Hunting vs. Riding on Trail System

[Yamahonda41]

Can anyone tell me if now that we have designated trails if it is now safe to assume that hunters will be prohibited or at least stay clear of these areas?  I am both a rider and a hunter and just looking at the map of the trails it appears that riding only takes about 1/4 of the ONF leaving 3/4 for hunting.  Seems like a pretty fair deal for everyone.  I for one would love to be able to ride during the holiday breaks, etc. in the wintertime.

Any word on this GrizzlyBear?

[Yamahonda41]

Dang it's been a week and not one reply 

[wilburz]

There are a lot of hunters up there that use atv's to get around. you cannot ride your atv off the trails on the trail system. It's against the law. You tell me how many atv's will be parked on the trail system with a lazy hunter sitting in a stand less than 50 feet away. I think things might get ugly up there this hunting season.     

[KB]

There are a lot of hunters up there that use atv's to get around. you cannot ride your atv off the trails on the trail system. It's against the law. You tell me how many atv's will be parked on the trail system with a lazy hunter sitting in a stand less than 50 feet away. I think things might get ugly up there this hunting season.     

I kinda agree w/ you on that. I think theres gonna be a few hunters upset about being able to ride only on a trail system instead of how it use to be,
especially w/ people on sport quads, since "it's all our fault".

But if I was hunting, my common sense would tell me to hunt "away" from the "trail system" in my "tagged", "truck/jeep" off of any numbered trail throughout the forest (were we won't be)

[GrizzlyBear]

The ONF is advising people that to hunt near the designated trail system will probably be counter productive.  However, they are also advising ATV riders to ride in the middle of the day.

[Yamahonda41]

Thanks for the heads up Grizzlybear.  I would hope that the small percentage of the ONF with designated trails would be "reserved" for riding since the rest of the forest is open for hunting.  We should not have to worry about getting hassled by hunters who are hunting in riding areas no matter what time we choose to ride.

[KB]

Thanks for the heads up Grizzlybear.  I would hope that the small percentage of the ONF with designated trails would be "reserved" for riding since the rest of the forest is open for hunting.  We should not have to worry about getting hassled by hunters who are hunting in riding areas no matter what time we choose to ride.

I agree, back before the closures I wouldn't go to ONF during the 2 month gun season. It was hard not to 'cause thats the best time of year to ride, but I understood about the "user conflict" & told myself & my friends "look these people live around there, they only get 2 months(gun season) to hunt, & they have to pay to hunt,
we get the rest of the year & don't cost us anything"
,
BUT, that was a couple yrs. ago, things are a lot different now, we have less areas now than they do & it cost more for us to ride there now than it costs them to hunt.

So I say SOME of the hunters should stay away from our trails like SOME of us ATV riders did for them.
But IMO theres gonna be a few that are upset about the closures & might even go out of there way to try to get back at us(stray bullets) since some hunters blame us for all the closures.
Which I still think they went too far with, I bet just the registration fee, & the fee to ride there alone would of changed things instead of jumping the gun like they did & closed the whole place (almost the whole place).
These are just my opinions.

[Ida_Mann]

I did about the same thing during hunting season, except I would keep my riding to about 11AM to 3PM,,,,after that the woods belonged to the hunters.

Id@

[Yamahonda41]

That was fine when it was free Ida but now I say lets ride from 9 to 4

[Ida_Mann]

no mercy now,,,,,I'm riding from sunup to sunrise.

Id@

[Yamahonda41]

Dang Ida go for the throat!!!

I'm with you!!!

[Ida_Mann]

hey, I've been shot at plenty of times before, and I had sympathy for the plight of the hunters, but now they need to realize we OHVers are more persecuted than they are.

Id@

[rancher1]

I agree if they had to put up with as much crap as we do then they would feel the same way we do so get in there truck or buggy and go further back away from the trails and let us ride on what little bit of land we have left to ride on.

[runfox]

I just rode Lake Delancey this weekend for the first time. I was impressed with how long the trails are. We rode like 8 hours and didn't begin to explore all the trails up there.  I don't hunt but I have always wanted to. For any of you that do, how do the hunters get around  to hunt the north area? Seems to me it would work well to ride a trail way out on hog valley or so, then get off your OHV and walk into a tree strand and you'd be all set. I doubt many riders ride all the way out there in hog valley, that the most north west corner of the forest.

[novadave]

When me and my frineds go to delancey. We take the outside trail and ride the intire loop, all the way around the forest. It takes about 4 hours and a full tank of gas.