I have been a regular snowmobiler for 16 years on the trails, mainly riding from Fenelon Falls to Haliburton or over to Bancroft and the general surrounding area on the weekends and during the peak times (During the day)
During the past couple of years I have noticed that I rarely if ever during the riding season come across the OPP on there sleds. The last time I was stopped was the winter of 01-02 which was to be expected since the rail bed was the only place you could ride at that time of year. During the seasons since I've never come across them and am really woundering why. I put on about 1500 mi every year on average so its not like I'm not out there.
Going threw the process every year like all of us getting a trail pass,insurance and liscence sticker just to be legal on the trails and never getting stopped in a way kinda sucks. I feel that its good to see them out there checking everyone for that stuff, maybe just not the radar gun but thats another story. Looking back on this season I could've been riding a stolen sled all year and no one whould know the wiser. I know that there is a limited amount of man power and money in order to put a lot of cops out on the trails but I guess what I'm really saying is that why are they not sitting at the major intersections on peak hours in the day. Have I just been luckey, what about you guys have you run into them a lot this season.

Ran into Durhams finest last weekend over near Port Perry,they went through the whole nine yards,insurance,license,ownership and checked it against the sled,had a chat with them for 10 minutes and went on my way.
That was the first this year.
The time you don't have all your paper work in order is the time you will get stopped,then you will dish out the moooney!!

the past two years i have been stopped about eight times.

Two years??Lucky you.I think we have been stopped about 8 times just this year alone.We have been stopped 4 times by the same dnr guy 3 for riding on the side of the road and 1 time for racing on the lake.Then 2 times by local cops just cause they wanted to be jerks.Then 1 time at the trails just so the dnr could check out our sleds.SOOO 3+1+2+1=7..Ok only 7 times this year.And no tickets for me yet :div20:

lol the only time ive seen them was when they were pulling it behind there crusier

SAW THEM THURSDAY ABOUT 2PM ON THE TRACKS NORTH OF 3RD LINE SUMERVILLE BY THE BRIDGE. THEY HADE THE RADER GUN ON TRIPOD.
WATCH YOUR ASS.


PAUL

Got stopped on the 19th heading into Dorset, both the 2 guys I was with didnt have their insurance papers. buck 10 and a half hour of me being a smart ass and we were gone. Should've ran the channel.

Then on the 21st heading up from Minden on the B trail, I took a short-cut around the trail (the trails says go through this pond, but the groomer took the road around it) so I took the groomed road, as I got to the end of the road where the swamp hooks back upto the trail, I spotted them. I was cookin probably 50 mph flew right by what was probably the same to opps. Just gave em a wave and continued on my way. lol they were probably like shit we missed our only ticket of the day cuz I only saw 2 sleds the whole day.

When we were in dorset they said they cover the entire southern area of the province and there's only a few crews.

This is the first year I've seen the cops twice in a season. last time I was stopped (been waved by a few times) I was 12 and just got my liscence, but my cousin was only 10. They let us go, but my cousin didn't ride sleds off his property for a few years.

With the lack of snowmobile fatalities this year I wonder if they are doing anything different that has helped to prevent it? My hats off to them anyhow, keep up the good work and please don't be an ass to me for no reason I have everything in order and follow the rules and play safe, other than the speedlimit, but who does? I figure if I get a ticket its worth all the fun I've had through the years.

"Looking back on this season I could've been riding a stolen sled all year and no one whould know the wiser." Even if you did get stopped, unless you're suspicious they wont and most likely cant check to see if its stolen. my buddy was riding our other friends zr he had the ownership but no insurance paper (its insured, and the cop said I bet its insured I'm just giving you a ticket for not providing it, that was the break he got I guess) all the more reason not to leave your papers in the sled.

me and my son were stopped by the cops once up in ParrySound they were dicks miserable sobs right in my face for nothing, thought I was drinking I guess.

I have been stopped once this year (2 weeks ago) between Ardbeg and Parry Sound in the 1800 miles of riding done so far. Two years ago I was stopped almost every time out before the construction on Highway 11. They used to always sit across from Scotia Road in Emsdale where the D123 meets the Seguin (D) trail.

In my experience the officers have always been professional and polite. As one officer put it "We're not out to kill the sport". He said the drinking and riding has dropped off in Ontario which is good for all of us.

We ran into the OPP in just south of Dwight on Saturday Feb 26th. We had just stopped to check the map and they pulled up. Checked our trail permits, asked if I had my ownership and insurance. After replying "Yes - would you like to see them", I was told "No" and away they went.

One OPP was driving a fully marked OPP sled and the other in driving a Ski-Doo Legend. I guess you could call it "Unmarked".

In Jan coming out of Port Sydney after eating at Sydneys, this was on the the coldest day of the year there, I think it was more of a ride program, but with the helmuts and clothing on so tight they wouldnt have been able to tell if I was smashed or not! lol ( not).
Ususally see them at bracebridge once a year on sat/sundays.

I was mentioning to my friend on saturday how I had yet to see the police at all this year, and to date nothing, 1200 mi of riding.

They should be ticketing the guys with loud sleds and aftermarket cans and not worrying about the speeding.

been stopped 2 times this year near Parry Sound

A guy zipped by us when we were stopped, probably 100 feet away. definitely had a can. I said to the cop "doesnt that sound like a can?", he didnt even say anything, just kinda gave me this blank stare. lol. I think he was listening for my sled when I rolled up cuz he alread had my buddy off his.

