I’ve run across dirtbikes in Redwood Regional Park. Fuck those guys too.
I’d be actually supportive of tightened restrictions. Not a ban. If you want to continue discussing this topic I’d suggest creating a containment thread. I’ll stop shitting this one up with off-topic.
The lead contamination is a real thing. My father has a licence to rehabilitate raptors. Most of the Hawks he gets have balled feet from lead poisoning. If they can’t grip their food, they starve to death. If you are into shooting your own food, which a lot of rural folk do over here, it’s worth knowing that around around 20 to 25% of the lead from a bullet is unaccounted for compared to about 1% for copper bullets, so you are probably eating it.
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biomagnification, do your thing!
Would rather run into dirt bikers/atv riders than horse riders.
The local trails here in Philly are really popular for horses. The riders love taking their creatures out in the mud and leaving post holes and nice shit-mud slurry and then going home to complain about how they saw a mountain biker riding wet trails. Have also accidentally spooked a few horses that have almost thrown their riders off and/or kicked me in the face.
Dirt bike/ATV people I run into on multi-use state forest trails generally just slow down and say what’s up.
I grew up in a horsey family so I have plenty of respect but the other day on a trail we met a rider coming from the opposite direction, the horse spooked, spat the rider off and the horse bolted. A combination of an inexperienced Rider and a flighty horse. FYI, when I approach horses I always soft-pedal with the brake on as I have clicky free-wheel. Horses do not like clicky hubs.
The closest I’ve come to being run over on a trail happened when 3 teenage girls on horses ripped around a blind turn on the tolt pipeline trail near Seattle. Happily, horses are sentient and they noticed us while their riders were oblivious - got a close up of a rearing horse’s front hooves but escaped any contact/injury. The horses had to good grace to look apologetic, the riders did not.
What gets me about my new-found hatred for horses on trails is that I actually really like horses, and riding horses. I’ve had so many shitty interactions with horse riders on trails though - it makes it hard to see riders without silent fuck-yous running through my head.
Edit: re; lead and guns - one of the fuckiest things about guns/shooting and lead poisoning is how it effects an international treaty the US is party to. The MBTA turns out to be a great tool for addressing lead poisoning from ranges/popular shooting areas.
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IME, dirt bikers and hunters are not who you need to be scared of encountering. Every dirt biker i’ve encountered on a trail has slowed WAAAY down and passed with caution. Yes their bikes are loud and stinky, but i’ve never had an issue with them. They are also really into building trails and maintaining the trails they can ride because their access is similarly limited.
Hunters also typically have very good etiquette when it comes to dealing with other public land users.
Neither of these groups are really even comparable to the “Shoot at shit in the woods” crowd that typically leaves trash, bottles, can, shell casings, tons of garbage, and bullet riddled signs everywhere in their path.
Those same folks also get on their atvs and rip by you on forest service roads with absolutely no regard for the noise/dust/fumes they put into your face .
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Yeah that sounds terrible. I have never run across people like that where I have gone in California.
Even the most responsible, angelic “shoot guns in the woods” person ruins my trip to the first every time they pull the trigger within earshot. Ban all guns on federal land.
Also count me in the group of cyclists who have been uncomfortably close to being injured by gun users who shoot without knowing, or maybe even caring, that there could be another human near them.
Also, I have to “LOL” at the “I pay for the forests” argument. I pay for the forests, so why would I pay a garbage man to haul my garbage? I’ll just dump it in the forest since I’m already paying for that land.
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You get rural Washington.
Was being satirical. Glad to see that @b-roll just kept scrolling.
I’m actually not anti-gun. What I’m for is gun owners taking responsibility for their sport instead of treating it like some god given right to go plinking. You’re right there are lots of public ranges to go to which is exactly what I was suggesting. But in the article it was pretty clear the offenders were just plinking in a random spot.
I love shooting, I’d own guns if I had a safe and legal way to get them to the range but because I don’t drive I don’t own a gun.
Amy said it better than I could.
Saw some of these posters at the trailheads during my last trip to Tsali. Also some with a backpacker morphing into a leopard or something.
That’s a terrible flyer.
Hmm maybe the problem here is riding a pretty species in an area where your conveyance is going to think everything is a threat
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No no, don’t you see. They’re clearly far better than us because they’re on a horse. Their rights supercede ours when it comes to the trails they didn’t help create, don’t maintain, and absolutely fucking destroy. Also watch out for the piles of shit while you dodge dried 6" deep horse ruts because some rich fuck went out after it rained for a week.
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Yeah I think that if you are riding a 1500-lb animal that is spooked by everything the burden is on YOU to keep others safe. If I had a 1500-lb cane corso who bit everyone who looked threatening I’d be in trouble, yes?
I live right on a bike/hike/horse trail and I have to agree the horse riders really are jerks and I do not enjoy the giant piles of shit in the middle of the trail. How is that acceptable?
PS I adore donkeys so I’m not anti-ungulate. But donkeys are smart and stable and super adorable. My neighbors have a mammoth donkey who is horse sized and I bring her apples and carrots.
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