Chasing down elk heard with mountain bike?

[mwebs]

Well I wasn’t going to chime in but your clearly not understanding what everyone is telling you here given your responses. 150ft of elevation gain is literally what the kids pump tracks have out west and when you elk hunt most likely it’s 1000s of feet per day, non of which is on a trail and please don’t tell me you think the trails are paved. Maybe come out and mountain bike this summer and see how you do, climb a couple thousand feet in on an actual trail. Then think about trying to hunt like that let alone with gear and chasing elk. I’m trying extremely hard to be nice here so please listen to what these guys have told you and realize how ridiculous you sound. Not trying to pound my chest here it’s just your extremely off base with your assumptions. I would love to see you take that hard tail down some trails out here without any backpacking gear and hear your thoughts.

 

[Limpy88]

Well I wasn’t going to chime in but your clearly not understanding what everyone is telling you here given your responses. 150ft of elevation gain is literally what the kids pump tracks have out west and when you elk hunt most likely it’s 1000s of feet per day, non of which is on a trail and please don’t tell me you think the trails are paved. Maybe come out and mountain bike this summer and see how you do, climb a couple thousand feet in on an actual trail. Then think about trying to hunt like that let alone with gear and chasing elk. I’m trying extremely hard to be nice here so please listen to what these guys have told you and realize how ridiculous you sound. Not trying to pound my chest here it’s just your extremely off base with your assumptions. I would love to see you take that hard tail down some trails out here without any backpacking gear and hear your thoughts.

I asked are bikes allowed on public hunting land in co, id and ut. And is it legal to follow herds before season.

You are extremely off base with you assumption. I described my local trails. And my some of my fitness routine. Not everywhere I have been or everything I have done. If i can desricbe some of my local trails as technical, a less "gotta shove my opinion" person might have realized, I have been other places to form a basis on what is and isn't.
Dont assume my limits are your limits. But you wouldn't be the first.
Apparently I'm saying potato and some of you are reading tomato. That ok.

 

[Limpy88]

I have to say that yes the term wilderness out east is how a lot of people explain the forests. Out west we have forests (national forest) and wilderness (wilderness areas). Many of my clients request deep in the wilderness. I give them coordinates and they say well what about chainsaws for wood, and stuff like that.... I’ve had to explain to them wilderness vs National forest vs proposed wilderness as I operate in all 3.

So for the OP if you came into my unit where I hunt within my permit area. One half the proposed wilderness There are 100’s of miles of trails, some national forest trails, some outfitter and cattle man use, some just made by cattle and game. But only about 15 miles total on that side allow bikes. And those trails are basically all the main trails, yes there are many trails that go off of the main trails but they are horse and hiking only. Our outfitter and cattleman trails we do not clear well enough for bicycle use for obvious reasons. These are the trails that we maintain our selves to use for our hunting trips, horseback trips and moving cattle. Those trails if you had a bike on them would be getting off every 50 feet to get ur bike over logs. These trails are also the ones we are supposed to report illegal use on.

So riding ur bike on a main trail to a camp site would be beneficial, but you better be in shape, IMO you’d be better off hiking to that spot, then spiking out after that. Once you go off these trails ur not going to follow a herd unfortunately on a bike guaranteed.


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Exactly the answer I was looking for. Didn't respond before, didn't realize how few ppl read the first post. Thank you for the response.

Though it may be possible to do off trail riding. Like most things fun, it wouldn't be legal in most places.

 

[fatlander]

It’s illegal to ride off trail most places. Most trails aren’t passable on bike. Gated forest service roads are going to be your only option.

There’s a reason the born and raised guys don’t bring their bikes when they leave Oregon in the early years of their filming. Unless you’re in a unit with a ton of gated roads, you’re wasting your effort bringing something along that’s likely to get stolen while you’re in the back country.


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[LostArra]

"Chasing down elk" .......that's funny!

 

[mtnbiker208]

limpy88

i ride with a guy from indiana. He tells me in Indiana, lots of milage and little vertical. A typical after work 2 hour ride here in north idaho would be 15 miles and 2000 vert.

one bull that was 800 vert in every trip and it was 5 trips. you will climb here.

 

[Limpy88]

limpy88

i ride with a guy from indiana. He tells me in Indiana, lots of milage and little vertical. A typical after work 2 hour ride here in north idaho would be 15 miles and 2000 vert.

one bull that was 800 vert in every trip and it was 5 trips. you will climb here.

