From Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Many hunters use their OHV’s as tools to aid in their quests. Here are a few things you can do to help maintain hunter relationships and good trail conditions.
• Know the vehicle use regulations where you hunt. Contact the land managing agency responsible for the area. Respect road, trail and area closures. Do not operate an ATV or UTV on single track trails.
• Access your hunting area before shooting hours and then hunt on foot to increase your chances of success and decrease the disturbance of other hunters.
• Stay on legal roads or trails. For game retrieval, park your machine in a safe location on the side of the nearest designated road or trail and during the middle of the day to reduce conflicts with other hunters. Bring your harvested game to the road/trail, then load it on your OHV.
• Avoid wet areas. Even though the lighter weight and low-pressure tires reduce impacts, OHV’s can still do serious damage to wet areas.
• Respect other hunters and recreationists. Slow down or stop your OHV when you approach others on the trail. When meeting equestrians, approach slowly, pull over and stop. Turn off your engine, remove your helmet, and ask how to best proceed.
• Reduce emissions and sound. Keep your OHV properly tuned and muffled.
• Limit OHV use in or near campgrounds. Be respectful of other campers’ desires for quiet and minimal disruption.
• Off-trail use on most Montana public lands is illegal, even for game retrieval. Illegal cross-country travel on OHV’s can cause soil erosion, damage to fish and wildlife habitat, and threatens the future of ethical OHV recreation.
• Operation of an OHV in areas closed to use is illegal and causes hunter conflicts. Illegal travel by OHV’s often leads to more restrictive regulations.