I would like to thank Plum Creek Timber Co. for allowing public access during hunting season. Although I got skunked this year, I enjoyed my hunting opportunities, including on Plum Creek ground near Ashley Lake.
Secondly, I would like to scold the thoughtless rider on an ATV who went around the gate on the Plum Creek road, clearly marked for walk-in hunting only. Whether on Plum Creek, Stoltze or Forest Service property, land managers close their roads for good reason – usually to protect habitat, clean water or the road itself. Part of the reason we enjoy a five-week hunting season is because we have secure habitat, not shot through with motorized traffic.
It’s hard to imagine how lazy this particular individual was. Two years ago, I shot a nice buck where he was riding. It took me 10 minutes with a game cart to have the buck back in my truck parked on the open road. I never broke a sweat.
Legitimate ATV riders and traditional on-foot hunters need to work together to respect private property and protect quiet, non-motorized habitat that supports big game and big game hunting.
Ben Long
Kalispell