Hunting on your Mountain Bike

[JTFelt]

Just wondering how many of you have used your bikes to access the woods. I am leaving for a 9 day elk hunt this weekend and will be hunting off my new bike. Got it all rigged up and ready to haul out a couple of bulls.

 

[AZ Vince]

I'm leaning towards something like that but I don't think they are allowed in wilderness areas.

 

[AKmyles]

I used a bike to get back 18 miles for a mountain caribou hunt this year... I would never do it again, more hassle than its worth. BUT, we didnt have sweet bikes like yours! Good luck out there!

 

[Manosteel]

that's a sweet setup but in the natural areas I like to hunt they don't allow motor vehicles of anykind, no atv's , bikes or otherwise, just human power and it looks like you got a motor on that thing.

 

[Mike7]

That is definitely not the hillbilly set up. Wow! I hope it is mostly down hill or flat for your pack out when those bicycle racks are loaded up with meat. Good luck.

 

[fillthefreezer]

i do

 

[bivouaclarry]

Electric motor? What are the reg's on taking a motorized bike onto a non-motorized trail? Assuming you can only go where ATV's/Motorcycles go. Why not just take a motorcycle?

That being said....really cool looking setup. How many hours do you get on the battery? What is the total weight of bike/trailer san's gear?

 

[JTFelt]

It does have an electric motor on it but it is a pedal assisted system ( No Throttle ) meaning you have to engage the cranks for the motor to kick in. It has 4 modes on it that basically multiply your power input to the cranks. Because it will not assist your more than 20 mph it is considered a bicycle not a motorized vehicle. I can take it way more places than a motorcycle or 4 wheeler and do it quiet, scent free and it has no more footprint than a stock bike. It has a range of up to 60 miles on one battery. The bike weighs about 45 pounds and it does not take up the whole bed of my truck.

 

[DaveC]

View attachment 18922

That is a slick rig for sure. Bob trailer? How much weight does the battery rig add? How much battery life? Ya'll planning on selling those?

I use my fatbike for hunting access plenty. Lots of gated logging roads around here. Mostly it's just an expedient to get up into the good grouse terrain, as I hunt deer and elk in capitol w Wilderness with no bikes allowed.

Certainly wouldn't mind swapping bikes for horses in the Bob, but that ain't gonna happen soon.

 

[Manosteel]

It does have an electric motor on it but it is a pedal assisted system ( No Throttle ) meaning you have to engage the cranks for the motor to kick in. It has 4 modes on it that basically multiply your power input to the cranks. Because it will not assist your more than 20 mph it is considered a bicycle not a motorized vehicle. I can take it way more places than a motorcycle or 4 wheeler and do it quiet, scent free and it has no more footprint than a stock bike. It has a range of up to 60 miles on one battery. The bike weighs about 45 pounds and it does not take up the whole bed of my truck.

What kind of bike is that and where did you buy it?

 

[Cross]

Are you associated with Felt Bikes?

As for your original question, getting back in the refuge duck hunting I would if allowed but last I knew electric assist of any type no matter how it was engaged was not allowed on the refuges and wilderness areas.

As for Mountain hunting NO!

 

[mt100gr.]

Wilderness areas here define it by wheels. Nothing with wheels is permitted, let alone a motor, engine, or mechanical assist/advantage of any kind.

Interesting, when I worked for the USFS on trail crew we couldn't use chainsaws in the wilderness but we could use all the ANFO, det. cord, cast boosters, and stick powder we wanted.

 

[Floorguy]

I tried it with a buddy this year for the archery moose opener. This is what my setup was.

 

[bivouaclarry]

Very cool. How do you deal with a "hike a bike" section of trail? Not sure how you would push a fully outfitted bike, trailer, gear and whatever else up a section like that without having a throttle to assist? Or, do you just plan where you go accordingly so you never have to push the rig? With it being considered a bike, there are a lot of possibilitys and the electric motor would be very, very quiet I would think.

 

[wapitibob]

I pushed the heck out of mine opening weekend. It's not much more than walking.
If it has a motor, it's illegal in the "non motorized" area I'm hunting regardless of speed.

 

[Floorguy]

On the steep hill hike-a-bike sections I was pushing everything you see there. That trailer sucks I think the bob trailers are the only way to go. My buddy was riding a Borealis pulling a bob. Mine is a mongoose dolomite. There is a$5k and 30+lb difference in our setups.

 

[birdman1]

I hunted off my wifes old bike a bit last year... It sucked going in, but was always downhill going out. Actually got me back into mountain biking.

 

[Vandal 44]

Fillthefreezer, your set is very much like mine. The only difference is how your game cart attaches to the bike seat post, mine is jimmy rigged lol. Where did you get that attachment to the seat post?

How do you guys like the Fat Bike. I will be getting a new Mountain Bike in the spring and I have been looking at the Fat Bikes, I would like to here from you guys that own one the pros and coms

 

[fillthefreezer]

Fillthefreezer, your set is very much like mine. The only difference is how your game cart attaches to the bike seat post, mine is jimmy rigged lol. Where did you get that attachment to the seat post?

How do you guys like the Fat Bike. I will be getting a new Mountain Bike in the spring and I have been looking at the Fat Bikes, I would like to here from you guys that own one the pros and coms

i fab'd it. pretty much split a piece of tube who's ID matched the seatpost. couple hinge tabs. a closure tab. a set of ears to hold the heim joint thats threaded into the "tongue"

also curious about the fat bikes

 

[Floorguy]

I like the fat bike. I bought mine to get a feel for it and see if it was really something I would be interested in. If I could only have one bike it would definitely be a fatbike. The swampy bog areas I can ride over instead of through. Mud holes and softer sand are much easier. My first real trip on it was this hunting trip pulling the trailer. It was work but it was also fun.

Pro's better floatations when you need it and on looser dirt more grab I find it more fun to ride.

The con's that I can think of is weight. Most are in the mid 30 pound weight bracket mine stock came in at 50. They will make you work more on hard pack or pavement.

You will find that you have to pay attention to air pressure more depending on what surface you are on.