ATV riding Skyline WMA- Cave Springs

Anyone heard anything about the ATV riding being cut out except for hunting.

I heard that was mentioned at the gamecheck seminar in Jackson County

Yep, ATV/UTV riding other than hunting or hunting related activities is prohibited. Joy riding is over, I think beginning September 1.

Wow.

Wouldn't it just be easier to prohibit during season? Doesn't it leave room for joy riding to continue?

Other than carrying a proper weapon, there's no way to prove or disprove intentions.

Nope , hunters started to make the phones ring , Chuck Sykes went up there and viewed it himself. Said he didn't know there were that many atv/utvs in Alabama, put a stop it. They want to shut everything down and lock the gates in summer. That property is for wildlife and hunters to use , not hillbilly off road park. My understanding this doesn't happen on any other WMA to the extent it did on Skyline. State Senator Steve Livingston was in attendance at the Scottsboro meeting and this has his blessing.

As far as how they'll enforce it , they have a plan I suppose.

known Steve all my life, he's been very good to me throughout my life! As good of a man as you can find!

Couple of questions:

-- It's public land, so why wouldn't hunters be allowed on the property in summer for any scouting if it truly is "only for hunting?"

-- I pay a WMA permit fee for a year, not 'hunting season.' Is the DCNR going to begin prorating the fee or reduce it in any way for these closed months?

-- WMAs are touted as being for the public. Unless the lease agreements specify "only for hunting" or something like that, they may hit a roadblock trying to shut down public lands even if claiming management or whatever is necessary.

While I'm not in favor of ATVs, trucks, etc., running willy-nilly and would want anyone using a WMA for any reason to be required to buy an annual permit just like hunters/anglers, shutting them down might meet some opposition. Will be interesting to see.

They have been locking the gates on May 1 til Oct 1 for years.

But you can still go (walk) on the property during that time, right?

Yes... I hope they at least have to pay for the wma license at the very least.

All I'm trying to say is that they are leaving it up to interpretation with the rule. A person can get an old beat up crossbow and strap it to their ATV, carry one bolt, and as long as they have a liscense and permit - they can ride all day. "Well, Mr. Warden, I never did find a good spot to hunt". No way they could write a citation or whatever they plan to do to run them off.

If you are going to prohibit it - shut it down!

I don't see any reason that they should be allowed there to begin with. If you kill a deer, drag it to the road.

That's been the rule on Coosa for years - no Atv riders any time for any reason. One year they put up signs and that was the end of Atv riding. I've never understood why it was so different at Skyline.

That would be fine with me if they had to have a hunting license and WMA license.... I have to spend $ 50+ to hunt it and they pay 0 and destroy the place.

Go to a GC meeting and ask Chuck Sykes those questions.

You two have never been to Skyline/Martin I see, at least not out of sight of the public road.

And could only use it as hillbilly off road park bout June , July and August. NOT during any open hunting season.

Makes no difference. There's 100's of public hunting areas across the US with as bad or worse terrain, that don't allow ATV's. You buy a game cart or quarter the meat and pack out. You are trying to justify the open ended ATV rule in the name of terrain.

I'm against the ATV army as much as anybody. But I know they are figuring out how to get by a loose rule - and have a passion for their annoying hobby as much as we do for peaceful hunting experiences.

I would have to agree.

I'm just stating the facts of the meeting, and not trying to justify a damn thing . I haven't hunted on the place in 25 years . I do know if I did , I wouldn't want 86 UTVs coming by me in one long train like one fellow said happened to him.

Read my quote to ridge stalker , please.

BTW , I do know where to go kill a deer or two on Skyline, bring yer cart and I'll draw you a map.

2Dogs - I think we are on the same page. Not trying to just be argumentative for the heck of it.

Somebody clearly wants hunters to be able to use ATV's and not joy riders. Ultimately, that ain't gonna work. It hasn't anywhere else for the most part, and it's why most places just prohibit it.

I spent the last 3 seasons pretty focusing my hunting on Skyline WMA and I've seen the problem first hand.

3 years ago I spent most of my time hunting within a short distance of Hwy 79, particularly in the Walls of Jericho and Bear Den Hollow areas. There was no real issue with ATV/UTV traffic over there as they aren't allowed there except to retrieve an animal.

2 years ago I spent most of my time in the Little Coon and Smalligan's Steep areas. ATV/UTV traffic was beginning to be a real problem then and it was irritating to say the least.

This last season I joined a hunting club in Little Coon and spent almost all of my time hunting the Little Coon and the Cave Springs areas. The problem quickly got out of hand. CR-54, the main entrance into lower Little Coon looked like a gay pride parade. The air was constantly filled with the sound of hoards of groups of recreational ATV/UTV riders. If I was lucky enough to even see a deer I knew I had to act really fast because it wouldn't be long before the next entourage of joy riders came through and messed everything up.

