By GoliathSpiders on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hello folks!

Here are the laws for what constitutes an all-terrain vehicle and it's class here in Oregon. It doesn't appear that my amphicat fits into any of these. I was thinking a class I, but it is a little more than 50" wide. A class II does not even mention width of vehicle. What would my 6 wheeler be considered then?

801.190 “Class I all-terrain vehicle.” “Class I all-terrain vehicle” means a motorized, off-highway recreational vehicle 50 inches or less in width with a dry weight of 800 pounds or less that travels on three or more low pressure tires, has a saddle or seat for the operator and is designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, marsh, swampland or other natural terrain. [1985 c.459 §2; 1995 c.775 §9; 1997 c.228 §1]



801.193 “Class II all-terrain vehicle.” “Class II all-terrain vehicle” means any motor vehicle that:

(1) Weighs more than a Class I all-terrain vehicle and less than 8,000 pounds;

(2) Is designed for or capable of cross-country travel on or immediately over land, water, sand, snow, ice, marsh, swampland or other natural terrain; and

(3) Is actually being operated off a highway. [1987 c.587 §2]

801.194 “Class III all-terrain vehicle.” “Class III all-terrain vehicle” means an off-highway motorcycle with a dry weight of 600 pounds or less that travels on two tires. [1989 c.991 §2]


Thanks, Dean

By maxindetroit on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Sounds like a class 2 to me.

By bigkodiak on Unrecorded Date: Edit

No doubt....Class 2
Russ

By Steven W. Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Last deer season I was stopped by a game warden and got a 700.00 fine for riding my 6 wheeler off the dirt road and in a clearcut area. They also took my rifle away which I still have not gotten back. They never set a court date or anything,just made me pay the fine,{which they did not reduce by the way}and sent me on my way.
My question is,did I really do somthing wrong or did I just get screwed??? By the way I live in jackson county oregon.

I would be grateful for
your point of view.
S.W.Taylor

By Fred Sowerwine, Montana's Max dealer (Fred4dot) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I'd say you got screwed. I never heard of any jurisdiction that can fine you with out a court action. And stealing your rifle sounds a little much. Did they give you a receipt when they confiscated it?

If I were in your shoes, I would research the laws and seek justice.

By Steve Snow/Snowco on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven,it is against the Law in Oregon to carry a loaded rifle while on a ATV,[ie] Quad,6x6,8x8,Trackster.
What Agency gave you a Ticket and took your rifle?,State,County,BLM,FS?
The property you were on, Private or Federal?

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven, my Dad always told me that if it smells like horse manure, looks like horse manure, then there's a good chance that you have some old fashion horse manure there.
Being a retired peace officer I know that there are places where they boost the county budget by confiscating anything that is remotely associated with an infraction.There is one county in Northern Calif, where I'm from, that has confiscated hundreds of thousands of dollars of people's property. Most of the crimes where never involved with any convictions, yet people have spent years in court trying to get there stuff back.Most were never able to do it.
That's one of the big reasons I moved to Alaska.
We have none of those goofy rules up here.We can carry loaded guns in our vehicles, and not one person has been injured in all of the years, as far as I know.
It will take a hard fought battle to change some of these laws, and most of us will never see it.
Most of these laws are sponsered by the Anti's, who could care less how much it infringes on your rights as an American.
We have too much gov. control. If we ever need to vote, this year will be a good time.
In my last posting I said that Alaska has laws that allow handicapped people to shoot from their Atv's.Well they do, but I found out that it is only in certain areas. We are working on getting that changed.
By the way Big Wolf, got that old careless bull the other evening. Put the whole thing in the back of my Hydro. Got some kool video if you like.
Bubba, shadowmountainoutdoors.com

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

First of all,thanks for the responses I receeived after I posted my little problem last week.The property that I was on is owned by Boise Cascade and is an area my family and I have permission to hunt because over the past 20yrs. or so we have kept all the roads clear of windfalls in exchange for them letting us have the wood for firewood.We have been camping every year in the same spot and just about all the Law inforcement people know who we are.Most of them even stop for a cup of coffee when they are in the area.
It was a State Fish and Game Officer that gave me the ticket and there were two officers so I did'nt argue much when they took my rifle,basicly because I thought I would get it back when I payed my fine.I did not get a receipt because the officer said he was not required by Law to give me one.
And since I have been hunting on either a quad or a 6x6 for most of the last 20yrs.I do know that it is against the Law to have a loaded rifle aboard your 6x6 or any other ATV,so mine was not loaded.
After talking to some friends I went to the courthouse to do some snooping around and found that the officer made a note on his copy of the ticket that said, reason for ticket "driving offroad vehicle off road".Now I no I'm not the sharpest tack in the pack,but arn't we supposed to drive or ride our off road machines off road?
Well I've taken up enough of your time but just to let you know my lawyer made a few calls and son-of-a-gun,the State Police called today and guess what I got back? I know somthing is fishy here but given a little more time and some more snooping I bet I figure it out.

Thanks for your time guy's
Steven W.Taylor

By David Keeso (Argomag) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven, let us know what happens in the end- would be interested to hear it.

