PIPESTONE - Law enforcement has been out patrolling the Pipestone after more reports have come in about barbed wire being strung across some of the OHV trails in Pipestone and the Bernice area.
“Do not put wires over trails, it’s absolutely insane,” Pipestone trail rider Bruno Franck said Friday.
WATCH: Riders say the wire is nearly impossible to see at trail speeds — and the consequences could be deadly
MTN first reported that a single strand of barbed wire was discovered by riders on Memorial Day over a trail near the Four Corners Trailhead in Pipestone east of Butte. Since then, Jefferson County law enforcement has received more reports of barbed wire across other trails in the county.
Bruno Franck and Pete Dufour of Bozeman enjoy riding their mountain bikes in Pipestone and find the barbed-wire incidents disturbing. Franck recalled a similar incident happening in California.
“A motocross rider got decapitated, so it’s very dangerous; people should not do that,” Franck said.
Morgan Shaw of Ridgeline Sports rents ATVs to riders in Pipestone and also finds these reports very concerning.
“I think we should respect each other, the trails are for everybody. We need to respect that and last thing we want to do is get people hurt,” Shaw said.
There are sometimes conflicts on the trails between motorized and non-motorized users, but Franck said putting up barbed wire is very dangerous to everyone, including mountain bikers.
“If you come down, you know, 25, 30 miles per hour, you’ll never see those wires across the trail,” Franck said.
Law enforcement told MTN they continue to get more reports of wires and are continuing the investigation. Riders say they are glad to see law enforcement on patrol.
“I think that’s a good expenditure of resources to try and ascertain what’s going on and the extent of what’s being done out here by these folks that are stringing wire,” Dufour said.
