Someone Is Stringing Barbed Wire Traps Across Off-Road Trails In Montana. The Threat Is Clear

I can't believe the official argument is over whether it's intentional or not, but apparently it is. Know what doesn't care? YOUR NECK.

Photo by: Visit Southwest Montana

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

May 30, at 7:09am ET

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We've written in the past about disturbing instances where wire has been strung across off-road trails by someone. More than once, in fact. And now, in May 2026, I'm about to tell you about another one. Sorry to ruin your day, but you need to know, and tell your friends.

According to reporting by NBC Montana, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office issued a warning to ATV riders, as well as other trail users, regarding reports of wire strung across trails in two areas within the county.

One area where wire has been reported is the Pipestone Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area, which is popular among both ATV and motorcycle riders (the latter so much that there's a designated Pipestone Motorcycle Hill Climb Area on the official Bureau of Land Management map). According to the American Motorcyclist Association, a child found barbed wire in this area over the Memorial Day weekend.

The other area is Bernice, which the official Jefferson County trails guide locates near both the Bear Gulch and Sullivan Gulch recreational areas. The JCSO posted this announcement on its official Facebook page on Thursday, May 28, 2026. It then proceeded to update the post once it received new information, but the update distinctly left something to be desired. Read for yourself below.

Did you read the same thing I just did? You know, the part where it says, "Update: after further investigation, the Bernice incident was not a result of wire being purposely strung across an ATV trail. Please remain vigilant to the hazard, however."

I'm famously all for nuance; it's often a thing that's missing on the Internet, to be completely honest with you. But if there is wire strung across off-road trails, I'm pretty sure your neck and face don't really care whether the person who did it meant to take your head off or not. I'm also equally certain that your next of kin probably won't be too concerned with whether the person who did it meant to harm you or not, either.

We're not talking about a minor harm, here. We're talking about potentially serious, life-changing injury and/or death. There's a simple annoyance, like kids toilet-papering your house or egging your windows; and then, at the other end of the spectrum, there's this.

What do you think?

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Comments

It's difficult to conceive of a length of wire ending up across a trail unintentionally somehow, but supposing it did (maybe it fell off the back of a vehicle and got entwined at just the right height around two trees thanks to malevolent forest spirits?), again: Your neck, or your friend's neck, will not care about intent when it's bleeding out. I repeat.

Anyone riding anything or otherwise using trails in the area is advised to stay alert. The Bureau of Land Management is currently investigating reports of trail sabotage in Montana, and you can report any instances you find directly to the BLM at blm_montana_lawenforcement@blm.gov.