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hi guy's
This is a follow up on what happened to me last deer season.Yesterday my brother and I got back from our first hunt of the year.As I told you in my last post I was going to do some more snooping around and see what I could find. I couldn't find out much because those government folk's really cover their six's pretty good.About all I could find out was that the officer that gave my ticket had been reassigned to different district here in Southern Oregon,but for the deer season he would be back over on our side of the hills so I thought I had a pretty good shot at meeting up with him again.
So,for the first three days my brother in his Bigfoot and me in mine spent most of our time driving around the same clearcut I got my ticket in.On day four our plan paid off.At approx.1:30p.m. my brother was at the low end of the cut where I got my ticket and I was at the top.When he called me on my two way radio and said Johnny Law was on his way down the hill so I had better get there A.S.A.P.
I got there just as Barney Fife was geting out of his rig,he said I thought I'd find you here again and started flipping through his ticket book.Then he said I thought when we made an example out of you last year that you would have learned your lesson and kept these six wheel things out of the woods.You can most likley guess this statement kind of sorta pissed me off.
So I asked him if we where riding our quads if he would be bothering us at all?He said nope,that's the way I do all my hunting.I asked him if knew that these six wheel things as he called them where just another type and style of ATV's?His response was kind of funny in a way,he said anything with that many tires just tears up the gound to much and should be completly outlawed.All I could say was "Idiot"
After that I asked what he was giving us a ticket for and he had a list which he started to read.First was driving a non-licened vehicle.So I walked around to the left side of my rig and said,you mean like this ATV permit?Then he said OK but I'm writing you up for driving on a private road,riding off road on private property,and trespassing.I then asked if he was finished and pulled out a noterized paper from my pocket and began to read it to him,To whom it may concern,Mr.Taylor and whomever is with him, has full permission of Boise Cascade Company to drive any type vehicle he so chooses on any roads or lands owned by said Company.The short letter was signed by the chairman of the board,Biose Cascade Incorperated.
I just simply said,it looks to me like you should be the one getting all those tickets since you're the one that's trespassing.Well as you can imagine he was not a very happy camper,but good ole Johnny Law never said a word,just handed back my letter got into his F-250 and drove away.
Just goes to prove some people just don't like us AATV'ers so we had better band together instead of fighting about which machine is best Argo or Max,Max or Argo.Let's face it guy's and gal's, we all love our machines but it's only going to take a few fools like the guy I had to deal with to put a bug or two in the right ears in the political arena and we won't be riding or driving anything anywhere.Sorry this post was so long but I'm not to good at shortening things up.

Thanks for listening to me complain,
STEVE

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

It doesn't sound to me like your complaining at all in fact I love to hear stories like that don't get me wrong I do believe in Law Enforcement but It sounds like he was definitely
just being a jerk. I think if I were you I would file a complaint against the officer or department for harrasment. Before writing you up he should have asked you if you had permission to be there and if you had a permit on your ATV.
WAY TO GO STEVE

By Steven W. Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey guy's,thought you might get a kick out of this.Apparently Johnny Law went back and was talking to some of his buddies and they were interested in what the heck was really going on.I went back to my favorite spot and right in the place where I always unload my rig was a State Trooper and his partner just sitting in thier truck.I thought oh boy here we go again.But as I pulled up I saw that they wer'nt the same guy's I had been dealing with before.So as I was unloading they both came over and started asking questions about my Argo.About ten min. later a Forest Ranger pulled up.
Well to make a long story a little shorter,I spent the next Two hours telling these guy's all about my Bigfoot,showing them how to drive it and giving rides.Then one of the officers asked where I normally hunt.I told him I hunt this road we are on but I go all the way to the bottom.He was honestly shocked,he said that he had tried getting down there many times and never got more than a half mile or so.The other guy's just said they thought the road was not passable.So being the nice guy that I am I took all three of them all the way to the bottom. I feel like I made some friends that day and got the Law off my six, for awhile anyway.I'm going out hunting Monday with the Forest Ranger,he say's he know's of some roads people have not been on for a long time because of one thing or another.Maybe I'll find some new hunting area and I already made some new friends.After all, is'nt that what all this is about anyway?Meeting new people and having fun.Talk to you guy's later.


STEVE

By Steven W. Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Hey everybody,I went on that hunt with the Forest Ranger last Monday and had a blast.He was right,he knew several roads that nobody has been on in a long long time.He even knew where there used to be roads but they don't exsist anymore,well they do now hehe!Had to show him how ole yeller Bigfoot can crawl over windfalls go through some pretty nasty creeks and a mud hole that even suprised me a little.
Two things really made this trip worth while,first, we both tagged out,{he got a real nice 4 point and I took a decent little 2x3}and 2nd, I got to show him just how little good all those stupid ******* gates they keep putting across the roads to keep everyone out really do.
I told him if we really wanted in, that would not really be a problem.He said if you get caught behind one of these gates you'll be in some deep **** and it could end up very costly for you.So I told him the only reason we AATVers would do that is if they,{they being the Gov.}keep closing trails and roads so we don't have any place to ride, then we'll have to do some things we might not really want to do but beleive me when I tell you, WE ARE GOING TO KEEP RIDING,make no mistake about it.
Well he was very impressed with what the machine could do and what really shocked him was on some of the roads we went in on we had to come back out on and he could not see our tracks most of the time.I told him if I wanted,I could really screw the ground up but I don't and most of the other riders/drivers don't either because we want to be able to keep useing the roads and trails.
He said he would tell his boss about his ride in the woods and we'll see what happens.I don't expect that things will change real soon but ya gotta start somewhere.I don't know if we got our foot in the door or not,but at least the door got cracked open a little.Wish us all Luck and remember, keep the rubber side down.

