Quote:
Originally Posted by Bushrat
Responsible use isn't a problem, the problem is irresponsible and illegal use.
|
The illegal use is something that I was questioning in my mind. There are many examples of bad law, so just because something is illegal, doesn't mean that it's justifiably so.
On the face of it, it would seem that ATV use would be a benefit to all. For example, if I've spent two hours walking in to a hunting spot only to find someone else there, it's unlikely that I'll have the time or energy left to continue on for another hour to stay out of your way. Whereas, if I ride in on an ATV to find someone there, it's no problem at all to drive past for another few kilometers.
However, it doesn't take much imagination to see that in a heavily hunted WMU, this could easily result in an ATV driving by every 15 minutes, which is obviously a problem for those already in position.
This seems to be just another one of the problems created as a result of population density. If you get too many people in any area, the potential for conflict becomes very high. Then, in an effort to make others conform to our own way of thinking, we end up with an ever growing list of banned activities until, ultimately, all of us on the fringes of the mainstream are effectively shut down.
The fear I have is that banning ATV use entirely (which many here would like to see) will inevitably reduce the ranks of hunters in total, which makes us weaker as a group, and therefore more vulnerable to those who would dearly love to see hunting banned altogether.