ATV, do you ride?

[jdixon]

A big part of the hunting experience for me, like others who have posted here on this subject, is getting as far away from everyone else as possible. I am fortunate to live in an area where this is still possible. In my neck of the woods this means hunting semi-mountainous areas, places where it is difficult to walk into, much less get an ATV anywhere near them. I guess this probably says something about me. :hmm: :youcrazy: Longest drag out - a nice doe that was almost 4 miles to the truck in freezing rain and snow - 7 hrs. in the dark to get it out (yeah, I didn't place that shot right!). As long as I am young and healthy enough to hunt this way, I will - it truly is part of the experience in my mind. The ATV's will be part of my possibles bag only when I can't hunt any other way (hope I never see that day!) :thumbsup:

 

[Gametracker]

I hunt one spot where I have "dropped" dressed deer and had them slide down hill by gravity alone, and then I have to get them up the other side.... I've had 2-1/2 hour drags that I thought might be my last.

Been there, done that. Anything I kill in Shawnee Forest, where 4-wheelers are restricted entirely, I have to drag whether I want to or not. That did include some "uphill all the ways". On my own private property, I wouldn't be disturbing anyone, unless they were tresspassing, to which they would have yet to see disturbed when I found them :nono:

It's just when ATV's are misused everyone within a mile hears and suffers.

I'm equally perturbed by those who refuse to draw the line between moderatation and laziness.

 

[Wolfbane]

WindWalker, you make me want to book an Airline ticket, and come over to hunt those mountains ....

I am a footslooger whilst my health lasts, but I have known enough sensible ATV people not to have a grudge against them.

 

[CrackStock]

I have friends who ride them to hunt and I have to admit that I have been glad of their help in retrieving deer from the field, but I do not generally ride on these. I do not like the gas smell or noise when I came into the woods to enjoy the atmosphere and experience. I am not totally primitive yet, but I try to get a bit closer each year. An ATV is going the wrong direction.

On the other hand, I am contemplating the purchase of a large piece of land for my own use and may need to purchase one to fence and maintain the property, so maybe my outlook may change as I age and become an owner of property.

Never say never.

CS

 

[oomcurt]

I'm tryin to wrap my brain around somethin here... If you use one on your land..I guess the right/wrong of it is a mute point. If you use on on public land then there is the problem of how to use one responsibly. Well, say you use one to get back in there...ok...but say you don't take it right smack dab up to where you are hunting...then the question becomes one of if you shoot a deer and the vehicle is too far away to drag the deer to...leaving the deer there to get the vehicle..not to good an idea, imo. Also, I sure would not be trusting something that costs that much just sitting by its lonesome in a place where any ne'er do well could do mischief to it. Now as far as some feller stated...about some creep taking one of them things where they are not allowed...if it were me...the guy with the dang thing would have wound up in the creek along with that dirt bike or whatever.