Later,STEVE

By Alfred Cushman on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve, move to Hollywood, take up writing for TV Programs,quit boring us with your BS.
I have been in touch with the State Police in Central Point, they know nothing of you or your reported "stories".
Alfred Cushman
La Pine, Or.

By Howard on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve, For your encouragement, I do enjoy reading your stories, please keep it up. Howard

By Steven W. Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Well Alfred,
I'm sorry if my getting a ticket and getting screwed bores you so badly,if you don't like it, don't read it.As for the B.S.part,I believe that would be your catagory AL ole buddy,I don't believe for a minute that you have contacted the State Police or anybody else for that matter.Beside the fact you would have been talking to the wrong people since it was the Fish and Game dept.that gave me my ticket,it is against the Law for them to give out any information to anyone but my Lawyer.

I don't know if the two agencies are in the same place or not,I know they used to be but since I have two relitives that work for the Fish and Game Dept.and they both assure me that someone from a little jerk water town can't just call up and get information on someone else getting a ticket,I believe we all know who's slingin the B.S.Alfred.

As for my other posts all I was doing was sharing some of the things that have happened to me and some of the stuff I've done.I'm sure other guy's out there have alot better tales to tell than I do,I just happen to have more time to write to these message boards than they do.And AL,I really dislike, no I hate being called a liar,so if you want to do it again just give me an e-mail and we'll set up a time and place.

Howard,guy's like you,David,Fred and Bubba are the reason I stay at this web-site.All seem to be nice people just sharing knowledge and information and most of all having fun.I won't let some old fart ruin the fun I have reading and writeing this forum.I know what really happened and if somone else does'nt like it,sorry,as far as I know this is still a FREE COUNTRY.I hope I have not offended to many of you.If I have let me know here and I'll stop posting.

STEVE

By Bill cripe (Bcripe) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Keep posting!

By Motown's (Bigwolf) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Keep posting Steve! I enjoy reading about it!

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve,
I enjoyed reading your posts. I wish other people would write some stories about their adventures it would be a nice change to read a story other than just technical info and bashing etc. Besides like you said it is a free country and if someone wants to write fiction or nonfiction on this forum it's up to them and no one else can do anything about it except complain.
If I ever get my ATV finished maybe I'll have some stories.

By mudbug1 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steve,,
Yeah,keep the 6x6 post coming! I really enjoyed reading all of them. ( big grin )

By dt5428 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Let it happen.

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven, It's really hard to read some this stuff and not respond in some really ugly mannor, but I won't, which is not normal for me.
It takes guts to stand up for what is right and you will always find little critters skurrying around when you turn over a cow turd.
I grew up in Lassen-Modoc County Calif., and I am very aquainted with "small-town" law because I was one for a lot of years. Some folks don't handle authority very well.Most of them are OK, but a few will "shoot themselves in the foot" once in a while.
The Fish and Fin is chucked full of those tree-huggers and anti-hunter-don't step off of the road folks.
By the way, my new book,"The Wilderness Trail" is taking off like hot cakes. Check it outon www.thewildernesstrail.com, or my web, www.shadowmountainoutdoors.com
I'm goint to be at the North American Moose Foundation meeting at Park City, Utah, on Dec. 3&4. Be nice to see some of you fellers there.
Bubba

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Howard, maybe you or some one could approach the board about those short tales. I have a bunch of them that I wrote for some hunting magazines and I would be happy to share some. Just for kicks, I'll throw a short one on here and see if I can get away with it.
Bubba
The Bogs

