NC_IslandRunner wrote:I get what your trying to say but you can't compare a remote tract of land to someone coming in you house/yard, we are not discussing a residential area. I have a large field in my back yard and a neighbor rides his atv back there all the time, never asked but has never came up close to my house without introducing himself. I have no issue with him riding in the field, the next field over they get pissed when anyone rides there because they are "destroying the field", but it's just a field with nothing growing in it but grass and weeds. Can't see how it's being damaged, If they ever wanted to use the field the first thing they would do is disk/till the shit out of it, doing more to it than his little atv could do in 100 yrs in a matter of hours.
Remote land and a house/yard are the same thing since they are your own property. It should be up to your discretion as to who is allowed on it or not. Also, people who happen to wander onto your land and get hurt by trails/rocks/equipment are a liability and can claim against you (ask me how I know).
Having said that, I don't want to paint myself as some mean person or as someone such as your neighbor. In the back 30 acres of woods we have tons of atv trails, and all of the neighboring farmers are allowed to use it. But all of them asked us permission first, and when they bring visitors they make sure it's okay too. We literally have about a hundred or so people looking for arrow heads in the fields every year. Only about 70 ask permission first, the other 30 we polity ask to leave and tell them to ask us first before coming back out.
Point being that I believe in sharing the experience of our land to those that take the time to ask, but at the same time I believe that people such as your neighbor have the right to deny someone from atv'ing on it, solely based up the fact that it's their property. It's a shame that they won't let the guy enjoy the land but it is their land and they can decide on what to do with it.
-Wahugg