sorry for them....

[CoyoteSlayer]

Me and my friends ride our atv's all the time we stay on open roads and respect the land. Just a thought if the guys were on horses doing the same thing would you guys still be pissed. I hope that these guys breaking the law dont ruin it for the rest of us but it always does. It sucks. Alot of my hunting ground has been gated because of people dumping garbage and stealing firewood.

I have rode atv's a good amount of time myself, although never for shed hunting, and not to tear up and down the hillsides behind locked gates. Horses would definitely not be the same, especially since these areas are closed to motorized vehicles, so obviously a horse would be legal. I'm not arguing that atv's be outlawed, just that people need to respect the law and their fellow shed hunters. Don't get me wrong, getting beat by someone on horseback is no great feeling either   I don't hear of many people chasing the elk on horseback though...but who knows these days. I don't have a problem with horses. If your hunting ground has been closed permanently thats no good, but I prefer gates usually, as they weed out the lazy road hunters, except of course, those with no regard for the law.

These guys are just cheating themselves. They are the same people that are true, blue "roadhunters" driving back and forth on the same road, drinking beer and waiting for someone to run an elk or deer across the road to them. By trying to take the easy way out, they just miss out on a bunch of cool sights out in the woods. I feel sorry for them....

I agree, they do miss some cool sights, and miss a big part of what the entire experience is about. But they are also ruining it for me, for all of us. And the thing is, it isn't always the same beer drinking road-hunters....they are even the hardcore ones that are totally capable of walking 15-20 miles in a day. competition is driving people to new lows, and we're all paying for it. We are just going to see more and more restrictions, which will hurt us honest hunters, while they continue to their off road adventures on quads.

[hirshey]

Me and my friends ride our atv's all the time we stay on open roads and respect the land. Just a thought if the guys were on horses doing the same thing would you guys still be pissed. I hope that these guys breaking the law dont ruin it for the rest of us but it always does. It sucks. Alot of my hunting ground has been gated because of people dumping garbage and stealing firewood.

Horseback is definitely not the same. I don't see horseshoe scars across numerous hillsides. And as CS pointed out, the roads and hillsides we are talking about are closed to motor traffic, not foot and horse.

Even today when I was out, there was a fellow on a 4-wheeler thinking he was in the right to be motoring along on the road. I have news for many ATV riders: just because its a dirt road, gated or not, many roads are not open to ATVs. Check before you ride if you don't want all roads restricted.

In any case, I think it would be a fabulous idea to allow the F&W to seize vehicles not heeding offroad or closed road restrictions. Can you imagine the revenue that could generate?

[hirshey]

I have personaly seen 1 guy (who is an entiat native) ride his old 1980's dirt bike up a ridge and them jump off, lean his bike against a tree and then run around in a cirlce and then jump back on race down and up the next ridge and then bail off again, run around in a circle and repeat this over and over for 4 months out of the year. I can always tell if i was beat to a certain spot cause his bike tracks will b all over the hill side and every ridge line and every bench,flat. but he cant get em all, I still find a bunch with my 2 legs! They only get the easy 1's and the big 1's. They are very experianced riders i find bike tracks running across bare hill side that r pretty steep 1 wrong move and its all down hill to the river.

Makes me sad. I'm alright with getting beat fair and square. When I see boot prints I'm usually a little bummed but not aggrivated. ATVs do miss a significant amount of sheds though... the boyfriend found a great 4 point the other day down a draw that was a little too steep and bushy for the ghostrider.

[gasman]

It seams that a few bad apples screw it up for the rest of us  


never mind  

[hirshey]

It seams that a few bad apples screw it up for the rest of us  


never mind  

Its true... I guess there's a few of those in all walks of life.

[gasman]

It seams that a few bad apples screw it up for the rest of us  


never mind  

Its true... I guess there's a few of those in all walks of life.

Your right, but i hate it when people think that all ORV users or any user group for that matter are all the same 

You do realise that some public land is leagal to ride of road  not all areas are illegal to ride off road......

[CoyoteSlayer]

I definitely realize that, like I said, I have rode them myself. I think we are trying to be clear that it is the closed areas we are concerned about. Like I have said, I see tracks going around locked gates with clearly posted signs about vehicle usage. Quads can be tons of fun, sorry if we seem to be stereotyping people who ride them, it is not intended to be that way. I am concerned about the people using them when and where they are not allowed. You have to worry about the people misusing them as well, it is only going to lead to more restrictions 

[Pathfinder101]

Replace each shed in "no-ride" areas with a spike strip (for next year)...

[Missing]

I have seen the same thing this year, I have shed hunted for many years and the last couple of years have been crazy with people and ATV's. Im done for this year

[heavy hauler]

bad apples are bad apples. it doesnt matter if they are :on foot  way too early in the year,riding quads or dirt bikes in closed area or on horseback running elk( i have seen that from hwy 504  at st helens)they all suck and we  all get lumped in with them in the eye of the public.we need to police ourselves  better.call that bs  what it is when you see it.