I learned many years ago that there were a few places that you just don’t go.
Most of my youth was spent running after a pack of hounds. My hunting trips took me into dense river bottoms, broken rocky canyons, and steep timbered mountains. Too many times I came home in the wee hours of the morning bleeding from scrapes, scratches and bruises. Just about all of the time I was covered in mud and soaked to the bone. It was a time when I had the most fun in my life.
I had an old friend that lived down near the river. He never seemed to have many friends, but I spent a lot of time talking with him as a kid. He also had a taste for roast coon. I never could figure out if he was trying to keep me out of his coon trapping grounds, or he was concerned for my safety. He would lie in his bed at night and listen to my hounds run the river bottoms. Every time I would see him, he would look at me with those cold dark eyes and ask, “Been running those bogs again?” He knew very well it was me and some of my friends from town.
I would tell him that I had been running a few coons down in there. He always had the same thing to say. “You boys are going to go down in them bogs one of these times, and never come back out.” He would go on to say that there had been a lot of hunters who had gone down there and never were seen again.
I knew there were sink holes and quicksand, and I was careful to stay out of them. The worse things were the underground streams. It was possible to be walking along and fall through. Sometimes it was only a foot or so, and sometimes it was over your head.
I suppose that I was lucky because I managed to get through those years with only a few stitches and a broken bone or two. I never forgot what he would say, and it has caused me to probably be a little more careful than I would have normally been.
I found when I moved to Alaska, that things were a lot different. Everywhere I had hunted had been pretty much the same. It was always possible to walk about anywhere I wanted. Alaska taught me a whole new set of rules.
Alaska has bogs. Unless you are walking on ridge tops or climbing mountains, sooner or later you will have to deal with the worse bogs on earth. Just about every valley has a river, creek, or lake. It would be nice to be able to just walk down to the creek and wade across. The problem is the bogs that you have to get through before you even get to the creek, and then the neck-deep mud in the creek. It just isn’t a safe place to be, especially if you have short legs or a bit vertically impaired as I am.
I also learned about the “sage-head tussocks” in the bogs. They are round mounds of grass-like things that grow in the bogs. It is not possible to step on them because they bend and send you upside down in the muck. Being short legged; I can’t straddle them so I must walk around them in the water and mud. That is a perfect recipe for tripping and falling face down. I suppose that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, except the 150 lb. hind quarter of moose on your back pack is now holding your head under water.
Last year my brother, Gib, and our wives were hiking back to moose camp. It had been a long morning and we were all tired and wet. The last little draw we had to cross didn’t look to be very wet. I picked my way down the steep hillside and was doing pretty well crossing the wet tundra in the bottom, when, without warning, I dropped straight down. That little stream was obscured by the grass and was only a foot wide. It was about six feet deep, however. Since I am quite a bit less than six feet tall, guess where that left me?
I was lucky to have wedged in with my head still above ground. They all had a nice long laugh at my expense. They said something to the effect that it looked funny to see a head protruding up out of the mud. I had to have help getting out of that mess. If I had been alone, I may have been in trouble.
Some hunters are actually dumb enough to shoot moose in the bogs. They usually only do it once. I never, ever shoot moose in the water. I am also careful not to let a moose run into the water once it has been shot. They will do it every time. They are used to running into the water to escape from wolves, so that’s where they go. You have not known pain, until you have had to dress out a moose in neck deep water.
Recently a friend of mine called me up and invited me on a bear hunt. He asked if I would bring my Hydro-Traxx amphibious ATV. It was good in swamps and it would float if needed. I asked him if there was going to be any bogs to deal with. His answer was no, just a few mud holes.
Somewhere down inside that little voice was warning me about the bogs. I could hear the words of the old wise man. “You boys are going to go into those bogs, one of these days, and never come back.”
I hadn’t been hunting since moose season last fall, so I ignored that small voice. I had never been in that area, so it would be a new adventure. It’s strange how dumb we can be at times.
The first five miles were on the beach of Cook Inlet, and then up the bank we went. We were greeted at the top with some of the finest mud bogs I had ever seen. I thought that as soon as we got inland a ways, it would be just a little mud and a nice trail. That was just the second miscalculation.
The old pipeline right-of-way would surely be easy going, or so I thought. We turned north and headed down the pipeline. Every mud hole was either two feet deep, or had no bottom at all. It was like running in a “peat bog,” because that is just what it was. I had to cross a log bridge that was made for four-wheelers. My tracks hung over on both sides. I thought that would surely be the worse thing I would have to do, and then I came to a river. The little bridge was too small to cross, so I decided to try to float across. I learned that tracks don’t propel very well in the swift water. My partners tied a rope on my machine and pulled me across.
The rest of the day was winching myself for what seemed like miles of mud. I found myself stuck on underwater logs and stumps. I found myself in mud that was almost running over the sides. I don’t understand how that happened with a machine that floats fairly high in the water.
There were times that I did wonder if we were ever going to get out of that mess. One of my partners had just gone through triple by-pass two years ago, and it would have been impossible for him to walk out. I don’t know if I could have done it either.
The return trip brought us back to the river crossing. This time I was going to enter the river, and float down stream to cross. I hadn’t noticed that my partners had tied the rope on my roll cage instead of the winch hook on front. When they tried to pull me across it tipped me enough to take on water when I tried to climb up the bank. I immediately backed out into the current and jumped to the other side to bring the machine back up to level. I was able to float down stream to a place where I could climb the bank. I was glad that my bilge pump worked well.
I don’t know how we did it, but we did make it back out of the bogs. Once again I had to learn things the hard way. It will be a lesson that won’t soon be forgotten. I guess we need to be reminded once in a while.
Those who come to Alaska to hunt will find some of the best hunting on earth. They will also find some the finest bogs known to man. By the way, I know a place where the moose are plentiful, and the bears are thick. It’s only about twenty miles back in there, and there aren’t any bogs, only a few mud holes.
I will say this about that, however, should you encounter a bog, be careful. I hear that hunters have gone into those bogs and never have been heard of again!

George “Bubba” Hunt, the last of the Bog-Masters.

By mudbug1 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

( Bubba"
Now thats the kind of story I like to read on the Route 6x6 forum board!

Exellent tale brother,I commend you sir. I can now easily see, from reading your story called "the bogs", that Alaska can be a very dangerous and also extremely unforgiving place to hunt,especially if you really dont know the territory well.

I can also see, that this can become easily fatal, if you should find yourself in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with no means of a back up plans for escape,should you find yourself needing one.

As you have stated before Bubba,this is where you really need a very reliable vehicle that will get you to your desired destination ,and then be able to safely get you back with out major break downs in no mans land.

