Off trail riding on the local news

[garageguy]

Confiscate the sled until the fine is paid.
Second offensive double. Third offensive..lose registration.

 

[pclark]

That certainly doesn't effect them in their revenue drives via speed cameras and red lights cameras in various areas across the US.

I would love it if they would write the tickets based on factual proof (video or pictures of perp and machine with reg numbers). I was trailmaster for years and it always pissed me off when we would go out of our way to have the best marked trails and they couldn't stay between the stakes. No Respect for the clubs/property owners that put the time in for their own selfish pleasure. These are guys that certainly don't help with the trails, come to meetings, or give a shit if the trail gets shut down.

 

[nytro_rtx]

The mountain segment of the snowmobile world is growing dramatically and yes so many people think they need big paddles and super long tracks to go play on a lake. I however don't have in my budget the ability to have a $15,000 mountain sled and a $15,000 trail sled so my RMK gets trail ridden a couple times a season. The dusted off corners are certainly not from me. My sled flat out tips over in a corner and can't dust it clean like a trail sled can.
My point is that it's the User and not the Tool.

agree 100%

 

[rph130]

After all our discussions about off trail riding and how to stop it, one thing we can agree about is that the violators probably don't read John Dee forums and we are just preaching to the choir. Last night on the Rhinelander news station, they did a story on the subject which is much more likely to target the violators. Seems to me if we could find more ways to deliver the message (rather than snowmobile forums) like this one, it would go a long way. Maybe AWSC could part with some of their (our) money to fund advertising like this.

Vilas County Parks and Recreation Department urges snowmobilers to stay on trails

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. (WJFW) - Communities across the Northwoods have an extra jolt of tourism all winter long as the snowmobile trails bring people into town. But some riders are

www.wjfw.com

A lot of great ideas here but the best way to correct the problem is strict and aggressive enforcement of the loud pipes, no registration, no trail permit, riding off trail and OWI. I get it. Everyone is shorthanded and has financial constraints including DNR law enforcement. Other than last Thursday at Goochs in Boulder Jct., it has been years since I saw a warden on the trails or at a checkpoint. Actually, there were 6 wardens there for a training thing and a group ride. I talked with them and asked if they were all from Vilas, but they were from all over the state. If the DNR saturated areas regularly and wrote tickets for everything, word would get around very quickly that the nonsense was over and when bad behavior cost people a lot of money, the behavior would change. Believe me....been there, done that. Anyone else out there on this forum in the different counties or states see DNR wardens on a regular basis out on the trails?

 

[mezz]

Ask your self...how many of these sleds have loud cans on them? I haven't seen a single mountain/deep snow sled that didn't have a can on it...I get why they do it out west...but it is killing us here with land owners...and these guys do not care....also with a two inch lug and our groomed trail base..which is maybe 3 to 5 inches with ice on the bottom layer...theres no way its getting enough lube to the slides..so..alot of these guys (not all)..are kicking it off the trail, to get fresh snow into the rails..they have to or they are melting their slides off the rails...and thats where our trespassing issues arise...two inch lugs do a ton of damage to a midwest trail base (unless u are in the snow belt)....I dont see how a 154 or longer sled would be any fun on our tight wooded trails...it would be like driving a school bus through the trees....plus I've seen these mountain sleds with severe lug damage (ripped, torn and missing lugs), which tells me they are being driven at high speed in low snow conditions...they simply weren't designed to be on groomed trails

My sleds never had a can on them, neither did my riding buddies. The cans have been an issue regardless of the type of sled & a majority of those with them are what I call Brappers, all they do is grab a handfull of throttle & let off. Don't understand that at all it's pure stupidity. My home is located 300' off of the trail & have heard my share of these morons. That type of exhaust is pure nonsense & imo has no place but the race track.

 

[mezz]

Anyone else out there on this forum in the different counties or states see DNR wardens on a regular basis out on the trails?

Yep, Sheriff & DNR, sometimes coupled together, Houghton & Keweenaw County.

 

[attakman]

Anyone else out there on this forum in the different counties or states see DNR wardens on a regular basis out on the trails?

They are here, patrolling and writing tickets...but it's not to scare people, or harass rider's...it's a good thing...if you have a trail pass, stop at stop signs, stay on the trail, and don't have a loud can...you'll probably never see them

 

[pclark]

A lot of great ideas here but the best way to correct the problem is strict and aggressive enforcement of the loud pipes, no registration, no trail permit, riding off trail and OWI. I get it. Everyone is shorthanded and has financial constraints including DNR law enforcement. Other than last Thursday at Goochs in Boulder Jct., it has been years since I saw a warden on the trails or at a checkpoint. Actually, there were 6 wardens there for a training thing and a group ride. I talked with them and asked if they were all from Vilas, but they were from all over the state. If the DNR saturated areas regularly and wrote tickets for everything, word would get around very quickly that the nonsense was over and when bad behavior cost people a lot of money, the behavior would change. Believe me....been there, done that. Anyone else out there on this forum in the different counties or states see DNR wardens on a regular basis out on the trails?

