Montana ATV use on roads

[7man]

Question for you guys. My buddy and I are coming out to montana for bow season and we want to bring a 4wheeler.

Does a 4wheeler have to be street legal on all roads or just some roads?

The roads we'll be on are public and blm roads.

It just gets tricky understanding the regulations because residents seem to be required to have their 4wheelers street legal. Nonresidents look like they're only required to have their 4wheeler registered in their home state; doesn't say anything about needing to be street legal.

The 4wheeler is registered in our own state, but not street legal.
If it's registered but not street legal can we drive it out there?

 

[BigSkyGP]

Question for you guys. My buddy and I are coming out to montana for bow season and we want to bring a 4wheeler.

Does a 4wheeler have to be street legal on all roads or just some roads?

The roads we'll be on are public and blm roads.

It just gets tricky understanding the regulations because residents seem to be required to have their 4wheelers street legal. Nonresidents look like they're only required to have their 4wheeler registered in their home state; doesn't say anything about needing to be street legal.

The 4wheeler is registered in our own state, but not street legal.
If it's registered but not street legal can we drive it out there?

>
I know to license a 4 wheeler in MT you must have: Head light, Tail light, Brake light, Horn, R. View mirror, and one working brake. You must have a Street, HWY MC plate to drive on all public roads, even Forest Service 4WD two track. An OHV sticker is really only good in the few State OHV Parks. If I were you, I'd call MDOT and ask your Q's, since you are from out of state, the LE might let you slide with a warning. BTW liability ins not required.

 

[nitrousmudbogger]

Yes you need a license plate and probably a off road sticker. They will give you a ticket for sure. They have been out to get you the last few yrs for 4 wheelers on roads

 

[MTBULLET]

and don't plan on getting within a mile of any game if you drive to the hunt area.

 

[7man]

I agree, they're only a tool that can help you be successful if used properly. Actually, this past hunting season it was only handy, because me and my hunting buddy could go our seperate ways for the day and report our findings later back at camp. We treated the atv like it was another pickup truck.

I used my truck to get to where I needed to go and he took his atv. He could take his atv a few more places, but once it rained he was no better off than I was with my truck. If it rains out there you can pretty much take out of consideration any travel off the main road, unless you want to be covered in mud or get stuck.

We did harvest an elk this past season, and the atv never played a role at all. It was our frame packs, sore backs, and truck that hauled the elk out. As a matter of fact, it was also our dumb brains and sore legs that took us in to where we harvested the bull. Not an atv.

All in all the atv was just a convenience for each of us to scout out as much territory as possible.