My Trespass Story for today....

[Chicago Boy]

About 8 years ago my husband and I stopped riding off-trail because everytime someone saw our tracks....they followed.We didn't want to
lead people onto our neighbors and friends private property. People didn't want to post their lands but when there was a track, some people assumed it was
o.k to follow.. so that was the sacrifice we made to try to hold back the epidemic of backcountry riding, boondocking and signs of aggressive riding.

Last Thursday we went snowshoeing on our property instead. Today we had to go and fence off our snowshoe trail because off-trail riders
decided they had a right to see where the trail goes....totally unfair to us to not be able to use our own land!!! I've been angry many
times this year, once when we rode out of Rockland toward Victoria and saw the total disregard for the steep hillsides just past the Ontonagon River.
Wait until the environmentalist realize the summer erosion is caused by winter snowmobiling. The run off goes into the Ontonagon River and Lake Superior!!!
Trees and vegetation are necessary on these hills to stabilize them...it's a no brainer. Another example is the Military Hill on US-45 near the Ontonagon River.
I don't suppose there are any environmentalists riding by and noticing the aggressive tearing up of the steep hills next to the trail. Someone running over
the seedlings we planted last spring also made me angry. Today I was angry again because our snowshoe walk actually brought more terrorism into our life!
A very special quality of life in the U.P. is being destroyed by some rude & inconsiderate off-trail snowmobilers.

Something needs to be done. I heard a suggestion that the DNR should confiscate any sled caught on private property without written permission...is that what it will come to??
Maybe there has to be some painful consequences, maybe we'll have to pay extra trail permit money for off-trail snomo cops. Maybe the consequences could
be listed on an extra tab on the trail permits so everyone knows it won 't be tolerated anymore!
I can't quite explain the feeling of finding vandalism or unwanted people intruding on our property. The U.P. used to be a much better place to live. We have
been trying to be tolerant but just how much intrusion should we take?

Please look at my previous quote in thread off trail ridding coming to the end
I think you'll like what I have to say about off trail permits .......and if no one else will I will sorry for the _ssholes that did that to you guys

 

[Hoosier]

Have you seen the registration tags from Minnesota? They are so tiny you can hardly find them on the sled, let along
recognize a number.

I mentioned this above, but I think this is a significant part of the issue. How can you expect to catch anyone or deter anyone, if they know you have no chance of identifying them? Sure it would be ugly to put big registration numbers on the side of most sleds, but this was standard the sleds could be designed in such a way that it looks ok.

This wouldn't fix everything obviously but it would help IMO.

 

[cuzzinolaf]

I agree. Hopefully someone will get caught. Once they do, I hope they post about it so the word spreads that this stupidity will not be tolerated.

Then they'll come here and complain about it.... like the stop sign thread.

 

[IceJam]

What about implementing anyone from the public that is certified by a class to police the trails for tresspassing ? ONLY !
The certified must have a picture or video,helmet cams,gps cordinances after a punk is caught,etc ?,Jeez even a simple digital camera has movie capibilities.Any ticket wrote with proof would be a min of a 1000.00 to be split by the certified to pay for the use of his or hers machine and fuel and the camping gear waiting for the Aholes.
Heck we could turn this Crap around in a year or 2,more sled sales cause now there is a chance for another sort of income...Like the wild wild west WE WILL RUN THESE AHOLES RITE OUT OF TOWN !..Im sure the money these punks spend and the lives they indanger won't be missed.
I would assume that the visitors that havnt ben going to the area because of the trail ignorance would start returning and then would replace the ones that are'nt allowed to come back cause after there caught they can'nt return for the year or until the ticket is paid,OR they can work off half of the ticket in rebuilding what they destroyed and on the sno-machine trails also !
JUST MY 2Cents. GOOD LUCK !

 

[tealracing16]

old metal stakes are not that expensive either... Tie some barbed wire between them...

Can someone say liability? There was just a story about how someone was almost decapitated by something like this, the landowners grandkids had done it and the landowner was held responsible.

Edit: "It is better to let people think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and proove them right."

 

[tpayner19]

I agree with the confiscation and resale of the sleds at auction. The owner can purchase it back, if not beat out with proceds going to local clubs for all the fees they have each year. This would also go for drunk riders.

 

[sprchev1]

Signs and fences are what keep me off private property. Trying to catch someone in the act would be a full time job and not very likely to succeed. Unless you have the money to post a private guard or are able to somehow convince the local fuzz to monitor it for you 24/7 it would be a waste of time and money. You will never keep everyone off in my opinion. Signs and fences will still work the best. I don't know how many feet of property you are talking about so I understand that it may be too much financially to fence it all off but not many choices beyond that. good luck!

 

[thebluff]

the victoria hill, military hill, along the new highway as you enter south range from the south (along with a number of posted areas that come to mind easily) are like this EVERY year. When I groomed a few years back, the wife and I commented on the victoria hill each week.

with the roads now bare, we will see people cutting thru yards in town frequently. i complained about my yard last week, bet there was a dozen more sleds over the weekend that came thru...yard looks like a track.

when we sold dnr stickers we would get people in all the time that would tell us they didnt care about rules here...they worked and a responsible 51 weeks of the year and they were here to do as they please.

all of the riders that i now come into contact with seem to have much more respect than that, which makes it tough for someone like me to gripe as i know there are many that do care.....but there sure are a large number that dont too.

to those that speak of fences, rocks and posts as barriers...it isnt our responsibility to keep people out.

cuzzinolaf has the right idea...it is up to YOU all to police each other. traveling thru a bare field or blowing a stop sign may seem like no harm no foul...but for those of us that cannot feel safe letting kids play in our back yard (in town for petes sake) or that have locked up our brakes multiple times each year to prevent a certain accident....it makes us look forward to spring. I dont have the ability to stop and chew out someone that blew the sign and is trail bound. We are unable to catch the buffoons that trespass (even if we see them) It was very rare for me to actually speak to two groups in my yard as i did last week....and that was pretty much a waste of time.

