More incidents of barbed wire stretched across trails in Montana have been reported since Memorial Day Weekend, and while some appear to be accidental, others seem very much on purpose.
Montana’s Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office released a warning on Thursday, May 28th, surrounding reports of barbed wire being strung across ATV trails. Wire had been strung across trails in both the Pipestone area and in the Bernice area.
Further investigation showed that the Bernice incident was not a result of wire being purposely strung across an ATV trail, though the Sheriff’s Office didn’t elaborate on where the wire came from (if there was any).
The Pipestone wire remains under investigation by jurisdictional authorities. The public is asked to use caution when using trails in the area and to report any suspicious activity by calling the Jefferson County’s dispatch center at 406-225-4075.
First reports of barbed wire on ATV trails came around Memorial Day Weekend when an individual struck a hung wire while riding. Fortunately the boy was traveling at a slow enough speed that he did not receive any injuries, but incidents like this can easily have fatal consequences.
Tensions have reportedly been high between motorized and non-motorized recreationists in the Pipestone area, though it’s not clear if that’s what led to the barbed wire. The Bureau of Land Management continues to investigate the incident.
