Hunting with Off-Highway Vehicles

Off-highway vehicles or OHVs are special-purpose vehicles that require careful, responsible handling and good judgment.

• They’re useful for traveling into back country, but they can damage the environment if used recklessly. They also require training and practice to handle them safely in rough terrain.
• Studies show that the majority of OHV accidents occur when the rider unexpectedly encounters an obstacle, such as a rock or a ditch. Maintaining a safe speed is critical.
• If you use OHVs to hunt, prepare yourself and your family by attending an approved OHV course.
• Before hunting with OHVs on private land, be sure to get the landowner’s permission.

Always follow the rules for safe and ethical operation:

• Wear a helmet, gloves and proper clothing such as boots, sturdy, long pants and long sleeve shirt.
• Carry firearms unloaded, cased, and on a proper gun rack.
• When using the plastic scabbard mounted on an OHV, clear the inside of the scabbard of debris and check your firearm’s muzzle for obstructions.
• Stay on the main roads and trails.

• Pick your route carefully to minimize terrain damage.
• Don’t drive over crops or planted fields.
• Don’t shoot from an OHV.
• Use OHVs only to get to the hunting area or to haul an animal from the field, unless the area is closed to motorized vehicle traffic.
• Show respect for others by watching your OHV’s noise level. Do not disturb wildlife or other hunters.

If you are not in the possession of and the lawful holder a CHAMP permit, shooting from vehicles is unsafe, unethical and illegal.

Considerations When Hunting with Off-Highway Vehicles

• In Arizona and many other states, it is illegal to hunt from an off-highway vehicle (OHV); this includes molesting, stirring up, or driving any game animals or game birds with a motorized vehicle.
• It is illegal in some states to operate an OHV off the trail, or there may be trails specifically closed to OHV use.
• In many states, it is prohibited to operate an OHV off roads or trails in a manner that damages or disturbs the land, wildlife, or vegetation.
• Some states require that OHVs be equipped with approved and operating spark-arresting mufflers and comply with sound regulations.
• Use OHVs only to get to the hunting area or to haul a downed big game animal from the field, unless the area is closed to motorized vehicle traffic.

Remember to stay on established trails that permit OHV operation.