You all are out there on the trail and CAN speak your mind to them. as a group....it is you that need to put an end to this, or eventually there will be no more freedoms.

 

[98panther]

Other than the group your with, nobody is going to listen to anyone else on the trail. that's just too funny.
Who wants to be a self appointed trail preacher/officer. Those providing lodging and selling to visitor's have more pull than anyone.

 

[Chicago Boy]

Ok The bluff I'm the rock guy and you r 100% correct it is up to us and in no way do I think it's your responsibility to keep them out I'll bring the rocks up my self lol
Keep talking about it the more of us that know what's going on the more of us on the trail will keep the _ssholes out of all the places they shouldn't be
So if you start a list of guys that feel the way we do and put me on it

 

[cooksend]

Ya know what really sucks is the honest ones will be penalized... Years with Plat books and riding legal area's will get killed by a few ignorant A-Holes! Starting to look like it is time to move west!!!

If the violators can read this - Knock it the F off..........

 

[teamblue]

Check out utube, see if any of these riders posted video of riding in that area and maybe you can catch them that way.

 

[xcsp_sb]

Simple solution- IED's.

but seriously, with this "entitled" generation now run amok, it will be difficult to curb this stuff. As I said on the other thread that was deleted, rocks work wonders at curtailing this stuff. Not big boulders that can be seen, but the nice smaller, 12"-20" diameter ones just under the snow that when slammed into will due wonders to spindles, trailing arms, driver attitude, etc. A "HIDDEN ROCKS" sign will turn most away. Those that venture in find out the hard way the signs don't lie.

 

[lenny]

Ya know what really sucks is the honest ones will be penalized... Years with Plat books and riding legal area's will get killed by a few ignorant A-Holes! Starting to look like it is time to move west!!!

If the violators can read this - Knock it the F off..........

west sounds good! I say after a good dumping of snow, plant a few volunteer riders in a hidden area and video the riders as they ride the Victoria hill. Use radios to tell the others which way and where to block them off. Next, give them a hugh long lecture educating them in the problem and if their attitudes are not good, turn the video and the registration # into local authorities. You could get a group of 8 volunteers to work the area the day after the dump because you know they WILL not be able to resist. They also ride that hill at night because one Thursday night while I was grooming there were just a few tracks and on the way back there was snow shot all over the shoulder of the trail where the goons were roosting as they climbed. I never saw them ride but saw the results of them riding the hill.

 

[heckler56]

I think the suggestion to go back to the Big ID #'s on a sled is a start. It would make identifying sleds easier if owners decide to use cameras. Knowing that many of these problem people likely could not stand having the numbers on their sled, might make them leave the sport altogether.

The "hidden boulders" sign is also a good thought. Unfortunately, the cameras and signs are an expense that property owner's should not have to make.

 

[Painter]

Terrorism?? seriously, I understand not going into areas with signs posted. But if your off trail and you accidently end up in someones back yard by mistake you should not be persecuted or have to run over metal spikes. You simply turn around and go back. You might want to be careful about what you say and how you handle things, without snowmobiling and ORV'ing, the U.P. would loose millions each year. There are a lot of people that own buisnesses up there that RELY on that money. In fact I know of a few business owners in the U.P. where we frequent that do not like the DNR as they seem to chase business away.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

You might want to be careful about what you say and how you handle things, without snowmobiling and ORV'ing, the U.P. would loose millions each year.

So because the UP relies on ORV and Snowmobilers us locals have to lay down and let people trample on our private property rights and destroy our property....?

 

[Skylar]

Terrorism?? seriously, I understand not going into areas with signs posted. But if your off trail and you accidently end up in someones back yard by mistake you should not be persecuted or have to run over metal spikes. You simply turn around and go back. You might want to be careful about what you say and how you handle things, without snowmobiling and ORV'ing, the U.P. would loose millions each year. There are a lot of people that own buisnesses up there that RELY on that money. In fact I know of a few business owners in the U.P. where we frequent that do not like the DNR as they seem to chase business away.

Wrong attitude.

 

[radsrh]

Painter

To you I say lets try it? You stay home and never set foot here again and see if we go underwater next year. I own land and live in northern WI and in the UP and am SO sick if people that come up and think they can do whatever they want and say without me you would not be able to live. You seem to think that you can go wherever whenever and do anything and its ok because we cant live without you. After years in the medical field if I had a dollar for every drunk driver that said " Hay Iam on vacation and without me you could not make a living so you should let me go" *** how would you like it if I came down there and drove through your front yard, peeed in you front yard and said to you " be careful whay you say to me I might not come back and then what would do for a living "

How about if you dont know where you are going and your not going to do your homework with maps and plat books then you either stay on the trail or STAY HOME???

 

[pfeifest]

I'm in 2 clubs down in WI. Honestly the best way to get something done is to threaten to close the trial. Nothing anybody wants to hear... but it's the truth. It's your land you shouldn't have to "accomodate" anybody.

I realize it isn't the best solution for everybody, but you spending your hard-earned money and time to put up a fence isn't a good solution either.