Yes. I know.
Once again assuming that i dont know. Becasue I didn't tell you my life story. Have ridden west on mtb, no. Have I ridden in NC only about 300ft. Northern Wisconsin about 200ft. Cumberland gap area Ky Tennessee 150ft gravel riding. Those terrain elevation, not traveled. Not 800 but some elevation. Thats why i said 100 is alot for Indiana. I have day hiked around mt shavano when staying in Colorado around new years 2 times. Going to monach mtn for skiing. 2019 to 2020 new years didn't get very far with a pregnant wife.
I have been west alot. Only camping when I was on the motorcycle. Alot of day hiking. More camping the Appalachian mtns as they are closer. From Va to Tn and Nc.
Cold at 10000 ft is more pleasant than 0ft next to lake superior. No humidity and alot more sun.

 

[fatlander]

Yes. I know.
Once again assuming that i dont know. Becasue I didn't tell you my life story. Have ridden west on mtb, no. Have I ridden in NC only about 300ft. Northern Wisconsin about 200ft. Cumberland gap area Ky Tennessee 150ft gravel riding. Those terrain elevation, not traveled. Not 800 but some elevation. Thats why i said 100 is alot for Indiana. I have day hiked around mt shavano when staying in Colorado around new years 2 times. Going to monach mtn for skiing. 2019 to 2020 new years didn't get very far with a pregnant wife.
I have been west alot. Only camping when I was on the motorcycle. Alot of day hiking. More camping the Appalachian mtns as they are closer. From Va to Tn and Nc.
Cold at 10000 ft is more pleasant than 0ft next to lake superior. No humidity and alot more sun.

Knowing and experiencing are two completely different things. If what you’re proposing was remotely feasible, more folks would do it. The fact of the matter is it’s not. Folks here are trying to make your trip less miserable, but you seem to have it in your head that’s what you’re going to do. I sincerely hope you enjoy your hunt, your way, but I don’t think you will. It’s shaping up to be a miserably expensive short bike ride and teeth chattering camping trip.


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[WTFJohn]

Yes. I know.
Once again assuming that i dont know. Becasue I didn't tell you my life story. Have ridden west on mtb, no. Have I ridden in NC only about 300ft. Northern Wisconsin about 200ft. Cumberland gap area Ky Tennessee 150ft gravel riding. Those terrain elevation, not traveled. Not 800 but some elevation. Thats why i said 100 is alot for Indiana. I have day hiked around mt shavano when staying in Colorado around new years 2 times. Going to monach mtn for skiing. 2019 to 2020 new years didn't get very far with a pregnant wife.
I have been west alot. Only camping when I was on the motorcycle. Alot of day hiking. More camping the Appalachian mtns as they are closer. From Va to Tn and Nc.
Cold at 10000 ft is more pleasant than 0ft next to lake superior. No humidity and alot more sun.

These mountains are going to break their foot off in you with that attitude. I wish you the best of luck following a herd of elk on a bike, and with what your idea of what cold and miserable at 10,000 ft is.

You are being given lots of good advice in here about reconsidering your plan as a first time western hunter; you should do a little bit of searching on this forum and see how many guys post similar thoughts on the terrain and their hunt plan (even 'just' backpack hunting), then come back after the hunt and post about how they underestimated the terrain, that google earth lied to them, that they got where they wanted to be but realized they could never get an animal out, weather rolled in and they had to leave immediately or risk being stranded, the list goes on and on.

The miin/max elevation in Indiana is 355 ft / 1257 ft. The first 'hill' you're going to get to as you leave Denver is Green Mountain and has a min/max of ~6000 ft / 6800 ft. Green Mountain is as easy as it will get out here, with trails going everywhere. That's not the case when you get to larger tracts of public land, and of the estimated 1500+ elk I saw this year from August to December exactly 0 could have been followed, tracked, or really even seen by someone on a bike.

 

[mtnbiker208]

Peddle and glass technique

 

[mtnbiker208]

Pack a camp in technique

 

[hobbes]

This thread has wandered all over the place (much like a herd of elk can do). I've not used a bike but see guys that do. Two points and I'm done:

1. A bike can be a great tool to access elk country. You may even locate elk from a trail while on the bike. If you are an experienced mountain bike guy then it may prove beneficial.

2. All legalities aside, you will not efficiently "chase down" or follow an elk herd on a mountain bike, regardless of skill, unless you find the rare herd that is paralleling a hiking/biking trail. There may be opportunity to cut a herd off I suppose but not chase it down cross-country.