Been years since I have seen one up here. Probably jinxed myself, leaving for a ride today in a couple of minutes but I have nothing to worry about.

 

[garageguy]

They are on the grade by me every weekend going after stop sign rollers. Easy pickings and it opens the door for owi and everything else. I dought loud pipes and trespassing is high on there agenda, as it should be. They hand out lots of 239.00 tickets to the stop sign rollers.

 

[snobuilder]

No one caught this?......from the linked article;

"Bierman also says that using the trails up here is a right and not a privilege".

 

[mezz]

No one caught this?......from the linked article;

"Bierman also says that using the trails up here is a right and not a privilege".

Clearly bass akwards.......

 

[SHOOT2KILL]

Been years since I have seen one up here. Probably jinxed myself, leaving for a ride today in a couple of minutes but I have nothing to worry about.

Same here regarding the jinx...Haven't been stopped in years...Was in Adams Co years ago while they were having a "Stop a Sledder for Nothing" Blitz...Was stopped 3 times in 60ish miles on 1 day

 

[Tim in Indiana]

I see DNR in PI once or twice a season. Usually on the traditionally busy weekends like Presidents or MLK. They usually sit just west of PI at either the park ponds by the bridge or at the mini-storage west of that. I did see them once at the end of Bayview road.

I've seen them once this season so far.

Last week I confronted a group of young guys. I had talked with them in a local bar at lunch and they were already pretty drunk. It was their first day and they were bragging about the trees they had hit and had a couple sleds that were banged up pretty bad. One even had a ski bent out about 8" out of alignment from hitting a tree earlier in the morning.

When they left the bar they spent 10 minutes racing back and forth in the parking lot and managed to tip over a sled. Then they went across the road to the trail and spent another ten minutes racing back and forth in front of the houses. They blew all the stop signs at each driveway.

I drove down to the next road and waited on them. They stopped and we had a talk. I reminded them they had three things going against them, they were all drunk, most had loud pipes, and they were racing and blowing the signs off. I also let them know that nearly every trail in PI was on private land and subject to the owners wishes. Last, I again reminded them they were begging to be arrested and most likely one of the homeowners had already called the law. I suggested they get out of town as quickly, safely and quietly as possible before they ended up in jail.

They seemed like nice (but maybe not real smart) kids and all but one of them took it very well. Not sure anything I said sunk in but I hope they managed to spend their week up here without getting hurt or arrested.

 

[indy_500]

I’ve stayed out of this thread so far, simply because this subject is just plain common sense. Banning mountain sleds sounds like a complete asinine idea, as they are not all “tearing up the trails”. It is extremely difficult to ride one aggressively on a trail as all they want to do is tip over, they are honestly zero fun to ride on a trail and I do nothing but laugh at the folks who buy one just to trail ride. An old school small lug track that can’t gain traction does FAR more damage to a groomed trail sliding all over the place. At the end of the day it is up to the operator behind the throttle, on if he wants to spin his track everywhere, and if he wants to trespass all over the place. This topic is no different than gun control Its unfortunate to our sport that we ride on so much private land and we try so hard to protect our access, and it just takes a couple bad eggs to ruin it for everyone.

 

[pclark]

I see DNR in PI once or twice a season. Usually on the traditionally busy weekends like Presidents or MLK. They usually sit just west of PI at either the park ponds by the bridge or at the mini-storage west of that. I did see them once at the end of Bayview road.

I've seen them once this season so far.

Last week I confronted a group of young guys. I had talked with them in a local bar at lunch and they were already pretty drunk. It was their first day and they were bragging about the trees they had hit and had a couple sleds that were banged up pretty bad. One even had a ski bent out about 8" out of alignment from hitting a tree earlier in the morning.

When they left the bar they spent 10 minutes racing back and forth in the parking lot and managed to tip over a sled. Then they went across the road to the trail and spent another ten minutes racing back and forth in front of the houses. They blew all the stop signs at each driveway.

I drove down to the next road and waited on them. They stopped and we had a talk. I reminded them they had three things going against them, they were all drunk, most had loud pipes, and they were racing and blowing the signs off. I also let them know that nearly every trail in PI was on private land and subject to the owners wishes. Last, I again reminded them they were begging to be arrested and most likely one of the homeowners had already called the law. I suggested they get out of town as quickly, safely and quietly as possible before they ended up in jail.

They seemed like nice (but maybe not real smart) kids and all but one of them took it very well. Not sure anything I said sunk in but I hope they managed to spend their week up here without getting hurt or arrested.

Good for you Tim, Young or not, that's just irresponsible and dangerous.

 

[snobuilder]

I see DNR in PI once or twice a season. Usually on the traditionally busy weekends like Presidents or MLK. They usually sit just west of PI at either the park ponds by the bridge or at the mini-storage west of that. I did see them once at the end of Bayview road.

