Atv vs walking

tswoboda wrote:

From the MnDNR Brochure: Check the asterisk…

Interesting. I hadnt checked the regs for that section in a while since I hadnt been using my atv the last several years. Seems they caught up with the times.

I’m confused. It applies to public and private land, but it says private land owners can use their machines at any time?

Dan Baker wrote:

I’m confused. It applies to public and private land, but it says private land owners can use their machines at any time?

Haha That was the point where I decided to stop reading and plead ignorance.

Dan Baker wrote:

I’m confused. It applies to public and private land, but it says private land owners can use their machines at any time?

If you are the landowner or have permission from the landowner you can operate your ATV* any time you want to.

gimruis wrote:

If you are the landowner or have permission from the landowner you can operate your ATV* any time you want to.

So if you’re trespassing you are limited to when you can use an ATV. Nice of them to include regulations for trespassers – I’m sure they will all read and follow them.

tswoboda wrote:

So if you’re trespassing you are limited to when you can use an ATV. Nice of them to include regulations for trespassers – I’m sure they will all read and follow them.

LOL

IMO, everything depends on the access to your stands and how easy or difficult it is to get into the stand without making a lot of noise, letting the deer see you, or drifting your scent into areas that will spook deer.

For example, I have several stands where the only way to enter them means that the deer are highly likely to see, smell, or hear a hunter approaching the stand. In this case, I feel like you may as well use the ATV because the deer are used to the noise, but I also feel like it is best to drop the hunter off because having a smelly ATV parked at the stand and making cooling-down noises is not going to go un-noticed by the deer.

But I also have stands that are accessible without making much noise or passing near known bedding areas. For example, we have one stand that is up on a fenceline so there is a clear path that can generally be walked while making minimal noise and if the wind is right to hunt this stand, the approach path does not blow scent into the bedding or feeding areas. In this case, my feeling is why add the noise of the ATV and alert deer that there is activity near this stand?

I know many property owners who configure all their stands for quiet on-foot access, basically, their thinking is if you can’t get in the stand without spooking the likely deer activity area, then you shouldn’t have a stand there at all. It’s hard to argue with that line of thinking, but it requires a situation where you have almost total control of a property such that you can pick and choose stand and access path locations and routes.

I think for the driving a machine to be better, you have to have them conditioned as some mentioned. If it’s places where ag equipment, atvs, etc are regularly coming and going then those may be your best avenue. If you are hunting a spot that has no real activity other than you hunting, I’m getting in there real early and trying not to make a peep.

Once the shots start raining during the main rifle season here in WI, all bets are off. It becomes just as much luck as it does anything else as to what may or may walk under your stand if just sitting. Throw most patterns out the window unless you’re hunting a huge piece of land with no hunting neighbors either.

buckybadger wrote:

I think for the driving a machine to be better, you have to have them conditioned as some mentioned. If it’s places where ag equipment, atvs, etc are regularly coming and going then those may be your best avenue. If you are hunting a spot that has no real activity other than you hunting, I’m getting in there real early and trying not to make a peep.

Once the shots start raining during the main rifle season here in WI, all bets are off. It becomes just as much luck as it does anything else as to what may or may walk under your stand if just sitting. Throw most patterns out the window unless you’re hunting a huge piece of land with no hunting neighbors either.

I’m also one who gets out in the woods as early as possible. Last year the kid and I were in the woods over 2 hours early. We just hunkered down in a natural ground blind I had half built a few weeks early. On opening morning my buck was shot 8 minutes after shooting time. And I was back home and napping by 9 am. Monday we did the same thing and my kids buck was down 1 hour in to shooting time. I feel both those deer would have been pushed away if we walked in 20 minutes before shooting lite

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’m also one who gets out in the woods as early as possible. Last year the kid and I were in the woods over 2 hours early. We just hunkered down in a natural ground blind I had half built a few weeks early. On opening morning my buck was shot 8 minutes after shooting time. And I was back home and napping by 9 am. Monday we did the same thing and my kids buck was down 1 hour in to shooting time. I feel both those deer would have been pushed away if we walked in 20 minutes before shooting lite

x2 I’m a big believer in this as well. All the deer I’ve shot at first light were when I was in early. And a few I’m very confident were due to the neighbors coming in later and pushing them my way.

BigWerm wrote:

And a few I’m very confident were due to the neighbors coming in later and pushing them my way.

I had this occur to me many times when I hunted on public land in the Chippewa National Forest around 11am or so. People would leave their stands and head in for whatever reason, and deer would come my way because I sat in my stand all day long.

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
I’m also one who gets out in the woods as early as possible. Last year the kid and I were in the woods over 2 hours early. We just hunkered down in a natural ground blind I had half built a few weeks early. On opening morning my buck was shot 8 minutes after shooting time. And I was back home and napping by 9 am. Monday we did the same thing and my kids buck was down 1 hour in to shooting time. I feel both those deer would have been pushed away if we walked in 20 minutes before shooting lite

x2 I’m a big believer in this as well. All the deer I’ve shot at first light were when I was in early. And a few I’m very confident were due to the neighbors coming in later and pushing them my way.

I’ll be using this theory again next Thursday in hopes it works for my son again

gimruis wrote:

around 11am or so. People would leave their stands and head in for whatever reason, and deer would come my way because I sat in my stand all day long.

A lot of people who stay in their stand all day, get their deer around lunch time as other hunters bump them.

We used the ATV to bring people to their stands and even had it parked by the ground blind when both my kids shot their deer for the youth hunt. I will say I’m a believer now that it doesn’t really seem to bother the deer and it makes getting to and from the stands very easy and less sweating from walking out which was always a problem for me anyway no matter how light I dressed. Thanks again.