Before the advent of All Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s), Nevada hunters could rely only upon their personal physical stamina to hike and stalk big game. Additionally, unless you rode in on horseback, you also had to be physically adept at packing out your game in many Nevada hunting areas……
With the introduction of ATV’s, Nevada’s terrain is clearly much easier to access. The hunt experience is less strenuous, and some may argue, less challenging and enjoyable.
So what are some basic pros and cons?
Pros~
-You can cover more Nevada hunting area in less time.
-By using an ATV, you have the ability to load the game meat on the ATV, vs. physically packing the meat back to camp.
Cons~
-Besides posing a potential detriment to wildlife habitat, ATV’s create noise and smell that may disturb big game, actually pushing them further into inaccessible territory.
-If your ATV is disturbing wildlife, you could disturb that game near hunters who have “walked and stalked” into prime habitat areas, creating animosity among fellow Nevada hunters.
Solutions~
-First and foremost, familiarize yourself with all regulations, do not go off established roadways. Protect the environment, be responsible.
-If you know the area you’re accessing has big game, park the ATV on the nearest road access, and walk in from there on foot. Challenge yourself.
-Respect other hunters, slow down and use caution when approaching other ATV riders and especially if you should come upon hunters on horseback.
-Be prepared and know how to physically pack your meat out…..
-There are a lot of great on-line resources for familiarizing yourself with the process for quartering and packing out game meat in the field.
We like the following tip from Backcountry Hunters and Anglers: