Using an ATV for Hunting: Tread Lightly

Quoting Glen Hinshaw, from the "National Sportsman's Digest," and his interesting article about sports hunters' burgeoning dependence on using an ATV for hunting, he says "We have a generation, or two generations, of sportsmen,some of whom have learned only to shift gears and drive around the woods. We really need to work through hunter education."

Using an ATV for hunting purposes may inflict noise, pollution and disruption on other hunters who remain true to the art itself. And now, the Division of Wildlife is getting involved with the idea of limiting the use of ATV's for hunting. One big issue revolves around the legality of using an ATV for hunting on public land, which is generally illegal. But the nature of the beast makes enforcement difficult, since hunters using ATVs do so in out-of-the-way and sparsely populated areas.

In many states, it is illegal to have a loaded rifle in or mounted on any type of vehicle, a law that's also difficult to enforce, and whose abuse has caused not a few fatal gun accidents.

Using an ATV for hunting can create enormous disturbance issues, not only of the hunters in the wild but the wildlife itself.

Unquestionably, using an ATV for hunting makes dragging the game back from out-of-the-way, difficult terrain a snap. ATV users are unlikely to give it up, which is quite understandable. As usual, the problem comes back to questions of etiquette. Though what's good for the bow-hunter is not necessarily what the sportsman using an ATV for hunting is after, they still have to play in the same yard. Best to simply heed the laws and regs, be considerate of one another, and tread lightly.