Bikes and Bows?

Beans Morocco · 08-14-2003, 01:46 PM

Any of you guys ever use, or know anyone who has used a mountain bike to hunt?
17-18 years ago it came to mind that it might not be a bad idea when I realized that I was jumping game left and right. Sometimes even passing close by without deer and elk even noticing I was there. I never did give it a go, but did eventually run into a guy from Boulder who had a bike set up for hunting. Had had purchased a decent used mountian bike, (not some 45 pound Wal-Mart piece of junk) painted the whole thing O.D. green and brown (even the wheels and tires) and fabricated a rack for his bow and other gear. He even had a B.O.B trailer (a single wheeled bike trailer that clamps onto the seatpost) for hauling in extra gear and hauling out meat. He said that he' d had great fun and success with it. Not a bad idea really if you want to cover more ground quickly and quietly and have a quicker means of getting meat out. Certainly a good alternative to the noise, stink and destruction of ATV' s and less care than a horse...you would however, need a good set of legs and lungs.

BareBack Jack · 08-14-2003, 02:10 PM

In Montana here alot of the trails are closed to anything but Hoofs and Heels so better read some of the U.S. Forest service trail guide lines.

Coastie · 08-14-2003, 07:01 PM

The Wardens here in North Georgia discourage Bike riders that are here for the " Bike riding" during hunting season, they do not, however, discourage the use of bicycles for the hunter to get from point " A" to point " B" if that is what flips your Bic. Bike riding has a definite advantage in being a quiet and quick way to get from where you are to where you would like to be. Stay off the trails marked " For Foot Travel Only" and you should be O.K. " Charley" used to transport thousands of tons of equipment and supplies along the Ho Chi Min trail on bicycles being pushed by individual persons. Think how much easier it might be to get your game out using the same method.

Nomercy · 08-15-2003, 10:03 AM

I' ve used a full frame Trek 820 aluminum for a long time now, I also used a cheap Walmart bike, a mongoose full suspension, I put a Judy bar and a new rear spring in it, and a new pumper, and took all of the old shimano components on it that I had laying around, (ended up costing about 100-150 less than a similarly equipped factory bike), and a Specialized trail saddle, it was probably the best idea i ever had. I always had the original parts if something broke, but it rode very easy and could climb out of almost anything I could fall into.

One thing I' m looking for now, is the Montau military bike, it' s a full frame (would take a judy bar), but it folds to only be as large as the wheels (27" x30" if I recall), and it weighs less than most aluminum frames I' ve ever seen short of road racers.

Important bike hunting tips: Always wear a saddle bag with a bike tool kit, first aid kit, CO2 powered tire pump, extra tubes or tube patch kit. On my Trek, it was my ' ride to class bike' too, so I had solid rubber tubes, not a really good idea for hunting, you don' t get flats, but you WILL bend your rims and the ride on a full frame bike with solids is NOT fun off-road, pneumatic tubes may get flats, but they are a lot better riding and weigh not even a fifth of that of solids, and the ride is much nicer. Don' t go where the ground is wet, because you tear up a lot, not good for our image and not good for the ground anyway. Mount ' brakers' on your handle bars (forward pointing ' tree deflecing' bars). Get metal pedals, in case you' d do something that' d break one off<-not handy for riding out. Get a new saddle, most saddles that come on bikes (unless a real high quality bike) aren' t good for trail riding, and can literally be a pain in the arse after a couple miles of rough terrain. If you ever use one for rifle hunting, keep your gun unloaded in a gun sock on your back, or in a soft case. You can also put a crutch tip over the bbl to keep from getting debris in it if you don' t want to pack it for a short trip.

Beans Morocco · 08-15-2003, 11:21 AM

Yeah...I' ve been Mtn. Biking for nearly 20 years, and have run a bike shop, but have never employed one in hunting. Yes. you guys are right, according to nationwide USFS/Dept. of the Interior law, a bicycle is treated no differently than any motorized vehicles when it comes to designated wilderness areas. I suppose additional state mandated restrictions apply as well. Here in Colorado everything but wilderness (and private inholdings) are bike accessible.