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba,
I'm not a very smart guy so I'm not sure if the stuff your not responding to in a really ugly mannor is my stuff or not,I hope it's not me but if it is let er rip.As for the rest of you guy's thanks for all your reply's and support.Like I said before though,there are guy's out there with much better tales to tell than I could even imagine and I think we all just read an example of that.
Howard,you said something about if people want to write fiction or non-fiction it's up to them.Well I just want you all to know that everything I have posted is the truth as best as I could tell it.I do however have a collection of short stories I've written about growing up in a small logging town in Southern Oregon that is mostly non-fiction,but I had to through in a little fiction to spice things up a little.
However I don't think this is the correct forum for most of my tales since most do not have anything to do with aatving or atving.Anyway it's been fun reading and writing on this forum.Catch ya later,

STEVE

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven, nope wasn't refering to you. I appreciate the way you helped inform the rest of us of your adventures. Those kind of things go untold much of the time.I can usually tell the difference between BS and the truth. I was talking about those know-it-alls who challenge what most everyone says without half of the facts.
Mudbug,I think most of the aatv'ers have some neat stories to share. Maybe Richard could set up a page for those short adventures that all of us could enjoy.
I write for Hunt'N.Biz magazine and will be having short stories appearing in the International Black Powder magazine soon.
I enjoy doing it, and my new book, which is written in back-woods hill-billy, is taking off.
All AATVing is an adventure. Some times it is hilarious and sometimes scarry, all of the time it is interesting to us who do it.
We all can learn from these stories.
Some of you fellers know Richard better than me, maybe you might mention it to him.
Bubba www.shadowmountainoutdoors.com

By liflod (Liflod) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

I enjoy doing it, and my new book, which is written in back-woods hill-billy, is taking off.

Didn't you mean first -person???

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven,
I never doubted you one bit about your story. I was just making a comment more or less towards that guy who said you were lying.

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba,knowing your an ex-peace officer and we are both on the same side makes me feel like I can tell some of my stories about some run ins with the Law.Not that I'm a trouble maker or anything but I am pretty well known around these parts as a guy that will stand up to the Law if I know I'm right.

I don't pretend to know all the Laws,I don't believe anyone can know it all,but my Dad was a policeman for twenty years and I have 15 or 16 relitives that are in Law inforcement and I teach concealed weapons courses as well as martial arts myself so I do know something about the Law.I don't go looking for trouble,it just seems to find me,Most all our local policemen know me and pretty much leave me alone,but I must admit that it's kind of fun when a new guy or a rookie try to get me for something when they pull me over.

I get pulled over a lot because of my truck.I have a 600+ h.p. engine under the hood and to make it run right I put headers and dual 4" flowmasters on it with 4"pipes so it's kind of loud.It is legal but just barely.Anyway I will get back to the subject.Well I think I've said enough,Bubba, just glad we are on the same team.Sorry I tend to ramble on to much. Later.

STEVE

By Howard1111111 on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba,
I don't know if we even need to contact the board about short stories. I think someone could just got to where it says (Start A New Conversation or Topic or whatever it says and go from there. I don't really have any stories myself I've had two Max 2's one with a 16hp Briggs and one with a 18hp 2 cycle JLO Rockwell The newer model with the the briggs had tracks, winch, convert.top, pretty much the works and the older model had tracks too. the briggs didn't seem to have enough power to climb a hill but I never got stuck with it and I went through some of the deepest mudholes around. The 2 cycle would climb but not for very long with out overheating I don't know If I didn't have enough oil in the gas or what but I wasn't satisfied with the performance of either one so I didn't keep either one for very long, thats why I'm working on building my own now. I hope to at least get the mechanical stuff done over the winter and start on the body some time in the summer.

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Liflod, I would suspect that it was in reference to the sentence before it, although growing up in the hills with no other kids to play with is tough. Most of the time I had to play with myself,or should I have said "by" myself.Don't really know which "person" that is. Maybe we should appoint a committee to study it??:o}
Bubba

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Howard,
I did not mean to imply that you were ripping on me in any way.If It did I certainly apologize.You have had nothing but encouraging words for me and I really appreciate that.I was just trying to let everyone know that I was not making up stories.I don't need to make any stories,I have plenty of my own.Just ask my wife,she is always saying more stuff happens to or around me than anyone she's ever known.I hope this clears up any misunderstandings there might have been,and this goes for anybody out there that I may have messed up.

Tomorrow I'll post a note about the last day of hunting season.We had a intresting day to say the least.That will be my last post under this user name and E-mail address.We have to change over our whole computer system,something to do with the main frame or something like that.

It may take a few days so say's the so called computer expert.When I come back my user name will be TAY, I hope. Take care.

STEVE

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Fellers, got an e-mail from Richard, and he is going to set us up with a place where we can spin our yarns. Kool, huh!!
I'm going to sneak one in again.:0}
I do believe you all will relate to this...

Outback Misadventures


If you happen to be one of the millions of outdoor enthusiasts, sooner or later you will be faced with the real need of a “bathroom, restroom, lavatory, outhouse, can, privy, or what ever you want to call it.” That’s just they way it is. How you handle it, is quite another matter.
I have heard of some people “backing” up against a tree. I have heard of some who look for just the right log. I know a lot of folks who won’t go into the woods, because there are no “facilities” out there. That’s the reason they never venture more than 200 yards from their motor homes. What a shame!!
Personally I prefer the old “hunker” method, but it too, has its weak points. Before you ask if I would demonstrate it, forget it!
It seems that the old “suspenders” always get in the way, and it can not only be embarrassing, but it can be down right ugly. Many of a fine woodsman has had to put up with a ton or “ribbing” from his fellow hunters, because of a simple oversight. I brought this subject up because “YOU” thought that you were the only person that was plagued with this curse.
The only way I can write this subject, is share some of my own experiences. This subject isn’t something that most enjoy telling around the camp fire. My Owner (wife) tells me that I’m a “sick dog” for even finding any humor in it.
Most hunters find a good place where they can watch out over a good area to watch for game to pass. I have found that to be the worse thing to do. I had a big buck to go crashing out of a thicket behind me two times. I never got a shot off either time. I learned to never lay your rifle out of reach! I never get caught looking down hill either. I can’t tell you why, but deer always wait until you are at a big disadvantage before they make their break. Another good point to consider is when you are in grizzly country; you must be able to shoot at all times.
I will “never” know how those mosquitoes, with such a small brain, can be so smart. They wait until you have your garments all gathered up, then dive-bomb you like a squadron of Kamikaze pilots. I guess they have figured out that you can’t put up much of a fight with both hands full. About all that you can do is “blow” at them and call them precious little names, neither of which seems to slow them down. The worse thing is getting caught scratching those bites. I’ve had others say, “Got a little itch there, Bubba?”
The whole point to this story is to better equip you with some of the more important issues. I can’t stress enough the importance of this next valuable lesson. “When you are in the woods, NEVER think that you are alone.” Always believe that if it is hunting season, others are out there too. I learned this the hard way, as I learn most things.
The ill-fated day was during an early fall deer hunting adventure. I had been eating one of those late evening “mulligans,” the night before. It had consisted of a can of beef stew mixed with a couple of can of chilli beans. When you are a kid, that’s what you ate in camp, due to the lack of proper cooking skills.
I was out before daylight heading for a good vantage point where I knew that the deer were going to pass. Being young and dumb, I had failed to acknowledge the pain in my stomach, until it was almost too late. I then ran for the nearest brush thicket. At first I heard a muffled kind of a sound. Then I looked all around to see where it had come from. I could see no one, anywhere, and felt safe. I managed to gather up my garments and head back to my ground blind, when I heard it again. I looked up to see a bow hunter sitting up in a tree stand, not 30 feet from me! He had been sitting there watching a stupid kid, who thought he was hiding from the world. He had tears in his eyes and a red face. I think that I must have had a “sheepish” look on my face, because I could hear him laughing for a half of a mile.
During a mule deer hunt in Wyoming, a friend of mine was walking on a ridge a half of a mile away. Al had been walking for some time when it became necessary to take a break. I had my 60 power spotting scope set up watching for deer, when I spotted Al heading for some brush. I thought he was going to hide and watch for a while. I noticed that he began taking off his coat, and laying his rifle on it. I told my wife that Old Al was about to take “care of business” over on the ridge. He thought that the distance was far enough to be safe. She snapped something like, “What are you going to do, watch him?” I said, “Naw, I was just going to see if he was dumb enough to do it.”
When I brought it up around the camp fire that evening, he had a “sheepish” look on his face too. That happened many years ago. I thought I would share it with you so maybe you won’t make the same mistake, then again, I’ll bet you already have.
Bubba, author of "thewildernesstrail.com"

By Alfred on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Here's one for you Bubba

Fact or Fiction

In The Western States most Rattlesnake Bites occur on the Female Butt.

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Alfred, I have never checked on that but I do know that those snakes are a long ways from being dumb!!Don't think I'll touch this one.:O}
Bubba, thewildernesstrail.com

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba, I forgot to tell you I enjoyed your story the other night the last one too.

A guy I used to work with told me and I busted out laughing there are two kinds of people who go in the woods! there are Leaners and there are Squatters and he said I'm a Leaner what he meant was he would grab hold of a tree and put his feet up close to it at the bottom and lean back.

Another guy told me about what I think you were refering to he was a Squatter and apparently he didn't lean back far enough needless to say he didn't come back with any underwear!!!
I've got a better one about my Stepdad and this story is kind of nasty or at least my stepdad is it's about his son in law and him going hunting his son in law is always checking to see what the deer have been eating etc. My stepdad did his business on a stump and called for his son in law
Hey Bill come and check these droppings. I never go hunting with them not only for those stupid reasons but for worse things like them getting drunk in the camper and pointing guns at each other it's pitiful I tell you and thank God I've had enough sense to not go hunting with them I'm only repeating the stories.

By Bubba Hun t on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Howard, Jim Zumbo bought my first book today at my signing in Anch. I even autographed it for him. Some thing is wrong with that picture???
I'm going to sneak in another short story. I'll have to do it in two postings as it is over the 10 kbts. Hope it comes out OK.
Bubba thewildernesstrail.com
A Bad Fix

I suppose that most back-woods folks would understand what a small word like “fix” could have to do with what kind of a day you are about to have. Most folks use the word to reference “repairing something”. I guess that would go for most “town people” too.
There is a time when that little three letter word means a whole lot more than that. It can mean the difference between life and death, but usually it means that your day just took a terrible turn for the worse.
I broke an axle on my 4x4 many miles back in the mountains a few years ago, and my hunting partner looked at me and had the gall to tell me that I had managed to get us into one heck of a “fix”. No, I didn’t have to try to go through that place where the road had washed out. Yeah, it would have saved us a lot of miles and got us home hours sooner, so I figured that it justified trying to get through, after all I did have a nice winch. He was still unrelenting in his attempt to blame me for such a stupid stunt.
I will say that I was tired and not in much of a mood to tolerate a bunch of unnecessary abuse from his mouth. He wasn’t one of my favorite hunting partners anyway. I let him know that it would be in his best interest not to push the issue.
It seems like there is always one jerk that doesn’t have the sense to stop when he is better off. By the time he “came- to” (regained consciousness); I had walked across country and hitch-hiked back to town. I returned in a couple of hours with a new axel and repaired the truck. He didn’t even offer to help fix the thing.
I learned very early in life that if one ventures into the bush regularly, they would find themselves stuck in mud, high-centered on rocks or stumps, tires flat, wheels broken and a hundred other things in the engine broken. Not to forget broken U-joints, thrashed clutches, bent tie-rods and springs that failed.
Usually we carried a wide selection of parts for the inevitable “fix” that was sure to come. Actually, we planned for the moment when we would hear the snap of metal.
One of my best friends, who was a very intelligent and immensely talented man, broke down coming out of the Slana River with a large bull on his trailer. His tractor popped the big back wheel off of the rim. The only thing that actually happened was the split-rim had been bent by a rock, which caused it to pop-off. In spite of being handy at most things, he was not much of a mechanic.
I got a call from him from Tok Junction, Alaska. He had walked out through 15 miles of mud and rain at night. I took off work early and went down to help him out. We borrowed a 4x4 and went in to the crash site. I took his jack, his hammer and pounded out the rim and had it back on the road in 30 minutes.
I can tell you that wasn’t the only time that old tractor broke. I had the tie-rod break on the MankomenTrail 25 miles from civilization. It was in a mix of snow and rain, which I call “snain”. Darkness was falling and we were several miles from camp with a wide, deep river to cross. We weren’t set up to spend the night, so “fixing” the tractor was something we had to do or spend a wet night out in bad weather with a squadron of ornery grizzly bears in the neighborhood.
Luckily, I had a few tools on board. We took the tie-rod off which still had about four threads left on the end. We removed the broken part and screwed the tie-rod end back on.
The old tractor didn’t steer very well but it got us through 2-weeks of moose hunting and we brought out a couple of nice bulls.
The last day when we broke camp, I got the tractor stuck in the middle of the river. I was trying to cross the river in a big bend. I didn’t know the water was as deep as it was and I didn’t know that the river had a bunch of big boulders under the water. I do know that it was very cold, snow was falling, night was falling and I was in a very bad fix.
Getting stuck in the river was more than just “getting stuck”. The swift water would wash the sand out from under the tires and cause the tractor to sink down under the water in about 20 minutes.
I jumped off of the tractor into the freezing water which was about 4 feet deep. I knew if I removed the trailer from the tractor that I could get the tractor unstuck. That was a tough job because the tongue-weight was several hundred pounds. I had to use a “handyman” jack to do it. The jack would sink into the sand as fast as I would jack on it. I had to put a piece of plywood, 2-feet square under the jack to keep it from sinking. With water 4-feet deep it meant that I would find my head under the swift water putting the plywood on the bottom, so I could put the jack on it. I did get the trailer disconnected and the tractor up on the sand bar. I then had to wade back out into the river to tie a chain onto the trailer tongue, so I could pull it out. It only took a few minutes for the end of the trailer tongue to sink 2-feet deep into the quicksand. It was all I could do with the tractor to finally pull it free.
Having gotten unstuck I was still faced with 6 more river crossings. The wind was blowing, snow was falling, and I was wet, cold, hypothermic, and angry. It was a nasty dangerous fix, and I had at least 12 more hours of swamp running to get to a place where I could warm back up.

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Fellers, here is the rest of the tale about "A Bad Fix".