I've seen them once this season so far.

Last week I confronted a group of young guys. I had talked with them in a local bar at lunch and they were already pretty drunk. It was their first day and they were bragging about the trees they had hit and had a couple sleds that were banged up pretty bad. One even had a ski bent out about 8" out of alignment from hitting a tree earlier in the morning.

When they left the bar they spent 10 minutes racing back and forth in the parking lot and managed to tip over a sled. Then they went across the road to the trail and spent another ten minutes racing back and forth in front of the houses. They blew all the stop signs at each driveway.

I drove down to the next road and waited on them. They stopped and we had a talk. I reminded them they had three things going against them, they were all drunk, most had loud pipes, and they were racing and blowing the signs off. I also let them know that nearly every trail in PI was on private land and subject to the owners wishes. Last, I again reminded them they were begging to be arrested and most likely one of the homeowners had already called the law. I suggested they get out of town as quickly, safely and quietly as possible before they ended up in jail.

They seemed like nice (but maybe not real smart) kids and all but one of them took it very well. Not sure anything I said sunk in but I hope they managed to spend their week up here without getting hurt or arrested.

that is a drunk problem, NOT in any way caused by a snowmobile.

 

[snobuilder]

I would love it if they would write the tickets based on factual proof (video or pictures of perp and machine with reg numbers). I was trailmaster for years and it always pissed me off when we would go out of our way to have the best marked trails and they couldn't stay between the stakes. No Respect for the clubs/property owners that put the time in for their own selfish pleasure. These are guys that certainly don't help with the trails, come to meetings, or give a shit if the trail gets shut down.

Wait,...I thought the cap step trail pass was designed to get ppl signed up as members and involved in a club by offering a discounted trail pass of $10 vs. $30 ....WHAAA?....not working in WISCO?

 

[mspease]

Wait,...I thought the cap step trail pass was designed to get ppl signed up as members and involved in a club by offering a discounted trail pass of $10 vs. $30 ....WHAAA?....not working in WISCO?

It works on memberships but very few get involved. Our membership almost doubled the first year it was implemented.

 

[wiscrev]

I’ve stayed out of this thread so far, simply because this subject is just plain common sense. Banning mountain sleds sounds like a complete asinine idea, as they are not all “tearing up the trails”. It is extremely difficult to ride one aggressively on a trail as all they want to do is tip over, they are honestly zero fun to ride on a trail and I do nothing but laugh at the folks who buy one just to trail ride. An old school small lug track that can’t gain traction does FAR more damage to a groomed trail sliding all over the place. At the end of the day it is up to the operator behind the throttle, on if he wants to spin his track everywhere, and if he wants to trespass all over the place. This topic is no different than gun control Its unfortunate to our sport that we ride on so much private land and we try so hard to protect our access, and it just takes a couple bad eggs to ruin it for everyone.

I'm prob the one you are referring to [no harm]. I didn't say all, but I have seen enough deep lugs tear up a trail. All young throttle jockeys showing off. Guys like that have no respect and yes, I wouldn't mind seeing those off the trail, at least 2" and under. I've also seen others completely mess up a trail as well. Again, guys with no respect. But what can I say, I'm out of the sport [riding] as I have a bad shoulder.

 

[snomoman]

I see DNR in PI once or twice a season. Usually on the traditionally busy weekends like Presidents or MLK. They usually sit just west of PI at either the park ponds by the bridge or at the mini-storage west of that. I did see them once at the end of Bayview road.

I've seen them once this season so far.

Last week I confronted a group of young guys. I had talked with them in a local bar at lunch and they were already pretty drunk. It was their first day and they were bragging about the trees they had hit and had a couple sleds that were banged up pretty bad. One even had a ski bent out about 8" out of alignment from hitting a tree earlier in the morning.

When they left the bar they spent 10 minutes racing back and forth in the parking lot and managed to tip over a sled. Then they went across the road to the trail and spent another ten minutes racing back and forth in front of the houses. They blew all the stop signs at each driveway.

I drove down to the next road and waited on them. They stopped and we had a talk. I reminded them they had three things going against them, they were all drunk, most had loud pipes, and they were racing and blowing the signs off. I also let them know that nearly every trail in PI was on private land and subject to the owners wishes. Last, I again reminded them they were begging to be arrested and most likely one of the homeowners had already called the law. I suggested they get out of town as quickly, safely and quietly as possible before they ended up in jail.

They seemed like nice (but maybe not real smart) kids and all but one of them took it very well. Not sure anything I said sunk in but I hope they managed to spend their week up here without getting hurt or arrested.

All I can think of is…it’s a modern version of the lawless Wild West, it seems there are no consequences for their actions, so they run wild like a bunch of crazy alcohol fueled wild baboons…I guess sooner or Iater, (unfortunately), stupidity will reign as the deciding factor