This is a relatively flat bench with blow downs. It's actually one of the cleaner looking spots in this area I suppose a guy could navigate this with a bike, but you won't be following an elk herd for more than a few seconds.

With that said, I have glassed a few elk from up higher that a bike could have gotten me to a lot faster if I was a bike guy. The trail up is steep and blown in so you'd be back to carrying the bike up.

 

[mtnbiker208]

Just for fun!
Sometimes you got to roll with the saw!

 

[Sled]

There are different ways to hunt. It is possible to use a bike to your advantage but not always practical in all aspects of the hunt. You really have to pick the venue that works well for the bike. The problem is that it doesn't always work well for the elk. There are places just off real biking/hiking trails with elk out here. They just aren't always the best place to hunt for several reasons.

Early season it can be a way to cover ground and get to see terrain off the edge of the trails. Like a previous poster mentioned, glassing off the bike trails can work. When it comes time to hunt, the bike needs to be reevaluated. Is it a benefit or hindrance? Did you pick poor elk hunting just to ride the bike? For the mountain hunting I do, I can only think of a couple places where a bike would be of benefit and even then it would just be for faster access to hiking. In the wester deserts, maybe. But make sure and run some stand/slime in the tire. Goat heads are no joke.

If you do try it, enjoy yourself. It's your hunt, so make it what you want. As for me, I'll stick to hunting where the bikes don't go.

 

[Dirtscoots]

I can’t personally think of anywhere I would actually kill an elk I would want a bicycle. As stated to get down roads behind gates heck yeah great tool. I guess I hunt elk trails and not bike trails. Even the wilderness I’ve hunted I would never take a bike if they were legal. That’s just me. If it gets you back somewhere great.

 

[Sled]

I can’t personally think of anywhere I would actually kill an elk I would want a bicycle.

Estes park?

 

[Sethroski]

In Montana as long as it's not an E-bike you can take a bike pretty much anywhere. As an avid mountain biker myself I've found that something about being on a bike takes my mind out of hunt mode. So I use a bike to get from point A to point B. I've unintentionally ridden by elk on numerous times whereas if I was on foot I surely would not have missed them.

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[AaronMColeman]

I've chased them down with a side by side and on foot. Seems like the bike would kinda split the difference where allowed. I dig it and would love to hunt that way where legal. Go for it where legal.

Where not legal, don't be that guy. It's annoying to follow the rules then see some dude who didn't and feel like I wasted 3 hours hiking.

 

[AaronMColeman]

"Chasing down elk" .......that's funny!

I don't know, it's totally doable. Not when they're running. But if a single elk is just out eating, or a herd is moving, it's not too difficult to get in front of them (or where you think you'll be in front of them), and let them feed into a shooting lane. I get what you're saying, but I call that "chasing" and I think it's something a lot of hunters don't do well. But, it requires being in good enough shape to move quickly to get in front. I could totally see someone on a bike being able to use roads to chase down a herd IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. In most, the bike would be a pain in the butt I think.

 

[LostArra]

I don't know, it's totally doable. Not when they're running. But if a single elk is just out eating, or a herd is moving, it's not too difficult to get in front of them (or where you think you'll be in front of them), and let them feed into a shooting lane. I get what you're saying, but I call that "chasing" and I think it's something a lot of hunters don't do well. But, it requires being in good enough shape to move quickly to get in front. I could totally see someone on a bike being able to use roads to chase down a herd IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. In most, the bike would be a pain in the butt I think.

Semantics. We hunt like you describe all the time, actually most of the time but we call it "getting set up for a shot" and it involves a lot of sneaking and moving quickly at times to get in position for a bow or rifle shot. Find elk, then find a way to get close. Since I don't call I really don't know how else to kill an elk other than sit on a water hole.

Never ever has a situation occurred that a bicycle would have provided an advantage to that process even if I was in an EPO'd Lance Armstrong mode. I have enough trouble keeping up with my pack. I would probably lose the damn bike somewhere as I head off into unbikeable country to get set up which may take 200 yards or 2 miles.

"Chasing" to me is catching up with something that is eluding or evading and if elk are exiting the area to evade a hunter a bike isn't the answer.

I can definitely see using a bike as transport to a hunting area on a road or legal trail in fact I did it this fall to get to my treestand where a rancher didn't want me driving any vehicle in the area.