Recreational use of off-highway vehicles will be restricted on some state forest trails and access routes during the upcoming firearms deer hunting season.
According to the DNR, vehicles affected include ATVs, off-highway motorcycles and registered off-road vehicles, such as 4-wheel drive trucks.
These restrictions do not apply to vehicles used by licensed deer hunters in conjunction with deer hunting. The restrictions also do not apply to state forest roads.
Licensed hunters can still use restricted routes before legal shooting time, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and after legal shooting hours.
The DNR is also urging personal responsibility for hunting safety, such as practicing climbing into and out of tree stands, brushing up on safe firearms handling, and wearing blaze clothing to ensure visibility to other hunters.
Accidents involving tree stands are the leading cause of injury among hunters, with as many as one in three hunters who use elevated stands expected to fall and sustain serious injury.
The number of hunting-related firearms fatalities has dropped significantly over the last 6o years.
