Vila County trails can't open till Dec 17th 2013 Due to Hunting

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pirate

New member
Just saw this on snow Tracks today . I'm all for hunting , but our riding season is short enough as it is . So does this mean for example if there is a Foot of snow on Dec 10 . We can't ride , bars , lodges , gas stations , etc all suffer more economic loss .. Vila already has pretty much made it so ATV's will never be allowed there and now they are working against our trail access on sleds also .. What's everyone's view on this .. ( & I have a place in Vila county and myself none to happy with this and many of the board & dnr decisions the last several years up there .. Below is what I pasted from the trail report ..

"Due to the multiple Deer Hunts trails in Vilas County will open December 17 snow permitting. Yep I know it’s late. This is due to the many deer hunts popping up & some having concerns about safety. With the in mind…Tonight there is a Public Hearing at 6pm at the Northland Pines High School Auditorium held by the DNR. Time for you to speak up about all the hunts in December."
 
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fusion

Guest
Who gets excited about riding before Jan. 1 in Vilas?
Not enough base, rocks, gravel, a million people on trails between Christmas and New Years.
Abuse your equipment....amateur riding at its finest.
 
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pirate

New member
I agree the Xmass week is a joke .. But for me , it means using the trailer to get to the UP even if there is snow outside my door .. And last year I had well over 500 miles on b4 Xmass week and had a the trails to myself ..
 
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pirate

New member
Also just found out tonight the Wis DNR is talking about making the special hunt Over the Xmass / New Year holiday state wide and that in turn would close all of the wis snowmobile trails state wide Dec 23 till Jan 3rd .. And if the DNR is as Stupid as usual they prob would say lets not open the trails between the 17th and 23rd of DEC and that could mean a chance no snowmobiling statewide till after jan 3rd anywhere ..
 
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lmuch21

New member
Seeing as you can bow-hunt until the first week in January already, is this like a second week of "regular" gun hunting or a continuation of the muzzle-loader season? My take on it is, after December 1st (or shortly thereafter) open the trails and leave it up to the snowmobilers if they want to go through the woulds with potential hunters carrying guns. I've met coyote hunters a few different times in the woods and i just slowed down and didn't rev up the engine or anything, but never once was I worried about getting shot at. IMO i don't think the hunters should have anything to complain about (coming from a hunter myself) as the bow season starts in September and they have the 9 day gun hunt in November, regardless of what the weather conditions are.

I suppose the one exception to all this would be private land owners saying "wait until Dec. 17th or else no trail at all"...
 
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renegade

Active member
The DNR is not pro snowmobiling in my opinion, and the more they can shut down trails to hunting the happier they are. They do not care what snowmobilers say they totally disregard it. I will say they do not require the trails to be closed, but the clubs choose to close them for respect to the landowners, but what can they do, they have to. I remember the first year they had the antlerless hunt in Iron County and the trails didnt open til the 13th, and there was good ridable snow on the 1st, and after the hunt one doe was registered. It was a very expensive deer economically speaking.
 
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lenny

Guest
I think whitedust is on a cruise or something, he'd be all over this like stink on poo, especially the other Vilas Co thread on trail stickers. We should have a contest to see how long it takes for him to show up.....lol
 
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durphee

Well-known member
The holiday season, Christmas-New Years, is a BIG money maker for many snowmobile related businesses. I guess a lot of "amateurs" (if your not being paid and getting all your stuff for free guess what, your an amateur also!) ride during those times and create a lot of economic value. Like pirate stated, i also get up to my cabin during those times and put some good miles on, several hundred, of course im up there for 14 days over the holiday season so its a really fun time to ride (although I do 4 weekend and another 1 week trip which are just as much fun but much more hurried).
But inconveniencing me is isnt as important as its more of a burden and economic hit to the businesses. Why would the DNR want to further burden and hurt their tax base? Renegade's opinion might be right about the DNR but I hope they rethink their policy, especially the long holiday hunt.
Couldn't they just have a easy policy of allowing extra hunting days until the trails open, that way in low snow early seasons the hunters get the benefit. just IMO.
 
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Deleted member 10829

Guest
lenny said:
I think whitedust is on a cruise or something, he'd be all over this like stink on poo, especially the other Vilas Co thread on trail stickers. We should have a contest to see how long it takes for him to show up.....lol
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I've been waiting for whitedust to respond also!

We will see if any of these opinions change if there is a foot of snow on the ground December 1st. Hoping!!!
 
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starlaker

Member
From what I understand from another northwoods web site it will not affect anything north of hwy 64. The thread above this one has a survey by the dnr where you can give your opinion about the expanded hunt but here it is again. http://dnr.wi.gov/.
 
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skidoodoug

Member
fusion said:
Who gets excited about riding before Jan. 1 in Vilas?
Not enough base, rocks, gravel, a million people on trails between Christmas and New Years.
Abuse your equipment....amateur riding at its finest.
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Not sure what you mean by amateur riding, but I consider myself and my family/friends far from amateurs and we have come up during the holidays several times in the past 30 years. For some families with work and school obligations it is the only time to get up there. Fortunately, my family is flexible and we can come up later if that week is bad. So I really am not sure who you are trying to impress by your comment, but calling someone an amateur for snowmobiling between Christmas and New Years is quite ridiculous.
 
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pirate

New member
The Vila County late opening is already a done deal . Which is really a loss for revenue if there is snow because the other counties around Vila to my knowledge are not setting this as a opening date. Which you can't ride in or out of Vila to get anywhere . It's due to late hunting being giving supposedly because Thanksgiving later this year. Which affected the hunts . (really ?) Which makes no sense to me . Now last nights meeting ( @ the Eagle River High School ) from my understanding (3rd party ) was that the Wis DNR was getting feedback and is considering a complete state wide special hunt during the holiday week . Not just the southern 2/3rds as is already happening this year . And pushing all snowmobile trails being held off from opening . At least the state ones . The economic loss if this was to be enacted would be well into the Million's of dollars for all of the business's across the whole northern part of Wis . Seems to me the DNR is already not thinking of or careing about snowmobilers or business in general even if there considering it ..
 
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fusion

Guest
Been riding Vilas since cabin purchase in 2005, and Iron before that, since 1994. Comments not ridiculous when one considers the probability of marginal conditions at about 90%, and one does not want to subject 10 grand per copy to abuse of low snow and washed out trails. My stuff looks pristine when I sell it and it sells quickly. Some people don't care if they take a 1500 hit per year, I do, so I only ride the good and leave the poor for another day. That being said, the other side of this, and where the amateur comes in, is the idji-ots all over the trail coming at you on the wrong side, stopped in the middle of the trail looking at the chickadee, driving 15 MPH with 7 other schmoes on 20 yr old equipment, hanging on for dear life. Yeah, the ones that ride once a year, between 12/24 and 1/1. I did that for alot of years before I realized it was a fools game to attempt to "soar with the turkeys". Maybe that's your idea of fun - but it isn't mine. Of course, JMEO. Carry on.
 
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blkhwkbob

Active member
fusion said:
Been riding Vilas since cabin purchase in 2005, and Iron before that, since 1994. Comments not ridiculous when one considers the probability of marginal conditions at about 90%, and one does not want to subject 10 grand per copy to abuse of low snow and washed out trails. My stuff looks pristine when I sell it and it sells quickly. Some people don't care if they take a 1500 hit per year, I do, so I only ride the good and leave the poor for another day. That being said, the other side of this, and where the amateur comes in, is the idji-ots all over the trail coming at you on the wrong side, stopped in the middle of the trail looking at the chickadee, driving 15 MPH with 7 other schmoes on 20 yr old equipment, hanging on for dear life. Yeah, the ones that ride once a year, between 12/24 and 1/1. I did that for alot of years before I realized it was a fools game to attempt to "soar with the turkeys". Maybe that's your idea of fun - but it isn't mine. Of course, JMEO. Carry on.
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If you've been riding that long and can't find areas to get away from the crowds you're not really trying hard enough.
 
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cooksend

Active member
fusion said:
Been riding Vilas since cabin purchase in 2005, and Iron before that, since 1994. Comments not ridiculous when one considers the probability of marginal conditions at about 90%, and one does not want to subject 10 grand per copy to abuse of low snow and washed out trails. My stuff looks pristine when I sell it and it sells quickly. Some people don't care if they take a 1500 hit per year, I do, so I only ride the good and leave the poor for another day. That being said, the other side of this, and where the amateur comes in, is the idji-ots all over the trail coming at you on the wrong side, stopped in the middle of the trail looking at the chickadee, driving 15 MPH with 7 other schmoes on 20 yr old equipment, hanging on for dear life. Yeah, the ones that ride once a year, between 12/24 and 1/1. I did that for alot of years before I realized it was a fools game to attempt to "soar with the turkeys". Maybe that's your idea of fun - but it isn't mine. Of course, JMEO. Carry on.
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Seems that some forget where they started and that they too once were a rookie, newbie or some other label. I for one am willing to replace wearable items to be able to ride early and late and am sure I am not alone. Not just a rookie or newbie that hogs the trail. Really sucks to label the less fortunate that are unable to afford a $10,000 sled but can still enjoy the sport with 20 year old equipment!

Never really seen a Turkey soar...
 
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