Now I'm gonna be the first to support a tax payers right to use land paid for out of his own pocket but that is not the case here. Every single penny spent on acquiring, managing, and maintaining the WMA comes from hunter's license fees, FW funds, and WMA use fees. The joy riders have no basis from which to complain. The fact is that unless they paid for a WMA permit or hunting license, they contributed nothing at all.

When Chuck Sykes said the he went on a 4-5 hour ATV ride with WMA staff and observed the problem first hand all I could think to say was "Thank You". At the recent Jackson County meeting I sat within 10 feet of him ... I saw his expressions and body language and I can tell you that this man is pissed off over the situation. I am convinced that he is comitted to finding a workable solution that will work best for the HUNTERS and that he feels no pain for the joy riders. He may not get it right this season but he is working on it, he is wanting input from the Skyline WMA hunting community, and I am convinced that he is not going to stop working the issue until the phones stop ringing.

The best thing any of us can do is to report the joyriders (take pictures, record events, report what you see) and give him feedback on how his policies are working out. In this particular issue he is solidly on our side.

Gonna be a bunch of rock crawlers for sale cheap.

Rocket62 - I believe every word of your post.

My conviction is that ATV's will need to be prohibited. I can't think of a way to keep someone with a license and a permit from riding if it's not prohibited completely. Maybe they have an idea I haven't thought of. I hope so, because I know that place can be good for you local guys.

I don' have a dog in the fight but I've observed the damage ATV riders can do to property. It's usually not their property either. I know they are just trying to have fun but they cause a lot of erosion problems in my area. Wonder if that has something to do with it too.

I'm only playing Devil's advocate here so don't jump on me:


WMAs, national forest lands and other kind of similar lands are called, billed as, promoted as and used as "public" lands. Yes, there are some restrictions and/or prohibitions on some throughout the U.S. and here in our state. But the overriding promotion of these lands by the states (or feds) is they are open to "the public" for recreation. Even the crazy Rainbow Family used national forest land here in Bama for their love-weed-wild camping gathering several years ago.

So to completely ban one segment entirely on wide, open lands such as Skyline WMA or Coosa WMA or let's for example say X-Y-Z type boats on Delta WMA would close it to a segment of the public. Further, saying "this land is specifically for hunting and you can't play" would-could open the door even further to backlash and possible lawsuit or other action.

No? How can the DCNR balance "no ATVs, period" (if it did that) on public land and justify it?

"It's noisy to hunters." Ah, well, tough chit.

"It's noisy and bothers wildlife." Possibly. I'd argue for this in summer for sure after deer and turkeys have bred, and other wildlife.

"You don't need to be riding on ..." Doesn't fly. You said it's public land, not "public land only for these folks but not you."

"We have complaints about them." Almost every segment of something gets complaints. Bowfishermen are hated but not banned on public waters (some, not all).

"ATVs create erosion, damage watersheds, harm the creeks and aquatic life." Viable, with proof.


Again, just playing Devil's Advocate. If I was a diehard ATV rider and Skyline's vast acreage with good roads was my favorite enjoyable place, and I was banned only because Harry Deer Hunter is boo-hooing, I'd raise 40 kinds of hell.

Curious... anyone care that the NF has road closures?

Bear Hollow on the TN side has a no ATV rule, unless to retrieve a deer. I have been hunting this property for 30+years. And I think it is better now than ever.

Tn has a permit that you have to buy to joy ride on the wma... You either have to have a valid hunting license and wma license or this permit which cost the same as the other two license combined. It is alot worse in turkey season than deer season.

Ive been there plenty of times. The mountains are a little bigger than Bankhead but im not allowed to use a atv to haul one out of there so why should they be allowed to in Jackson County?

I'll answer your question with a question....can you deer hunt at the old State Cattle Ranch that Forever Wild bought?

I do not know and do not care.

Dunno. The only folks I ever heard about hunting deer at the SCW were muckety-muck insiders with special access way back in the day.

it seems like some hunters don't want us with a hitch in our get along to use the W.M.A. roads. some of us need a atv.could the gw drive us in & out.

I hear you and that's another topic for another day.

But it's very common for public hunting ground to prohibit ATV's. Like Nighthunter previously mentioned - there's NF lands with restricted roads and walk in only places. It's the only way to keep out nonsense.

Hell, just about all of Cahaba WMA is walk-in only. Every damn gate on the place stays closed.

Like I wrote above, Walls of Jericho in Skyline is walk in only. That doesn't keep it from being overrun with hunters on the side next to 79. There is some really good hunting on Little Cumberland mountain but you have to walk down 900 ft into the valley and then back up Little Cumberland another 900 ft. Getting a deer out without an ATV pretty much requires you quarter it up and pack it out.