TEHACHAPI, Calif. -- A group of residents in the Tehachapi Mountains said they dread the busy holiday weekends because it means hundreds of off roaders come and illegally ride on their land.

Illegal off roading has gotten so bad in the area it's prompted land owners to band together and create an off road vehicle watch group.

Members said the only fix they see is a combination of education and enforcement.

Mesonika Piecuch with ORV Watch Kern County said, "Education is good, pamphlets are good. Telling people here are the maps, adhere to them, but unless you balance education with law enforcement and a heavy stiff fine or something like that, there’s not going to be any change in what’s happening.”

The Sheriffs Department said lack of resources make it difficult to patrol the more remote problem areas, but said even with education, the problem of illegal off roaders will still exist.

Sgt. Richard Wood said, "I can’t say that it’s ever going to go away. If we educate a certain group of ohv riders, we’re going to have more coming in. People buy these vehicles, the quad runners, motorcycles. They’re looking for a place to ride and they’re coming up here.”

All over the private properties, illegal off roaders have carved their own trails as well as made the Pacific Crest Trail their own track despite no trespassing signs and no off road vehicle signs hung in clear sight.

Land owner Diana Palmer said, "They play dumb, they sit and say they’re lost, they have the same excuses time and time again. I’m lost, I’m out of gas, we thought the sign meant we couldn’t go to the side, off to the side. They’re just full of excuses.”

The lack of repercussions for illegal off roaders has caused some resident to go to the extreme in order to stop riders from trespassing on their land.

One land owner has put cut up pieces of barbed wire, nails and glass on the trails left by off roaders.

Another resident, Jon Rogers, bought a gun.

“One occasion, where I had like four or five of them, I tried to stop them and they ran me down, they literally ran me down. And after that, I started carrying a gun. And since I’ve been carrying a gun, I have not had any problems with them running me down.”

ORV Watch Kern County said they aren’t against off roading, they just want to see an end to riders illegally trespassing, ruining their lands, scarring the wildlife and disrupting their peace.

During this busy holiday weekend, the Sheriffs Department wants to remind riders to obey all signs and only ride where it is permitted to do so like at Jaw Bone Canyon, Antelope Valley Fair Grounds or the Randsburg Mountains.