I have seen them twice this year so far. I have about 1800 miles in to date. Once was where E107 meets the E trail north of Aspsley and the other was on the rail bed north of Fenelon Falls. I didn't have any problems either time. They usually are pretty good to deal with as long as you have all your paperwork. I have been told that no one is getting away with riding without a permit. They write you a $250 fine and then you have the option of buying a permit, or leaving the trail. i personally wouldn't mind seeing them a little more often, but I don't like seeing them with that radar gun out. (especially on the rail beds and access roads)

Good to here replys from all of you. Going for a good ride on Friday with 5 other guys around the Paudash stuff I'll let you know if I see them.

I've been stopped twice so far by OPP. First time was 30 mins outside of Sudbury. 2 cops and 4 of us. The one cop says "Can I see a license boys?" . No problem. We all reach for our wallets and he says "just one license will be fine". We thought that was weird.

The second time I was with my son (the little law breaker is 11 and has no license) and I about crapped my pants when I seen them. We were 70-80 kms from the truck and trailer. Pulled up, got off my sled and told my son on the Chatterbox to stay back a bit and stay on his sled. Showed the paper work to one of the cops and started asking questions. Where can we get gas? How far is it? How are the trails that way? They answered, then asked "Who's behind you?". I said "Just my son. I have his papers in my pocket here." Cop says "OK, have a safe day guys." and we got the hell out of there.

Also been stopped twice by Marshals checking permits.

i'm all for them stopping drunks, but I think personally the radar gun thing is too much,

There was alot around Elliot Lake this weekend. Most likely due to the Snowcross in town.

I have only been stopped once this year and was not very impressed at all about the way they went about it. My bro and wife and I saw two cruisers with trailers
parked behind the local gas hole. One sled was left on one of the double trailers and we joked about one cop must be an ahole and had to ride alone. Later that
day as we crested a hill to a long open stretch the three of them were parked trail
side in the middle of the stretch. As soon as they saw us comming they jumped on the trail and prceded ahead of us. Two of them started to pull away at a good clip,
but the third guy hung way back at exactly the 55kph limit and appeared to be a complete rookie on a sled. After about 8 miles of this, three road crossings with no
hand signals from the cop, I'm riding side saddle looking back at my Bro giving him the WTF sign. To pass him or not? I'm thinking this is a cat and mouse game.
Finally we catch up to the first two cops stopped at a trail intersection, and number three pulls up beside them and blocks the entire trail. Number three gets off and
waves us over and asks for papers. I asked him if this was his first time out on a sled, he kinda looks at me and says no he's been doing snow patrol for 3 or four years. I decided not to say anything about their game untill we all checked out good on our papers . All was good and we and before we mounted up they started
talking about some guy they were looking for on a black mxz that bolted on them earlier. I could no longer resist and asked the "rookie" if they had pulled the same
bullshit on him and got him to pass him before they tried to pull him over? We get innocent smiles and "we would never do that". Crap.

If this is what the Huron county OPP think of as properly enforcing the local trails
they might as well just forget their cop sled and sit in a warm cruiser besid the trail and just hand out speeding tickets to everyone on the suspicion that we are all drunk and reckless untill they ruin it for everyone.

We even had to pull off the trail to go around them while they sat there and planned their next scheme to free the trails from "idiots". KInd of IRONIC
is it not?

Sorry, thats all i got to say about that.

That's what they do near lake st. peter, maynooth area. Why sit in the cold when you can pull the cruiser up to the stop sign and run the gun. Smart really considering the average speed is probably 2x the speed limit.

I blew by 2 stopped opp a few weeks ago, near Minden, they didnt have enough time to wave me over as I gave them don't think thats where you were riding though.
BTW isn't that kinda like entrapment?

I'd tend to disagree with that comment.. While I'm not a big fan of "pipes &cans" I'd rather see the police enforcing speed limits on the trails, rather then busting some guys balls for having a loud sled.
Speeding on trails is reckless, and irresponsible, and the last time I heard, A piped sled never hurt or killed anyone
Leave the speeding on the lakes, and respect the other riders your sharing the trails with!! :cn:

oops

Ticket them both!

haven't seen any in my 6 years of riding trails. I agree with blue by you, even though cans are annoying, I would still rather see them policing the speed limits on the trails. If it is a wide open pipeline or railbed, I don't think they should be there, and I don't think it is unreasonable to be speeding a bit when you can see the trail ahead as far as the eye can see. Its the idiots who are trying to run snowcross on the tight trails that should be policed...there is nothing worse than having someone "pop up" on your side of the trail from behind a blind corner. Someday I hope to be able to take my daughter out for rides, I hope the police are doing their best to control these types of riders. Maybe they should be sitting on one side or the other of tight corners and handing out tickets there?

Take your business to michigan

25 dollar american trail permit for the year. And you will never be stopped or hassled once.

$25 so you can ride in the UP and risk your life, just look at the fatalities in that region alone, forget about the entire state. It seems as though people die every weekend. I don't know what's attributing to the lack of fatalities this year in Ontario, but the last time I was stopped by the cops they said drinking and riding is not nearly the problem it once was. I've been stopped 1 time in almost 3000 miles this season and only a few times my whole life. I have my shit in order so its no hassel.

I gave them a hard time when I was stopped this year only because they were ticketing my buddy and were giving me a hard time with the placement of my permit, but I really respect the job they do. I'd love to check out the UP in MI, but I doubt the riding is any better than we have here, and I know they don't have the trail network that we have in Ontario and especially Quebec. If you live in the GTA, the biggest city in Canada and the biggest for thousands of miles, you can ride in less than an hour, pretty cool.

:beerchug: