What is the matter with people

[LW1911]

AMEN!

[crossbowme]

Yes, you are right, and what you say is correct but still if crossbowme or his friends or maybe me come to you with respect and ask for permission to cross your land you are a lot more likely to give us permission than if we trespass first and you have to catch us and order us off and then we try to get you to change your mind. Everybody,even old farmers appreciate respect.

Well said - also our club carries $300,000 liability on all riders on club approved trails.

[wfo]

Whipper

WoW

[Delduck]

2 more cents. I have a farm, use to let people ride on the edges of the field, then they started taking advantage of it and drove threw the crops. Once again as someone else has stated 1 bad apple. The problem I have is finding the bad one after the damage is done, when you loose 2-3 ac of corn, and a couple of ac of beans it gets you to the point where it's easier to just say no. That doesn't take in account for the ruts that are left that need to be disked over to fix. Please don't take this the wrong way I have my freinds and grandkids ride the farm and used to allow most anyone but after repeated problems we had to stop all but family and freinds.

[hipowerone]

Again 2 cents....as a sportsman and a new AATV rider, I always ask for permission to use land up front, and if granted, get it in writing, (Required here in VT) along with what is allowed and not allowed. If not granted permission, I tell the owner that I understand and thank them anyway. The permission in writing works both ways...I have a form to show authorities if asked, and the landowner has a way of knowing and contacting those that they have given permission to. It is pretty easy for them to know who might be on their land and when. I have found this method to be a great process, as I have been able to meet and make some new friends, and also become a better steward of the lands. If I see anyone who might be using or abusing the land, I report it to the land owner. This works for both hunting and use of the AATV. Also, unlike some 'sportsmen', I get my permissions renewed each season. This makes sure that the land owner knows and remembers me, and also renews his trust in me, as I will not use the lands without permission. There has been way too much land posted recently that previously was open land. All because people use lands without permission.

[onefunzr2]

My comment comes from a farm owner's perspective considering the question: What's the matter with people? Developers bought up most of the farms in east central Pennsylvania in the 90's. Folks from Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey flooded in and bought new homes but kept their old jobs making this a bedroom community. These affluent people bought their kids dirt bikes, snowmobiles and ATVs but had barely a half acre of their own property. So where do you think they rode all these gas-powered toys? Right across farmer's fields and their woodlots. It wasn't uncommon for them to actually cut through the middle of my barnyard for a quicker trip home! They were too fast to catch on a farm tractor and with no license plates for identification the only description was the color and whether it was a dirt bike, ATV or snowmobile. Local police were useless in deterring this trespassing. They warned me NOT to string up neck-high barbed wire since I didn't have livestock. They said it would be just like hooking up a string to a shotgun's trigger and tie it across their path...I'd be seen as at fault and in the wrong.

One young rider couldn't control his bike, flipped off it and landed knee first on a rock alongside my field. The damage was so great, doctors had no choice but to fuse his knee straight. His father sued me! Luckily my farm insurance lawyers got it thrown out of court but my insurance rates went up because of it.

So what's the point of this dissertation? If you live on a postage stamp sized piece of land, perhaps you shouldn't buy one of these machines and think you'll be welcome on surrounding property. Go out and buy enough of your own land to satisfy your wanderlust. Rant over.

[crossbowme]

We have faced the same problems. When a land owner withdraws permission, we block the old trail and post signs. The thugs just went ahead anyway. However, it is seldom kids that do these things. We have game cameras and it is clearly adults who take their jeeps and pickups out into the swamps and trails and destroy them. We turn the tapes over to the game wardens and they arrest the culprits but it doesn't do any good. Two summers ago we had two drunken idiots take their full-sized GMC pickup down our trails destroying bridges and mats. Finally, they drove over one bridge that collapsed taking the truck with it. The bridge was destroyed when they hauled the truck out. It cost us almost $5000 to fix it with no reimbursement. Neither of the two jerk offs had licenses (all suspended), jobs or money. They were wanted for child support back pay. We prosecuted but the judge required them to pay for the bridge but neither did. The only good part was in the spring. We use jail labor to help with trail maintenance and one of these idiots ended up working on some of our trails (he was in jail for an unrelated crime).

[john swenson]

no matter who you are, you can't hide from karma !! j.b.