Tag Archives: atv

All Terrain Vehicle Operation

I have spent countless jarring hours riding on top of an all terrain vehicle (ATV) while doing survey work for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). I’ve taken all of the safety courses offered during my employment there and have never had any safety issue while using ATVs in the field. I’ve gotten them stuck a few times, but with the larger style Ranger ATVs, they get stuck in mud quite easily due to their weight.

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ATV use with my camera in the orange pelican case and a tape ran along native prairie to conduct a belt transect survey

To get the ATV into the field, I’ve used trailers that can hold up to 4 ATVs. I’m familiar with all tie down procedures and safe trailering operations. For the times when I was doing survey work alone, I used ramps to park the ATV in the back of the truck bed. I’ve taken ATVs into very remote areas on the back of a pickup truck and am quite experienced in off highway vehicle travel (OHV) and 4-wheeling.

I have experience operating manual clutch ATVs, automatic ATVs, 6-wheeled ATVs, and multi-passenger ATVs. I’ve ridden in all environmental conditions and over a vast array of land types.