I can't speak for the operators up north but I can tell you about SE Texas.
Any Eastex redneck bubba on a 4 wheeler or a jet ski CANNOT be trusted to know the rules or be able to make a smart decision in a crisis or not.
We encounter them all the time and drink beer with them a bunch. They live for that one millesecond of fun without regard for theirs or others safety.
Perfect example, we're riding dirtbikes in the Nat'l Forest on PMT's (permanatly marked trails) I blast a rutted corner trying to keep the boys behind me, run head on into a quad and crash into him. He was going the wrong way on a 1 way trail.
I exploded "WTF dude this is a 1 way trail and your going the wrong MF'n way." His response was that he didn't know, hadn't ridden there before, and didn't have a map or know how to read colored arrows nailed to trees. His group didn't stop at the Rangers office to get a map and the rules and regulations pamphlet. I'll give him credit though, he accepted that he was going the wrong way after looking at my map and the arrows on the trail, apologized, and offered me a beer.
Later that afternoon pulling into the trailhead he and his bud's were being ticketed by a Ranger for not having offroad stickers on their 4 wheelers and not purchasing a day pass for the riders.
After the POPO left we walked over and I apologized to him for being $hittish at the accident scene. We had a couple of beers and he about flipped when I told him to expect the fines to be 500 to 1000 per person. All because of an 8 dollar annual sticker and a 5 dollars day pass for a single rider.
Moral of the story is, Eastex Bubba's don't know the laws in effect to protect them from others and others from them.

See ya,
Kelly

Was there damage to your bike? Did he cover it?

It bent my front fender, ripped the plastic finger protector on one of my barkbusters, and tossed me into the woods.
I hopped up on my feet and started cussing him, a couple of minutes later with him and his friends and me and the kids I cooled off, showed him a map, where we were, and how the arrows on the trees designate different trails within the trail system.
He apologized, admitting they were 1st timers there and wasn't aware of how it all worked, they were out to have some fun riding 4wheelers in the forest and drink a few beers.
I didn't ask for anything except to follow the arrows direction and note that some trails are 2 way trails so pay attention riding for arrows behind you.
Funny thing was that had I hit this corner 10 seconds before I'd have seen him approaching and had time to react.

I did feel bad for them getting citations but laughed it off with the kids later when talking about the tickets over the years there.
Here's a great one, I told my college daughters boyfriend (1st timer) don't throw your cigarette butts on the ground, put them in your pocket or the ashtray/coke can etc.
Forest Ranger making his rounds campsite to campsite later looking for offroad stickers and spark arrestors on exhausts asks my daughter who's cigarette butts those were laying on the ground by her chair. She say's "They're Matt's, here he comes now walking up" As he begins to address Matt about the butts Matt dropped one and stepped on it with his motocross boot.
While receiving his ticket he told the Ranger "Yeah man my girlfriends Dad told me don't throw your butts in the dirt or you'll get a ticket"
They make a living and support the National Forest system with their fines, I've seen them writing many many citations there since the early 70's.
I've only seen maybe a half dozen tickets written on the water for poor boatsmanship, the rest (100's) are always for over limiting or keeping to large or small of a particular fish.

See ya,
Kelly