Unauthorized, noisy ATVs hurting hunting experience
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DRIGGS — The most frequent calls that the Teton Basin Ranger District receives during hunting season are complaints of illegal ATV use.
ATV use enables hunters to scout zones and access their camps as well as haul out game from remote areas.
But the trail networks of the Big Holes and the Palisades pose a problem. Much of the eastern Palisade Range is non-motorized, while the Big Holes are predominantly open to dirt bikes with some ATV access. Hunters who follow the travel regulations in those areas feel resentment towards hunters who use unauthorized vehicles on trails.
“It affects the hunt for people who are doing it right,” said Senior Conservation Officer for Idaho Fish and Game Rob Howe. When hunters have approached legally, on foot, dirt bike, or horseback, “to have someone just come blazing along on a 4-wheeler, it’s not fair.”
ATVs can widen and damage trails that weren’t purpose-built for four-wheelers. The Forest Service has to spend taxpayer money to increase closure efforts and build physical barriers, particularly in areas like Henderson Canyon where motorized travel has created a braided network of renegade trails.
“Even if you only go someplace once, someone else will follow your tracks and then it becomes a trail,” said Teton Basin District Ranger Jay Pence.
The incidents are widespread in the Big Holes, and to the frustration of the Forest Service, Pole Canyon in the Palisade Range is seeing more illegal traffic this year than it has previously. It is problematic for other hunters and for wildlife when people take ATVs farther up the canyons than they are permitted to.
“People don’t want to stop when they need to stop,” said Pence.
According to Idaho Fish and Game, slow-moving vehicles on primitive trails are more disturbing to elk and other big game than fast-moving cars on highways. More widespread access by ATVs can increase the mortality rate in deer and elk herds because hunters can cover more ground quickly.
It is illegal to stir up, flush, concentrate, rally, or harass wildlife with an ATV. Vehicles must stay on designated trails; cross-country travel is illegal and destructive. It is illegal to shoot big game animals from a vehicle, except for hunters with qualifying disabilities.
The consequences of a citation can be considerable. It is a misdemeanor with tickets between $25 to $1000 and court costs of $150. According to Howe, a violation can lead to up to a three-year license revocation and potentially up to six months in jail, “for really egregious offenses.” Howe has given out seven road closure citations this year.
“You need to follow the rules,” said Howe. “You have to check the hunting regulations to see if it’s deer season, if it’s elk season, so you need to check and make sure you can use your vehicle where you’re going.”
Resources are free and available to hunters. Travel maps of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest are available at the Forest Service office. The Forest Service also provides a free application called Avenza for smartphones and tablets. Avenza is an interactive motor vehicle use map that uses a phone’s GPS to show the user exactly where he is and whether the vehicle in use is permitted.
“It’s incumbent on the user to become educated on where they need to go,” said Pence.
This article was originally published in the Teton Valley News. It is used here with permission.