4 Wheeling In The Creeks.

[jdmidwest]

Came home this afternoon and took a little Siesta. Awoke refreshed and decided to stomp out a creek for some smallie action. Got to the stream and noticed it was muddy. I had crossed it on Friday and water was clear. We had no rain on the weekend. Further investigation revealed the culprit, in stream 4 wheelers. Based on the tracks it looked like a 4 wheeler and a jeep sized vehicle at least, maybe 2. I followed the tracks up several holes and the water was all muddy. Looks like it was done today or last night based on the tracks. There was one spot about knee deep where they had really churned up the gravel in a whole with all 4 turning. It really messed up the fishing and at least one Longear Sunfish bed. I did not follow them all the way up, I turned around disgusted after a few holes. I did manage to catch a few. Reports will be made to the Bollinger County Agent. I hope this will not become a trend again like it was a few years back.

[KCRIVERRAT]

It's a problem at Roaring River below the park. Be interesting to here of other peoples reports of this problem on other streams.

[Indiana Trout]

By all means report it. Not only is it stupid, it's also illegal because of the habitat destruction.

[ollie]

I see it all the time around here. Doesn't matter which creek it's on, they do it around here all the time and I get tired of it as well. It's not high enough on someone's priority list.

[vanven]

If it was private property I would buy one of these.

If it was public land I would string a dark nylon rope about 4 feet off the ground between a couple trees.

-Jerod

[oneshot]

Yea my idiot BIL told me I needed a 4 Wheeler to ride with them on Corps Land.I told him it was stupid considering it was illegal.Oh everyone does it.Thats where these things start everyone does it wheather its right or wrong.

Had a Guy drive up from Springfield.I seen where he was riding 4 Wheeler on my property.I confronted him about it.He denide it.Come to find out the 4 Wheeler was stolen.

oneshot

[jdmidwest]

Several years ago, it was a big problem. I even had a guy in a 4wd truck in a hole with water up to his hood as me to go find someone to tow him out. I did, the MDC. I did not go back to see what happened, but I dropped a dime for him.

I was even hassled one time by agents because I parked on a gravel bar so I did not block a farm crossing. While what I did was not illegal, he still questioned me and I had to explain why I parked there. I was not anywhere near the water in the stream and was parked on solid gravel without even leaving tracks.

I have come across a few ATV tracks from time to time, but this is the first Big Rig tracks I have seen in a while and they really muddied up the stream. It looked like there had been a big rain.

[gotmuddy]

If it was public land I would string a dark nylon rope about 4 feet off the ground between a couple trees.

-Jerod

I hope your joking. If not then your a complete idiot.

[Coldspring]

Don't even get me started on ATV riders!!! You should see what they do to hiking trails! Once they start using a hiking trail for their personal route, it basically turns a handbuilt single track into a rutted out loose rocked, double track...ruined forever. Most hiking trails are built by volunteer labor, by the way. There's nothing like putting in a bunch of hours or hard labor on a trail, for the beer drinking ATV riding deer hunters to find it a few weeks later and purposely spin their tires as they take the corners, so it will rut them out into a nice ATV path. They can destroy stuff in a matter of minutes. And they have no problem carrying a beer cooler full of beer into the woods, but of course they don't carry out their empty cans. The fines are so paltry that they really have nothing to lose. I say they should have their ATVs forfeited, if caught in blatant disregard for the laws.

Last time I complained about some ATV riders playing in the water along the North Fork River, I was told "get used to it, this is the Ozarks"

What can you do? There are very few hikers, and a whole lot of ATV riders with a whole industry built up around it. At least there are a few fisherman to speak out.

[vanven]

I hope your joking. If not then your a complete idiot.

That was very tongue in cheek. At the same time our natural resources should be protected. I wouldnt want to see anyone permanently hurt, but it might finally teach someone a lesson.

If you are going to call someone an idiot do it properly. It is you're, not your.

-Jerod