A Bad Fix Part 2

It took me a month to recuperate from the pneumonia that I managed to constrict.
That was only one of the times we broke down on that river. Another time we were coming out with three big bulls along with all of our camp gear. The tractors clutch burned out from pulling such a heavy load. My partner unhooked the heavy trailer and headed on out the trail to get another rig to come back in and pull the trailer out. On his trip out he managed to run over a sharp stump, puncture a tire, and had to walk another ten miles out to the village. I camped out for three days on the back of the trailer with all of the moose meat. When He got back, I had two black bears stacked up and almost had to shoot a grizzly off of the back of the trailer where I was sleeping. It was a nerve wracking two nights with those bears trying to steal the meat. I only slept during the day.
I could go on for days talking about the adventures on that river, but it isn’t the only time I had gotten myself into one of those real nasty fixes.
Just last spring I took three of my friends into the bogs of north Kenai. We should never have tried to go in there because it was right after “break-up”. We also had too many hunters on board which really over-loaded my track rig. I knew it was a perfect set-up for a really nice fix. I wasn’t to be disappointed.
The swamps were floating in brackish water and peat-bogs. Walking was almost impossible. The streams were deep, wide and running at flood stage. I did manage to float across them with only taking on water once. The logs that were hidden in the mud got into my tracks causing me to break a track twice.
During one of the breaks I was coming up out of a mud hole when a track broke and wound around one of my back wheels. I was also high-centered on a log. In a short time I lost my engine and it would not start again. This was a bad fix to be in. One of my hunting buddies had just had a quadruple by-pass and he was in no shape to walk anywhere. We were 10 miles from the trucks.
I began to remove the dash, and seats to get to the engine compartment. I was about to give up when my partner found the problem. The factory had run the rubber gas line under one of the frame braces. When I high-centered on the log it had pushed up on the fiber-glass bottom squeezing the gas line flat. I winched my machine up out of the mud hole and re-run the gas line. We didn’t bother to fix the broken track. Luckily I was able to make it out with only one track and a lot of winch line.
It is never a good policy to go into the bush alone or with only one vehicle. This moose season I found myself having to hunt alone because my partner got really sick. I took a lot of chances that I normally would not have taken, but I had no choice if I was going to get the winter’s meat.
Every day I found myself miles from camp in darkness. I knew if my machine broke down, I would be in deep trouble. I also knew that if I was to see a bull, I had to be out there all the way down to total darkness. That’s when the big boys come out into the open.
My wife came in and hunted with me the last days and I was lucky enough to kill a nice bull.
My very worse fix happened in 1986 on the Tok River. I broke one of my most serious rules, which I never do. I had a friend drop me off on the Tok River Bridge. He then drove down river about three miles to a tree stand he had built for grizzly hunting.
I never hunt alone in the bush and I shouldn’t have done it this time, especially when I planned to spend the night up in a tree stand. It’s not easy to find anyone to spend a night up in a tree stand.
Just at dark a big grizzly came in to my predator call. I tried to kill the bear with an arrow. The only problem was that I did not have my big bow that I used for bear hunting. Try to imagine yourself up in a tree stand that was not very high up in the tree. While you are thinking about that, it is almost dark. There is no possible way you can get down and go to the truck because there is “no truck” to go get into. The worse thing is you don’t have anything but a small pen-light. Ugly huh?
The arrow only enraged the bear which caused it to charge me. I was lucky to have my shotgun and blasted the bear just as it hit me, slamming me back into the tree.
It was a long dangerous night. I couldn’t see into the darkness and I thought the bear would come back to finish the job. I was lucky to make it and that was the worse fix I have ever been caught up in.
I don’t consider myself to be one of those “accident proned” people who are always getting into trouble. I just put myself out there in harms way many times more than most folks. The law of averages will catch up with you sooner or later. With that grim thought in mind, keep your powder dry, the wind in your face, and always plan on the worse possible thing going wrong at the very worse time. Maybe, just maybe you will be able to pull it off and live to tell about it.

George “Bubba” Hunt thewildernesstrail.com

By Motown's (Bigwolf) on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Great stories Bubba! Enjoy reading them!

I don't think that I will be able to even come close to matching your stories with this years white tail hunt stories on the farm. The most exciting thing that will happen, will be for me and the neighbors to not shoot each other by accident, when a big buck crosses the fields.

I can see the house from my ground blind about three quarters of a mile away, so if we get a white out snow snorm, I can hunker down in my blind with the portable heater and my snacks and ride out the storm.

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bigwolf, well I'm done with the stories. Taking up too much space. Someone will be on my case for it anyhow.I'll give the fellers a break. I do feel lonely as the maytag repairman. The old HT doesn't break often enough for me to mention it on this board, so I can't really join in on all of the discussions.Give me a hoot once in a while on my e-mail, otherwise I'm checking out. See Yah!
Bubba shadowmountainoutdoors.com

By Steven W.Taylor on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba,
hope you still read and post your thoughts here,I know that I've learned a little bit just reading about the things you've said to others and to me.But you gotta do what ya gotta do.

As you can see the computer did'nt get fixed so I still have the same user name and everything.It's just as well since this will most likely be my last post.

I had to sell the BIGFOOT this weekend.I gotta sell all my toy's since after 30 years my wife wants a divorce.Don't see why I should let her get everything.Well enough about my personal crap.I want all you guy's to know I've had a blast but since I no longer have a AATV it does'nt feel right giving my opinion on things.So keep the rubber side down and have fun.

STEVE

By Bubba Hunt on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Steven, sorry about the bad luck. I've been reduced to ashes a couple of time myself. The first time costed me my trackster. The main thing is when the dust clears, you are still standing.There are more Big Feet in production :0)
I'll be in Susanville, Calif on 11-26, Park City, Utah at the Mariott on Dec 2-4 for the Moose Foundation, and Jackson Hole on 11-6-04, promoting my book. Come on down if you get a chance.
The rest of my old Home Boys should have my e-mail address by now. See you all around.
Bubba shadowmountainoutdoors.com

By Howard Hoover on Unrecorded Date: Edit

Bubba That was a good story so long I almost stopped reading it.
Howard